Dear donors, volunteers, supporters, and everyone who has been praying for the success of our school,

We are very excited to report back to you about our recent Community Engagement trip to Yei, South Sudan. It was an incredible week as we lived and worked with the people of the Kakwa tribe to help make Fr. John’s dream a reality. We are well on the way to opening a school in the February/March time frame. It is very exciting!! There is more to share than can be put on this page; please feel free to talk to board members and trip participants if you would like more details. The guidance of the Holy Spirit was a powerful presence during our time in Africa.

First stop – Kampala, Uganda

We met with members of the Permanent Center for Education (PCE), a teacher training program rooted in the Catholic faith and the dignity of the human person. The philosophy is deeply infused in every aspect of the school and teacher training. We also visited a secondary school where they use this training and it was absolutely outstanding. They provide onsite teacher training at schools; we will be bringing this training to our teachers in Yei.

Arrival in Yei – Saturday, October 25, 2014

Our site and school administrator, Alfred Lomoro greeted us and took us to our home in Yei. This home will be available for anyone who will be coming to Yei to participate in the work of opening the school. There is no running water but there are 4 cell phone providers (doesn’t seem quite right…) but it did allow us to stay connected with friends and family. The house is located in a neighborhood that is a short walk to the downtown area so it is very accessible. The house and the town are both very safe and we felt very comfortable.

Community Engagement Sessions

Our dialogue sessions with the local people were amazing. The people were open and respectful. There were consistent positive themes in the dialogue: God, prayers, love, unity, and collaboration; along with the desire for strong schools, good teachers and successful students. We had 3 different sessions. By the end of the third session we came to consensus about topics as global as the philosophies of running the school down to the more mundane – but significant decisions – like colors of the uniforms! In addition, everyone present made a pledge as to what they would contribute to make the school successful.

Clearing the Land – Staking out the Property

When we arrived, a large part of the land had already been cleared for the school but more work needed to be done. 2 full days and part of another day were spent working side-by-side with the men, women and children of the Kakwa tribe to clear more land, establish well locations and then stake out the school. We were humbled by the hard work and dedication of the people in the community. The picture to the right shows some of the children who could be coming to the school and the land on which the school will be built.

Relationships

We were able to meet with the Commissioner and Mayor of Yei and the Minister of Education. We were warmly welcomed by all and they are very supportive of our project. We visited the Juba Teacher’s College, the Juba Rotary Club and the Yei Teacher’s College. We will work with the Teacher’s Colleges to recruit high quality teachers and we hope to partner with the Yei Teacher’s College for their student teaching program. We also met with Bishop Elias Taban, an internationally known priest with the Evangelical Protestant Church; he is a wonderful connection for us. He will be helping with paperwork necessary to get the buildings across the border and he joined us as we staked out the land for the buildings and the well.

The Catholic Church

We attended mass on Sunday morning at Christ the King Church. The church was packed and at the end of the 2 1⁄2 hour service (think “Sister Act – African style!) we were introduced and warmly received. We also attended mass on All Saints Day at Fr. John’s home parish – St. Joseph’s. It was a beautiful way to end our time in Yei – sharing in the Eucharist. The entire week was filled with the most incredible blessings and so many grace-filled moments.

This is an exciting time and we look forward to sharing more with you as we continue to move forward.
Steve Deick, Cris Fischer, Susie Foley & Chris Pierret

Our shipping container, full of the school buildings, desks, toilets, and other supplies, is en route to Yei, South Sudan. It’s been a long process of planning, fundraising, and collecting materials, but we’re so close now!

We purchased the buildings and supplies starting July 2014, and the shipping container was packed over the rest of the summer. Getting everything we needed inside was like solving a massive 3D jigsaw puzzle, but miraculously, it all fit! A group of board members and SOW supporters painted the container in early August, and more went back when everything was finally packed in early September for a blessing and send-off.

As of early October, the container is on a ship across the Atlantic, traveling first to the Mediterranean, then it will make its way down to Kenya by mid to late November. After going through customs and being loaded on a truck for the final leg of the journey, it should reach Yei by the end of the year.

Please pray for its safe a speedy trip to South Sudan!

Stay updated on the container’s journey and new SOW events by checking our Facebook page.

The Seeds of Wisdom Board is very pleased to inform you of the unanimous decision at our June 2014 board meeting to initiate our project and begin building a school in Father John’s hometown of Yei, South Sudan. A great deal has been accomplished since this journey began almost 4 years ago and we are so excited to truly make Fr John’s dream a reality. In partnership with all of you, and through the grace of the Holy Spirit, we are able to take this next step.

What does “initiation” mean?

Previously, we’ve been in the planning and fundraising stages, but now that initiation has occurred, we will purchase the school buildings, start paying the site administrator to get the land cleared, hire a headmaster, and move forward with the other necessary steps.

In order to initiate, we needed enough donations and pledges to purchase and ship the school buildings, which is more than covered by the $500,000+ total we had reached as of June 2014. Beyond construction costs, our total initial fundraising goal will pay for teacher and administrator salaries, security fence installation, latrines, landscaping, food, labor, books, uniforms, housing, wells, and everything else needed to run a school for two years.

We also needed to be comfortable with sending people over and building a school, which was dependent on the social and political environment. Luckily, Yei is relatively free from the conflicts occurring in the northern part of the country, and we have many local supporters in the Yei community to work with us from South Sudan and help resolve any obstacles that come up.

What are the next steps?

1. Buildings

Our first step in initiating the project is placing the order for the buildings. We are in the process of placing that order and we expect them to ship by the end of July, with arrival expected in the November/December time frame.

2. Staff

We have hired a local site administrator who will play a lead role in the coordination of efforts to complete the construction of the buildings. He will also work closely with a US Headmaster to facilitate hiring staff and teachers and prepare for the academic needs of the students. The US Headmaster position has been posted in a variety of locations. The US Headmaster will work side-by-side with an African headmaster in the operations of the school with the eventual goal of passing the full leadership of the school on to the African Headmaster.

Interested in the position of US Headmaster or know someone who would be a great addition to our school? Learn more about the job requirements and application here.

3. Trip to Yei

A team from the Board, along with Father Mahon, is planning a two-week visit to Yei in late October. During this trip, the team will spend time with Father John’s people in order to understand the expectations and realities for both the people of Yei and the Board and community of St John the Evangelist. This team will also also be working with the local people putting in some “sweat equity” to prepare the area for the buildings. It is our goal to have the Headmaster hired by October so he/she can join us in these experiences and preparations for the start of school in 2015.

What can I do to contribute?

We couldn’t have gotten this far without the generous contributions from our supporters. It means a great deal to us that our Rochester area community is so willing to give your money, time, prayers, and efforts. You all are truly the face of God to both our organization and to the future students of Yei.

We ask for your prayers for everyone involved in this amazing endeavor as we take this next step. We will send out periodic email updates to our donors, and you can also follow us on Facebook for more information. If you have any questions at any time, please feel free to contact us.

God bless you all.

[box] Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Benefit Banquet! It was very successful, and we’re so grateful everyone was generous with their bids and donations. Our organization is blessed to have such wonderful people supporting us as we work toward building our school.[/box]

Join us May 18, 2014, for our Seeds of Wisdom Benefit Banquet, from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm in the St. John the Evangelist school gymnasium. Individual tickets are $25, or you can sponsor an 8-person table for $250.

The night will start with music, silent auction items, and a cash bar, followed by dinner, an interview with Fr. John Lasuba, live auction, and more! The South Sudanese dinner will be stew, rice & beans, cornbread, salad, and dessert. We have received dozens of wonderful donations from local businesses and parishioners for the silent auction, plus some awesome live auction items, including dinner with the Bishop. We also have a $30,000 matching gift for the proceeds from the auctions, so your donations will be instantly doubled!

There is limited seating, so buy your tickets early. Tickets are available for purchase at the St. John church office and St. James Coffee House, plus after all weekend masses at St. John the Evangelist starting April 26th.

For more information or to sponsor a table, contact us at seedsofwisdom@sj.org.

Benefit Banquet Poster PDF

This Lent, our community is banding together to serve the needs of our sisters and brothers in South Sudan by building a school for the children living in Yei. You are invited to walk in solidarity with us by keeping us in mind with your prayers, fasting, and almsgiving.

We have distributed our Lenten Journey posters at the Rochester Catholic schools and parishes, and they are also available here as a Lenten Journey Poster PDF. Place a jar or bowl near your calendar for almsgiving opportunities. After Easter, donations can be dropped off or mailed to Seeds of Wisdom in South Sudan, 11 Fourth Avenue SW, Rochester, MN 55902.

As we progress through our Lenten Journey, please consider sharing your stories and experiences with us on the Seeds of Wisdom in South Sudan Facebook page.

Join us in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving by walking with us in solidarity on our Lenten Journey.