Trevor and Tina Stubbs

Prayers and Thanksgivings

2011-11-24T00:19:00.000+03:00

Dear Prayer Partners,

As we are currently in the UK, I am passing on to you the prayer requests as they have come to us. For those who know us, Tina is making a good recovery, but a broken ankle does not mend in a fortnight. She is currently on two sticks inside the house with the next visit to the hospital planned for 19th December.

The situation in the Sudan and South Sudan is not good. There are many new instances of horrors being committed against unarmed people, including the very old and the very young. And, in the north, humanitarian aid is not being permitted to reach the very many refugees. In South Sudan planes (from the Sudan) have recently bombed a refugee camp in Upper Nile causing the UN and other NGOs to withdraw. Negotiations over Abyei continue, but although agreements have been reached in negotiations in Addis Ababa, the SAF have not withdrawn on the ground, and arrangements have been broken almost as soon as they have been agreed to. For those who are interested, I give links to a report from an Amnesty International director and an Al Jazeera report from the bombed refugee camp below.

The economic situation has deteriorated because of the conflicts, most noticeably in the north where the failure to come to a settlement on the amount South Sudan should pay the north for conveying the oil to the port, has meant that they have lost around three quarters of their national income.

New initiatives have been taken to address the problem of the LRA with the decision by the USA to send advisory and support soldiers into the region.

The bitter violent quarrels in Jonglei State have not abated it seems, and the ECS is very concerned to do what it can to heal all tribal differences in the country.

Trevor Stubbs

Bishop Gwynne College

Please pray for the staff and especially the principal, Joseph Taban as we near the end of this semester.

Pray for those preparing to teach in the next semester, including Dr Ellen Hanckel from the USA.

Pray also for the five students who sat the Special Entrance Exam at the beginning of November and who are now awaiting the results.

Pray for all the students as they prepare to sit the first semester exams. Pray that the second year may be encouraged by their past experiences and prepare themselves properly. Pray the the first year will learn from the example of those who have gone before.

The Episcopal Church of the Sudan

We give thanks that a successful synod involving all 31 diocese in the province took place successfully in Juba over the past few weeks. We thank God that it was attended by representatives of the government, the UN and international community as well as the Anglican Communion.

We pray that the resolutions they have passed and the people they have elected to office will serve the church well as we move forward surrounded by so many obstacles.

We pray for a renewed vision and energy amount the bishops and church leaders across the province, and the necessary resources will follow them as the step out in faith to do God's work.

The Politics

We pray for the leaders of both Sudan and South Sudan and all those engaged in the process of reconciliation and peace. We pray for those who oppose the leadership - especially those willing to use force, that all the actions they take will be for the good of all the peoples irrespective of tribe or religion.

We pray for those in government who are seeking to improve the access to health care and education as well as security for the two nations.

We pray that a speedy resolution to the impasse on the division of the oil revenues will be reached so that more resources will flow for the prosperity of everyone.

The Refugees and Beleaguered

We pray especially for those who are suffering directly from the violence and conflict. Pray for those who are injured and sick, particularly for those who cannot access the right medical care. We pray for mothers giving birth to children in the bush or in camps where little care is possible.

Please pray for old people and children separated from their families.

Pray for those seeking to bring aid to the people, not only the UN and Aid Agencies, but the churches and mosques served by the local people.

Trevor writes from London

2011-10-16T16:30:00.000+03:00

After a long absence, this blog was meant to come to you from Juba. However, we are in London. Last Monday, on the eve of our planned departure, we were blown backwards by a freak gust of wind down steps on London's Victoria Embankment. Tina fell to the bottom and fractured her ankle, collected a variety of other cuts and bruises and spent the night in hospital. There was no way we could travel. Our visit is therefore postponed to sometime yet to be fixed.

This is very frustrating as we are anxious to get to BGC to support Joseph and his team in the current semester. But it is just another time when we need patience. This is something we have had to learn many times over in the last three years.

We have also learned the importance of prayer. We are very grateful for those who are praying for us at this time. Tina is making the progress expected of her, and we appreciate all that people are doing for us. But we would ask that the main focus of prayer be for the college staff and students.

Principal Joseph Taban is under enormous pressure. He is quite capable of doing the job, but from experience we know that it is not an easy one. It means long hours in uncomfortable conditions with very basic facilities. We believe the water situation is a bit better than last semester. But in Juba this depends on fuel for power. We are told, owing to the shortage of fuel that traditionally came up the Nile from Khartoum and no longer does, the city has had no electricity for several weeks now. When it is a struggle to pay wages and buy food and water for the staff and students, teaching and learning become very hard.

Nevertheless, it is gratifying to note that all the first year second semester exams sat in June were passed. These are marked in Limuru, Kenya, so they have to be of a higher standard. We congratulate those young men. We pray for the new students in the first year.

As South Sudan gets established, conditions must improve, but it is not going to happen overnight.

The conflicts in the North all along the border are getting no better. Although the Khartoum government is denying it, report after report of civilians being attacked by Antanovs from the air and other atrocities keep coming out. No humanitarian aid is being allowed into South Kordofan or Blue Nile. People are displaced and starving and have access to little or no medical care. Reporting is not allowed either. Sadly this last is very effective because little is getting on the TV around the world. Please keep praying, and should occasion permit, give generously to relief aid.

Prayers and Thanksgivings

2011-07-25T10:34:00.000+03:00

Dear Prayer Partners

Thank you all again for your wonderful prayers for everything that has been happening, and the things we want to happen in these historic times. Since my last prayer request the Sudan has divided into two parts with a new independent South Sudan. This has been a time of exhilaration for some and dread for others, depending on which part of the Sudan (south or north) you find yourself or your family and friends in. The ECS is in both of course.

Tina and I were in London for 9th July and went to some celebrations there. The mood was summed up by one lady who arrived draped in the new South Sudan flag ready to celebrate, and then promptly burst into tears as she clutched a framed photo of the son she lost in the war. The speeches all spoke of the suffering that they will never forget. There was genuine joy that South Sudan is now free of the oppression that has beset them for centuries, and especially since 1956 when the nation of Sudan became independent. You can see our photos and videos here: http://www.picasweb.google.com/nbgc.juba . Let us not forget that the civil war was not so much about independence for the south as freedom from oppression – an oppression that continues in the north.

There is still the disputed territory of Abyei to resolve which the Sudan Armed Forces took by force in May, and from which many Dinka people have been forced to flee. Sadly for them, their homeland contains oil.

In the north, the agony has been multiplied in the last two months. The people of South Kordofan have suffered a military campaign in which civilians have been targeted. Churches and mosques, schools and hospitals, offices and houses have been burned and property destroyed. Church personnel have been arrested and presumably executed, along with community leaders and people of influence suspected of sympathizing with the northern branch of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLMN). This includes people belonging to Arab tribes as well as Nubans. There is a huge refugee problem as people have fled the area. The government have refused to allow in humanitarian aid and UN personnel have been prevented from doing anything either. It is reported that the UN have also suffered casualties and have been deliberately isolated and badly treated.

In Khartoum, those regarded as originally from the south have all been dismissed from government paid employment with no other source of income. Moving to the south has become logistically very difficult and expensive. For those who make it to South Sudan there are few jobs for them in the towns. Many have never lived in country villages and, even if welcomed there, would not know how to look after themselves in rural environment.

BGC does not reconvene until the end of August but this week they have been hosting the ECS Theological Education Commission. Special Entrance Exams have taken place for those invited to resit for the Limuru Diploma course. We are expecting 18 students in the new first year.

Security is an issue as violent crime increases in Juba. The neighbouring Juba Diocesan Model Secondary School remains in our prayers following their break-in.

My visit to the USA has been a success. I was extremely well received everywhere I went, meeting people who genuinely care for the Sudan and its churches. The timing of my arrival immediately before southern independence was apposite. In just over three weeks I spoke, preached and met people in five States (North Carolina, Virginia, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Michigan), two cities (Washington DC and New York) and three theological colleges and universities (Virginia Theological Seminary, Berkeley Divinity School, Yale, and Duke University, Durham, North Carolina). I was impressed with the real interest the people I met had in what was happening in the Sudan and their keen desire to help the work of the ECS and BGC in particular. These people are frequently not understood by their neighbours because they live in a world where concern for other people, especially overseas, is often discouraged. We should be aware that it can cost our friends as much in terms of social rejection as financial giving. We thank you for all this, and pray for you as you pray for us.

At American Friends of the ECS (AFRECS) conference.

Left to right: Me, Prof Ellen Davis (Duke University, NC); Rick Houghton (who organised my tour); and Prof Stephen Cook (Virginia Theological Seminary)

Thank you for keeping Tina and I in your prayers.

Trevor

The Politics

Give thanks for Independence Day on 9^th July for South Sudan. Please pray for the new nation of the Republic of South Sudan, its institutions and civil structures.

Pray for those involved in the border negotiations, especially those concerned with Abyei taking place in Addis Ababa.

Pray for the Khartoum government. Pray for those who can make a difference in South Kordofan and Dafur. Please pray for the people who are bereaved and displaced and those living in abject poverty, deprived of any income, with nowhere to go and no-one to look after them. Pray that humanitarian aid will be allowed in. Pray for the UN and its people on the ground as they struggle to survive and operate.

The ECS, Christian Churches, and those of any religion who seek God's peace and presence.

We give thanks for the resilience of the Church in the most testing circumstances. We rejoice in the unbelievable courage that they have shown through persecution, displacement, deprivation and isolation. May they know the compassion of God and somehow know just how much support there is for them from around the world even if people can't get in to help.

Please pray for the five ECS northern dioceses, El Obeid (includes Dafur), Kadugli (South Kordofan), Khartoum, Wed Medani (Blue Nile), and Port Sudan.

Please pray for the Archbishop, Daniel Deng Bul and the provincial office staff.

Please also pray for the many Muslims who are also suffering in the north, and give thanks that both Christians and Muslims play a full part in the Republic of South Sudan.

Give thanks that staff from different theological colleges have come together for mutual support and encouragement. Pray for all the ECS colleges and teachers and the Theological Education by Extension programme.

Bishop Gwynne College

We give thanks for those who re-sat the Special Entrance Exam by invitation on 16^th July. We pray for them as they await the results. We pray for all 18 of the students preparing to begin a new first year in August. We continue to pray for those who will now form the second year that they will all be able to return happily to the college to continue their studies.

We pray for Joseph Taban in his new role as principal with all the work that is before him as he prepares the college for opening in August. We pray for those who will be involved in teaching in the next semester, especially new members of staff currently being recruited by Joseph.

We continue to pray for the financial situation where the budget is very tight and doesn't allow for much flexibility.

We thank God for my successful tour of America, and pray that the growing friendship, prayer and financial contributions will enable growth and development of the college. We thank God for those who are looking at the possibility of future contributions to the college as we put together formal application forms for consideration by various committees. We pray for our friends in the West, who give us their hearts in true friendship.

Independence for South Sudan - 9th July 2011

2011-07-12T14:20:00.000+03:00

What a privilege to be around at the birth of a new nation! South Sudan became the world's 193^rd independent country on 9^th July 2011 – six months after the referendum in which a 95% turnout voted almost 99% in favour of independence.

Sadly we were not able to be there in person, but we celebrated with the diaspora in London NW6. It was a moving occasion at which we were made very welcome. It began with prayers led by Mark, an ECS pastor who works in London, and the meeting was addressed by a representative of the Government of South Sudan's mission in London.

Trevor has spent most of the past month spreading the good news of BGC in the USA. The welcome was fantastic. The Episcopal Church has some very gracious, generous, kind and compassionate people. Although you don't get much information on the ordinary US news about Sudan, many of those Trevor met were pretty well informed and were anxious to hear more. States visited were Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Michigan as well as the District of Columbia. This included visits to Virginia Theological Seminary, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale and Duke University, Durham. The students and staff at BGC need not feel on their own but understood and on the hearts of so many.

Tina managed to get to see our old friends in Bridport from where two people were ordained priest on 2^nd July – Ann Ayling and Margaret Preuss-Higham. It is good to see the Bridport Team going from strength to strength. The local newspaper, The Bridport News, also had a substantial article on the Sudan based on our call for prayer.

Yesterday we had a phone call from Simon Lual, a lecturer at the college. He seemed upbeat about things. This is good news. It is amazing how quickly you can feel cut off from the action! And things move so fast in Juba.

Our hearts now go out to the people in the north. Things are very bad indeed for the people of South Kordofan (the Nuba Mountains). Those associated with the southern states that are now part of South Sudan, have been told they have to obtain visas to remain and work in the north. Most of these are in Khartoum and have been there many years. The churches there are going to find it especially hard, but it is by no means only the Christians that are suffering. Please pray for all the Sudanese people wherever they are, in the new independent South Sudan, in the north or in the diaspora across the world cut off from their relatives and friends back home.

Thankgsgivings and Prayer Requests

2011-06-12T10:48:00.001+03:00

Dear Prayer Partners,

Why the world's media chooses to largely ignore the terrible events that are happening in the Sudan I do not know. The attacks made on civilians in Abyei and South Kordofan and also aerial bombardment in Unity State are driving thousands into the bush without access to basic human needs. Little children are dying daily. Others are being separated from their parents. Pregnant women are giving birth under trees as they flee. Patients have been driven from their hospital beds, and old people who cannot run are being left to accept their fate as soldiers and militia shoot, shell or deliberately destroy civilian homes, schools, clinics or churches.

It is reported that church personnel in Kadugli have been killed. The presence of UN peacekeeping forces is largely ineffective.

BGC college news is much more cheerful. 13 third students graduated in a ceremony in All Saint's Cathedral, Juba on 4^th June. Foundation Year students received their certificates.

Joseph Taban has now officially taken over as Principal. But his first duty and joy was to get to Khartoum to be with his wife and new daughter, Jacy, born on 30^th May.

I depart for the USA tomorrow to attend the American Friends of the ECS conference and tour to talk about BGC in particular and the Sudan in general.

We have launched an appeal for over $300,000 from the building of more housing and a multipurpose chapel. http://www.bishopgwynne.juba.anglican.org/index.php?PageID=appeal

Thank you for your wonderful prayers.

Trevor 12/6/2011

We give thanks the 13 third year students and the foundation year who finished the academic year with certificates last week.

We pray for them as they return to their homes in different parts of the country. We thank God that our student from Abyei will be able to join his mother who has now safely arrived in Wau, along with fiancée and her family. We give thanks, too, that our student from the Nuba Mountains (South Kordofan) will be reunited with his wife and children in Khartoum where they have fled.

We pray for the seven new students preparing to join the college when it reopens in August.

We ask God's blessings on Joseph Taban and his family and the staff at the college. We give thanks for the safe arrival of his new little girl.

Please pray for my trip to the US as I visit Washington DC, Virginia, North Carolina, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Michigan.

Pray for the success of the BGC Project Appeal.

We pray that the developer who has contracted to develop the roadside part of the BGC site will get started soon so that the site can be tidy and secure. We thank God that the preliminaries have now been largely completed and that the remaining containers will not hamper the work.

Let us pray for for peace, and a speedy end to the conflicts in Abyei, South Kordofan and elsewhere. We pray that it doesn't spread to new areas. We pray for the UN, that its personnel may be truly effective. We pray that humanitarian aid can reach the places it needs. We pray that the conflicts will be fully reported around the world so that war crimes may not go largely unnoticed.

Pray for the Government in Khartoum and the Government of South Sudan in these critical days leading up to independence on 9^th July.

Interim Period Ends

2011-06-06T10:45:00.006+03:00

Our Interim Period at the college has come to an end. Last Friday, Trevor officially handed over to Joseph Taban as the new principal. On Saturday we had the graduation of the third year diploma students and the one year foundation course that Tina spent most of her time with. They presented us with plaques to say than you – but the real thanks should go to the many many people who have given in so many ways in this past two and a half years. And not least, of course, to the providence of Almighty God who has gone before us and ensured we survived and prospered. He has truly led, directed and filled in the bits where we were going to fail before we encountered disaster.

The next phase of our work involves Trevor as International Consultant which means travelling around the world promoting the college and the work of the ECS in Sudan – beginning with America this month. So this blog will go internal! We have launched an appeal for over $300,000 – literature available upon request!

We plan to be in the US and UK until the beginning of October when we shall come back here and and see what we can do to support Joseph and the students in their next phase.

2011-05-08T16:36:00.000+03:00

Prayers for Bishop Gwynne College

We have a few urgent things to pray about at the moment, so I thought I would send out this extra request. I don't know why, but it definitely seems that the more people pray for something, the more that prayer is answered! Why this should be I don't know, but your prayers do work. Praying the other night I felt the Lord telling me to get others praying too. He wants us (needs us?) all to pray. Thank you everyone. (Did you know we have prayer partners on five continents of the world?)

1. On Tuesday, 10^th May, staff and students are going down to the areas on the roadside still occupied by others. The developers are ready to move in. These people know they have to go, but unless we take some positive action they will just stay. This includes the owner of the 8 containers still on the site! We shall win this one, but we need you all to pray. Thanks.

2. We are currently owed, or due to receive, a total of around 84,000 sdg (US$30,000) from seven sources. Some of this we expected weeks ago. This is both for the running of the college, student fees and the completion of the second staff house. I am having to chase it all with emails and letters.We need at least 17,000 sdg before the end of the month. So we would be enormously grateful for your prayers.

3. Otherwise, we give thanks for the way the students are studying for their forthcoming exams, and their dedication. They are a credit to college and church. The graduation is on 4th June. More details to come ...

May God bless you all,

Trevor

PS New photos on http://www.picasaweb.google.com/nbgc.juba

Thanksgivings and Prayers Requests

2011-05-07T12:58:00.002+03:00

A very happy Easter to you all! Holy Week has taken an inordinately long to time to come this year but it has at last arrived. Wednesday in Holy Week, was a day of prayer and fasting in the college. We followed the theme of the proclamation of repentance and forgiveness (Luke 24:44) and used the biblical Stations of the Cross, beginning at Gethsemane, from the C of E Common Worship material. This led into the Eucharist (Eucharistic Prayer H) and the renewal of our commitment to ministry (taken from Maundy Thursday). The students spend the triduum itself in parishes around Juba. Some will be at Juba cathedral where the college is helping introduce a bit of liturgy.

We are grateful for your prayers. Please keep up the good work. Zephaniah (the owner) has moved four of the twelve containers from the site. Please keep up the prayers that he may remove the eight that remain!

A very happy Easter,

Trevor and Tina

Students

We give thanks for the results of the first semester exams for the first year which have turned out better than any of us dared hope. Out of twelve students who sat the exam taking five subjects each (a total of 60 exams) only 3 papers were failed. This is not a bad result for the firsts attempt.

We give thanks that 33 people sat a Special Entrance Exam in March, a very difficult exam set by St Paul's Limuru in English, General and Bible Knowledge. The results of this exam will be announced after Easter but we are confident that we will have a new first year with competent students at a starting level higher than this year.

This semester's exams will soon be upon us. We pray for all the students as they prepare for them.

Staff

We give thanks for the appointment of Joseph Taban as the new Principal of the college. He will take over officially at the end of the semester on 4^th June. His position was officially ratified by the new chairman of governors, the Bishop of Maridi, Justin Badi. They are both very competent and experienced. Please keep them and their families very much in your prayers.

Please pray for Joseph as he puts together a set of people for staffing the college in August.

Development.

The second staff house remains half built as we await the grant from the Anglican Communion Fund. Pray that the money may soon arrive and that we can finish the house for Simon Lual.

We are also anxious to be able to get the roadside development under way. For this we need those who are using it to leave as agreed. Please pray for the developer as he comes onto the site and those who are slow to move. Pray for the removal of the last 8 containers.

We pray that we can find the money to erect a fence around the rest of the site to give us proper security. Some of this depends on the roadside development.

Finance

Please pray that those who still have rents to pay will come up with the money quickly to ensure we have enough money for the month of May.

We give thanks that we have got this far and made a relatively little go such a long way.

Pray for us as we draft new policies on financial management for the coming years. We have to hone the policies for fees, salaries. medical care, housing and so forth.

University Feasibility Study

We praise God that after some difficulties and delays, two experienced academics from the UK, Dr vision of a university to be set up by the ECS. This study will enable us to get a bit nearer to realising the vision. We pray for God's continued guidance for these two ladies as they put together their report. We also give thanks for the realism so many of our bishops and others have to this and other questions about the future. The challenges are enormous. We thank God for the willingness and courage of brave and sacrificial people to tackle it, and we pray for them and their families.

Rapid Change

We thank God that so much is changing so fast in the development of South Sudan for the better. But a building site is a difficult and dangerous place to live in, physically, mentally, psychologically and spiritually. Pray for us as we encounter daily changes, some expected but most not, some planned, and some unwelcome (like the imported crime from neighbouring countries). Pray for the hospitals and the doctors severely stretched. Pray for our schools, many with insufficient staff and buildings, furniture or equipment. Pray for our pastors mostly unpaid and barely trained. Pray for our politicians, army, and police as they gain experience on the job with minimal training in a country in which new rules are having to be formulated as we go along. Pray for those who poverty means they no access to basic services. Pray for expats who come to help – some (especially through the churches) receiving no financial support. Thank God for the patience and understanding of their families elsewhere in the world.

Thank God that in the midst of all this, things are as good as they are and that things are much, much better than they were.

Independence for South Sudan

We give thanks for the opportunities that will come to the south following independence scheduled for 9^th July. We pray that all we be peaceful at that time.

We pray for the northern provinces of the Sudan continuing without the south and the government in Khartoum.

We pray for the people from the south who still live in the north. We give thanks and pray for the work of the churches in the way they continue to support the Christians there, despite so many people moving south.

Pray for peace.

Thankgsgivings and Prayer Requests

2011-03-16T10:47:00.003+03:00

Currently we are at a critical stage in Bishop Gwynne College. BGC now has a new constitution. We are putting an end to the interim period. We pray for the new Board of Governors and College Council due to have its first meeting on 26^th March.

We are at the point when a child puts on a spurt of growth and suddenly seems to outgrow all her clothes, or when parent birds cannot seem to collect enough food to satisfy the demands of their fledgelings. As we develop, so we are just managing to provide the basics, but have no reserves, no fat to call on, to help us over the lean bits. This last month we have managed, but only just. We are owed more than enough but those that owe it take their time.

Last month I reported that all of the prayers that we have asked for up to then have been granted. There is one vital thing, however, that still has to happen – the removal of the shipping containers parked on our land. If we are unable to rent out the roadside part of the site, then we will not make ends meet and we will have to suspend operations.

So we ask for your prayers.

Finance

Please pray that Zephaniah, the owner of the containers, gets his machinery sorted as he has promised, and gets on with removing all twelve of the monsters that are putting the future of the college into jeopardy.

Pray that the two indebted tenants manage to pay what they owe this week as they have promised us.

Pray that we can work a deal with a new tenant to obtain money in advance so we can finish the second staff house. This is desirable not only from the financial point of view but for the life of the college.

We give thanks the award of the Anglican Communion Fund towards this second house and pray that will soon arrive.

We thank God the money on its way for the library that has already been given by the Slavanka Trust

Students

Pray for all the 38 students sitting the Special Entrance Exam on 19^th March to begin a first year diploma course in August. By no means all 38 will qualify for admittance – we could not take them all in any case – so please pray for those involved in the discernment process.

Pray for the third year now involved deeply in the last semester of their course which has extended over four years. Pray especially for all these students that all of them manage to get it together to earn a College Diploma.

Pray for those in the first year doing the Limuru University Diploma as they get their results from the first semester exams next week.

New University Feasibility Study

We thank God for the generosity of the three people coming on the study and for those who have made grants towards the exercise. Please pray for Dr Ruth Eade, Dr Eeva John and Prof. Peter Haycock are due to begin their study on 3^rd April

We Give Thanks

...for the faith that surrounds us on every side. Thank God for the way that he helps us all here despite the many problems, personal and organisational. We rejoice in the healing and the huge patience of so many people. We thank God for the humility of saintly pastors who work for so little – often giving and receiving nothing – in a culture that sees poverty as weakness and honours the wealthy. We thank the lay people for their patience with other pastors who sometimes have more worldly motives.

We thank God that, despite all the problems, we still have a governable country, and we pray that those traditional aspects of the culture which hold the people back can be overcome.

We rejoice in the women of the Mothers' Union who love, and give, and organize where other channels may get clogged up. We pray for the visit of our Mothers' Union friends from Mary Sumner House in April.

We rejoice that we have a new beginning, emerging from the interim period, at BGC.

We thank God for all you who are praying in 5 continents of our planet for us at BGC and the Sudan. May God bless you and be with you, and may you know his blessings in your life as we do in ours.

Thank you

2011-01-26T17:40:00.001+03:00

Thank you, Prayer Partners.

We continue to make progress here in Sudan, albeit not without its excitement. I can report that again everything we have prayed for has been given us. Economically in the college things are much better this month. We have a full compliment of staff, and the exams look to have gone better than we dared have hoped. In the political arena there has been a peaceful and successful referendum. If you want an anxiety free life, then the Sudan is not the place to be - but, similarly, if you want to see things coming together against all odds then this is just the place to be. It's tightrope walking, but, somehow, by the grace of God, we cross some dizzying chasms. From a purely philosophical point of view, you cannot absolutely prove the existence of a caring God - but the evidence from experience is beyond reasonable doubt.

Thank you.
Trevor

The College

Give thanks for the developments in the lettings of the college.

Give thanks that a new short -term let has been found for one of our houses. We have reinvested the six months rent received in advance into its complete renovation.

Praise God that we have now concluded a good arrangement whereby the piece of land on the main road area of the new site has been let for a period of 17 years to an investment company. This company will build luxury residential units in a protected compound that they will let to people involved in the development of the city. This has already brought in much needed rental income and will continue to do so. It will increase the integrity and the security of our site enormously. After the conclusion of the period, the land, and all that is built on it, will revert to the control of the college. Both of these lets will give future stability to the college.

First, however, will require the removal of containers that have been deposited on this land. The owner has promised that he will remove them within a month. But we still need him to come and do it! Please pray that he will come and fulfil his promises quickly so we can conclude everything amicably.

We give thanks for the grant awarded to the library. Work has begun on the shelves . We hope to be moving the books within a month. Pray for the workmen and for Tina and the students as they tackle this challenging task of moving the books.

Pray for out students, especially those preparing to take the Special Entrance Exam on 19th March that will see members of the foundation year continue on to the diploma. Again pray for Tina who is preparing them. Pray for Larry Duffee who has joined the staff and is teaching arithmetic and budgeting so that our pastors might be able to understand parish finances. Pray for John Turpin from Texas who has joined us on a voluntary basis to teach church history. Pray also for Joseph, Simon, Peter and Daniela our other staff members. We give thanks that the Lord has blessed us so much in so many ways with the staff we have.

University Feasibility Study

On a wider front, we pray for those who are planning to come to Juba and elsewhere to do a feasibility study for a new university. We give thanks that three wonderful academics from the UK are giving us their precious time free, as well as putting their own money into coming. Please pray for the success of this study and God's blessings on this party. While they are here we want them to be able to get everywhere they need to. Pray that we can find the money to transport them around locally. This is important for the effectiveness of the exercise.

A new university might seem very ambitious. It is certainly a huge vision and a tremendous challenge, but the opportunities, especially in the south post referendum, are enormous. The church here is always ambitious for the Lord, and it cannot be wrong to ask for the young people of the Sudan get a little of the advantages that are enjoyed elsewhere. They learn to be very patient when things don't happen quickly. They have also learned that if you don't ask, you don't get!

The Politics

We give enormous thanks for the peaceful and well organised referendum on the future of the south. The latest news is that there has been a 95% turn out and a 98% vote in favour of separation. The people in Juba and the south are very happy.

Things are not so easy along the border with the north or in Khartoum. Please pray for the many refugees from the north heading south, and for those left behind who have not the money or opportunity to leave. Please pray for the Church in the north as many of their members have headed south and they are under pressure from the government. Pray especially for Bishop Ezekiel and the diocese of Khartoum and the other northern dioceses.

Pray for the voting taking place in Blue Nile State, and that planned for South Kordofan - northern provinces with a preponderance of people who identify more with the south. Pray for Abyei as the border there is still in dispute.

Thanksgivings and Prayers Requests

2011-01-12T16:07:00.001+03:00

The college has reopened for the New Year, but not much is happening here at the moment as we are still gathering together the students following the referendum. Voting continues to the end of this week. Here in Juba there is a quiet, thankful, festive atmosphere. People are full of joy that today they have been able to vote for independence from what has been an opposition from the north extending back for centuries, but especially during two civil wars raging for most of the time ever since Sudanese independence in 1956. We are very grateful for the way peace is so highly regarded here. Much still has to be resolved about the distribution of oil revenues, the border demarcation and other instruments of government. The result will be finally declared on 15th February.

We are very grateful for all your prayers.

One sadness has been the death of Revd Samuel Kayanga who was a part-time teacher of Religious Studies last semester. He completed his valued teaching duties at the end of November but was recently taken ill and died in hospital in Nairobi. Samuel has played an important role in the ECS for many years in the course of the war and beyond. He is the coauthor of But God is Not Defeated with Andrew Wheeler.

Thanks,

Trevor

Thank God for way everything has come together and that the Referendum is taking place on the exact date promised six years ago at the signing of the CPA in 2005. We thank God that, despite the sporadic disturbances in some of the border areas, southern Sudan is probably more peaceful and less divided than it was in 2009. The inter-tribal violence and cattle theft has certainly declined. Please continue to pray that this trend continues.

We ask God's blessings on the family of Samuel Kyanga as we commit him to God's heavenly care.

Pray also for all the members of staff. Especially we pray for John Turpin, a new volunteer from Texas, who has joined us as lecturer in Church History. Pray for Larry Duffee who is joining the staff part-time to teach parish budgeting and financial administration.

Thank God for the improvement in the financial situation of the college. Some of the unpaid rent has now been paid, but there is still much to do to get the college on a sound financial footing. There are houses that have yet to be let. Pray that we can find suitable tenants soon.

We give thanks that God has given us the help of Elger in the financial management of the college.

Thank God for the generosity of several overseas charities towards the development of NBGC. The Anglican Communion Fund has grated us a further £10,000 towards the completion of the first phase of the development. St Saviour's Guildford has awarded us £1,500 from their mission fund. The Slavanka Trust has given us £2,500 for the re-establishment of the library on the new site. And there have been many other contributions from dioceses, parishes and individuals in the UK, Germany and the USA - some large and some small.

Please pray that the gifts continue to enable us to finish building the second staff house, and then embark on the the second phase - the multi-purpose chapel.

Referendum Day

2011-01-09T17:10:00.002+03:00

We have arrived on 9th January 2011 and voting is taking place in the referendum on the future of southern Sudan. This is a great day, one that many people wondered whether would even happen only a few months ago.
The NCP (National Congress Party - President Al Bashir's party) has honoured the CPA (Comprehensive Peace Agreement) on this question, and the vote is happening six years to the day following its signing. The people of Juba are in festive mood. Things seem to be going their way after so very many years. The people here are quiet and peace-loving. They have had more than enough of war. Although there are still disputes over the border, and things to be worked out concerning the oil that is so very vital to the economy of both north and south, neither side, it seems, is prepared to fight another war over it - a war, of course, that could never be won outright. Everyone knows that compromises and agreements have to be made.
The people who will suffer the most are the southerners living in the north. Many have come south but others remain. We are very concerned for the church in the north. Although the country is going to divide, the province of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan will not. We need to pray for these people. The churches have been growing there for some years. They now face a very difficult time.

We had a good time in the UK over Christmas and the New Year. Staying in Bath we saw lots of our new family in Bristol. We were joined by our others from London and China. In Cornwall we had a quiet time with Trevor's parents now in their mid to late 80s.

The college recommences this week. Trevor will be teaching philosophy and Tina continues with her English. We have been granted money from a trust in Wales to move the library to the new site so that will be a major task that lies ahead of us.

Thanksgivings and Prayers Requests

2010-11-01T16:10:00.004+03:00

Thank you all for your fantastic prayers in the last few weeks. So much has happened that I have not had time to give you an update. So now here goes.

We have so much to rejoice about - we have received nearly everything we have asked for. Thanks be to God. He delivers much more faithfully than I do when I am sent out shopping! Well done. Now I have a new list for you!

Building Works

Give thanks for all the building work that has been completed and is on the way to being completed. We thank God that the new dormitory, the wash and toilet block, the hall and kitchen are all completed and in use. (You can follow some of the story on our blog and picture page).

Give thanks that, although it took a very long time, we now have electricity and water from the mains so student life is now much more comfortable.

Give thanks that the flow of money from Salisbury has been established and we have now received most of what was given. Give thanks that one of the two staff houses will be finished before the end of this month. The main structure has already been completed, and the electrician and plumber are at work.

We praise God that the fence is in place and the goat sellers are out, and the gambling establishment and their clients that has set up under a big tree on their way, although they are more resistant.

Give thanks that the house we have had for up for rent has now been let long term at a good return. Pray for good tenants for two other houses that are coming up for rent at the moment. We pray that there will be a minimum of delay here.

The only problem that remains regarding the reclaiming of the site concerns the containers that are still parked here. Please pray that the owner will see that he must move them quickly. We have been asking him to move them since March 2009. Pray that we do not have to go to law on this one.

We thank God for the interest in the land available for investment, possibly for a Conference Centre. Pray for the negotiations with these people, that a good deal may be made in the best interests of the college and the Church. This has the potential of moving fast. Pray that we may do so safely and accurately.

Praise God for the interest in the idea of a multipurpose chapel from different places. There is nothing solid yet, and all the money still to be found. We need lots of prayer as we move into Phase Two of the development.

We have application for grants for the moving of the library and the building of a second staff house. Pray that these will bear fruit.

Staff and Students

Praise God that we now have all the staff at the college! Joseph Taban joined us at the beginning of October. Mark Mayool came, at last, last week. This delay has put them under great pressure. Pray for them as they struggle to catch up in this their first semester.

Please pray for Simon Lual and his family. Simon is experiencing a lot of problems with one of his sons who is in danger on the slippery slopes of bad company. This is a huge worry to his parents. Please pray for him.

Thank God that the students are all working very hard and getting used to college life. Pray for them and the staff as we work out the ways in which we want to live as a community in a new college setting. Pray for Joseph Taban who is setting this up.

Pray for improved health for both students and staff. Thank God for Dr Katie who has given her time free to lecture and tend. Pray that God may help all the students to live by the hygiene rules she has ordered - not something that most of them are used to.

Pray for the health of our teachers who are regularly under the weather with something. There is much malaria, some typhoid and other things going around. Give thanks that Trevor and Tina, despite all the hard work, remain in excellent health!

Pray for Andy Wheeler who did not make it to Juba because he had to have a multiple coronary bypass op. Give thanks that he us now on the mend.

Pray for all the students as we approach the exams at the end of this month. This is something new for most of us, including the staff.

The Political Situation in the Sudan

The point of the referendum due on 9th January is to ask about dividing a country into two. This is not something that happens everyday! There is a lot of uncertainty. No-one is sure how it is going to work out. However, we are all carrying on knowing that whatever happens there will be still be a church and people needing ministry. South Sudan is undergoing a huge development. Much is being invested, hope is high.

Our biggest concerns are for those in the border areas, and the ethnic southerners in the North. Also the Christians there of any tribe. If there is trouble this is where it is going to be centred. Large numbers of ethnic southerners are already coming south - often with nothing. The Nile transport captains are cashing in and charging much inflated fairs. These people are often urbanised and have lost touch with the traditional way of life in their ethnic homelands.

So please:

Pray for a referendum that is fair and acceptable to both sides that will take place on the appointed day.

Pray for those living in the north and in the borders areas who are most at risk.

Pray for those coming south that they might be re-absorbed into the south without too much hardship or rejection.

Pray for soldiers on both sides that they will remain disciplined and under the control of their political masters.

We give thanks for the good ethnic diversity at NBGC. Pray for their families and home dioceses in this time away over this challenging period. The college will be in session on 9th January.

Pray with for the Sudan Council of Churches (the ECS and the Christian Church of all denominations) and the many Muslims across both South and North seeking to unite the people in love and peace. May their prayers resound around the whole of the Sudan so that the belligerent minorities will be overcome with love.

Ma Salaam!

Peace be with you

Trevor and Tina

Settling into the New Site

2010-10-26T12:42:00.003+03:00

So much has been happening in so many directions, it is difficult to know quite where to begin! First, we have now largely moved onto the new site - although not completely. We still need the old building for one of the classes and six resident students. Our offices are still located here too. The library is due to move to the new site as soon as we can get the new shelving built. We are not quite sure when that will be. This is not ideal as the two sites are about three quarters of a mile from each other and traipsing between the two is hard for some, and you never quite know where a particular student is if they are not in the place they should be! And not just the students. Staff are frequently getting lost. However, as the timetable settles in, the problems should ease. Moving the kitchen from one site to the other was quite a palaver.

Pictures on the picasaweb site when we get round to uploading them.
Secondly, we can now report that, at last, we have every expected member of staff present and working. One should not assume that just because a person is agreed and signed up, that they will actually turn up! But, after two months we have got everybody, which is a tremendous relief. At one point in September with sickness and other things, Tina and Trevor were the only teaching staff on duty with fifty enthusiastic, but often homesick, students! Not good. Thanks for your prayers on this one. Now, having got over the initial settling in period with the new students, we are beginning to gel into a community. Joseph Taban, our newest full-time member of staff, has taken on working with the students to form a proper community with an agreed way of life.
This is not easy as we still have to share the site with all sorts of people. The workshops are still operating in the middle of it, for instance, but we will not ask them to move until we have the money to clear all the buildings properly. Nature abhors a vacuum. If the buildings are empty we would be inviting who knows who, or what. There are, of course, a variety of fauna including human that would delight in empty buildings!
So we need to get on with the second phase of the development - the multipurpose chapel - before we can be really comfortable. But this is where the usual patience comes in. We couldn't have done anymore than we have done in the time; there just aren't enough hours in the day. But now the question arises of where we are going to raise the money for the next stages. We have some exciting developments here.
The roadside area of our site that is earmarked for leasing to an investor is already drawing interest from people. I have had a meeting with an interested agent. Other ideas are out there. After the planned referendum, if all goes well, we anticipate quite an investment spree in Juba and we are on land that is very central. So we need to see what transpires on the political scene - but not for long because the referendum is due to take place in January. But if a lease were agreed this would result in more rent money - quite a lot in the long term.
Then there is the possibility of a visit to the USA in June next year to tour some of the parishes and groups that might be interested in supporting us from there.
But more immediately we have applications in to two charities in the UK for money to help us build the second house. We have also applied for a grant to enable us to move the library to the new site. Lots to pray for!
People are asking about the political scene and all that goes with it. From everything we hear all is still on track for a referendum in the South on 9th January 2011. The question to be put is whether or not Southern Sudan should be independent of the North. Most people in Juba are assuming a vote in favour of separation. But, of course, no one knows for certain how things are going to turn out, so we are inevitably in a time of uncertainty mixed with excitement and a lot of hope. For those of you who are not familiar with the geography of Sudan, it is the largest country in Africa. The northern two thirds is mainly desert type land. This includes Darfur which has had an issue with being ruled by Khartoum/Omdurman for centuries. The southern third is green and fertile with many great rivers, and now oil has been discovered in it. Juba is many, many miles from the border - two or three days by road - and has long looked south to Uganda and Kenya for its trade, so whatever happens we here will not find as much day to day change as those along the border or in the north. Our plan is that the students all register to vote here in Juba. This means we will be open again in time for 9th January so term will start early - 5th January 2011- which means we will be in the UK for the whole of December until just after the New Year. Then we shall all be safely in Juba when the hoped for referendum takes place.

Thanksgivings and Prayers Requests

2010-09-15T16:29:00.001+03:00

Dear Prayer Partners,

Developments at NBGC have been wonderful even if fraught at times. However, the problems are small in relation to the blessings, so let us start with the latter. You might like to download the interim administrator's latest report for greater details.
Thanks. Trevor and Tina.

Give thanks for the building that has been completely renovated on the new site and is currently in use for teaching and as a temporary dormitory, and the the fact that the actual dormitory and toilets are almost completed.

Give thanks that we have 32 new students bringing our total to 50 (10 more than we had planned for!). Do pray for them.

Give thanks that we have so many generous sponsors for them. Thank God for the finances that have come our way and the promises made to us for the future.

Thank God for the very warm welcome we received at St Paul's University, Limuru and that we are now a fully affiliated university college offering a diploma in theology. We rejoice that we have 15 first year students embarking on this programme.

Give thanks for God's blessing us with excellent staff, both full and part-time, to ensure quality teaching.

Give thanks for yourselves, our prayer partners all over the world.

Pray for the smoothing out of the hiccups we have encountered.

Pray that the Revd Joseph Taban is soon enabled to come and teach at the college as planned. He is key to the progress of the new diploma students, and his delay is threatening to damage their prospects. Pray also that Mark Mayool will soon be able to join the staff part-time as hoped. Pray for the students in their frustration. Even though we are prepared to do long hours to try and cover, we cannot be in two places at the same time, and it is painful to see the students suffer.

Pray that the money being sent from England flows without problems. We have had to delay the work twice in the last month because of the banks raising difficulties. We trust they have at last been overcome.

Pray for the powerhouse here that they will come and connect up the electricity as promised. All they require has been paid them, but somehow we don't seem to be priority. This makes life very difficult for the students who are studying by torchlight. Our logistic officer has spent hours on this work when there is so much else to do.

Pray also for Andy Wheeler who was planning to be with us and teach in October with a team from Guildford. We were so much looking forward to his coming but he has been told he needs medical treatment which will prevent him from coming. Pray that he may soon be put right and be able to come before long.

Pray that we can let an empty house soon at a good rent so that we can guarantee our funding.

Our dreams ...

Pray that we can soon start building the new staff housing so that our staff can be comfortably accommodated on site. This has to be approved by a committee of persons in the province. Pray that it is not held up at this stage.

Pray that we can find someone prepared to invest in a major conference centre on the site, to both enhance the project and provide some investment income in the long term.

Pray that donors can be found for "stage two" of the project, a multi-purpose chapel. This will enable the new site to really come together and effective teaching to be done in one place (it is hard for both students and staff trailing about three quarters of a mile from one site to the other on foot). It will also enable us to expand the college further.

New Beginnings

2010-09-11T14:50:00.004+03:00

Thanks for your patience in waiting for our latest from Juba. Things have been so busy it has been impossible to keep up with all the reporting etc. But all the busyness has been worthwhile. In the last month we have a new site to add to our old one, 30+ new students, four new members of staff, and a new affiliation to St Paul's University, Limuru, Kenya! The Salisbury Appeal by Bishop David did indeed bring in the £66,000 for which he asked. Brilliant. Add to this £10,000 from the Archbishop of Canterbury and the £4000 we got from Bridport when we left in January 2009, and we are well on the way to completely renovating two large buildings on our new site, originally built in the early 1990s through the foresight of the then principal, Canon Benaiah. Sadly he died before this site could be properly developed. Indeed the dormitory building was not even completed. It is now. We plan to move the students into this building at the end of next week. We have also constructed a new sanitary block with tiled flooring - which is more than many enjoy here. Check out our latest pictures from the picasaweb website (see links on the right-hand side of the page). This next thing is staff housing. It's a question of whether we can afford one or two houses. If we can build two that will release a house for rent in the neighbour and raise a possible $18,000 more dollars income next year.

We have been inundated with more students than we were looking for. But when bishops and archbishops and all the kingdom of heaven put pressure on you, what can you do? We've got them them in - somehow. So we now have two more classes to add to the existing ones. Tina has 7 in her full-time English group. There are 13 in the foundation year - this consists of students who have not got the qualifications to get into the diploma course. Then there are the two diploma years, one and three (the continuing students). Being affiliated to St Paul's means that we are now a university college offering a university diploma in theology. Trevor and Daniela went to Limuru at the end of August and were very warmly greeted and inducted into all that is necessary to run the course. It was well that the welcome was warm, because the weather was not. The temperate hovered around 12C - and, of course, none of the rooms are heated. It took four thick blankets to be warm enough at night. After three days the cold just soaks right in. Oh, how we were glad to be back in Juba at 30C! Here is a picture of the new library at St Paul's

All through this period our house has been full too. We have had a young woman from the MU called Sarah stay, as well as a doctor and her helper from Uganda. Queueing for the bathroom would not have been so back at times if we had abundant water. However, we only got to the point where we had to carry in from a distance once. We have got through a few candles too as the electricity seems to be feast of famine. We learned that the town powerhouse ran out of fuel. The political situation here is interesting. The CPA requires a referendum in January 2011 for the people of the south to decide on weather or not they want to succeed and become a separate nation. The general feeling is that that is what people want. However the process appears to be stalled with the registration for the referendum due next month and nothing yet having been announced. So people are concerned. However, we have timed our semesters to enable the students to vote in Juba so we will be back in session on Wednesday, 5th January. We will finish early, therefore, and be in England for all of December.

Prayer Answers, Thanksgivings and Petitions

2010-08-08T15:52:00.000+03:00

August 2010

Dear Prayer Partners,

First, may I welcome those who have just joined the Prayer Partners of the New Bishop Gwynne College, Juba, Sudan.

Your prayers have been so much needed at the very busy and crucial time in the history of the college. That is why we are issuing this special request.

1. NBGC Day of Prayer

We rejoice and give thanks today, 8th August, for a special NBGC Day throughout the province for prayer and giving. We are enriched by this day. (Some of the province is keeping next week instead =15th.)

2. Students

Pray for the students preparing to come to the college from 14th August for the beginning of the new semester. Pray especially for those living in areas where the risk to travellers from criminal gangs is high. Pray that they may travel safely.

We give thanks for the offers of sponsorships for our students from three countries, Germany, the UK and the USA. We have sponsors for all three of the students from Torit and others too. Pray that all our students who dioceses cannot pay will get sponsorships.

Pray for the new students that they will quickly settle in.

3. Staff

We give thanks that the Revd Joseph Taban and Mr Mark Mayool have joined the staff for the new semester. We also pray for Bishop Francis Loyo who will be teaching African Christian Theology.

Pray that we can soon find an agency to teach the basic facts of HIV/AIDS to tie in with our pastoral care topic.

Pray for all the members of staff at the college, both teaching and ancillary.

Pray for God's guidance in the use of two sites 15 mins walk apart, and the staff as they devise a workable time-table. Pray that we may the right number of staff to deliver the programme effectively and efficiently.

4. Library

Give thanks for hundreds of new books that have come and are still coming from Britain and the UK. Pray for Tina as spends many hours processing and shelving them. The library has had to be reorganised for a second time to accommodate them all.

4. New Site

Give thanks that work on the first building will be completed for the arrival of the students on Saturday, 14th. This large building will house a temporary dormitory and teaching room.

Pray for the Interim Board meeting on 11th August when the final decisions will be made regarding the awarding of contracts for the building of the fence, the renovation of the dormitory building, the erection of a new toilet and washing block, and staff housing. (We shall need all the money promised us from Salisbury, the Anglican Communion Fund and Bridport. As hoped for investment at the front of the college is still at the ideas stage, the archbishop has indicated that we should enclose a much larger portion of land from the outset, and this may limit what we can do elsewhere.)

5 Long-term Investment

We have land and sites that, if developed, will bring in all the money the college will need for the foreseeable future. The need for this is urgent if NBGC is to keep on track and maintain the growth in the student population.

Pray that investment in income generating enterprises may be forth-coming.

Pray for those already considering a large convention and knowledge centre with halls, libraries, restaurants, media and technology centres, and accommodation etc.

Pray for investors who will value the ethos, work and aspirations of the college.

Prayer Answers, Thanksgivings and Petitions

2010-07-20T15:15:00.005+03:00

July - August 2010

Prayer Answers, Thanksgivings and Petitions

Dear Prayer Partners,

Returning from the Sudan after spending more than six weeks in the UK some of you must have thought we had disappeared. Others we have met - we managed to get to the north of England (East Yorks, Teesside and Cumbria), Bristol and the South West as well as the Diocese of Salisbury. We have learned just how much people do indeed keep us in their prayers and how much this little plea is used.

Thank you,

Trevor and Tina

1. NBGC and the New Site

Give thanks for the huge cheque we received from the Diocese of Salisbury from Bishop David's leaving appeal. The cheque was for £61,500 - but we understand now that there is more to add. This an enormous boost to us. We are so grateful for the love with which it all comes.

Please pray for us as we now get to grips with actually putting everything into place on the new site. Pray for the builders that they may work well, speedily and safely. Pray for us who have the responsibility of getting the college up and running on the new site.

Pray for the enrolment of the new students. This is proving very complicated with so many new dioceses, poor communications, worries about getting the fees and with people enquiring so late. Pray that we can make proper decisions about which course to start people on, and that we will have sufficient space to accommodate all who need it.

Give thanks for the Revd Joseph Taban and Mr Mark Malook who are joining the teaching staff. Pray that they will settle quickly.

Pray for Tina and Mark as they establish an expanding English department as they put together a foundation year at the college

2. The Schools

Give thanks for the schools we managed to visit in the UK in July and the others with links in the Sudan. We thank God for the huge interest of staff and children and the very wise understanding and sensible questions we were asked.

Pray for all the schools here in the Sudan as they seek proper leadership, proper training and pay for teachers, and decent buildings. Pray for the children and their families so much at risk of malnutrition and disease, even in a city like Juba.

3. The ECS

Give thanks for the many wonderful people of the ECS here who have made us enormously welcome and really make us at home in Juba. We give thanks for their huge commitment to making New Bishop Gwynne College, the ECS and the whole of Sudan work to the glory of God.

Give thanks and pray for the four new bishops recently elected and consecrated in the Sudan and the dioceses they will serve Cueibet and Yirol have new bishops. Aweil and Wed Medani are new dioceses in the border areas of south and north Sudan. These will be very challenging places to serve as we approach the referendum due for January 2011.

Pray for Larry Duffee who has joined the Provincial Office from the USA to help them instigate financial strategies.

Pray for the Theological Education Commission's annual meeting to be held at NBGC beginning on 27th July followed by in-service training of theological teachers.

Prayer Answers, Thanksgivings and Petitions

2010-05-18T15:03:00.000+03:00

May - June 2010

Prayer Answers, Thanksgivings and Petitions

Dear Prayer Partners,

We have had a lively month. We concluded the semester last week and now we turn our attention to the new semester due to open on 14th August. Our current students will be returning for a new and third year. We also hope to have a fresh cohort to begin a first year. We will require the new site to be all ready for us and for this we will need your prayers...

Thank you,

Trevor and Tina

1. Theological Education

Give thanks for the success of the first semester of New Bishop Gwynne College. It went remarkable well without mishap.

Give thanks for the very successful visit from Trinity College Bristol,and pray for God's guidance for the future of this link. Pray for the student in Berkley Divinity School at Yale who is preparing to come and live and work in the college in September.

Pray for the right new students to come and form a new first year in August.

Give thanks that, despite some difficult moments, we always managed to pay everyone on time and pay another slice off the remaining debt. Pray that we can continue to do in the future.

When we return in August there will be an extra demand as we will have have a larger wage bill and more hungry mouths to feed. Pray that every single student will pay their full fee and come equipped with the money to get them back at the end of term.

We praise God for the extra house that has come available to us. Pray for God's guidance as we try and find the resources to restore it, or indeed demolish and rebuild if that is required. We pray we can let this house for added future income. Pray that the Bishop of Salisbury's appeal, or giving elsewhere, is sufficient to enable us to build a new house on the new site.

Pray that we can find the right new Sudanese lecturer for our our new term.

2. New Site

Give thanks that things are coming together to get onto the new site in the next few weeks.

Pray that those who seem to have moved into the building uninvited and are squatting there will be successfully moved on. Pray for the provincial and diocesan staff responsible for this will be given strength and guidance to carry through this uncomfortable task.

Pray that the buildings will be able to be renovated without too much expensive despite the terrible exterior appearance they currently have.

Give thanks for the money coming to us from the Diocese of Salisbury, the Parish of Bridport and the Anglican Communion Fund and pray that even more funds will be made available to us. The more we have, the faster we can proceed with the programme of developing the new site.

We are still hoping to hear from some people who have encouraged us to look for investment in the form of a new convention centre on the new site. This will be a huge enhancement to the area and provide income in the future. Pray that these people might find the right people to invest in us.

3. The Schools

There has been a major set back for church primary schools here in Juba because the government has redeployed many of those they paid themselves into state schools. This happened with just three weeks to go before the beginning of term without warning. The diocese found itself with many schools without head teachers and some with less than half the staff.

Pray that the necessary income can be found to employ the teachers they need, and pray that they can find teachers of the right quality.

We thank God for the letters, prayers and contributions of schools in the Diocese of Salisbury that have now found their way to all the linked schools in Juba. We rejoice in the encouragement this gives to people who educational expectations are very different. We thank God for friends.

4. The ECS

We rejoice in the continuing enthusiasm of the people for worship, the wonderful celebrations of Easter with even greater numbers than usual and the hard work of the new bishops and the new dioceses.

We pray for our archbishop who has been delayed in Adelaide following a desire by an optician for him to visit an eye hospital. We pray that that goes well and that he is soon here among us.

We pray for the diocese of Twic East and bishop elect Ezekiel whose enthronement has had to be further delayed. We pray that ECS initiative to bring peace and stability to that area will be a success.

Pray for Larry, who has just arrived from the Diocese of Virginia, to begin to help sort a way forward for the provincial office to deal with similar albatrosses to those BGC that suffered from until this year.

5. The Nation

Give thanks for the elections that, despite a number of accusations of rigging and some dissatisfaction with the result in some areas, went off remarkably peacefully. Give thanks that people through themselves into the exercise with enthusiasm.

Pray for the elected government as they now work towards the promised referendum of independence for the south due in January 2011.

End of Term!

2010-05-18T14:47:00.003+03:00

Last week we came to the end of our first full semester. It went remarkably well with some memorable high points.
The low points were all about getting in enough money to pay wages at the end of each month, and when we did get some money, seeing it claimed by those who are still owed from the past. Yes, we had to find around 500,000 SDG (Sudanese pounds = around $200,000) to pay off the debts. We have now just 20,000 SDG to go but this is still a lot when you consider our monthly food bill for all the students seven days a week is budgeted at 3,600 SDG, and our total wage bill is restricted to 5,500 SDG. Nevertheless the albatross is getting lighter month by month.
The main high point was the arrival of the students that had left the previous year disappointed and down because the college had had to be closed. That was a hard time for them. They probably felt that the college was not going to recover despite all the talk of reopening the following year. How absolutely delighted they were to be coming back to a new Bishop Gwynne College under new management. The opening was a memorable day.
The other special days were when we received our visitors - Bishop David and Ian Woodward from Salisbury, Prof. Joseph Britton from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale and, just after Easter during the election period, a party of students and staff from Trinity College, Bristol. This perhaps was the time when the students enjoyed themselves the most - especially as we all had a bit more time as lectures were suspended for the elections as so many were away.
On one occasion, Daniela Rapisarda, a volunteer lecturer, invited us all into her home to watch a film on her TV. She also gave us food and cold drinks from her fridge which was a real treat! On the last week-end of term, she invited again us to a leaving party there. We watched another film, A Little Princes. Then after that we each did a party piece. The students threw themselves into some wonderful Christian songs in local languages with dances to go with them. Neha (a local friend of Indian descent) tried Chinese whispers, but the concept was so completely new that the message was nothing like what it started out to be! We'll have to try it again sometime. There are some pictures of this event on our picasa picture site, but here is one of the whole group.

Thanks to Dave Lewis we now feature on You Tube too. Find the link from our website on the right.
The next stage is to get onto the new site with a new first year. We need you prayers for that. Pray that the site will soon be vacated and we can get on with getting quotations to begin the renovations. We will be contacting our prayer partners within the next few days.
Our personal plans are to be in the UK in June and early July (ash clouds permitting of course). We will travelling from south to north visiting friends and churches, thanking people for their support and prayers. So watch the blog for news.

Prayer Answers, Thanksgivings and Petitions

2010-04-07T15:32:00.003+03:00

Dear Prayer Partners,

Very many thanks for all your prayers. There is so much to thank God for, and therefore to thank you for because of the way things have been coming together for us. Life is not exactly problem free in the Sudan - but things have moved much better than they could have done. The elections begin on Sunday, 11th April and extend up to the Wednesday.

Keeping praying. We are being blessed!

Thank you

Trevor and Tina

1. Theological Education

Give thanks for the growing student body. We now have four full time and one part-time student on the English course led by Tina. We have all the 2nd year students except one (who has been made a bishop) now learning well and growing in all sorts of ways.

Praise God for the blessings brought to us by our enthusiastic visitors - Bishop David of Salisbury, Prof. Joseph Britton, Dean of Berkeley Divinity School, Yale, and assessors from Limuru University, Kenya. We thank God for looking after us so well in these people.

We pray for those on their way from Trinity College, Bristol sadly held up at Heathrow with the cancellation of their flight. We thank God for them and their deep interest in us.

We pray for those involved in the teaching at NBGC. Simon Lual, Daniela Rapisarda, Robin Denney, Trevor and Tina Stubbs. May God bless the students as they come to their exams at the end of the term, and bless the exam process.

We pray for those seeking employment at the college, including those made redundant last year. There are numbers of people who have been associated with teaching and feel themselves qualified that do not fit into the present vision of the NBGC in Juba.

Pray for the other provincial theological colleges of the ECS - Shokai in Khartoum, Renk Theological College, Ngalamu College in Mundri and Bishop Alison College moving back to Yei who are struggling to find committed qualified staff despite the surplus in Juba.

We pray for those preparing to teach in the Michaelmas Semester at NBGC. We include those coming to us on a visiting basis, Andy Wheeler and his Team from St Saviour's, Guildford, Bishop Francis Loyo, Canon Francis Paul and a team to teach us about HIV/AIDS.

Please pray for the students returning to their homes in order to vote. Pray for safe journeys for them.

NBGC New Site

We thank God for the giving that is taking place in Salisbury Diocese to help us fund the development.

Thank God for the interest of Anglican International Development who have undertaken to seek investors for an outrageously ambitious Conference Centre on the roadside of the new site.

We need urgent prayer for those who currently occupy the site to be prepared to move in the very near future so we can commence work to upgrade the buildings.

Pray for competitive tenders for the work of building the boundaries and the new staff houses.

New Students

Pray for the right kind of students to apply. We need able people who are ambitious for the Gospel and committed men and women. Pray that there will be as many women as men. We thank God for the enormous impact of women's ministry in the ECS and pray for more of them and for opportunities for them to take positions of responsibility.

Primary Schools

Please pray for the ECS primary schools in Juba. The government education department has removed many of the teachers in their own employ and reassigned them to government schools, with just three weeks notice of the beginning of the new term. This has left most of the church schools very short staffed. Some schools have even lost their headteachers. Church schools will now find it hard to make ends meet and maintain the higher standards with which they have been associated. If the policy is not reversed, some schools will inevitably close. For the Church education committees it means going back to the drawing board.

In one case the government have even claimed the land on which the school premises stand as well as half the teachers.

This is a sad affair because some of the best education has been offered by the ECS and other churches and the children will miss out in the short, if not the long term. It has often been the church ethos of the schools that have produced the comparative success.

Pray for the staff, schools and children involved.

Please pray for the provincial and diocesan staff, especially Emmanuel Lomoro, and successful negotiations with the government department.

The Nation

We thank God that we have got to the week before the election with relatively little trouble, despite the SPLM pull out in the northern constituencies by way of protest against suspected rigging. We ask God's blessings on the process - for free, fair and efficient polling and for accurate counting. Above all we pray for the peaceful acceptance of the outcome.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T15:14:00.004+03:00

Alleluia, Christ is Risen!
So much is happening that it is difficult to find time to keep up with this blog! However, I hope you have caught on to our college website and the separate photo site which have some more up to date stuff. See the links to the right.
Two days after Bishop David left us we were visited by yet another distinguished guest. This time Professor Joseph Britton, the Dean of Berkeley Divinity School, Yale, New Haven in the USA came and spent several days in the college and lecturing in Juba Cathedral on celebrating Holy Week and Easter. The students were fascinated by all he had to tell about Berkeley, and the Anglican Church in America in general - and so we were we. It was a joy to host him.
Last week the visitors were from closer to - St Paul's University in Limuru. Professor Zablon Mutongu and a librarian, Judy Syombua came to inspect us to ascertain whether we meet their standards for affiliation. The students were more subdued, probably feeling the importance of this for the future of the college. But even if we don't make it this time we will next if we have the new site in operation. We will hear in a week or two.
And on Tuesday of this week six people from Trinity College Bristol, UK will arrive to be with us for a week. They are coming to learn from us and we from them. This is especially interesting for the students because while distinguished international bishops and academics have an amazing "wow", ordinary students doing theology like them will have their own special impact. We'll report on that when they've come.
Easter here is special in its own extraordinary way. Maundy Thursday was a fascinating combination of African and European music that followed some kind of order after everybody's feet had been washed. A team of priests washed about 60 pairs of feet. Half-way through the service the power went and we finished the service in candle light which was kind of appropriate.
Easter Eve had the celebration of the new fire and the lighting of the Easter but in an unusual order. The service was advertised to begin at 6 pm. However, here no-one comes on time for evening events, and we did not expect it to begin before 6.30 pm. When we turned up there were very few there. We were early. But then one of the cathedral priests came and asked if he could Have a word with me in the vestry. There had been a slip up and no-one had been asked to preach. Could I do it?! Well, how can you say no? So I had a very short time in which to prepare to preach at one of the most significant services in the year! Most of the time was spent in rushing home for my robes. But we had done quite a bit of work on Easter in the college. I told the story of the Early Church's celebrating in an age of persecution. Stepping out into the darkness carrying the Light would not have been easy for them.
Easter Day was a huge scrum. It was survival of the fittest. When we got in the main door there wasn't a seat to be had. Tina found a ledge on a window between the atrium and the nave. However two lady sidespersons somehow "magicked" some chairs and squeezed them in in front of the atrium partition. So we sat there looking at a wall three feet away. It was a really joyous occasion nonetheless.
The picture above was taken on Easter Eve when the cathedral was not quite so full.
The picture below is of our "family" outside the cathedral on Easter Eve with our candles. Tina, Trevor, Robin and Rebecca who joined us this year. Rebecca is from West London but for some unaccountable reason supports Man U.

Daily Life of Children

2010-02-27T17:53:00.002+03:00

One of our link schools is investigating the daily life of children in south Sudan. We thought this information might be of general interest.
As in Britain children come from different backgrounds and different homes. A lot will still live in tukuls (small round thatched hut with mud walls), or houses a little bigger with more than one room, but built on the same lines. Life is mostly lived out of doors. People even bring their beds outside when it is especially hot. Young children will probably not have individual beds but share with siblings. People are being encouraged to sleep under mosquito nets but by no means all children do, and children under five are especially susceptible to malaria. Three is a small family - five or six is more common. A single child is very rare.
A lot would not have any electricity in their homes. They would use oil lamps and candles. A few would have more sophisticated homes with fridges and TV, but the majority of people in this income bracket send their children to school in Kenya and Uganda where they can buy a better education.
Many children don't go to school at all. Either because their family can't afford the fees, or because their parents have not gone to school themselves and don't value education. A big problem in the outlying areas is trying persuade parents that education is a good thing - especially for girls. Children of six or seven, or even younger, regularly take care of younger siblings and help with household jobs. Girls help with preparing food and cooking. Both boys and girls help to carry water. In Juba they would not have far to go for a communal pump, but in country areas they may have a longer walk. In country areas boys would also gather wood for fires, but this isn't possible in the town where they mostly cook using charcoal burners.
The flattened dusty earth around the outside of a house is normally swept daily to prevent vegetation that would harbour insects. Children help with this. You also see children sweeping the school grounds in the morning before school starts.
There are hardly any toys. Children play with old bicycle tires and sticks (as in the Victorian pictures of children with hoops). They tie string to cardboard boxes and pull them around as 'cars'. They do have footballs, but if they don't they have substitutes like a tightly rolled ball of cloth or a tin can. At lot follow English football teams. They have all heard of Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool or Chelsea and a football shirt is a prize possession. I have seen children skipping with a long rope in the playground. They make up their own chasing and hide and seek games much as children do anywhere.
Most people keep very clean despite the lack of facilities. They would bath in a bowl of cold water (of course this is not as cold as cold water in England, especially if it comes from a tank that has been standing in the sun). Washing of clothes is done outside and hung on any available fence to dry. Most children are well turned out and keep themselves remarkably clean despite the dust.
Very few homes would have books. (Most primary schools don't have books!). Mobile phones and radios are common. You can live in a tukul with no facilities but have a mobile phone. Not many primary school children would have their own though.
Children walk around and roam the streets in a way that would not be considered safe in England. "Health and Safety" is pretty much non existent.
Most children seem to enjoy singing. A lot of children attend Sunday School, where learning songs to perform in the church in front of the adults is a major activity. They do rhythmic dances to these songs.
There is not much entertainment. Children on the whole seem to be much more patient and do not expect to be entertained. It amazes me how quietly toddlers sit through a two hour service. It is quite disturbing really. They are used to not being stimulated. On the whole children appear happy. They laugh and smile a lot.
Incidentally there are no prams or buggies. Babies are carried on the mothers' backs tied by shawls.
Food in the Juba area consists of a lot of carbohydrate - cassava, sorghum, maize, sweet potato and rice. They keep goats and chickens so on special occasions there is meat to eat or milk to drink. They also grow green vegetables but these do not form a substantial part of the diet. Fruit is available and can be grown locally but it is not eaten very much. Traditionally food is eaten with the fingers and mostly still is, although cutlery is appearing in the better off families. To eat from a communal dish is also quite common.
Sweets are available but expensive and a rare treat. Chocolate is impractical because of the heat and I have never seen a packet of crisps here. Ask your children if they can imagine life without without chocolate of crisps!

2010-02-26T17:08:00.002+03:00

March 2010

Prayer Answers, Thanksgivings and Petitions

There has been so much happening in the last two month's. Although we haven't sent a formal prayer letter, we have contacted you on various developments and we know you have not given up praying!

NBGC now has its own webpage. See the link on the right.

So we hope there is plenty to keep you going for your prayers.

Trevor and Tina

1. The Staff and Students

Praise God for the long awaited re-opening of the college. We have all but two of the 15 students who were here at the suspension of the college in February 2009. One of these will join us in August. At present he is very busy - he has been made a bishop! (All our students, of course, are already ordained).

Praise God for the four new students that have come to learn English full time.

Praise God for their enthusiasm and hard work. The industry and application of the people of this country when given an opportunity and sense of direction never ceases to amaze.

Praise God for the wonderful way the teachers have quickly settled in.

Please pray for all the students and staff as they grow and learn and meet the challenges of studying Scripture and tradition at some depth.

Pray for Robin Denney as she prepares to return to Juba on 11th March. Among her jobs is teaching agriculture at the college.

Pray for the bishops of the ECS as they discover new students for the new year. We are looking for at least 25 and we need you to "pray them in!". The applicants needs to be a certain level to ensure we can continue to aim for a high standard. The criteria are on the college website.

2. College Development

Pray for the forth-coming inspection from representatives of St Paul's, Limuru (23rd to 26th March) to ascertain whether or not we have reached the standards necessary for affiliation. We are praying that we will be able to begin offering Limuru Diplomas in August 2010 so that the new students will be on a path that can take them on to a degree and beyond.

3. The New Site

Give thanks for the support we have been awarded by the Anglican Communion Fund and the Appeal of the Bishop of Salisbury that began on Ash Wednesday. This has brought the development of the new site much closer. Pray for the success of the appeal, not just in terms of money but love and prayer.

Pray that those who are occupying the site as a lessee, on a short-term basis or informally may quickly find new places for their enterprises so that development can begin without causing too much difficulty for them. Pray for those being asked to tender for the work and design new buildings, the legal department of the ECS, and all the other professionals involved.

Pray for Anglican International Development who are working an idea for future development for supporting NBGC as well as other economic development through micro-finance in Juba and beyond.

4. Our Visitors

Pray for those planning visitors to our college this term. My they travel safely and without difficulty. Remember Bishop David and his party from Salisbury, Professor Joseph Britton from Berkeley College (Yale, USA), and Prof. Eeva John and students from Trinity College (Bristol, UK).

5. The ECS

We give thanks for the newly appointed bishops in Nzara and Wau and we pray for those dioceses as they continue the task of witnessing and caring for their communities.

We pray for the Diocese of Twic East and Bishop Ezekiel Diing as they face problems of local conflict. May the Church bring a real desire for peace in that vast area on the borders of Ethiopia.

We give thanks for the safe arrival of Rebecca Coleman to work as the Archbishop's International Coordinator in place of Nic Ramsden who is now working for the government of South Sudan. Pray that she settles into the job well.

6. The Nation

We praise God for the enthusiasm for the first elections in 26 years. We give thanks a real desire for democracy in the south of the country. We pray for those standing for election both locally and nationally. May there be a good turn out in April in polling week. We pray that the whole process - before, during and after - may pass peacefully.

New Bishop Gwynne College Up and Running

2010-02-02T22:23:00.005+03:00

The college is open and running.
We had a grand opening service on Sunday afternoon last that was attended by no less than four bishops, the provincial secretary and other distinguished guests. We have managed to upload pictures on the Picasa NBGC website. See the links on the right. It is very difficult to upload pictures to this blog because of the restricted bandwidth we have here.
The wonderful tall man in the purple is our new lecturer Simon Lual Bang. His wife Martha has a matching dress that you can see in one of the photos. Simon's subjects are Old Testament and Sudan Church History.
The lady with the long black hair is Daniela Rapisarda. She is a volunteer lecturer in NT and Systematic Theology. Although she an Italian she is married to the Norwegian Political Consul here. Daniela was born into one of the rare Italian Protestant families in Sicily.
The lady with the short white hair (Tina!) is showing off the newly arranged library. Here she is teaching the students the library system. English teaching is taking up most of her day.
The man with increasingly less hair (Trevor!) as well as being technically "in charge" teaches Homiletics (Sermons) and Anglicanism - the subjects "what got left over". This, however, leaves enough time to get sorted out on the new site, which is at the "meeting standing on site" stage. Since the temperature is pushing 40C these days (we are in the height of the dry season and even the Africans are wilting in the sun) so our meetings are not going to be long! (The upside to the extra hot weather is that the mosquitoes have almost vanished - nowhere to breed, or died of heat-stroke!).
Today we are struggling with our electricity and water in our house. After a power surge two days ago the sockets in the kitchen and sitting room don't work - but the bath tap is live! The electrician is coming tomorrow. The whole place should have been rewired twenty years ago, but then TIA (this is Africa).
Thanks everyone for your prayers. They are working.

Preparing for Reopening

2010-01-21T16:06:00.004+03:00

We are going through exciting times at New Bishop Gwynne College!
On 30th January the college is due to re-open. Lots of last minute construction and cleaning is happening. We still don't have the septic tank completed. This is taking a long time - it is about two and a half times as deep as the average man - all dug by hand! A phenomenal feat. When it is finished a water tank for fresh water will be erected to ensure a continual supply. The town electricity is due to be reinstated any day. This should make a difference given that town power is now much more consistent than it has been.
Tina is now shelving the books in the catalogued order but this is a never ending task. She is missing her kind volunteer from Save the Children whose husband has now been relocated to Addis Abba.
The returning students are due to arrive a week on Saturday, together with two who are starting an English course that Tina is running. Please pray for them and Simon Lual Bang (Old Testament and African Church History), Daniela Rapisarda (New Testament and Systematic Theology), Robin Denney (Agriculture), Trevor (Homiletics and Anglicanism) and Tina (English). Other subjects we will share as they come up.

We are delighted to report that the Archbishop of Canterbury has a awarded us £10,000 towards the first phase of the development of the new site. Together with the money in the Good Books Fund this will get us going. (Although the whole first phase will require £66,000!) We are also pleased to hear that things are afoot in the Diocese of Salisbury to support us - we will report more as we are able. So we are approaching the development of the new site with a confidence we did not have at the beginning of the year.

The three phases are currently planned as:
PHASE 1. Fencing and clearing, repairs to existing buildings, the introduction of water and the installation of toilets estimated to cost around £66,000. (This will make the site usable in combination with present college building).
PHASE 2. A multipurpose chapel, additional dormitories, and two staff houses - £160,000
PHASE 3. A three story block to house teaching suites, a separate library and two more staff houses - £137,000
However, now we are getting the finances sorted locally, we can certainly report that it would be unlikely, unless conditions change very radically (always a possibility here of course!), that the college will never have to seek running costs from overseas. All the giving from overseas will go into developing and expanding the college and ensuring a growing investment base.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-16T15:37:00.002+03:00

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

2009-12-08T10:13:00.003+03:00

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.

2009-11-18T12:40:00.004+03:00

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

2009-11-11T15:39:00.000+03:00

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

2009-10-30T09:58:00.002+03:00

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

2009-10-07T21:43:00.001+03:00

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

2009-10-02T10:11:00.001+03:00

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!

2009-10-01T11:41:00.001+03:00

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

2009-09-13T16:07:00.007+03:00

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

2009-08-26T16:43:00.002+03:00

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.
-------------
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

2009-08-21T17:39:00.001+03:00

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

2009-07-20T12:20:00.001+03:00

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!

2009-07-13T14:07:00.008+03:00

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

2009-05-28T14:27:00.000+03:00

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!!

Our Itinerary in the Diocese of Salisbury - June 2009

2009-05-22T15:23:00.004+03:00

In the latter part of June 2009 we shall be touring in the diocese of Salisbury. We shall be calling in to see people and schools but there are some public events we plan to be at too.

We shall be around talk to people about the Episcopal Church of the Sudan and our work here in Juba in the following locations in Salisbury Diocese.

14th June
Morning: 10 am. Service at St Bartholomew and All Saints, Wootton Bassett.
Afternoon: Sudan Garden Party, South Canonry, Salisbury.

21st June
10.15 am. Preaching at St Thomas Salisbury
6 pm. Song of Praise at Tisbury

27th June
7.30 pm. Evening at St. Mary's Dorchester

28th June
Morning: Main service at Abbotsbury
Afternoon: Event in Portesham Vicarage

29th June - 2nd July
At Salisbury Clergy Conference

Juba Primary Schools

2009-05-19T15:00:00.008+03:00

Tina has been visiting some of the church primary schools in Juba. I have been talking to the headteachers, finding out basic information about the schools and asking them what their concerns and problems are, as well as their successes. I have visited some of the classes.

Most of the schools are very overcrowded with up to 80 children in a class and have very few resources. One headteacher told me her dream was to have a photocopier, but they don't even have electricity or running water. In this school there are two toilets on the edge of the playing area for 700 children. Some have a few text books but never one per child, and no reading material at all. Exercise books and pencils are provided by UNICEF. There is a lot of chanting and work copied from the blackboard. For this parents pay 200 Sudanese Pounds (about £60) per child per year. In addition to this parents have to find uniform (schools have their different colours as in Britain).

School starts between 8 and 9 in the morning, and goes on till two in the afternoon. There is a break for breakfast around 10.30 am. Children can buy finger food in the playground (see picture) or bring their own in in little coloured plastic pails, and there is another break around 12.30 pm. They mostly get water from a pump.

Most primary schools have a kindergarten for ages 4 and 5 (sometimes younger) and primary 1 to 8 (equivalent to Years 1 to 8 in Britain). To qualify for secondary school, which starts in Yr. 9 (that is called secondary 1 here) the children have to pass a standard national exam. The pass rate varies between different schools. But many of the children who pass never go to secondary school because they can't afford the fees which go up to 600 Sudanese Pounds in a church school. (Government schools have been cheaper because they have been subsidised, but things are now changing.)

As from this year, they learn English right from kindergarten, but most of them grow up with Juba Arabic as well as their tribal language. In secondary school they aim to teach everything in English, which is a challenge for those children who did not have as much English when they were younger. The children are mostly bright and cheerful and fall over themselves to greet visitors like me! And they love having their photographs taken - apart from a few of the older girls who are quite shy. In one school they had a long skipping rope and were doing communal skipping as some of us in Britain used to do in the playground when I was young.

There is a Sudanese programme called "Confident Children out of Conflict" which collects street-children and pays their school fees and provides food and uniform etc. I have been particularly visiting schools that have links, or would like to have links, with schools in Salisbury diocese and hope to be able to act as liaison as we visit, enabling them to exchange letters etc.

Visit to Lainya

2009-05-19T14:35:00.007+03:00

At the beginning of May we went to the re-dedication of the church in Lainya. Lainya is a small town three hours by very rough road to the south-west of Juba. Lazarus Church is currently being used as the cathedral. It was built many years ago as the parish church, but will be used as the cathedral until a much larger, purpose built cathedral on a nearby hill is built.

Lazarus Church was severely damaged in the war. Its roof in particular suffered. The priest's house was blown up, and the area left traumatised after being on the front-line for several years. The Archbishop re-dedicated the church in the usual manner beginning with knocking on the closed doors with his staff. The ceremony began promptly at 10 am. The Eucharist, including sermon, lasted over two hours, and then the other proceedings continued without a break until 4 pm. Those of us at the top end of the church were offered water but the majority just sat it out (or drank their own). However with that length of proceedings one did not feel inclined to drink too much! Inside, the church was decorated with bunting which is common occurrence in the Sudan. The previous day we toured some refugee camps where the Archbishop promised to help with seed and tools so the people could grow their own food. We also visited the Mothers' Union sewing workshop with several Singer treadle machines. See picture.

We climbed up to the site of the new Cathedral with its wonderful view across Lainya diocese where the Archbishop dedicated a large foundation stone. Later, in the church, individual people pledged over £6000 (plus several goats and chickens) as people could afford. Most of this came from community dignitaries as ordinary people have very little beyond what they can grow. We pledged £500 from the Lyme Bay Deanery which is linked with Lainya.

There is a special link between Loka Secondary School in the diocese and the Sir John Colfox School Bridport. They have given us some letters to bring to Bridport when we visit in June. We visited the school but didn't see many people as it was the weekend, but we did managed to talk to three borders and the headteacher and the deputy.

Keep Praying

2009-04-23T21:48:00.001+03:00

Thank you very much for your continued prayers for our project. We have some new things to pray for and would very ask you to help. Prayer does make a difference. The project is still on track but there are a few places where we need to "oil the wheels" through prayer. Some of the answers to the prayers you have already made (see below) witness to the power of prayer.

April 2009
Prayer Answers
1. Thank God for the wonderful new site in an excellent position that everyone here wants us to have. Something that might have been controversial but which has turned out to have universal approval.

2. Thank God for the people of Action Aid, an Christian organisation which seeks to help churches and church institutions in the developing world set up investment projects. We thank God that the Revd Vinay Samuel from Oxford (and Bangalore, India) who has been involved in setting up Bangalore Theological College to be self-financing, has shown special interest in us. We pray for him and his work and the working out of ideas of sustainable investment for BGC.

3. Thank God for the tremendous impact that our Archbishop is making on the work of the ECS and the great energy that is emerging in all areas to develop and grow. We thank God for the recent mission to Bor Diocese in which new areas were visited and the process of reconciling tribal conflict in the area took a great leap forward.

4. We thank God for the way in which we have settled here in very good health, and the way in which we have been welcomed.

5. Not least we do thank him for the tremendous patience people have here in the Sudan. There is an urgency about things and opportunities are taken without hesitation, but there are many obstacles that are beyond our control. The capital investment is never sufficient. The peace is susceptible to a criminal few who can get away with things because enforcing law in such a large area with remote wildernesses is very difficult. And, sadly, the nation is divided by a very few who wield power in Khartoum and are making things more difficult. Yet, in all the frustrations and the waiting and the setbacks, there is a tremendous patience in the Lord for which we give thanks.

Prayer Points
1. Continue to pray for the smooth handing over of the college from the former administration. The "Handing Over Committee" still has a few things to work on. We need to secure all the deeds and documentation of the buildings the college owns in various parts of the town. Two of these properties are occupied by former members of staff who have notice to quit by the end of June.

2. Please pray for all the former members of staff that they may find a suitable place to move to, and suitable employment or satisfactory retirement as they choose. Pray for The Revd. David Bako, the principal, who is in a particularly difficult situation. The Ven Canon Francis Paul, the Dean of Studies and Vice Principal, has been a respected members of the college staff for many years. There are several others who have served more than a decade, and in some cases two.

3. We need prayers to help us pay these people the unpaid salaries from 2007. We have arranged with SUDRA (Sudan Development and Relief Agency of the ECS) to exchange a house belonging to BGC with them to enable us to pay the staff all they are owed. SUDRA has US$100,000 in the Nile Bank (donated by UTO in the US), but unfortunately the bank is in difficulties and cannot/will not release the money. The Southern Sudan government are trying to bail the bank out, but falling oil revenues mean that the government are finding times hard too. Government workers were not paid at the end of March. Pray that SUDRA and BGC see the money. If we cannot get this money it may mean we will have to sell the house on the open market, and lose the chance of the site currently occupied by SUDRA which will be bad for SUDRA and a disaster for us because the site is in a perfect position.

4. Continue to pray for the 15 students at home waiting to resume their studies in January 2010.

5. We give thanks for the news links promised by Limuru University in Kenya that will enable us to re-establish an accredited diploma programme from the time we re-open.

6. Pray for the work of the overseas partners of theological education in the Sudan and the plans for meetings in June (in Salisbury) and Juba (in July) with people from America, Britain and the heads of the theological institutions in the Sudan. Pray that a programme for the implementation of the development of the vision for a Bishop Gwynne University may emerge. Pray also for the financing of these meetings.

7. We also pray for the preparations of a major appeal later in the year. If we manage to get this new site we will need hundreds of thousands of dollars of capital funding. Pray for the detailed planning process that will have to precede the appeal.

8. We are fortunate to have an agriculturalist working with us , Robin Denney. Pray for her work across the Sudan, but especially for the work she is doing on developing an agricultural curriculum suitable for theology students, and later the landscaping of the new site.

9. We give thanks that there is very little division on the every day level between Muslims and Christians, and it is certainly not common in Juba. Pray for an increasing influence of people of faith on the peace and unity of this nation.

THANK YOU!

Holy Week and Easter in Juba

2009-04-15T12:22:00.006+03:00

We thought you might be interested in some of the different things that happen locally in All Saints Cathedral over this period. This has been a very different sort of time for us compared with the way we have celebrated Holy Week and Easter in Dorset and Salisbury.

On Palm Sunday we discovered that you are expected to make your own palm cross before the service. There were some palm branches at the entrance and some kind person gave us a piece. Fortunately we hadn't forgotten how to make them as we did many in Australia. There were a huge variety of styles and sizes. The service here is either ASB morning prayer or ASB communion. Palm Sunday, and Good Friday were MP and Maundy Thursday and Easter Day were Communion.

On Maundy Thursday, which had been advertised as the "feet-washing", the whole congregation had their feet washed. We formed a long queue and each came and sat in the front row in turn while the clergy went along the row - some poured water, others washed and a third dried. People were not reluctant. We had another surprise when we came to the communion. Instead of the usual wafer they had baked sponge cakes and we each broke a piece off. We weren't sure what it would taste like even though it looked exactly like cake - but it was cake! A special thing for a special day! The service lasted a long time, but 2 hours is the average, and no-one seems to mind. It was supposed to start at 5 pm. We arrived at 4.55 and were virtually the first. By the time it started at 5.40 there were about 10 rows of people and by 6 pm the cathedral was more than half full.

On Good Friday there was just the one service for both Arabic and English. Trevor preached with a translator. Since no sermon is less than 25 minutes long, the translation made it 25 minutes so it was regarded as respectable. Long sermons are expected. Some of the preachers get very dramatic and draw noisy responses from the congregation. Trevor's sermon was more sedate!

The Easter Eve service included candles. But again you had to bring your own. The practice is that everyone queues to light their candle from the Easter Candle. This took ages. Then you hang on to your lighted candle throughout the sermon so you have to have a fairly big candle! Most people stood them in sand in chopped off water bottles. By the time the service finished it was dark and everyone went out holding their lighted candles.

Easter Sunday was similar to a normal Sunday except that the hangings were all white. They don't just cover the altar but all the chairs and prayer desks in the chancel and the lectern. The Assistant Bishop of Juba preached an interesting sermon with several memorable things. One was that you should still come to church even if you think that the preacher on the rota is hopeless. You will learn from his hopelessness! Another was about the women going to the tomb in faith not knowing how they were going to get in. They went even though they didn't know how they were going to succeed. We should still set out on our tasks even when we are not sure how the obstacles are going to be overcome. The ladies also pointed out that all the women were allowed to do was go and anoint the body - but when they got there, they were called to be the first witnesses of the Resurrection. Women today should not content themselves with just doing the menial tasks but be prepared to witness to Christ.

We often get a "second sermon" at the end of the service on some topical point. On Easter Day we were addressed by the Minister of Gender, Social and Religious Affairs in the Government of Southern Sudan. She had just come to church as an ordinary member of the congregation, but the Bishop invited her to speak. She said that we need to stick at the work even when things get hard. We still need to grow food crops even though we expect to earn wages. (This month the government wages were not forthcoming). The Bishop followed this up by sending us out to plant now the rainy season has come. And he told white people who have come to work here to see they really help, and not just see their time in Juba as a time to make money! (There were far more white people than usual who had come for Easter).

In the afternoon there was an Outdoor Easter Celebration that had been organised mostly by the ladies. There were songs and dances from a number of groups, the mamas (older women),

younger women, a choir and young people and the Sunday School. We had another sermon (from a woman) and long speeches. The men's contribution was the All Saints Cathedral Drama Group. They were brilliant. They acted out a scene where someone was paying money to noisy witch-doctors to heal their friend but to no avail. Then a preacher came along and simply raised the person without any fuss. The whole thing involved a lot of clowning and caused huge delight.

The Sudanese are very good actors. The event overran (of course) and concluded in the dark with everyone being given some sweets and can of pop.

Perhaps the thing we most associate with Easter that we did not see were flowers. There are never any flowers in church because there just aren't any flowers in Juba, other than flowering bushes and trees - not the sort of thing your make into arrangements.

So we are now in the rainy season. It was pouring down on Easter morning. It is much cooler. And, by the way, not an Easter Egg or Easter Bunny in sight!

New Site

2009-04-01T12:37:00.004+03:00

We have now confirmed the new site for Bishop Gwynne College. It has recently been cleared of temporary refugee housing in the centre of the city near the football stadium - next to the Juba Secondary School sponsored by St Francis, Salisbury. This is an excellent place for the new college - but a huge amount of work has to be undertaken now. We will be launching a major appeal when we have got all our plans and costings together. In the meantime we need your prayers. Here are a couple of pictures of what the site looks like at the moment. The ruined building will be rebuilt and provide offices, small study rooms and probably some staff accommodation until we can build proper staff houses. Thanks for your prayers. Trevor and Tina

Some "stop-press" news!

2009-03-20T11:06:00.000+03:00

Our new college site looks as if is becoming available sooner than we thought. The two parties who currently occupy it are soon to move and make it available to us. There are currently two buildings there. A purpose built student dormitory and a a dining room and kitchen. There is also a building that needs a roof and some outhouses. The whole site will need clearing and fencing. The time is coming when we will be in a position to make a full-scale international appeal for funds to develop the site. Keep us in your prayers.
We want to open a BGC website so we can make an affective appeal with photos, updates and contacts etc. This will need to be several pages long because it will also serve to describe what the students are up to. The more "professional" this is, the more impact it will make. Is there anyone out-there with the know-how who could put-together, upload and manage a such a website for us? Reward in heaven - and the knowledge you are doing a vital job for the church and people of Sudan!
Thanks!

Prayer Points

2009-03-16T13:15:00.000+03:00

Perhaps some of you would like to join us in praying for some specific things. We are so grateful to all of you who are praying for us around the world. We have folk in Britain, France, America and Australia, as well as Africa, who have said they would keep us in their prayers. What it is to have so many wonderful friends! Do pass on our blog address or copies of our blog to anyone who is interested.
1. Bishop Gwynne College. This is our "project". Please pray for the smooth path for the redevelopment of the college. We are specially concerned at the moment with:
a) Settling the affairs of the institution that is being terminated. The war has taken its toll. The college has been poorly administered and the academic status has deteriorated. The library needs completely regenerating. The facilities are desperately inadequate (not even any toilets for example). The financial debts are considerable, but fortunately the college has enough assets to sell to balance the books. Pray for the staff losing their jobs, and the fifteen students being sent home for a year. Pray for the committee charged with the administration of the handing over of the college to a new regime.
b) Pray for the process of new affiliation with other theological faculties and institutions in order to get a validated course and certificate/diploma qualification. This is not proving easy.
c) Pray for the process of obtaining a new site for the college. The current single building is quite inadequate. We have the possibility of exchanging with SUDRA (Sudanese Relief Agency of the ECS) to get a large piece of land adjacent to a piece the college already owns. Our hope is to move onto, and develop this site as soon as possible.
d) Pray for the appointment, later this year, of a new, fully qualified, person to take up the mantle of building a new institution on the legacy of the old.
e) Pray for the ongoing financial security of the institution, and the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit as we launch a world-wide appeal for the capital investment in plant, buildings and learning materials. Pray that God will show us the right time and method for this.
f) Pray for all those who support us around the world, those who are our declared supporters and partners, those who are seeking to link with us, former students and staff of the college and those whose support is known only to them and God.
f) Pray for patience on the part of everyone (especially ourselves) as we face obstacles, opposition, apathy and simply the time it takes to get a big project like this off the ground when money, resources, experience and facilities are scarce. Pray for those who have too many things to do. Pray for the Government in the Sudan, including the Government of Southern Sudan, that they may further open the ways for the Spirit of God to flow with his peace, unity and direction. Thank God for the vision and enthusiasm of so many people here and across the planet.

2. The Episcopal Church of the Sudan. Please pray for our Archbishop Daniel as he leads the church in new and positive ways. Pray for the provincial office in Juba, for all the staff. We thank God for their patience and endurance when there was no money to pay them - and we pray that the future will be stronger. Pray for the Bishops across the province especially where the numbers of people and the ease of travel have meant the establishment of new dioceses this year. Pray for the pastors of congregations that over-fill most of the churches in southern Sudan, and the expanding churches of the north too, as they seek to feed them the Good News and lead them into personal faith. Pray for the many young people - teenagers and young marrieds - that pack into the churches, that they may grow in their new faith.

3. The Cathedral in Juba. This is the place where we worship. Pray for the Dean and PCC as they try to address the problem of overcrowding at all of the Sunday services. Pray that they may sort out their stewardship and giving so that they can support their work among the poorest in the city, and raise enough money to extend the building to seat more people beyond the 650 it can presently accommodate.

4. Learning the language. Pray that we may learn Juba Arabic so that we can communicate more effectively with people - especially the children.

Very many thanks for all of you who support us. The people of the Sudan know just how important praying is. Last Saturday we attended a meeting for prayer and fasting that began at 11 am and went through to 3.30 pm. We prayed for the country, the church and the city. We are grateful for joining your prayers to theirs.

Trevor and Tina