Faith and Faithfulness in a Land Unknown

When Naomi decided to return home to Judah, she urged her daughters-in-law to leave her to go back to their families in Moab. Their husbands were dead; there was nothing for them in Judah. We know the story, that Ruth refuses. On what basis?

Ruth 1:16 reads, “But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”

The only link between Naomi and Ruth was Naomi’s God, whom Ruth claimed. And so she went in faith to a strange land—but once she was there, she had to learn what faithfulness looked like.

Though in somewhat different circumstances, our missionaries in foreign lands face similar questions. “I believe the Lord has called me to this place. Now what does faithfulness look like? How can I continue to live in faith?”

The past three years have been years of learning for Lydia VanWingerden, who joined the Cush4Christ team in early 2019 to teach at the Cush Christian School. During her recent visit back to the States, she reflected on what she has learned about faithfulness in the past year.

Defining Success

Part of her learning curve has been to be a part of the team’s ups and downs. When local pastors in the past few years had to step down from their positions because of unfaithfulness, she felt that discouragement. And when hundreds and even thousands of pastors came for their (now) annual pastor’s conference, she and the team rejoiced at the Lord’s work.

But there have also been challenges more specific to Lydia’s work and role on the team.

The team lives in a decently remote part of South Sudan. But even so, the team has felt the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even in the small village of Wanyjok, the school was forbidden to meet for a whole year. During a year without school, what was Lydia the schoolteacher to do?

It was a weekly question, but she continued to meet with some of her students and especially some of the young Dinka women. She spent time with the team, teaching them how to paint and receiving violin lessons in return. And she did what she could to prepare for school to meet again. But the feeling that she did not have a purpose there remained a burden for her.

Lydia’s prayers during this year were directed towards this question: “What am I to do?” Eventually, the schools did open back up, and Lydia has had more than enough work to fill her time. But as she looks back on the year, she can see how the Lord was faithful even while she had unanswered questions. He continued to bless her relationships. He continued to work in the people there.

And he cared for Lydia by not only giving her things to do from day to day, but also by growing her dependence and reliance on him. Her desire to serve him in South Sudan had remained unchanged, and so had the external call from the team there. Each week, even while she yearned for the schools to open back up, she needed to pursue what faithfulness meant while her life looked different from what she had expected.

When the school did open back up, Lydia had other difficulties.

A major challenge has been putting together new and more advanced curriculum for her students. This is a good thing, because it means the school is having students advance to levels which they had never reached before. But the burden has largely fallen on Lydia to put together lessons which are appropriately challenging without being too demanding. Her question shifted to one of adequacy: “Am I able to meet this new challenge?”

As she looks back on the overall year, it is clear that the Lord has consistently been faithful to Lydia—whether she was questioning her role on the team, or questioning her adequacy to meet her responsibilities once her role was clear.

Although she had to navigate the particulars of the work she needed to do, Lydia related that one area she has grown in is her definition of success. Ultimately, success in her work is not limited to her success as a teacher. Actually, it means faithfully living out the gospel in her relationships with the Lord and other people.

“Success,” Lydia said, “comes from becoming and living as a Christian.” She is able to rejoice when kids have a stronger grasp of their faith and then are able to teach younger generations. No doubt this is in part a fruit of their labors at the school—but it is not necessarily tied to the school or her work as a teacher. She is free to rejoice in the Lord’s work no matter the means.

Rejoicing in the Little Happies

Soon after Lydia returned to South Sudan in January of this year, she wrote the following in an update email:

“It is good to be back in South Sudan. Life here can be hot and messy at times, but as I discovered my first year here, it is the little ‘happies’ that help in dealing with the weightier matters of life. Thankfully, there is an ample amount of little happy things that happen here. We get to taste and see that the Lord is good each and every day.”

As we talked with Lydia about her life in South Sudan, it was indeed her thankfulness and joy in her circumstances there that dominated the conversation. She loves the hot climate. She calls many of the Dinka women there her friends and sisters. And she is excited to see the progress her students are making and will continue to make. There is even the possibility of seeing some of them go to university.

The Lord has answered many of her prayers. Some prayers are for certain individuals such as Akuem, who had many uncertainties leading up to the birth of her son. Some are for the progress and growth of her students. And some are for herself—if and how she will continue to serve in South Sudan.

The Lord has allowed her to become more confident in her role on the team and has provided for her to remain as part of the team through the end of the year. As she prepares to stay in South Sudan even longer, Lydia named two areas where she especially wants to grow. One is in her ability to speak Dinka (the local language) and eventually Arabic (another common language, especially in Juba). She also wants to grow in her patience and compassion for all people—adults and children alike.

The story of Ruth and Naomi is really about the Lord’s faithfulness. If you speak to Lydia, I think you will quickly see that the same is true for her. It is the Lord’s faithfulness that allows her to live in faith and faithfulness.