This is a story of people acting in faith. At the time this story began, First Presbyterian Church, like most religious congregations in America, was struggling with identity, seeking to make a difference in the world. There were no plans or definitions at the US State Department, in Sudan, in the Presbyterian Church USA as a denomination, or in Skaneateles, NY for what needed to be done in South Sudan by whom, how, at what cost. All that was known, was that there were open questions. Except for a dozen years, civil war had been perpetuated from 1956 until 2016, in an extremely poverty-stricken, remote and undeveloped corner of the Sub-Saharan part of the South Sudan portion of East Africa between the two Nile Rivers. Not only was the population impoverished, and at risk due to isolation's lack of inoculations, they had no infrastructure for getting supplies, no roads to get there, there was not yet any legitimate government recognized with which to gain access to information or permission. Environmental conditions limited any access to six months each year; all knowledge of locations, resources, conditions and people, were anecdotal from child refugees who had escaped these circumstances in a time of trauma. The leadership of First Presbyterian Church had no agenda for involvement in this mission. We were asked to provide resources for sponsorship of refugees for a limited time, but that relationship of trust has become a partnership, a faith Calling.

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The Rev. Dr. Craig Lindsey is Pastor of The First Presbyterian Church of Skaneateles, New York, USA. A graduate of the College of Wooster, Ohio in Urban Planning and Community Development; Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, NY; and Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia with his Doctor of Ministry in The Gospel in A Postmodern Culture, his thesis work on Essentials Necessary for Congregational Redevelopment: Restoring Salt’s Savor. Rev. Lindsey is a member of the Sudan Mission network of the Presbyterian Church USA. He is also one of the Founding members of the Board of Directors and Secretary of the John Dau Foundation. Rev. Lindsey is married to Judy, and they are the parents of C. Michael who lives and works in Brooklyn, NY; and Nathan who is completing his PhD at UC Berkeley CA in the field of Magneto-tellurics.