"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.
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