Finally Finding Home and Rest From Riots

Thank God for Finally Finding Home.
After weeks of planning, praying and help from very kind friends with logistics, the Marol family finally found their way to their homes just in time for Christmas. Two teachers' were delayed by an extra two weeks, Gordon had to travel to the distant airstrip of Aweil on his own and endless prayers were said in hope that they would find their way from Marol to Juba, Nairobi and on to the UK (for Gordon and Joyce). Sometimes the journey takes just 24 hours, yet the last month was a vast collection of delays and complications. However, now, they are all safely home to their families with the promise of rest and Christmas celebrations. Please pray that God provides graciously for their hearts and for the next steps of their journeys as they return to more familiar life. Also, pray that God will start to build the next Marol family for 2013.
Thank you too for all your prayers for these journeys.
Ask God For Rest From Riots in Wau
Along its dust covered streets, between the horse-drawn loads and the shining Land Crusiers, women and men of many languages scurry to bring their crafts and cooking to Wau's markets. Traders from northern Sudan quietly sip sweet tea in the entrances of their boxed shaped shops, peacefully dwelling in this ethnically eclectic city. Since the North-South peace agreement in 2005, Wau has defied predictable patterns of violence across South Sudan to remain a calm combination of cultures and peoples. Yet, a couple of weeks ago, protests became violent in Wau. Soldiers poured in to the city to offer protection and a display of power. Protests have again erupted in the city with more people being killed. With stories starting to be spread that the violence is one tribe against another, the fear is that the conflict will quickly escalate. Pray for a peaceful Christmas for Wau. Pray for the church leaders there to have wisdom and humble hearts as they lead their flock through these tricky times. Pray for friends from Luonyaker who are trying to study in Wau.

http://dailynewsegypt.com/2012/12/19/rioters-rampage-through-south-sudan-town/

Still trying to get home

After many logistical difficulties, the two Kenyan teachers (Elkana and Lawrence) remain at Marol. They hope to now fly to Juba tomorrow and Nairobi on Saturday. This is their last chance to make it to Nairobi in time for their graduation.

Thank God:
1) That they have been so understanding and graceful about this delay in travel. Their trust in God is great.
2) The extra few days they've had Marol. They've even been able to mark the end of term exams!

Ask God:
1) Finally for an easy, quick journey home.
2) For the homewards travel of Gordon, Joyce, Loice, Floyd and Thomas on the 10th December.

South Sudan always leaves many stories to tell.

Thank you.

A Future, Football, Floods and Feasting

As you walk the first few paces away from the primary school buildings along the narrow dirt trail to Luonyaker, the sound of the children playing in the school quickly starts to fade. The the conversations of the pupils who are escorting you home become the main distraction from the chatter of the scattered birds and the incidental noises of the forest. The red dust trail first leads from home to home and then on into the patchy forest. The pupils track the driest course with some paths still thigh high in water. In the passing homes, you see the harvest displayed to dry, laid out on the handmade mud platforms at the centres of the homesteads. Sorhgum's head of small, brown berries, the yellow of the maize and the small green circles of okra paints a hope-filled pattern beneath the sun. For now, food is more than enough to eat and storing this collection will sustain the family until this time next year. As we walk further, children donate the sugar cane to us that they've acquired along the way. It is too sweet to ask if it was scrumped.

Things To Pray For
A Future
Marol Academy Secondary School will open after the four month holidays on the 1st April 2013. For its pupils, this is the only opportunity for secondary education. Walking over three hours each way, each day, one of the few local church leaders is coming to Marol to gain his first post primary education. Pupils like him make the school worth growing. Yet, for the last two years, the secondary school has been reliant on the sacrificial nurturing of Gordon and Joyce. Please pray that God will provide the next leader(s) to direct the studies at this school at least for the first few months of the next academic year. Marol is a unique environment and not a predictable calling. Yet, God has provided again and again for this school. There is a real need to start asking God to provide once more. Please also ask God if you know anyone he might be asking to serve here.

Football
As the ground slightly slopes away to the school from the teachers' tukals (thatched huts) and you wander towards the hand pump, a clearer area of dry, hard earth marks the Marol Academy football pitch. All without shoes to prevent any unfair advantage, the pupils run for hours up and down the pitch chasing the ball of this worldwide game. Now, come Saturday afternoons, the volunteer Kenyan teachers also join the match. Having gathered the pupils and played the match, the afternoon ends with a Bible passage and some prayers. Through football the children of Marol are gaining a new taste of God's promises to them.

Floods

Having been drenched in torrents of water since the end of May and with land fully saturated, much of South Sudan is now submerged by floods. Although the land seems perfectly flat and without boundaries, rain seems to unpredictably focus its distribution on certain villages. This year Marol received more water than elders remember having fallen for twenty years. As you walk the 6km from the market in Luonyaker to Marol, the road slowly changes from sand to a knee-high swamp. Fields of groundnuts have been flooded to ruin and the road to Marol became impassable to all vehicles. Further south in Unity State, floods have displaced whole villages from their homes.

Feasting

With perfectly perpendicular postures, the young girls walk their routine path from home to the water pump. Yet, at this time of year, their journey too is accompanied by sugar cane. They tear off the skin and munch the sugar from the long canes as they walk along. Little children carry bundles of this sweet bounty. With the promise of the sorghum harvest close behind, the munching of the cane signals a happy time of year. Friend even donate handfuls of maize from their seemingly plentiful stocks. Thank God for the harvest that has come.

Journeys, Joy, Families and Funding

[Note from blog editor: Apologies for not posting this sooner, I was away in Africa myself!]

"Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever. I will be to Israel like a refreshing dew from heaven. Israel will blossom like the lily; it will send roots deep into the soil like cedars in Lebanon". (Hosea 14 - a verse I've been pondering since May).

As I start to pack my bags to head back to South Sudan, I realise that I have not written for many weeks. After a summer holiday, I hope you will rejoin me in prayer for South Sudan and for our journey there.

Thank God for:
Family at Marol Academy
Again and again they amaze me with their fellowship and love for each other and the children they serve. Thank God for Gordon, Joyce and the Kenyan teachers (Loice, Floyd, Elkana, Lawrence and Thomas) who are living and teaching at Marol. Their compound has long been flooded and the nearest market is a few miles walk through water. The road is impassable by vehicle. Thank God for their resolve and faith to keep going despite it all.

South Sudanese Teachers
South Sudanese teachers who are willing and educated are so hard to find. They seem more scarce than riches. Please pray for the teachers who are serving Marol, often walking for hours to be there and for less than £50 per month salary (inflation is very high at the moment). Pray especially for Donato (one of our longest serving teachers), David (who lives next to the school and lost a child this year) and Adeng (our only female teacher).

Joyful Time With God
My years in South Sudan have seen ebbs and flows in my relationship with God. I know He has been with me in every season and on every step of my journey. Yet, sometimes I have seen him less clearly. I am really grateful for the chance to listen to Him again these last few months and know intimacy with Him. I am so grateful for that. Please pray that God would keep showing me His glory and His provision.

Family and Friends
God has given me a life of coming and going in this season. Family and friends have shown me such endless grace to put up with this season of my life. My mum and dad have been especially wonderful. Please thank God for them. Also thank God for the families of Gordon, Joyce and the Kenyan teachers. They must be missing them so much.

Ask God for:
Funding
Kenyan teachers, construction and daily running costs are all financial needs at the school. There are possible funding opportunities although it is unclear exactly how God will keep providing. Ever since I have known Marol, I have been overwhelmed by God's abundant provision. He must truly love the people of those villages. He has given lavishly and has allowed us to build more than we could ever imagine. Please pray for God's hand in this next season of seeking provision. Let it be an opportunity for God to show what he can do. Also pray for wisdom for those who decide exactly how its spent, from which bricks to buy to how much to pay teachers as inflation increases.

Richard
Richard is an experienced science teacher in the UK and has managed to get some time off work in order to spend three months with us in Marol. He travels to South Sudan in early September. Please pray that God will prepare his heart for the unique adventure ahead of him. Please also pray for Judy his wife who will remain behind in the UK.

Talking about South Sudan
By God's incredible provision, I have been asked to advise a few policy makers about conflict in the Greater Wunlit region of South Sudan (the region I visited in May and June). The dynamics of the conflict are complex. In the 1990s they saw an explosion of violence and the arming of teenage boys who look after the cattle. Armed violence has never ended. When I was there in May, a dozen or so young men were killed from the village I was in. Pockets of violence have killed hundreds across the region this year alone. It is a daunting privilege to talk to people who have enough money to possibly try to make a difference. Please pray that God gives me words to say that show mercy and bring justice and offer insights beyond our own wisdom. It is a comfort to know that even Moses, when he talked to Pharaoh about his own people's slavery, did not have the right words to say but needed God with him (Exodus 4).

My Journey to the Village and in the Next Season
Starting on Sunday, I have a long journey to the village in South Sudan with two overnight flights and a total of five flights in six days. It is an unusual route to Luonyaker as I have to call somewhere along the way. I fear that it might leave me a little exhausted. Please pray for God's incredible blessing and strength to ease the burden of these journeys and make them a gift. Please also pray for God's guidance as I make decisions in the months ahead about the shape of the next few years. I know my heart roughly but would really like to know God's heart with clarity. He seems to be offering me some amazing gifts and I would just like to know that they are good to accept. Pray that doors will stay open for the life journey ahead. Please also pray that I get my written work finished before I travel (that will be a miracle).

I hope to have many fresh tales from South Sudan in a couple of weeks time.

Happy Independence Day

Today (9th July 2012) South Sudan celebrates its first birthday. Last night the streets of Juba were already swarming with dancing people. Today will see even more people gather in thanks and to remember the heavy cost they paid for independence.

I am now safely home in England, sorting out details for my studies and writing a few things on South Sudan. Yet, fellowship in these weeks at home is very precious, so I would love to see you.

South Sudan is one year old, please pray for...


Peace This Year
Thank God for relative and sufficient peace for the country to reach its first anniversary. In the villages, war has not been people’s daily concern, even if it remains the popular topic over tea in the market.

In the first year of independence, however, there have been many whispers of war. Nearly a thousand people have been killed in internal unrest in Jonglei State since December, adding to others killed in local conflicts. On the border with the North, there has been heavy fighting over the oil rich area of Heglig that prompted a season of Nothern bombing into South Sudan. Yet, the real suffering remains north of the border in the regions of Blue Nile and the Nuba Mountains. Daily bombing raids and ground offensives mean that this land is deeply entrenched again in war and thousands upon thousands are being lost.

Hope This Year
Thank God for the continuing prevalence of hope in South Sudan. This is still a new land with new promise. People believe that things will get better. Pray that their hope will remain.

Having turned off the oil pipeline that allowed the South to sell its oil through the North, the South has now had many months without a substantial income. The oil money was over 90% of its national budget. Their money will soon run out. It is unclear what will happen when people no longer receive their government salaries, especially the soldiers and their leaders. There is much uncertainty.

Change This Year
South Sudan is developing fast. Some regions that used to be annually isolated by waist high swamps are now accessible all year round by (bumpy) gravel roads. Schools are appearing and clinics are being built. Yet, a lack of trained staff means that few services are delivered. Also, with the coming of exposure to the markets and the wider world, local values and customs are being challenged. Pray for leaders’ wisdom as they protect and discard various values and practices.

Children, Conflict, Thomas, Travel and Two Leopards

Beyond the villages that surround Rumbek and further through the thick leafed forest, the water-covered track led us to a series of some of the largest cattle camps of the Dinka Agaar. Arriving just as the cows were returning to be milked, the young boys rushed to tether their herds before the girls started milking. Fresh, warm milk was offered to us as guests as we sat on small, dung covered grass mats beneath the trees. The children happily slurped away as the milk started flowing. A scattering of guns still surrounded the camp. Despite attempts at disarmament, people's lack of confidence in security has made it hard for them to give up their armed protection. "We need our guns to survive", one man explained. As I listened to this familiar narrative again, I realised that soon I would be leaving these cattle camps of Lakes and Unity. My time of learning from these cattle keepers, for now, has come to an end.

Please pray for:
1) The Children of Cattle Camps
Lavishly fed on rich milk and entertained by the excitement of the gathered camp, childhood amongst the cattle can seem heavenly. Especially in seasons of rich pasture, it can seem that they want for nothing. Yet, these cattle camps can be violent. Two people had recently been shot at night and buried in a camp adjacent to where we sat. While the children are sent to the camps to access the goodness of the milk, they are left vulnerable to the violence of the raiding. Pray for their safety.


2) Conflict Mitigation
On Tuesday, in Juba, I have the opportunity to speak to a handful of influential international actors who work on conflict mitigation in South Sudan. I will share with them some of the messages from the cattle camps. Pray that I have wisdom and understanding to speak with justice and mercy. I still cannot quite think what I should say. Pray too that these actors might have some influence in mitigating conflict and brining peace. Sometimes it can appear a slow and impossible task.

3) Teacher Thomas
Thomas is one of the Kenyan teachers who volunteered to teach in Marol this year. As he is in the village in South Sudan, he missed his university graduation last week. He was the first to graduate from university in his family. Therefore, missing the ceremony was a great sacrifice for him and his parents. Pray that they know the blessings of this sacrifice and feel at peace with the decision.

4) Safe Travel
I am now starting my journey home to England for a little rest and to do a little academic work (presenting papers at a couple of conferences). I fly to Juba on Monday, Nairobi on Tuesday and England on the night of the 1st July. Please pray that my time in England is renewing and filled with wise decisions directed by God's whisper. There are decisions to be made.

PS. In a slightly more surreal moment, today I played with two baby leopards. Having been mistakenly taken from their mother by soldiers a few days ago and handed to wildlife official, today they were given to a Kenyan in Rumbek to look after. They are too young to survive without feeding. She let me spend a lazy Sunday afternoon assisting her. Sometimes, it is a pleasure to be distracted.

Of the Nuer Speaking Lands

Across the flat, tree-less swamps of southern Unity State and passed the hundreds of happily grazing cows, you stumble across the slight higher lands that allow the settlement of Ganyliel. Just two hours walk from a small port on the Nile, traders fill the market with goods from further afield. In the early evening, the market is also scattered with boys selling the fish they have just caught in the surrounding waters. At about this time of year and until November, when the rains start to pour down on South Sudan, the swamps rise and this higher settlement becomes an island of muddy clay in this vast swamp. They are a population only reached through the water and on boats that come up the Nile. Yet, taken early in the war by the SPLA and due to its proximity to the Nile, Ganyliel grew to be a strategic centre for various battles and populations during the war. Long a pastoralist community, the war-time armament and military training has left a new era of deadly cattle raiding with surrounding communities. Over two dozen people were killed during a raid into a neighbouring state in the couple of weeks I was there.


Pray For:
1) The Cattle-Keepers of Surrounding Ganyliel
Their lives are rich in milk, companionship and the beauty of their landscape and livestock. Yet, the encroaching changes of war-time and peace-time South Sudan seem a burden to them. Many are still dying. Pray for wisdom and understanding of the leaders amongst them and the leaders who have power over them.
2) People Working in Ganyliel During the 1990s and heavy years of fighting, charities and the UN poured into the county surrounding Ganyliel to support its people. They encouraged agriculture, provided basic education and health care. Yet, soon after the peace, with new demands on the charities, almost all of them left. It is a remote and difficult place to work. Yet, it is also an area with much need: there is no secondary school in the county; there is no functioning hospital in the county, with the only health clinics are few clinics; there are only a couple of cars in the county so people cannot access services outside. There is now one charity providing health care for the county, with two foreign workers (a Ugandan and a Kenyan). Pray that they are strong and compassionate for the work ahead.

Further north, as you travel along a more dusty road and through a familiar-looking, Southern Sudanese forest, the road suddenly becomes surrounded with a dense collection of palm trees. They only subside to make way for small homes, tidily fenced with the leaves of the palms. Nyal is another large village in this Nuer-speaking county. Adjacent to a large lake, fish, sugar cane, maize, sorghum, mangoes and groundnuts are eaten in season in this little oasis. It almost seems that God did not deny Nyal anything when he gave fruits to its soil. For the few nights I was there, I would swim in the lake with the children before retreating to the swept and organised home of a local lady for fresh, white, fried fish. Caught that afternoon, it could not have been sweeter. It was a truly beautiful place.

 Pray that one day South Sudan will have the infrastructure for villages like Nyal to share its abundance with surrounding villages and the rest of the land. When you see such an oasis, you wonder how any one in South Sudan can sleep hungry. Yet, to the nearest town is a ten hour drive in a Land Cruiser. There is no way out for the food.

As I Travel to Unity

This is just a quick note, as I travel through the urban sprawl of Rumbek on my way to Unity State. The week has been filled with adventures. There is so much prayer needed for this land and especially for those at the cattle camps who face violence and the fear of it on a daily basis. Yet, I have been grateful to sit with strangers, drink fresh milk, sip warm tea and listen to their stories. It is such a privilege. And I am grateful that I have been kept safe as I travel.

As I type, rain is pouring down and the compound's paths have long been flooded to resemble a large lake. Our long (five or six hour) journey to Unity State tomorrow promises to be full of mud. I would really appreciate your prayers. I am tempted to be tired, but am also aware that it is a true privilege to go to the grazing lands in Unity State and spend time with a people I may never have the chance to meet again. I am sure God can travel with me.

A few hundred miles away, the teachers have safely settled at Marol. Please pray that this new community grows to be a family as fast as it did last year.

Teachers and the Toic

As I write, four Kenyan teachers are waiting for the boarding call in Nairobi's international airport to send them to South Sudan and onto Marol Academy.  The rains have now started, so they will be welcomed by the growing green of the fields.  As the wet season appears, the cattle are starting to return from pasture and the numbers at school swell further as more people return to the drier lands near Marol.

New Teachers
Loice and three new Kenyan teachers (Thomas, Lawrence and Elkana) today fly from Nairobi to South Sudan.  All being well, they will spend their first night in the village tomorrow night (Monday) as the new member of the Marol Family.  Please pray for ease of travel, especially now the rains are heavy and they will be landing on a small airstrip.  Also pray for a strength of spirit as their faith to come is confronted with the challenges of daily life at Marol.  Pray that they quickly become a family and feel at home with Gordon, Joyce and Floyd who are already there.  Yet, most of all, pray that God will use their faith and sacrifice to come to do amazing things amongst that community.

Funding For New Teachers
The Marol Family now includes five volunteer Kenyan teachers.  All straight out of university, they have had little chance to save to fund this service.  Therefore, we are seeking to sponsor them to cover the cost of transport, visas, food and a small incentive to spend on living essentials.  It costs about 2,000 GBP to support a teacher for a year (or about 170 GBP per month).  Some already have sponsorship but we have stepped out in faith to invite the others to Marol, confident that it is God's plan and that he will provide.

The Lakes-Unity Toic
Tomorrow, for a week or so, I will travel to the village of Amok Piny in the toic (grazing lands) between Lakes and Unity States.  It has been the sight of heavy raiding in the past, but I will be there to spend time with the cattle keepers as they return from the furthest reaches of their pastures.  It is the most remote place I have ever spent time (I think) as it sounds a great distance from even one, grass-roofed market stall.  It is a daunting privilege to be able to travel there.  Pray for that my spirit will be strong when I am in this unfamiliar place.  Pray, also, for good weather - it sounds as if, in a few more rains the village will be permanently cut off by road from other settlements.

The North and New Things

Continuing North-South Contests
The North and South of Sudan continue to compete with words and bombs as old tensions are brought back to the surface. A new UN resolution is a firm attempt to try to bring the two sides to the negotiating table and prevent full-scale war, yet it is still unclear what the next days will bring. In the village the main concern is the escalating food prices. A sack of maize is now three times what it cost just over a year ago. People feel that they will not be able to afford to feed their families. Yet, they are far from the immediate violence: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17954805

New Soldiers
Along the gravel road, the newly recruited soldiers walked through the day and the night behind the waving South Sudan flag. Having signed up in the main market village, they have a few days walk to the nearest barracks. With tensions increasing against the North, they have been enthusiastic to sign up to the Southern army to defend their new nation. Most of the recruits are in their twenties and have been sent with the praise of their community. Yet, scattered amongst their number, are much younger boys. Pray for these people and all that is ahead of them.

New School
On Tuesday, the ground was broken to dig the foundations of Marol Academy Secondary School. Having borrowed a classroom from the primary school last year, there was a massive demand for the secondary school to have a home of its own. Bricks were delivered using the school's truck and with the help of another truck in the community. Now the mountains of bricks await the builders. Funding for the whole construction is still not secured, but it seemed the right step of faith to start building. People walked around the dug foundations, praying for blessing and protection. There is much need for prayer for this young secondary school at the moment and for protection of all that God is building here.

New Adventures
As strange as it feels to leave Luonyaker, on Monday I will travel away from the familiar pastures of Gogrial East County for a good few weeks. First, I will travel to Kenya to complete university assignments and rest. After a week I will return to South Sudan but will head to Lakes State (another Dinka speaking region a little further south). I have been invited to do a little research, for one month, in that different terrain on possible ways to build peace amongst the communities. It is a privilege to go but I am already tired and fear the energy needed for any new environment. Prayers for rest, work and new adventures would be much appreciated.

Waiting and War

As yesterday drew to a close, I sat in the shade of my friend (Bol)'s tukal listening to his radio and the news from Kuajok (the state capital). The news started with the reading out of primary exam results for each school. Post lots of labour by a handful of very dedicated teachers, Marol Academy stood out as one of the best in the state. Yet, the radio's news quickly turned to whispers of war and the growing support for the SPLA operations on the Northern border. War has become a spoken of possibility. Yet, as we listened to messages of recruitment and funding, Bol's goats trotted home after a day's grazing. His one and three year old daughters rushed to the side of a large, black and white goat. Bending down on the floor and smiling with broad smiles, they drank the warm, fresh milk of the goat straight from its udders. They could not have been more happy and their childhood could not seem more perfect. Whatever happens between Khartoum and Juba, I just pray that their lives don't notice.

Things for prayer:

• War As much as this is scattered across the headlines, the bombings and attacks that are taken place along the border are still not the daily concern here in the village. The area where the North are bombing is adjacent to our county. Yet, it is across an ethnic and administrative boundary. People never directly travel to this neighbouring area. So, people feel very distant from there and all that is happening. There are whispers of thoughts of war as people listen to all that's going on. Increasing, voluntary army recruitment is spoken of. Yet, the daily concerns of the village still potter through lost cows, declining grain stores and waiting for the rains. www.thecitizen.info is a good source of ongoing news if you're interested. 
• Waiting for Rain The sun had already fallen when the wind blew the first rains of 2012 over Luonyaker. Swirling around the homes and crashing to the ground, the rains made a dramatic entrance. Yet, they were short and the ground absorb the water as if it was just a drop. The real rains are still far away. Yet, there is still happiness in people's hearts to be reminded that the rains will come again. It's as if they doubted and wondered whether the rains would forget them this year. But a season of good rain is crucial for boosting low harvest stores. Please pray for rain. Waiting for Teachers Gordon and Joyce are now safely settled at Marol Academy. Floyd has also joined them and is starting to find his way around as the school prepares to open. Please pray that he won't be too lonely at Marol and that he'll have all he needs. We are also still desperately praying that God would stir other Kenyan, graduate, Christian teachers like Floyd to head north to South Sudan. There is a strong possibility that a Agriculture teacher and two others who might be willing to join us. Do pray that there will be no complications and that they will be able to travel to us in the next couple of weeks.

Travel and Toic

At this time of year, when the rains seems a faint memory, the southern half of our country turns to sand. This dry area, where Marol is located, is known as the Pathuon. Yet, if you travel north east for an hour by car, you reach the river. Across the river is the toic and a land with more water. To eat fish and to graze their cattle, much life of the community moves cross the river bed to spend these months far away in the toic. To learn of their laws and hear of their conflicts, this week has seen me take three trips up to the toic.

With the river dry, cars can pass through the river bed. Yet, the dense sand brings many cars to a halt. On Wednesday, our car was stuck four times in various parts of the river's thick sands. Yet, even the sandy muddle reminded me that this county has become home. The last time we were stuck, our car had become lodged deep in the sand and the evening was starting to draw in. There were only a few of us in the car, including children. I knew we would never be able to lift the car in order to dig it out. Yet, at the end of the day, the few cars that travel to the toic mainly retreat across the river. Three cars found us there. Each one stopped to help in the rescue. In the end, the only driver who could force the car free was the driver of the government's large mounted gun. But, more than ever, I was reminded that God had given me a community who would take care of me and who are willing to stop to help.

Safe Travels for the Marol Teachers
Gordon, Joyce and Floyd (a new Kenyan teacher) safely landed in Juba on Thursday. At about the same time a Feeder (private, South Sudanese company) plane was about to land on Wau's airstrip. Having circled a couple of times before landing, on-lookers thought that something was wrong. As it touched the ground on the third attempt, the tyre burst, the nose hit the ground and flames erupted from the nose and wing. Amazingly all the passengers managed to rush from the plane with only a few suffering minor injuries. Yet, the plane itself was burnt and dented. Flights for Feeder have been cancelled indefinitely; Gordon, Joyce and Floyd had hoped to fly with Feeder. The Wau airstrip is also closed to all airlines for the time being. Marol Academy is about to open for 2012, and the Marol cohort are now stranded in Juba.

By the grace of God and meeting the right people at the right moment, the cohort are now safely booked onto a UN flight. These planes have a very good safety record. Yet, they still will not fly until the Wau airstrip is reopened.

Please thank God for:

1. the provision of safety both for the passengers who flew and for these Marol three who were meant to fly on the same plane two days later; 
2. the provision of UN flights and contacts for the week ahead.

Please pray for:

1. God to use their time in Juba so that they know the delay was ordained by him;
2. logistical arrangements to work well so that they reach Wau soon; 
3. safety in all their travels until God calls them home.

Safety in the Toic
My yesterday was spent in one of the last villages before the Warrap-Unity State border. For two decades now, annual raids across this border have killed hundreds. Last year, children were buried here after a significant raid. Yesterday, enough of the neighbouring tribe had been seen nearby for it to be the only topic of conversation in the market. Even the court was suspended. Raids to cross the border were also being planned. Peace seems like a distant dream. Please pray.

A few of my most recent thoughts can be found here.

A Little Girl
Under the gapping tree, sixty people sat at the feet of the chief waiting for his judgement over their case. One-by-one they would tell their story. The chief, with his elders' support, would decide the outcome. One case involved a small girl whose father I knew. Biologically the daughter of another man, she had been born in her father's house. Her mum and father were now married. Yet, now she was about six years old, the biological father was demanding her back. She had never met him before. She did not want to go. Her father was fighting to keep her. Yet, she was given to the biological father on the condition that he gave cattle. Just pray that she is not frightened and that she feels loved by both families.

Peace and Prayers

Any reluctance has now passed, and the sun is streaming down on South Sudan with its full dry-season heat. March and April always bring uncontrollable, defeating weather. The afternoons are spent beneath the nearest tree and even the mornings fail to bring a moment of cold. There is comfort in knowing that the pounding heat must come before it passes to the cooler days of the early rain.

This week, the tree I hid beneath was in Leitnhom (the county capital). I had the privilege of attending peace meetings with chiefs and women leaders. It was humbling to here their stories of war, their desire for security and their perceptions of the necessity of conflict. Gathering from all the corners of the land of the Apuk Dinka, their experiences of deadly violence, displacement from their homelands and loss of their sons were vast and raw. The hot, dry season brings increased expectation of deadly conflict.

Yet, being with other women really humbled me. Dressed in their finest colours, the meeting often broke down into dancing and song. Most women were many years older than me, with numerous children and even more grandchildren. Yet, one girl was a few years younger than me. Despite her age, she was already widowed. The mother of one, the life ahead of her was decided by that early marriage, her husband's death and family obligations that will bind her to her husband's household. I know I still dream of all I will see and do in the years ahead of me. They're exciting in their unpredictability. I wonder how I ended up in such a different position from her.

Things to pray for:
1) Peace Meetings
This coming week will see the youths gathered from across the county to discuss peace. Please pray for soft hearts and lots of wisdom.

2) Teachers for Marol
The sandy path cuts through the empty fields and around the thorny hedges of people's farms. Forest then quickly surrounds you as the car keeps bumping forwards. They assure me that people live nearby, but sprawling bush and beautiful trees are all I can see. The occasional cow promises that there must be people nearby. It is another fifty minutes of the sweltering heat of the car before we meet the regions capital - a tiny market with half a dozen, grass huts. Here is the most distant home of a pupil of the Marol secondary school. Last year his exam results were the best, so the village celebrated and feasted. Now, he hopes to excel again in his second year. Yet, at the moment, there is still no conformation that there will be new Kenyan teachers to allow the full functioning of the secondary school at Marol this coming year. Loice will return to serve these students, and a young graduate called Floyd has also volunteered. Yet, there is a massive need for more teachers and for funding to support these sacrificial workers. Pray hard that God will provide. The Kenyan Christian union is still trying to assist us.

Exams, Empty Tummies, A Snake and Wisdom

South Sudan changes quickly. It had been only six months away from Wau but things were different: Kenyan Commercial Bank had finally opened the first secure bank in Wau; the Ugandan shop that sells soap had doubled in size; a girl from the village had bought a new phone (even if there is no phone signal). In the village, a few more brick buildings had appeared and rare houses have new bamboo fences to make their homes private. Yet, the fencing around the panakim had been stolen, flooding the small health clinic with more cows than patients. And, prices had risen in the North-South political storm of the last months. Sorghum (the main grain) has become three times its old price. People were unsure that they could afford to eat.

1) Exams
The P8s from Marol Academy started sitting their exams last Friday. If they pass, they will receive their Primary School Certificate - the highest qualification most people in South Sudan aspire to. They are sleeping at another school where the exams are being held. There are 32 pupils there from Marol and 76 pupils in total including pupils from other schools in the county. Pray for their peace, confidence and insight.

2) Empty Tummies
On the first evening, I visited my closest friends in the village. My heart leaped to be home amongst them. My Dinka name makes me part of their family. Talking into the evening, I finally walked home with a friend. Yet, all through our hours of conversation, I realised that no fire had been lit. That night, my friends would not be eating. Even though my friend's wife is pregnant and her other children small, their bellies would rumble that night. With the harvest still many months away, this is an early time to already be hungry. They had tried to cultivate much land last year.

3) A Snake
At the Marol teachers compound, Marco and Bol are local boys who have become the guardians/caretakers. They have worked hard to care for the teachers and pupils. They remained on the compound while all of us were away. Yet, last week, while walking back at night, Bol was bitten by a snake. He is alive. He was taken to a traditional, spiritual healer. Please pray for his physical and spiritual healing.

4) Wisdom to Listen
The month ahead will see me start to try to understand the local justice system and the conflicts in this area that claim hundreds of lives each year. There is fear of attacks on the cattle and many people are unsure where it is safe to graze their herd. Please pray for vision, insight and wisdom to help with this learning and listening. Please pray that I will be humble too.

Teachers, Travel and Talks

If you turn left through the gates and right at the road's end, having avoided the swerving cars as they avoid the potholes, you come to a little row of ladies selling fruit. For a few pence, they will give you a bowl of fruit salad cut from fresh bananas, mangoes and such sweet avocados that are unknown in the UK. Kenya gives many treats to enjoy. This week, as I wait to return to South Sudan, I have tried to indulge in lots of those little gifts of daily Kenyan life. Staying here in a friend's flat has been such a blessing.

Teachers
Next year we hope to have 70 pupils at Marol Academy Secondary School. In an area where only a few dozen people have had a secondary education, this promises to make a massive impact. Yet, there was no certainty of having even one teacher. That's partly why it's been good to stop in Kenya. Post the blessing of having three, trained, Christian teachers from Kenya last year (Loice, Rachel and Emma), we hope that the same will happen in 2012. FOCUS (the Kenyan Christian Union) helped us find these teachers last year. Having met them on Friday, they have promise to find us five teachers for 2012. Loice (from last year) and Floyd have already committed to come. They come as volunteers yet we support them financially. Now the task begins to find sponsors for these brave, faithful people who are prepared to spend a year in South Sudan.

Travel
Tomorrow, just after midday, as church services start in the UK, I fly to South Sudan. Then, on Friday (or as soon as transport can be arranged and a couple of meetings have passed), I fly to Wau and the village. I am praying I would love it as much as ever and that it will feel as if I am coming home. Yet, I have been away a long time and England seems most familiar.

Talks
The North and South Sudan were due to start negotiations today post the closure of the oil pipeline. The sale of Southern oil is dependent on it being piped out through the North to Port Sudan. Yet, the North and South have failed to agree the levy for the use of this pipeline. 98% of South Sudan's revenue is from the oil, so it was a significant decision to turn off its flow.

http://africanarguments.org/2012/02/06/pipe-dreaming-over-oil-in-south-sudan-–-by-luke-patey/ .

Snow to Sun

The floor is covered in pieces of paper and piles of clothes. The suitcase was hauled from the attic a couple of days ago and the familiar, final preparations for returning to South Sudan are nearly complete. However many times I pack, I can never finish before the last minute hurry. Yet, despite its familiarity the return journey still seems daunting. Having been away from the village for many months, I wonder if I have remembered what life there is. The heat of the dry season has already engulfed South Sudan. It seems very far from the snow of Bath.

Please pray for:

1) Peace in the Sudans
There are new whispers of conflict post arguments over the oil between North and South Sudan. This is an old argument but is now between two sovereign nations. Do pray for wisdom for the leaders and compassion for their people.

2) Safe Travel
On the 5th (snow permitting), I fly to Nairobi. I then hope to meet Kenyan teachers to recruit a new cohort for Marol Academy. On the 12th I fly to Juba and, then, on to Wau. Do pray for safe travel.

3) My Parents
They have been kinder to me than I could have imagined while I have been at home. However, I know that my return to South Sudan is never easy for them. Pray for their peace and growing faith.

Please Pray for Healing

Please pray for healing for Jok Madut (founder of Marol Academy) who was assaulted by a band of his own country's soldiers on New Year's Eve.

And pray for healing for South Sudan. As the country is formed and war-time memories continue, there are many lost people in South Sudan who don't know where their security lies. Soldiers who would commit such violence must be amongst these lost.

Prayer Request

I just wanted to write to ask for urgent prayer for the people of Jonglei State. It is far from Marol, but friends' home villages are nearby and people fear it is sign of broader instability.

There have been attacks between the Lou Nuer and Murle communities that have left uncounted numbers dead. A friend described it as "like Rwanda" because of the disregard for any ethics in combat. "If the world saw this they would not believe in South Sudan any more". While there has long been cattle raiding between groups in Jonglei, the dynamics and scale of the violence have rejected previous restraints.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16375646

Please pray.

2011 bought so many answered prayers for South Sudan: a peaceful referendum; independence day; some good rains. Yet, there is still much uncertainty.