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.