Two Day Mini-Mission in Lowoi

After we left Isohe on Monday we headed for Torit. We had arranged to meet Fr. Joseph Ochan, pastor of St. Peter Claver Parish, Lowoi, in town at around noon to purchase supplies for our three-day stay in his community. Lowoi is a small and somewhat dispersed village that doesn't even have its own market. After our shopping was completed, one vehicle loaded mostly with supplies and equipment headed off to Lowoi to prep for the mini-mission which would begin on Tuesday afternoon. The rest of us stayed in Torit to see Josh and Angela off on the Mission Aviation Fellowship flight that was picking them up on the airstrip the next day at noon. Our plans for Tuesday were complicated, though, by the arrival of the newly inaugurated governor of Eastern Equatoria State, Louis Labong. All the shops were closed and the streets would be blocked when his motorcade arrived from Juba. So we dropped Josh and Angela off early and headed for Lowoi shortly after noon.

Children participating in the Eucharistic healing procession.

In Lowoi we followed the same program we had used in Chukudum: two days of Eucharistic evangelization beginning with music and interaction, transitioning with a catechetical skit, two simple talks on some aspect of our Catholic faith, a Eucharistic "activity" (adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Tuesday, Mass on Wednesday), concluding with a film.

A young lady prayerfully awaiting the arrival of Jesus.

Despite still being in the first stages of reestablishing the parish after the war, the people of Lowoi were by far the most peaceful and orderly during our activities. Even though there were many children present they followed directions well to form concentric circles for the Eucharistic procession and participated very prayerfully.

Fr. Lawrence preaching at Mass on Wednesday afternoon.

At Mass on Wednesday, Fr. Lawrence preached on St. Bakhita, offering her as a model and example for the Sudanese to follow. After Mass we distributed holy cards with an actual photo of St. Bakhita and proceeded with dramatized film of her life.

Young and younger participants in the mini-mission.

Noelle resting under the protection of St. Bakhita.

Friars assessing the situation of the truck stuck in mud.

Because there had been rain the day before, on our way out of Lowoi on Thursday morning we found a truck buried in the mud. It stalled as it tried to pass through a large "puddle" (actually more like a small pond), and since its battery wasn't working it couldn't start again or move. As it happened, Josh brought some super heavy-duty jumper cables with him as a donation, and we thought they would do the trick, but the battery hookup was so poor that there was nothing we could really do except offer our sympathy as the man waited for his friends who had gone for help to return.

Maynor in action.

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