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.