Governance, Grain and Research

Below are just a few things to keep praying for. Sorry to have been a little out of touch, but South Sudan needs your prayers as much as ever. Thank you!

1) Marol's Governance
When the raids came in May, one of the chiefs of Gogrial East was amongst the dead. His home was far northeast in the county and his attempts to defend it saw him killed in the relentless attacks. Therefore, this season has seen the appointment of his replacement (as well as the appointment of a new chief for another area). This appointment of new leadership has bought with it inter-community tensions. As Marol Academy organises its own leadership and governance to last the school through this next generation, pray that these tensions do not interfere with what is God's best for Marol. Pray that He protects those children and gives them a chance to learn. Marol sits on the boundary between two communities, both of which have children craving education.

2) Grain and Protests in Wau
The euphoria of the new nation has already been stiffled by the tough circumstances that this new land faces. Due to a blockade by Northern Sudan on trade coming to the South, prices have rocketed especially in cities nearer the Northern border (such as Wau). Grain is beyond the few pounds that families can gather together. With no secondary schools in the villages (except for Marol's S1 class), families have tried to save all they can to send their sons to school in Wau. However, this means they must also save enough money to pay for their son's food. As the food prices have soured, these school pupils can no longer afford to eat. There have been protests in desperation.

3) Research
This week I head to Juba to do a little work to earn a few pennies. I fly on Wednesday night and head to Juba as soon as I can get a visa (prayers for this are much appreciated). The work is on the idea of "community" and will inform strategy for the organisation in South Sudan for the decade ahead. I am growing in awareness of the macro level influence good research could have and am praying for the wisdom to have a good impact, however small it might be. Yet, I would really appreciate prayers and peace as I try to balance the various demands. I also seem to miss the village more than ever at the moment. Lots of me wants to go home.

Teachers, Tiredness and A New Term

Things to Pray For:

New Term
Glistening in the sun, and interrupted by the occasional tuft of grass or tree, the road to Marol now closer resembles a river than the dry track of the dry season. Yet, with shoe-less feet, the children will wade through the water tomorrow morning to return to Marol. They have just had a week's holiday and will return to a new term at Marol Academy. It is now only a month and a half until the school year comes to an end. Yet, there is much work to be done in these weeks and much to pray about for the year ahead. We desperately need a secondary school building and secondary school teachers. We hope to build a simple, four-classroom secondary school with a store room. We are yet to know where either funds or money may come from. I'm sure God can do something.

Teachers
Emma, Loice and Rachel (Kenyan, Christian teachers who recently graduated from university) have been a pivotal gift to allow the Academy to keep learning this year. They were given to us by Focus - the Kenyan Christian Students' Union. In January 2012, 3,500 Christian students will gather in Kenya to be "commissioned" for their call at a massive Focus conference. It sounds such an incredible event and something I can hardly dare dream that South Sudan will see one day. But, for now, I am just praying that God will use it to give us more Christian teachers for the future. It seems that Marol is quite a tough location to survive in unless you are confident that God has called you there.

Tiredness
I am quite exhausted as I process all that God has done these last years in South Sudan as well as build faith for the future. It would be good to have the time and space to do that this season. Home, in itself, lets that time trickle in but I have a tendency to keep busy. Moments of stillness are rich but not always often enough. Plus, I hope to write a couple of articles soon to sum up my academic work so far. I just pray God has their hand on them.