Life And Death

As I sit on a friend's spare bed, having spent the day exploring with another, I am reminded again of the richness of having gracious and patient friends that God has been kind enough to give me back here in England. The last weeks have been steeped in trying to settle back in to this homeland, and God has reminded me of the blessings of friends. I am grateful and, slowly, starting to feel rested.

Life
Thank God for Ayak. Beneath their thatched roof, a few hundred metres into the forest, this little girl was born on Saturday. Her safe arrival seemed a little miracle as her mum (Regina) had fallen seriously ill with malaria prior to her birth. Her mum and dad (Dut) are the couple that could finally marry, and escape the clashes in Abyei, after the gift of cows by an Englishman. Ayak literally means drought. Yet, now, she brings much happiness to this little family.

Another of Bol's daughters

And Death
If you turned through the towering crops towards Bol's circle of mud huts, the children would spot you and run to greet you. Madut's little legs carried him the fastest and the girls would run closely behind. Nyanut's silent presence would always watch from a distance, too shy for the bold greeting of the younger children. Nyanut was about ten year's old and lived with her uncle (Bol) for much of last year. Her mother lived about three hours walk away. She had been lent to Bol to care for his youngest daughter. This week she died of malaria. No one could afford to take her to Wau to seek treatment.

Other Things to Pray For:
1) Teachers at Marol
They are in good health but the road from the market to the school remains as nearly five miles of swamp.

2) Talks in the UK
Pray that I have the right words to say as I speak to people in the UK about South Sudan.

3) Abyei Floods
Having had their homes bombed to pieces in May, the people of Abyei are now facing some of the worst flooding in memory. Crops and people have been washed away. Fifteen have been killed and ten thousand displaced.

Thank you!

Munching, Mums & Marol

As routines are resuming after the summer, I thought it was timely to request more prayers for South Sudan. Thank you for being part of these prayers

The last months have swept me away as I moved back from South Sudan to the UK. I now have a term away from South Sudan as I start a MPhil/PhD researching peace-building in South Sudan. It is intimidating to be away from South Sudan, but I am also confident that I need to rest a little - in God, in my studies, with friends and just sleeping! I will also continue to serve Marol Academy and am asking God to give me others to join me in this commitment.

Thank God
1) For The Harvest

As you walk the dusty tracks or turn through the fields of sorghum, you see even the smallest children tearing apart the tough sugar cane poles. With smiles on their faces, they munch the first, sweet fruits of the harvest. At Marol, the small school garden is now sprouting with greens to feed hungry tummies. No one is sure that there will be enough to eat until the next harvest but, for now, they are happy to feast.

2) For The Marol Family
I remain in awe of the five volunteers who remain at Marol (Gordon, Joyce, Loice, Rachel and Emma). Joyce has built strong relationship through her midwifery work and the others have laboured hard to be a gift to the pupils of Marol. They are even running Bible studies that dozens attend. Yet, last week, even the bumpy road to the nearest market flooded so they are now quite stranded at the school. Thank God for their faith, boldness and strength. Also, please pray for God's gentle protection over them.

Prayer Requests
1) Regina and Her Unborn Baby
The bombs fell and the artillery shattered the birth place of Regina this May. Sitting on the border between North and South Sudan, adjacent to rich oil fields, Abyei has been the site of some of the heaviest fighting. She had left just a few months before with her little son to join her husband in Luonyaker. Yet, in May she watched with anxiety and fear for her family. Now, heavily pregnant, she also waits with uncertainty for her baby. With little midwifery available, most women rely on their female relatives and just give birth on the mud floors of their huts. Regina is nervous for her and her baby as no female relatives are nearby.

2) Secondary School
As the last term of the school year approaches, conversations are starting about whether we can afford to sustain Marol Academy Secondary School. This year it has been such a privilege to see the first secondary class. Filled with an ethusiasm to learn, amongst the insecurity of opportunity, they are an impressive cohort. One boy walks six hours each day to be at the school.

3) Development Officer for the Church in Wau
The Diocese of Wau stretches from the northern deserts of Raja County to the swamps of the eastern stretches of Warrap State. With bombed cities on the borders, militia fighting amongst its communities and very few basic services, the Diocese has many challenges to face. Yet, with people turning to Christ in the heat of the civil war and churches planted despite their isolation, the last few years of peace have given the Diocese a new ambitious vision. They hope to educate their own pastors (most are not literate or able to read the Bible) and serve the community. Interviews for a South Sudanese Development Officer happen tomorrow (Tuesday). Pray for someone of faith who can easily make a big difference.

Email Fraud From Naomi's Account - Supporters Please Read

Someone (or something on someone's behalf) has managed to hack Naomi's account and send fictitious emails pretending to be her in urgent need of money. If you receive the following email (or similar) purporting to be from Naomi, please delete immediately!

My sincere regrets for this sudden request, things actually got out of control on my trip to Madrid,Spain . I was mugged,all my belongings including cellphone and credit card were all stolen at gun point. I need your help flying back home.

Am cash strapped at the moment. I've made contact with my bank but the best they could do was to send me a new card in the mail which will take 3-5 working days to arrive here. I need you to lend me some money to sort my self out of this predicament, i will pay back once i make it out of Madrid.

Western union is the fastest option to wire funds to me. Let me know if you need my details(Full names/location) to effect a transfer. You can reach me via email or hotel's desk phone and the number is,+34 91 608912736.

Love,

Naomi

Happy Independence Day from the villages of South Sudan

The dawn chorus on this independence day witnessed a splattering of guns across the horizon, shooting into the air in celebration.  If they had not been given their South Sudan, they would have fired in anger.  Instead, they fired with joy.  From the pops of the Ak47s to the tutterings of the machine guns, they declared their freedom.  As the sun climbed higher, women started singing, the drum started sounding and bulls were slaughtered.  In the villages, everyone was celebrating and watching as the new flag was raised.  The party is still dancing through the village now although the sun has already set.

Thank God that he answered prayers for a peaceful day and for freedom for this land.  Everyone can hardly believe it's come true.

The Day Before Independence

Practising for the parades:

Two Days Until Independence

This evening I sat at my friends's home, her daughter occasionally jumping off my knees to chase the goats away from the crops. Their tukals (mud huts) sit adjacent to the UN food halls and today food was being distributed. Hundreds of ladies flowed through her home to greet us, 25Kg sacks of grain carried on their heads. Their harvest of the year before was not enough to feed them and they will be dependent on others for the food for their independence day feasting.

Here are some thoughts I have written for a Royal African Society blog, in case you're interested.

Keep praying for peace, and God's foundations to this new land and people.

Four Days Until Independence

In just four days time, South Sudan will become the newest nation on earth. Children are practising the new national anthem and flag poles are being raised in the county offices. Schools have started their two week holiday but still practices of singing and marching continue.

Things to pray for:

1) The Nuba Mountains
The Nuba Mountains sit north of the North-South border, in the terrain governed from Khartoum. However, resisting oppression from this regime, the people of the Nuba Mountains fought with the Southern SPLA during the long civil war. The coming of independence leaves these people in an unclear and insecure position. With the North wanting to assert their authority, they have started an offensive in the Nuba Mountains that seems nothing short of genocide. The atrocities that the South suffered for decades seem to be starting afresh in these hills.


2) South Sudan
Please pray for South Sudan as the 9th July and independence approaches. It seems that the whole country is holding its breath until then. There has been insecurity in this state due to a rebel militia and there are other agitations throughout the country.

3) Regina and Her Baby
Last night my friend Regina (Dut's wife) had a sleepless night in her mud hut due to intense pains. She is at least six months pregnant. Please pray that she will get better soon and that the baby will be kept safe.