“We try to walk with the people, giving our best in training catechists, visiting Christian communities, and trying to revitalise new ones.” Father Placido Petit Majambo Lutumba shares his experience.

When I was a young theology student, I was sent to South Sudan for a missionary experience lasting several months. I had the grace of being present for the proclamation of independence on July 9, 2011, and I deeply felt the joy of these people, who had suffered so much, and I felt that on that day, they had achieved total liberation.

Unfortunately, things did not go so well. South Sudan was also my missionary destination after completing my studies. I stayed in Yirol and then in Mapuordit until 2021, when I was sent to Rome for a specialisation in Pastoral Theology. I returned in January 2025, this time to Awul, in the diocese of Rumbek, where we Comboni Missionaries opened a new mission.

I arrived with a companion who shortly thereafter asked the provincial superior to be assigned elsewhere because he could not adapt to this difficult place, a fragile area due to violence, where livestock theft and intercommunal conflicts are commonplace.

I am Congolese and share the community with three missionaries from the Congregation of the Apostles of Jesus, one from South Sudan, and two from Uganda. Together, we strive to walk with the people, giving our best in training catechists, visiting Christian communities, and trying to revitalise new ones.

Awul was evangelised by the Comboni Missionaries, who established many Christian communities, but the standard of spiritual life declined following the massive expulsion of missionaries in 1964. In recent months, I have lived between admiration and concern. I found a population thirsty for the Gospel, peace, and education, with families yearning for a better future despite insecurity and extreme poverty.

At the same time, there is a complete lack of infrastructure: there is no drinking water, and people must rely on rainwater that collects on street corners. There are no schools, the roads are impassable during the rainy season, and the few existing health centres are poorly equipped.

Even though we think we’re coming to bring the Gospel, the reality is that it’s already present here, as many of the people we meet, who have such deep hearts, teach us. We don’t have large churches here, but we do have choirs that sing with immense joy.

I’ve begun to see some changes, like that young man who gave up his weapons to devote himself to his studies, or that 17-year-old girl, Mary, who refused an imposed marriage. These are testimonies that give me immense joy.