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