Billy’s Blog Yei, April 2019 (Compiled by Jenny Smyth) Companion Placement Yei Vocational Training College, South Sudan Surfing…it’s all a question of timing…too soon and you don’t catch the potential of that wave, too late and you miss the opportunity … but in that risk-it-all moment when you trust your instinct and fully commit you are lifted up, surged forward and you are off! The situation in Yei has felt overwhelming. Billy visited Yei in February at the invitation of Bi

Jenny Smyth shares her thoughts on recent news events in the build-up to Easter celebrations across the world. Watching in disbelief as the fire took hold at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, the roar and the heat, the destruction of centuries of craftsmanship, the desecration of a place of pilgrimage and worship, the crowd turned to fervent prayer in silence and in song. Then as the fire died and dawn came firefighters and priests entered the blackened shell, stepping throu

At the conclusion of a two-day spiritual retreat for the leaders of South Sudan, hosted by Pope Francis with Archbishop Justin Welby in the Vatican, Pope Francis demonstrated his deep desire to see peace restored to the nation of South Sudan by asking permission to kiss the feet of these military men of power. Pope Francis also kissed the feet of the widow of John Garang. In this astonishing act of humility we see the power of love to challenge deep divisions of pride and hat

CMSI hosted their Annual Members' Day and AGM, Shine, on Saturday 30th March in the Emmaus Renewal and Conference Centre in Swords, Dublin. Over 50 CMSI members and staff joined together to hear the latest news and updates from global partners and parishes, as well as holding the Annual General Meeting with the election of new members for the CMSI Board of Trustees. The members present were representative of the entire island of Ireland with people travelling from Coleraine a

‘All the believers were together and had everything in common ..(and).. they gave to anyone who had need.’ It all started one late Thursday afternoon, shortly after we arrived back to Oltiasika. This was the first time that Maggie and I were both back in Oltiasika after our Land Rover accident in October last year. The first to arrive was Stephen, our Tractor driver, and the first words he spoke were 'Pole sana' (very sorry). He asked numerous questions about the accident and