Prayer Partners Update

Dear Prayer Partners,

Thank you so much for your continued prayer throughout the crisis in South Sudan since 15^th December.

Nation

The reports are that things have now stabilized somewhat in the south. Juba is quiet with the fighting going on around Bor and Jonglei State, Bentiu in Unity State and Malakal in Upper Nile. The shooting in Yei and Mundri involving soldiers there have now come to end. There is no trouble among the local people. There is still much to pray about in the troubled areas however.

Please pray for:

• Peace and the stalled talks in Addis Ababa;
• The continued efforts of the Archbishop and the ECSSS to bring peace and reconciliation to people who have known little but violence in their lives;
• The hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes and living in IDP camps;
• The United Nations as they seek to bring security and protection for these people;
• Those living in fear of criminals engaging in looting, vandalism and tribal violence;
• The expatriates returning to the country to assist with the healing process.

Bishop Gwynne College

Give thanks that the staff and site are secure and safe. None of the students were present as the semester ended the previous week, and the college is not due to open again until the end of this month (January 2014).

Give thanks that the book shipment coming overland from Mombasa from the Theological Book Network in the US has arrived today. There many books for distribution around colleges in South Sudan. The boxes have now all been off-loaded and are available for collection by the various colleges. The list is as follows:

South Sudan Book Shipment

School Total

Bishop Gwynne College (host) 112

First Baptist Theological College 6

Gideon Theological College (SLI) 36

Canon Benaiah Poggo College 15

Giffen Institute of Theology 9

Episcopal Lay Training Centre 12

Chaima Christian Institute 9

St. John's Theological College 27

Catholic University 12

St. Paul's National Seminary 24

Christ Mission to the World 6

RECONCILE Peace Institute 30

Bishop Alison Theological College 15

Bishop Nglamu Theological College 15

Bishop Joseph Garang 6

ALARM South Sudan 6

Niles Theological College 6

Christ Mission to the World,

(for BGC to distribute as desired) 73

For urgent prayer. The bad news for BGC is that the crisis means that the very significant local income that BGC has enjoyed for the past few years has now dried up. We hope the situation is temporary but it all depends on the stability of the capital and the confidence that investors have in the country. BGC has been dependent on local income rather than overseas giving, which we have used to get the college into a form in which we could carry out quality education. With no local income we are having to construct a completely new budget and modify our activities accordingly. Please keep in your prayers the Board of Governors and the Principal as they engage in this process.

Our Students

Please pray for our students in their home dioceses. I have reports that those in the south, west and in Aweil are are safe and well. I have heard nothing from Unity State, Yirol, Awerial, Jonglei or Eastern Equatoria. If anyone can tell us about our students past and present in these areas I would be most grateful to know.

Trevor Stubbs

International Consultant.

10^th January 2014