Wednesday 16 December 2009

Merry Christmas!

Now in the UK for Christmas! Brrr....

A few notes on the latest happenings. Life in Africa is never quite what you expect!
Just as the college was approaching a habitable state it was taken over at two days notice by a group of thirty preschool teachers who were in urgent need of a place to hold their six week workshop - their existing arrangements having fallen through. Interestingly a good proportion of them are men. Several of the women brought their young children along, and twenty extra people from the Juba area were added to their number in the daytime, so the amenities are greatly overtaxed.

We very quickly organised the building of an outside washing area and shelter for eating etc. which we had not expected to need until January. The thirty people soon turned into fifty people. They are sleeping on every bit of floor available(!) - staying in a building with just two newly renovated toilets. Sadly the pipe to the septic tank (on a separate property) appears to be blocked, which means that it is necessary to build a new tank at some cost. There were soon large bowls of water in evidence outside for washing clothes, dishes and babies, and the fences filled with drying clothes as is the usual Sudanese method - even if the neighbour has put up razor-wire!

The cooking is done in large pots over charcoal burners. The women doing the cooking are doing beautiful embroidery in between their cooking duties.
We managed to preserve one room from being invaded in which all the library books are stored and where Tina and helpers continue to work. One of those most involved is associated with Save the Children which has its headquarters in Juba. Save the Children here is supported by America, Sweden and the UK. Not wishing the books to get into the dusty state they were in previously we had an expedition to the market to find something to use as dust covers and ended up buying sets of the cheapest sheets we could find. So the books have now all been tucked up for the Christmas holiday. We travelled back to England with almost empty suitcases (all our Winter clothes being already here!) which caused some questions in the custom department. Our intention is to return with them full of books, taking advantage of the very generous luggage allowance given by Ethiopian Airways.

Tina has now visited most of the ECS primary schools in Juba. Though some are in a better condition than others, all work in extremely primitive conditions with hardly any resources. Both teachers and children greatly value links with schools in England. Some such links have been in existence for a few years and others are just being established. Communication is the main problem and it is mostly achieved by giving letters etc. to people travelling between the two countries. There is no internal post in South Sudan and none of the schools have electricity. If your local primary school might be interested in such link, please contact Tina at . (See an earlier blog for descriptions of Sudanese schools).

We are now both in England for Christmas and Andrew's (our eldest son) wedding on 2nd January. Having got acclimatized to 30˚C plus, December in the UK has been a bit of a shock, but we are surviving!#

We are very grateful indeed for all the people in England (and elsewhere in the "First World") who are supporting us through prayer and giving. We know that many people are passing on our Prayer Points to their friends, or taking them to prayer group meetings etc. This is very encouraging - it is so wonderful to be so looked after, and God does answer your prayers. On the financial front, despite spending over £1000, our account at Good Books is not less than it was eleven months ago when we left! People have contributed from different parts of the country. For example, although we left twenty years ago in 1989, our former parishioners in Middleton, Leeds had a Harvest collection, and STETS gave us the collection from their graduation service. We have not been able to thank all those who have given because some of the contributions have been given anonymously - sometimes just posted through Peter and Isabel Green's door. We thank you whoever you are, and we are very grateful indeed for Peter Green and Good Books for all they do for us in looking after all this. We are financing the purchase of new books through this account some of which Jo O'Farrell and Good Books are ordering at cost price. When we get onto our new site we will be in need of huge amounts of money for the new development - so keep it all coming! Many thanks. Have a great Christmas.

Tuesday 8 December 2009

Prayer Answers, Thanksgivings and Petitions

December 2009

There is so much to pray for that it is difficult to know what to leave out. Below are some of the things that are exercising us from our perspective at New Bishop Gwynne College in Juba. Thanks so much for your prayers.

Trevor and Tina

1. The College

Praise God for the rising interest in the project internationally. Pray that this interest will lead to a financial commitment from groups, churches and individuals as we move into the first phase of developing the new site. Pray that God will smooth the way for us to get established there.

Praise God for Simon Lual Bang and Daniela Lucia Rapisarda as they have joined us with great enthusiasm and commitment. Please pray for them as they prepare themselves for their first term of teaching - Simon on the Old Testament, Sudanese Church History and Arabic, and Daniela on New Testament and Systematic Theology. Please pray for Trevor and Tina as they continue their role in development and prepare to teach homiletics, Anglicanism, conflict resolution and English. Pray also for Robin Denney who will join us towards the end of the Lent term in teaching sustainable agricultural methods and practice from a Christian perspective.

Give thanks to God for the transformation of the existing building from a very sad, dull place without water and light, into something that is usable although limited. We thank God that the intermittent town water supply and some solar powered electricity has made the place more habitable. Praise God that sufficient income is now available to install water tanks to ensure constant water supplies are available, and a new septic tank.

Pray for the fifteen second year students returning to continue their studies and that new students, by God's grace, will be found for a first year to begin in August 2010.

Pray for the communities from which the students come as they begin to learn their responsibilities in supporting them in prayer, encouragement and finance.

Pray that those people who continue to owe the college a lot of money will come forward with it so that we can pay off the remnants of the historic debt (mostly to those who left the college's employ before 1987!)

Praise God for the wonderful way the library is now coming together and the new books arriving through the gracious generosity of people coming from Britain and America. Thank God for the volunteers that are helping Tina to catalogue, paste the stickers and draw up the card indexes. Praise God for the support of Good Books, Bridport and others in obtaining the books we require, and the funds that have been made available for this purpose.



2. The School Links

We give thanks for the developing links of Church primary schools in Juba with schools in the Diocese of Salisbury. Praise God for the now active link between Beaminster St Mary's and Ephatha Basic School with the beginning of the sharing of letters and Christmas cards. We rejoice that the headteacher at Ephatha is computer literate - even though he has no computer and the school has no power supply(!) - which will help in future communication.

Western Star Basic School, Western Juba

Pray for the development of potential links between schools in Tisbury, Salwayash, Bridport and Wool with schools in the Juba suburbs of Munuki and Gudele. Give thanks that Tina has managed to pay further visits - hampered by the lack of transport and streams impassable in wet weather (even within Juba itself).



3. The Nation

Give thanks for those who have recently registered to vote and the intensity of the Churches' commitment to this process.

Give thanks for the enthusiasm of the many politicians to the development of democracy and their willingness to contest elections.

Pray for the Government of National Unity as the date of the elections in April draws nearer and the political posturing increases.

Pray for President Al Bashir of the GNU, and the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir.



4. The Church

Give thanks for a very hard working and encouraging Provincial Standing Committee involving representatives of all three houses (bishops, clergy and lay) recently held in Rumbek.

Archbishop Daniel Deng addresses the ECS Sybod Standing Committee

November 2009


Praise God for the visit of partners from Britain and America and their commitment to the continuing development of the ECS and the education and health in the Sudan. Pray that they may have patience with the situation here where development is patchy and people with vision, enterprise and energy to make the most of the gifts they bear, are too few and not evenly spread.

Praise God for the central role the Churches play in growing a new Sudan in the face of so many problems.

Thank God for his continued blessing of pastors and laity with love, patience, endurance and self-sacrifice. Pray for these people who have turned their backs on material gain, sometimes receiving less than a living wage when they could command good salaries working for foreign aid agencies and the government etc.

Pray for the development of an effective Theological Education by Extension programme and the diocesan Bible colleges to help bring education to the many untrained pastors in all parts of the country.

Pray for the the Theological Commission and the four other provincial colleges - Bishop Allison in Arua moving to Yei, Bishop Ngalamu in Mundri, Bishop Shokai in Khartoum and Renk Theological College.

Pray that they province may quickly find a new experienced accountant/administrator to be found to work the provincial office. The person may well have to be an expatriate. Pray that the right person may hear and respond to the call of God.

Continue to pray for Archbishop Daniel Deng, giving thanks for his passionate dedication to the development of the ECS in every direction. Thank God for his defiant stance towards all those who disrupt progress or undermine the security of the people. Praise God that he refuses to be deflected by the issues that are dividing the Anglican Communion at present, and continues to concentrate on what Anglicanism can contribute to the proclamation of the Kingdom of God amidst poverty, division and uncertainty in his province.