A letter from Debbie Blane in Sudan
February 22, 2011
Dear Friends,
Greetings! It has been some time since I have written to all of you. There have been many changes both in my own life and in the lives of the many people of the country of The Sudan.
In January the people of the south in Sudan voted to separate from the north of Sudan and become a legal country; they will become the newest country in the world as of June 9, 2011. The new country will be called South Sudan.
This change also affects the Nile Theological College (NTC) in Khartoum, Sudan. The Arabic Track and the Diploma Program will remain in Khartoum as the English Track of the college relocates to the new country of South Sudan. The primary language of the south is English; however, Arabic is spoken there as well along with many tribal languages.
A woman potter at the Bethel Women’s Training Project in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.
I traveled to Addis Ababa during the time of the Referendum and stayed for two months in the home of another mission co-worker and now friend. I was actually gone from Khartoum for two and a half months as I went to Egypt for study leave from December 26 to January 9. I was able to visit Cairo and Alexandria before the recent political unrest and regime change.
In the next week I will be traveling to the south of Sudan to a town/city (one of the three largest cities in the south) called Malakal. It is likely that this is the place to which the English Track of NTC will be moved.
I will then return to Khartoum for a short time. I will fly to Addis Ababa to leave some things there and to pick up other things that I need to bring to the States with me and I will return to the States in early March. I will itinerate in the States until the end of July and plan to return to Africa, to the new country of South Sudan, in early August. I will also spend time working on my dissertation proposal for the Doctor of Theology in Missiology degree program in which I have enrolled at UNISA (the University of South Africa). My work will focus on women and Christianity in Africa.
My students from the English Track are anxious to begin their studies again. While the Referendum and the independence of the south of Sudan are very important, it is also important to remember that all forward movements of this sort affect the everyday lives of many people.
Please pray for my students and for the new country of South Sudan. Pray for the peace of South Sudan as the leadership learns how to govern a new country. Please pray for the north of Sudan. Pray for the Christians in this country. They are a minority and things may become very difficult for them if Islamic Sharia law is strictly enforced, as has been stated by the current President, Omar al-Bashir. Pray for the Muslims and animists as well. All people have the right to live in peace and have their basic needs for clean water, shelter, medical care and education met. In many places in the world these rights are dreams that are so far off they are lost in the reality of hunger, thirst, disease and illiteracy.
I pray for my path to be made clear day by day. I have a general idea of what is coming and yet the road is not laid out in front of me. I pray the prayer of “I trust you, Jesus, as you lead me down the path that I cannot see” each day.
Be blessed,
The Rev. Debbie Blane
The 2011 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 54
