Lent Day 27: Global Anglicans On The Street
Article written by the Matthew 25 Initiative and originally posted on March 24th, 2023 as Day 27 of their 40 Days of Lent Reflections.
“The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.”
— Psalm 146:9
Anglicans are drawing near to immigrants and refugees both in our neighborhoods and around the world. As North American Anglicans, we are not alone in learning to love those who are immigrating to our neighborhoods. Christians around the world have set such a beautiful example for us to follow in how we welcome the stranger, entertaining angels unawares. Today’s story looks at the work of one such Christ-follower.
Rev. John Chol Daau came of age during the Second Sudanese Civil War, a violent conflict that destroyed his home in South Sudan and forced him to flee to refugee camps in East Africa. After receiving an education and becoming an ordained minister in the Anglican church, Rev. John founded the Good Shepherd Leadership Training Institute at Kakuma, an expansive refugee camp in Kenya that hosts over 200,000 refugees a year.
In 2014, after seventeen long years away from his home in South Sudan, John returned to establish Good Shepherd Academy for children in his community. In Juba, where John lives, access to quality education is difficult to find following years of civil war that have disrupted and destroyed most local schools.
Good Shepherd Academy fills the gap by focusing on a holistic educational approach without tribal or economic discrimination. The school promotes a Christ-like example of peace and reconciliation. Having been a refugee himself, Rev. John is incredibly sensitive to the needs of individuals and families who have suffered from the effects of displacement, trauma, and violence.
In 2018, ARDF partnered with Good Shepherd Academy to add a four-classroom block to the school, increasing enrollment and improving the learning environment.
The following video offers a glimpse of Good Shepherd Academy’s ongoing work in their community, where “marginalized and vulnerable children are nurtured into their full potential and ability through an enabling environment where Christian faith in Christ and cultural integration are realized.”
Rev. John Chol Daau was a MAP (Mission Awareness Presentation) Talk speaker at the 2019 New Wineskins Global Mission Conference, where he shared how he and Lilly Sanders Ubben collaborated to write God's Refugee: the story of a terrible war, a lost boy, and a remarkable God. This is a story that helped establish Good Shepherd Academy.
Hear from Rev. John Chol Daau about the impact of New Wineskins Global Mission Conferences and listen to Rev. John’s MAP Talk from the 2019 New Wineskins Conference in the videos below!