Merry Christmas!

Now in the UK for Christmas! Brrr....

A few notes on the latest happenings. Life in Africa is never quite what you expect!
Just as the college was approaching a habitable state it was taken over at two days notice by a group of thirty preschool teachers who were in urgent need of a place to hold their six week workshop - their existing arrangements having fallen through. Interestingly a good proportion of them are men. Several of the women brought their young children along, and twenty extra people from the Juba area were added to their number in the daytime, so the amenities are greatly overtaxed.

We very quickly organised the building of an outside washing area and shelter for eating etc. which we had not expected to need until January. The thirty people soon turned into fifty people. They are sleeping on every bit of floor available(!) - staying in a building with just two newly renovated toilets. Sadly the pipe to the septic tank (on a separate property) appears to be blocked, which means that it is necessary to build a new tank at some cost. There were soon large bowls of water in evidence outside for washing clothes, dishes and babies, and the fences filled with drying clothes as is the usual Sudanese method - even if the neighbour has put up razor-wire!

The cooking is done in large pots over charcoal burners. The women doing the cooking are doing beautiful embroidery in between their cooking duties.
We managed to preserve one room from being invaded in which all the library books are stored and where Tina and helpers continue to work. One of those most involved is associated with Save the Children which has its headquarters in Juba. Save the Children here is supported by America, Sweden and the UK. Not wishing the books to get into the dusty state they were in previously we had an expedition to the market to find something to use as dust covers and ended up buying sets of the cheapest sheets we could find. So the books have now all been tucked up for the Christmas holiday. We travelled back to England with almost empty suitcases (all our Winter clothes being already here!) which caused some questions in the custom department. Our intention is to return with them full of books, taking advantage of the very generous luggage allowance given by Ethiopian Airways.

Tina has now visited most of the ECS primary schools in Juba. Though some are in a better condition than others, all work in extremely primitive conditions with hardly any resources. Both teachers and children greatly value links with schools in England. Some such links have been in existence for a few years and others are just being established. Communication is the main problem and it is mostly achieved by giving letters etc. to people travelling between the two countries. There is no internal post in South Sudan and none of the schools have electricity. If your local primary school might be interested in such link, please contact Tina at . (See an earlier blog for descriptions of Sudanese schools).

We are now both in England for Christmas and Andrew's (our eldest son) wedding on 2nd January. Having got acclimatized to 30˚C plus, December in the UK has been a bit of a shock, but we are surviving!#

We are very grateful indeed for all the people in England (and elsewhere in the "First World") who are supporting us through prayer and giving. We know that many people are passing on our Prayer Points to their friends, or taking them to prayer group meetings etc. This is very encouraging - it is so wonderful to be so looked after, and God does answer your prayers. On the financial front, despite spending over £1000, our account at Good Books is not less than it was eleven months ago when we left! People have contributed from different parts of the country. For example, although we left twenty years ago in 1989, our former parishioners in Middleton, Leeds had a Harvest collection, and STETS gave us the collection from their graduation service. We have not been able to thank all those who have given because some of the contributions have been given anonymously - sometimes just posted through Peter and Isabel Green's door. We thank you whoever you are, and we are very grateful indeed for Peter Green and Good Books for all they do for us in looking after all this. We are financing the purchase of new books through this account some of which Jo O'Farrell and Good Books are ordering at cost price. When we get onto our new site we will be in need of huge amounts of money for the new development - so keep it all coming! Many thanks. Have a great Christmas.

Prayer Answers, Thanksgivings and Petitions

December 2009

There is so much to pray for that it is difficult to know what to leave out. Below are some of the things that are exercising us from our perspective at New Bishop Gwynne College in Juba. Thanks so much for your prayers.

Trevor and Tina

1. The College

Praise God for the rising interest in the project internationally. Pray that this interest will lead to a financial commitment from groups, churches and individuals as we move into the first phase of developing the new site. Pray that God will smooth the way for us to get established there.

Praise God for Simon Lual Bang and Daniela Lucia Rapisarda as they have joined us with great enthusiasm and commitment. Please pray for them as they prepare themselves for their first term of teaching - Simon on the Old Testament, Sudanese Church History and Arabic, and Daniela on New Testament and Systematic Theology. Please pray for Trevor and Tina as they continue their role in development and prepare to teach homiletics, Anglicanism, conflict resolution and English. Pray also for Robin Denney who will join us towards the end of the Lent term in teaching sustainable agricultural methods and practice from a Christian perspective.

Give thanks to God for the transformation of the existing building from a very sad, dull place without water and light, into something that is usable although limited. We thank God that the intermittent town water supply and some solar powered electricity has made the place more habitable. Praise God that sufficient income is now available to install water tanks to ensure constant water supplies are available, and a new septic tank.

Pray for the fifteen second year students returning to continue their studies and that new students, by God's grace, will be found for a first year to begin in August 2010.

Pray for the communities from which the students come as they begin to learn their responsibilities in supporting them in prayer, encouragement and finance.

Pray that those people who continue to owe the college a lot of money will come forward with it so that we can pay off the remnants of the historic debt (mostly to those who left the college's employ before 1987!)

Praise God for the wonderful way the library is now coming together and the new books arriving through the gracious generosity of people coming from Britain and America. Thank God for the volunteers that are helping Tina to catalogue, paste the stickers and draw up the card indexes. Praise God for the support of Good Books, Bridport and others in obtaining the books we require, and the funds that have been made available for this purpose.

2. The School Links

We give thanks for the developing links of Church primary schools in Juba with schools in the Diocese of Salisbury. Praise God for the now active link between Beaminster St Mary's and Ephatha Basic School with the beginning of the sharing of letters and Christmas cards. We rejoice that the headteacher at Ephatha is computer literate - even though he has no computer and the school has no power supply(!) - which will help in future communication.

Western Star Basic School, Western Juba

Pray for the development of potential links between schools in Tisbury, Salwayash, Bridport and Wool with schools in the Juba suburbs of Munuki and Gudele. Give thanks that Tina has managed to pay further visits - hampered by the lack of transport and streams impassable in wet weather (even within Juba itself).

3. The Nation

Give thanks for those who have recently registered to vote and the intensity of the Churches' commitment to this process.

Give thanks for the enthusiasm of the many politicians to the development of democracy and their willingness to contest elections.

Pray for the Government of National Unity as the date of the elections in April draws nearer and the political posturing increases.

Pray for President Al Bashir of the GNU, and the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir.

4. The Church

Give thanks for a very hard working and encouraging Provincial Standing Committee involving representatives of all three houses (bishops, clergy and lay) recently held in Rumbek.

Archbishop Daniel Deng addresses the ECS Sybod Standing Committee

November 2009

Praise God for the visit of partners from Britain and America and their commitment to the continuing development of the ECS and the education and health in the Sudan. Pray that they may have patience with the situation here where development is patchy and people with vision, enterprise and energy to make the most of the gifts they bear, are too few and not evenly spread.

Praise God for the central role the Churches play in growing a new Sudan in the face of so many problems.

Thank God for his continued blessing of pastors and laity with love, patience, endurance and self-sacrifice. Pray for these people who have turned their backs on material gain, sometimes receiving less than a living wage when they could command good salaries working for foreign aid agencies and the government etc.

Pray for the development of an effective Theological Education by Extension programme and the diocesan Bible colleges to help bring education to the many untrained pastors in all parts of the country.

Pray for the the Theological Commission and the four other provincial colleges - Bishop Allison in Arua moving to Yei, Bishop Ngalamu in Mundri, Bishop Shokai in Khartoum and Renk Theological College.

Pray that they province may quickly find a new experienced accountant/administrator to be found to work the provincial office. The person may well have to be an expatriate. Pray that the right person may hear and respond to the call of God.

Continue to pray for Archbishop Daniel Deng, giving thanks for his passionate dedication to the development of the ECS in every direction. Thank God for his defiant stance towards all those who disrupt progress or undermine the security of the people. Praise God that he refuses to be deflected by the issues that are dividing the Anglican Communion at present, and continues to concentrate on what Anglicanism can contribute to the proclamation of the Kingdom of God amidst poverty, division and uncertainty in his province.

Thanks to all our supporters. We can now begin on the next stage of our project - the expansion of the Theological College on a new site in Juba

The New Site The new site consists of some 9000 square meters adjacent to the Juba Model Secondary School (founded through the vision of St Francis church in Salisbury, UK) and its sister primary schools in the heart of Juba. Some of the site is already owned by Bishop Gwynne College, and a student dormitory and dining hall/kitchen already stand there. The rest of the site has been occupied in recent times by the church's relief arm, SUDRA. SUDRA no longer requires this site. So we have a substantial site in a prime location that needs developing.

Our first priority is substantial fencing. Next, the site has to be cleared of large amounts of debris left by the bulldozers as they have recently cleared the land of refugee dwellings, and the unwanted SUDRA buildings. It is our plan to utilise all the area not immediately needed for buildings for agriculture. This land has probably never been used for such purposes, and even when cleared, will need substantial treatment with mulching and compost to bring it into production. (The process of achieving this will all form part of the students' education, as every parish priest needs to know how to make the land productive. Christianity in Sudan is properly engaged in both spiritual and material growth).

Then we need to bring the existing buildings into a good state of repair. There is exterior pointing and complete interior re-decoration to be done for the dormitory and dining hall, but when completed these will provide student accommodation for the first stages of the new college development.

A major aspiration is a new multipurpose chapel with attached vestry. This will serve well as a library and administrative centre when not in use for worship. We will also need proper toilets and washing facilities and some additional staff housing.

From the outset the position of the other buildings earmarked for this site in the longer term will be marked out, so that the college area develops in a carefully landscaped manner. A number of trees already exist including eucalypts, neem trees, papaya as well as banana plants. Additional trees will be planted - the traditional mangoes, attractive frangipanis, as well as moringa and other useful trees. Areas will be demarcated for permanent horticulture for the education of students, and also as a source of food for those resident in the college. All these farming opportunities will form an important aspect of the theology students' education.

A New Chapel An attractive chapel is a significant objective in the second phase of the development of the new site. The work of God is central to our vision and worship will form a significant part of the college ethos. Corporate prayer and celebration will begin and end each day, and the chapel will form the heart of the learning process. Although the building will be technically described as "multipurpose", the learning that will go on in it is all part of our worship for a creator who has called us to his service in Christ in his world. Until a permanent building is constructed, the theological library will be housed here. Indeed it may always be the home for devotional literature. Here the students will be able to conduct their private reading and study as well as prayer. Outlines designs for this new chapel are are being drawn up.

The "Foundation Appeal" It is our aim that Bishop Gwynne be self-sustaining (see below under "On-Going Funding"). However, in order to get the foundation "off the ground", we are seeking world-wide grants and sponsorship from corporate bodies and individuals. This will make all the difference to us because it will speed up the process enormously and kick-start various aspects of the project. BGC has been a theological college for 60 years. Our requirements for this vision are:

• The fencing and clearing of the site; Up to US$70,000
  

• Repair of the existing structures and rebuilding; Up to $8,000
  

• Washrooms, toilets; Up to $20,000
  

• Books, study resources, computers and Internet facilities; Up to $10,000
  

• A multipurpose chapel and vestry; Phase 2
  

• A purpose-built library, study centres and staff housing. Phase 3

We are not pretending that this is an not ambitious project, but we are certain that we are doing all the right things to support this vibrant but under-resourced church in trhe Sudan. We know that God is with us. In a European context such a statement might seem arrogant. In the Sudan it is simply self-evident!
Thanks for your prayers!

Prayer Answers, Thanksgivings and Petitions

November 2009

1. The College
Praise God for the way the building work has all come together in the last month on the existing building.
Praise God for water and solar power electricity, and sufficient funds to pay for it.
Praise God that the message has gone out about the college's re-opening in 2010 and the enthusiasm of the bishops to find new students for the new academic year beginning August 2010.
Praise God that we now have the staff we need to teach the first semester and much of the demands for the Michaelmas term too. Praise God for two new teachers, Simon Lual Bang (OT and Sudan Church History) and Daniela Rapisarda (NT and Systematic Theology) both beginning their studies.
Please pray that those who owe the college rent, or are due to leave college houses will honour the colleges needs.
Please pray for the disposing of the hold ups to obtaining access to the new site, and for people to come forward with the money we need to begin clearing, fencing and building.
Thank God for the books we have managed to rescue and the new ones on order. Thank God for those books that have already arrived and please pray for everyone bringing out books for us.
Pray that more and more people across the world will begin to share the vision of theological education here in the Sudan where the harvest is so very rich, and where there is so much enthusiasm of faith.

2. The School Links
Thank God for the increased interest in links with schools.
Please ask God's blessing on Tina as she seeks to get to these schools which is so very difficult without transport or a local person to travel with.

3. The Nation
Thank God for the continuing desire for peace among the local people and the government.
Pray for the political processes and those involved in them as negotiations between North and South are continuing to falter.
Please pray for hearts to put away tribal differences and that those people who are intent on short-term aggression will see a better way to prosper. Pray that the leadership of the government and the churches will be effective in this.
Pray that many people will turn out to register their names on the electoral roll. (A poor registration will detract from the impact of the elections and serve to undermine the legitimacy of the government.)

4. The Church
Please pray for the bishops as the come together for a week long conference in Rumbek beginning on 20th November, and for those flying out from the UK to be in attendance.

A Very Lively Place

There is so much going on these days we are finding it difficult to get to the blog. Trevor is doing two reports (one for the Bishops here and one for Salisbury).

We are sorting out the buildings in the wake of the the builders and decorators. This has been a very lively time. Most of the college has been overhauled and redecorated. The furniture is painted, varnished and cleaned but now has to be put back and everything properly organised. A huge task.
Then there is a huge pile of stored dusty files to go through. We mean huge!

This weekend we are in Terekeka with Bishop Micah (our chairman who is being installed as the first bishop there in a new diocese).

Then back for our first official staff meeting on Monday. We have a new lecturer joining us, Simon Lual Bang.

Then it won't be long before Trevor is off to Rumbek for 10 days for the Bishops' standing committee - time he could do with in the college but liaising with them is also vital.
The library was sorted into boxes and cupboards but all has been moved for the decorating. Now we have to get the shelves in place in the new library and get the books on them in order.
Our first books have arrived from the UK. We are in great need of new books and have the funding - but getting them here is a real challenge. If you are coming this way then please fill up your allowance with books. We now have the teachers but they need the tools.

Trevor and Tina are both teaching. Trevor has an 'evening class' (4 pm to 6 pm) on Sin and Salvation and Tina is teaching English three times a week on a one to one basis at the Secondary School.

The work of getting around the Juba primary schools to sort out links is hard work without transport. Patience is so important here. It took three visits to the bank and several hours just to get the signatures changed on one bank account.
Any way keep praying ...! It works.

Special Happenings - Sadness and Joy

Four recent events deserve special mention.

First the funeral of the late Archbishop Joseph Morona. He died in Khartoum on Friday 18th September and his funeral took place a week later here in Juba. We are in the nearest house to his grave. As the third archbishop he is buried next to his two predecessors outside the cathedral.
His body was brought into the cathedral with prayer and a short (one hour) service on the Thursday evening at around 5 o'clock. Those who could had gone to the airport and received the body from the plane. His coffin was then left in the chancel all night when a vigil was kept. This meant singing, prayers and preaching using the cathedral sound system - silent vigils are not a thing of the ECS. (It was pretty difficult to sleep that night - the cathedral doors are always wide open of course -but we have got used to it having now lived next to the cathedral for a few months). We went for a few minutes at 9 pm. and found people sleeping on the floor of the cathedral all around the coffin, on the pews, in the vestibule and even under the stars outside.

The service began at 9.30 am in the morning, and everything was concluded at around 4.30 pm. We had a very well put together funeral service that, however, as always in the Sudan, was surrounded and interspersed by many speeches and talks of varying quality and length from a plethora of people including family, colleagues, politicians and church representatives of different backgrounds. We heard about his work and his death, his kindness and generosity and the contribution he made to the peace process and the advance of women within the ECS. He spent much time as a teacher and education was near his heart. The cathedral was, of course, full to overflowing and many people used the outdoor area specially covered for the occasion.
An event of this nature is not complete without refreshments and a lot of Sudanese food (meat, beans, rice, greens and bread) was prepared and distributed among those who had spent so much time keeping vigil for him.

The same day we learned that a young man called Biar, living with the archbishop, had been killed along with two others - a man and a young woman - in a road accident in Juba. They were all on the same motorbike. In Juba there are a lot of 'motor bike taxis' and very few people wear helmets. They are very dangerous and road deaths are far too common. This man was an only son whose mother had died when he was two. His father died only 5 months ago and thus the family were quite distraught. We had his Juba service at the archbishop's house on Tuesday afternoon (29th September). This was accompanied by speeches and prayers too - and food. This a particularly sad event.

On a happier note we have spent two Sundays in inaugurating two new archdeaconries in Juba Diocese. In fact there are three new archdeaconries but we only managed to get to two! Here the day began at 10.30 am and finished around 5.30 pm. The service itself lasted from 11.15 am to 4 pm. including songs and dances from the young families group, the Sunday Schools and the youth groups - in fact anyone who can muster a dozen or more people to sing two or three songs and dance to them. These are always impressive and some are astounding. At the one this last Sunday we were even presented with a gift of soap! Everyone who has any role in the ECS has to make a speech and that, of course, means Trevor and Tina! When Tina says she is going to teach English it always goes down extremely well - as does her membership of the Mothers' Union.
These occasions begin with breakfast (meat, maize-meal, bread) at 10.30 am and finish with a meal (several sorts of meat, maize-meal, rice, greens and bread) all cooked on charcoal. The Sudanese eat meat all the time. Although they can grow bananas, pineapples, pawpaws, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, peanuts etc. these things are only served for the most part in small quantities as side-dishes - and then not always).

So we have had a very busy couple of week-ends. We are always made extremely welcome and are looked after so well here.

Prayer Points

October 2009

Prayer Answers, Thanksgivings and Petitions

1. The College

Praise God for the way things are working out in the existing building. We now have quotations for a complete overhaul of the building. Essential repairs to the windows and doors etc., restoration of the water supply and the replacement of the toilets, complete internal painting and decorating and the varnishing of all the shelves are all quoted for. One of our let properties has come up for re-letting and it looks as if this will just about facilitate the work. We are also going to built on a new kitchen - which in Sudanese terms means a ten feet square piece of concrete with a zinc roof and half open sides. The cooks put their charcoal burners on the floor.

Pray that those who still occupy houses without paying the proper rent (if any) will soon be sorted out. We don't want to go through the law because we want to remain friends - but at the same time we cannot run a college without the income we are due.

Pray for the existing students who have now all been recalled to recommence their studies on 30th January 2010. Please pray that they will all be in a position to return and prosper.

Pray also for those who are being proposed to begin in a new first year in 2010. We pray that we may get the applications from the right candidates and that they are properly supported by their communities and dioceses.

We give thanks for the progress Tina is making with the library in cleaning and re-cataloguing. This is a mammoth task and we thank God that there will be other volunteers on hand from the end of September.

Pray that we may be able to get all the new books we need into Juba in time for the studies. Many of the books in the library are old - some very old. Few books have been received since 1980.

We thank God for the continued support of St Paul's, Limuru.

Praise God for the way that the necessary members of staff are becoming available. Pray for those still making u their minds about their availability. May the Lord open the way for them to come if that is his will.

2. The New Site

We still await developments regarding this. Things are going forward beneath the surface. Pray that there may be visible progress. This will become urgent before the beginning of the new year.

Continue to pray that the suggestion of a BGC Guest House will indeed come to pass and that the investment sought by Anglican International Development will be found.

3. The Schools

Pray for Tina as she revisits the primary schools to build up and establish the links that are increasing from the Diocese of Salisbury. Getting to these schools is not easy without transport of her own.

4. Sickness

Thank God that both Archbishop Daniel and Bishop Peter had thanksgiving services last week for their recovery. The archbishop is back in full-time work. Bishop Peter has to take it steady for the next few weeks but he is now back home in Lainya.

5. The Nation

Violence continues to erupt in Jonglei. On 21st September 100 people (including 50 soldiers and policemen) died in a raid on security compound in Jonglei. Much of this it seems is due to angry young men, many psychologically damaged as a result of the traumas of the war, going on the rampage.

Pray for healing.

Pray that the availability of weapons will be restricted.

Pray for the relatives and friends of those who have lost their lives in this most recent violence.

Give thanks that two young people (one a 13 year old girl) managed to escape the LRA last week. Pray for them as they come to terms with the horrors of the experience of being captive for many months, and pray for the many children who still remain captive in the bush.

Pray for the international community and those who work here from abroad in places where they are at great risk.

Pray for Muslims in the Sudan who struggle to pursue their faith amidst the pressures of extremism.

6. The Church

We rejoice in the enthusiasm and devotion of many very brave Christian people. Pastors and lay people risk their lives to proclaim the peace of God.

We thank God for the very close relationship between the denominations and the good relationships between the Christian leaders.

Pray for the work of the Sudan Council of Churches.

Pray for the bishops of the ECS as they come together at the end of October to elect new bishops

Calling All Angels!

This is a general appeal from the new Bishop Gwynne College.to everyone who is coming to the Sudan.

Tina is digging the library out of the dust and re-cataloguing. However there are very few books newer than 1985. We are aim to teach the diploma at the level determined by St Paul's University, Limuru in Kenya and they have furnished us with their book list. Sadly, very few of the books are already in the library.

Good Books in Bridport have undertaken to get the books for us but getting them to Juba is the hardest part of the exercise. (The other day it cost us $200 to get books out of the post office here even though full postage was paid for their transport in America). The easiest way is for anyone coming to Juba to fill up their baggage allowance for us. Ethiopian Airways, for example, allows two items of luggage per person not exceeding 23 kilos each. This means each person can bring in 46 kilos!

So if you are coming to Juba, or you know of anyone coming, we would be exceedingly grateful if you could check with Good Books, Bridport (email address on the right of this page) before you come and see if they have any books ready to bring.

Very many thanks. You are indeed all angels!

Our Latest - Juba and Limuru

It's a long time since we put a few things in our blog and much has happened since the last one.
In early July we had a conference of the ECS Theological Commission. It met in Juba next to us and made decisions about the five provincial theological colleges in the Sudan, of which Bishop Gwynne College is one. One of the decisions was to become re-affiliated with St Paul's University in Limuru, Kenya.

St Paul's University, Limuru

A visit to St Paul's was requested so Trevor and others visited Kenya in mid-August. The university began life as a theological college on its present site in 1903 and theology remains one of its major disciplines. Limuru is about an hour north of Nairobi and is quite high. This means that it was much colder than anticipated and in the evenings, when the temperature dropped to around 12C,Trevor ended up wearing three shirts on top of each other! The visit was very successful, however, and we were most encouraged by the welcome we were given. We will be applying for affiliation when we begin with the students in the New Year.

Part of Limuru Library - we have a long way to go to reach their standards

It has now become quite clear that we have no chance of getting a new college site sorted out before January - let alone any buildings on it - so we are reconciled to having to be confined to the existing building for at least the first term of the year. Making something out of the little we have is not so much a problem as our African friends had believed. We believe that with proper management and making good use of a small income and a small place we can provide a good enough standard of accommodation for fifteen students to teach at the highest standard we are capable of. We hope to employ just one full-time member of the academic staff in the first instance and use visiting lecturers as the numbers increase. So we are putting £1000 of our Bridport money into repairs, painting and decorating. We have ear-marked a different room for the library away from the side of the dusty road and on the cooler side of the building. We plan to install solar panel electricity so that there is light for the library after dark (usually just after 7 pm). The college has had no electricity for several years. We are also paying the arrears on the water bill so that we can have running water again and bring the toilets back into use. We are building a new kitchen lean-to so we can cook on this site for the first time. The old library and the rooms on the east side will be used as dormitories and what used to be a series of offices, one for each member of staff, will become study rooms for the students. In August 2010 we will have to open a new dormitory but we should still have enough teaching space for the forty students we hope to have by then.
Tina is now spending most of her time cleaning and cataloguing books. We are using the American Library of Congress system that they employ at Limuru. This means researching on the Internet for all those older books that do not have the number on the fly leaf. Unfortunately many of the books are in poor condition having been covered in a very thick layer of dust left on shelves - some of which were broken - and oiled high on a table.
Tina has made return visits to some of the primary schools to take letters sent by the Salisbury Diocesan schools. These were very well received. Large numbers of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) who were living in makeshift accommodation in Juba have now returned to their home areas. This has meant that the numbers of children in some of the schools are greatly reduced. Two small schools on the outskirts of the town, which Tina visited for the first time, have been particularly affected by this. These schools have some of the poorest conditions, the children do not even have chairs unless they have brought them themselves from home. Those without have to sit on the dirt floor. One school has three classes in different areas of the church because of lack of classrooms. Those who have experienced 'open plan' will know how difficult this is.

A school yard after heavy rain. It became a sea of mud with a lake in the centre.

We are now well settled in our permanent accommodation. We have got five easy chairs, a dining table and some plastic chairs. We bought a bookcase and a set of five low tables which are locally made and solid (even if the legs are of different lengths!).
Our cooking is becoming more adventurous. Robin has introduced her favourite Mexican food - tortillas, guacamole and salsa. And we ate our first crop of moringa leaves from the demonstration garden. They don't really taste of much, but if you know they are rich in nutrients it makes you feel good. Pulling all the leaves off the stems though takes quite a long time - it is reminiscent of dealing with red-currants.

Our first moringa leaf meal. The leaves have to pulled from the stems

August/September 2009
Prayer Answers, Thanksgivings and Petitions
1. The College
Give thanks that Trevor has now been formally appointed at Bishop Gwynne College. The old college has now been completely wound up and we can start planning for the return of the students in January 2010.
Please pray that those who owe the college money may pay it all up to date, so that we will have sufficient income to restore the existing building and employ a new member of staff. If everything that is owed is paid we can make ends meet until the end of the year when we expect the 2010 income to commence.
Give thanks for a very successful visit to Limuru, Kenya that took place on 13th August which has settled the curriculum for the foreseeable future. We were made very welcome and feel extremely assured that we have a good solid basis on which to build up quality teaching in the future.
Please pray for Tina as she gathers people to help her start the process of restoring the library.
Please pray as we begin the process of finding the right staff to teach the syllabus in 2010.
Pray also for the students who will shortly be receiving letters of recall and those contemplating applying to begin for the first time in 2010.

2. The New Site
Give thanks that a little progress has been made in this direction.
Please pray that those who can make things happen here will be inspired to work hard so we can begin to put together a construction schedule.
Pray that the suggestion of a BGC Guest House will indeed come to pass and that the investment sought by Anglican International Development will be found.

3. The Schools
We give thanks that Tina has managed two more Juba primary schools - this time in the poorer western suburbs.
We pray for these children and the staff that seek to teach them. Neither of these schools has any furniture. One has three classrooms inside the church with mud walls in a poor state of repair. There is no furniture in either school. Children sit on the dust floor or bring their own plastic chairs. All that they have is a blackboard and exercise books and pencils supplied by UNICEF.
Please pray that there will be sufficient resources to pay and train the teachers, and enough income in the children's families to feed them and pay their school fees.

4. Sickness
We rejoice that both Bishop Peter Amidi and the Archbishop are recovering.
We thank God for all those who contributed to the care of Bishop Peter of Lainya needed a triple heart by-pass and after being taken to Nairobi was finally transferred to India where he had a successful operation. He is now in Kampala with his children making a full recovery.
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Archbishop Daniel was admitted into hospital in Khartoum with a recurrence of his stomach ulcer. He has now left hospital and is due to return to Juba in three days time.
We thank God for this.
We pray that he can have a well deserved break and that he may have time to recover properly.

5. The Nation
We give thanks for a peaceful resolution to the Abyei crisis, and the quite definite reluctance of the Government of South Sudan to return to war. There has been real rejoicing here following the announcement the international Court of Arbitration that allowed the Dinka tribes to be part of the south - even though the question of the oil wells is still not fully resolved.
Please continue to pray for the Governments of National Unity and South Sudan.
Pray for those seeking to resolve the issues of the census and those working to ensure that fair elections take place on the date decided on in April 2010.
Continue to pray for Dafur. Although it is a long way from Juba the people there desperately need the same opportunities coming to the south as a result of the peace here.
Please pray for the international community as it puts pressure on politicians to work for peace.

From busy Juba

Sorry about the delay! Many people have been wanting things since we got back to work - not least the Church Times if you read it, and a new column beginning in October in the Sarum Link.

... And life has been much busier here of late now the college is finally wound up and we can begin the new venture. We have been sorting piles of dusty files going back decades and the building needs to be put back into good repair. Not that we have got any money yet, of course. We are owed thousands of dollars in rent from the houses that are leased out - but that doesn't mean the occupants want to cough up. It's all very frustrating but, as always, patience is the name of the game.

We hope to decorate one of the biggest rooms and reinstate the library. None of it has been painted since the early 80s. We shall to be using the Library of Congress classification system so Tina will have her work cut out cleaning, sorting out, and cataloguing. Nothing of this has been done for many years if ever. When we decide what we will be teaching next year we will order the books we need and get folk to bring them out. This is one of the many things we need to do in the next month or so, too.

The new site is going to take time to establish. Please keep of it in your prayers. We know we shall be in the same building for at least the next twelve months and may be longer but even if everything else falls into place immediately, putting up buildings and fences will take much money. It will all come when we need it. We have all we need for now. We will crawl, then walk before we can run. Of course, some of the local people have very high hopes than we can come in with millions and present a working university within a few years. But that doesn't happen anywhere in the world, and it is not the way Creation works either. Nevertheless you can understand the frustration of Africans when they see what is happening in other continents. The message is, if you want to invest in something really worthwhile take a look at the plans for theological education here.
Last week Trevor spent 4 days in Limuru near Nairobi, Kenya to visit a university there that we will affiliate to. We received a wonderful welcome. The place is very attractive being sited in the highlands north west of the capital - about an hour's drive. They have about 900 students, and 300 in affiliated colleges doing the diploma courses.

The region was the first region of Kenya to grow tea, and there was a visit to the original tea estate where we were treated to an explanation of how to grow tea and walked around a bit of forest as well as the tea. Then followed a wonderful lunch on the lawn of a lovely house built in the European tradition with all kinds of flowers and shrubs (including fuchsias!). At 7000 feet, though, it was all quite cool (15C). Many layers required - and a hot water bottle at night. Glad to be back in warm Juba (28C).

Next week Tina is off to visit two more local primary schools. Watch this space....

Thanks for your prayers.

Prayer Requests - July

Hi to all our Prayer Partners
Thanks again for all your prayers. We are now comfortably settled in our permanent house - formerly occupied by the Archbishop. We are sharing this house with Robin Denney and things are working out well. We were fortunate in managing to retain the same bed which we had got used to. On the plus side this house has ceiling fans and electric light in the kitchen. We also have a pleasant covered outdoor area facing east which gives good afternoon shade. On the down side the shower doesn't work - yet. We thank God for the blessing of such a comfortable place - a palace compared to what many people here live in.

July 2009
Prayer Answers and Thanksgivings

1. Visit to the UK. We had a wonderful time visiting many places and talking about the Sudan as we went. We have been delighted by the interest and the response. We give thanks for the great hospitality that we received in the form of food and overnight stays - we slept in a total of 12 different beds from Cornwall to Yorkshire! The encouragement we have been given is very much appreciated.
2. We thank God for those who have contributed to our project from the UK - financially but especially in real concern. We thank God for the developing links between primary schools in the Juba and the diocese of Salisbury.
3. The meeting of the heads of the provincial theological colleges in Juba on 8th - 11th July was a very successful event. We give thanks that all the colleges managed to attend together with representatives from Salisbury and the US. The conference was very comfortably housed in the ECS Guest Houses.
4. We thank God for an easing of the situation between the Bari and Mundari tribes north of Juba. We continue to pray for Bishop Micah and others as they continue to address the problems.
5. We thank God for the progress of the Demonstration Garden on the ECS Guest House site.


Prayer Points
1. Peace and security. The situation in Abyei is very tense at the moment. In two days' time (22nd) the International Court of Arbitration will pronounce its judgement. Whatever that is, one or other of the parties (if not both) will be disappointed. There is oil involved. Pray that the horror of a return to war is greater than the threat of a loss of revenue or of face in this situation. The implications of any military clash here are massive for the whole of the rest of the Sudan, both North and South.
- Continue to pray that God's Kingdom may come on Earth (especially in the Sudan) as it is in Heaven.
2. Bishop Peter Amidi. Bishop Peter has been taken seriously ill with angina that requires a multiple by-pass operation. He was taken from Juba to Nairobi and thence on to India for an operation. The ECS are trying to find some $10,000 to cover the expense of all this. Pray for his speedy recovery and for his wife Linda and all their young family and dependants.
3. Former Bishop Gwynne College. We have still have not got over all the problems of ending the old administration. The severance pay came to far more than expected owing to some technicalities of poor record keeping. This has left us with nothing in hand. However, removing something that has been continuing in an unsatisfactory manner for so long is bound to be painful, and take some getting over. Things cannot heal until the hurt has been treated. Please pray for all former members of staff and those charged with winding up the affairs here.
4. The new Bishop Gwynne institution. We still need to get the agreements necessary within the ECS for the demarcation of the new site. This has proved more problematical than at first anticipated because of a long history surrounding this particular piece of land. Pray for patience here and skill for those involved in the negotiations from parish, diocese and province.
- Pray for the archbishop as he considers the recommendations and requests from different quarters regarding the new college.
- Pray for us as we seek to find ways to implement people's dreams but at the same time do not want things to change around them.
5. The Theological Education by Extension (TEE) programme. The TEE programme has not yet been able to be fulfilled due to insufficient consultation. Pray for us all here as we try to discover all the complexities of the situation so we can get something properly started. There are many loose ends laying about that have not been properly addressed. Pray for those, including the Archbishop, involved in discovering them and enabling new progress.

With our prayers for love and blessings,
Trevor and Tina Stubbs

Back in Juba!

Trevor and Robin on the new garden site

After what seems like an age travelling England we are now back in Juba. Things have changed a bit even in six weeks. New buildings, noticeably more traffic, cleaner streets but also reports of youth crime on the increase. Sadly a young man offered to help an older pastor across a full flowing stream with his motor bike. As they got it up the farther bank the young man mounted it and rode off with it! This sort of thing was unheard of in the time of war. Peace and increasing prosperity has its downside!

On the peace question, things seem, on the one hand, to be more positive today with our President of Southern Sudan, Salva Kiir, reported as 'ruling out any return to war despite disagreement with the (Islamist) National Congress Party over the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.' Both sides had "tasted the bitterness" of war and there should be no return to it. On the other hand the problems surrounding the dispute over Abyei are mounting. We need your prayers.

As for prosperity, however, things are not so great. Many government workers have not been paid, and this is directly affecting the church too. For example, anticipated rent income of several thousand dollars for the college has not been forthcoming. This will severely affect our ability to pay staff in the future if things are not resolved. In another case a bank has gone down with a lot of money, some it belonging to the church.

On a brighter note the wet season in Juba has meant things are growing well. Robin Denney, the agriculturalist, has prepared a garden behind the guest houses here as a demonstration garden. We gave her £100 towards the labour to clear the land and build the fence against 'marauding goats' from the fund given us at our leaving do in Bridport. See the before and after pictures - and Robin above.

The garden before the work


The garden after the work.

Our visit to England was well timed as we made the most of the good weather there. We slept in 12 different beds (mostly together)! Our travels took us through Cornwall to see parents, Bristol, London, Salisbury, Wiltshire and Dorset, concluding with Derbyshire and Yorkshire. Many thanks to all of you for looking after us so well and giving us a chance to talk about the Sudan. We have now about recovered!

The latest news here is that the Archbishop has at last moved and we are to take over his house and share it with Robin (pictured above). At the moment it needs a good clean and then we have to find some furniture from somewhere! The guest house manager is allowing us to take the same bed with us but we don't have anything else there at all at the moment. So we are going to have to find a few sticks. In the meantime we shall remain where we are. The new house is only a few yards away from where we are.

We shall update our prayer requests next week. In the meantime thank you all for your continued prayer. We would just ask those of you who know Bishop Peter Amidi to keep him especially in your prayers. He has been transferred to Nairobi with a heart problem.

Prayer Points - May

Hi to all our Prayer Partners
Many thanks for all your prayers over the past few months for our work in the Sudan. We are now in the UK at the beginning of a tour to visit family, friends and promote our work in our sponsoring Diocese of Salisbury. We can tell you your prayers are producing powerful results. We appreciate the love and support you are giving us.
Many thanks.
Trevor and Tina

May 2009
Prayer Answers
1. The bank situation. Whilst SUDRA and other dioceses and agencies in Southern Sudan that have assets in the Nile Commercial Bank still find them frozen, our difficulties in Bishop Gwynne College have been overcome and we find ourselves better off than we had at first imagined. As the arrangements with SUDRA fell through, we reverted to the idea of selling the property on the open market. It had been valued at 275,000 Sudanese pounds but we managed to sell it for SDG350,000 (SDG75,000 more than we had anticipated!). This means that we have been able to clear all our debts and have some capital in the pot with which to begin the new project. So:
- We give thanks for the successful sale that has relieved us of the debt.
- We continue to pray for SUDRA (the Sudan Development & Relief and Agency of the ECS), the Mothers' Union, The Diocese of Yei and others in the church, and all those with funds locked up in the Nile Commercial Bank.
- We thank God that this situation has not taken away the opportunity of the new site.
2. BGC Handing Over Committee. We rejoice in the encouragement this has given to the members of the Handing Over Committee now bringing their work to a conclusion.
3. Robin Denney and her agricultural projects.
- We thank God for the new garden that Robin has just begun developing outside our house as a demonstration site for the province. £100 of the money given by the people of Bridport has gone into this.
- The moringa seeds have produced several small trees that seems to thrive in the Juba climate.
- Thank God for the commencement of her workshops which have been been very successful. Pray that there will be more opportunities, and the funding for her transport.
4. Our Archbishop.
- Thank God for the great energy, courage and vision. The huge difference his visit with those who went with him to Rumbek, Lainya and especially Jonglei State where there has been tribal conflict.
- We thank God he and his team have been to areas that no bishop has ever visited before and the tremendous way he has been received.
- We rejoice in the continued stream of new members across the whole province.

Prayer Points
1. The former BGC staff. The final pieces of the former regime at BGC are now being removed. Please continue to pray for the former members of staff now being paid off. Thank God that all that is owed them from the past - much of it going back to 2007 when they did not receive all of their salaries. We thank God that we are in a position to pay them all six months salary as severance pay and also pay for them and their families to be transported by to their ancestral homes where they can establish new lives on their tribal lands if they wish. We pray that their experience and understanding can continue to be used for the work of the church in the Sudan.

2. The new Bishop Gwynne College.
- Pray that we may quickly get the agreements necessary within the ECS for the demarcation of the new site.
- Pray that the money (US$ 220,000) needed for the clearing and fencing of the site, repairing the existing buildings and putting up new ones and all the basic requirements may soon be found.
- Pray that a US$1 million capital development fund will be quickly forthcoming.
- Pray for the meeting of the heads of the provincial theological colleges in Juba on 8th July with a representative from Limuru and the UK and US to discuss curricula and development issues. Pray that suitable accommodation for the meeting will be identified.
- Pray that we can begin the search for staff for the new college.
- Pray those considering the founding of an agricultural training institute in Southern Sudan that will eventually be part of an expanded Bishop Gwynne University.

3. The Theological Education by Extension (TEE) programme. In July we shall be beginning a TEE programme in Juba that will be the prototype of that will go "on the road" around the dioceses. Each course will last three weeks and take half the whole programme based on the material produced by Andy Wheeler and others.
- Prayer for the Archbishop and those setting up the course in Juba for when we return in July.
- Pray for the pastors and army chaplains as they are approached or come forward to do the course (five 2 hours evening sessions per week over the three weeks).
- Pray for ourselves and those who will be engaged as tutors for the Juba sessions.
- Pray for a suitable venue for those involved in Juba.
- Pray for that we can find suitable people to begin a rolling programme that will take the courses through all of the dioceses in the province.
- Pray for the financing of the course. With give thanks for Trinity Parish in New York who are financing the programme this year.

4. Peace and security. The situation in the Sudan is delicate. There are powerful elements in the north that are seeking to destabilise the south (and are allied to those causing trouble right across the Sudan and neighbouring states). There is traditional tribal conflict in the south that manifests itself in cattle theft and associated killings, and outlaw bands (like the LRA) that lead to reprisals and displacement.
- Pray for the National Government of Sudan, the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS), the state governments and local commissioners.
- Pray for the police and the army that they may be empowered to operate effectively and fairly in enforcing law and order.
- Pray for the churches, pastors, and bishops as they preach the Gospel of peace among the people and the impact that Christianity has in overcoming traditional tribal differences and customs that are detrimental to inter-tribal peace. We ask God's protection for the Archbishop and other church leaders as they proclaim the Kingdom with authority and courage.
- May God's Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven.

5. Our Visit to England.
- Pray for all those we shall meet in the committees, deliberations and consultations with individuals about our work.
- Pray for our public events (see on the blog).
- Please pray for us as we meet with family and friends.

6. Juba & Lainya Cathedrals, and all the other places needing new and larger places of worship.
- Pray for the finance required for the necessary expansion of All Saints' Cathedral, Juba to accommodate all who wish to attend worship there, so that the unedifying scramble for seats on a Sunday morning can be overcome.
- Pray that the finance for a new cathedral in Lainya may be found quickly so that a building of the right size can be built on the site just dedicated by the Archbishop. The fund raising has begun. We have committed the Deanery of Lyme Bay (with special links with this diocese) to £500. Pray that the folk of that Deanery will be happy with our commitment on their behalf as they was no opportunity to consult in advance!!