A letter from the Rev. Debbie Blane in Sudan
July 2010
Dear Friends,
Greetings! This has been a wild, crazy and busy two months, and it is high time that I write to you again!
Spring Semester 2010 ended at the Nile Theological College this past May. As tends to happen in academic communities, faculty and students scattered to the ends of the globe as teaching and learning came to an end for the time being. Several of our teachers went to the United States for their vacations and while there spoke with Presbyterians in different parts of the country about the mission of NTC. I myself went to Ghana and Ethiopia. I was gone for one month from Khartoum, and it was a time for filling my own well with learning, rest and fellowship.
In Ghana I stayed at the Akfro-Christaller Institute in Akropong. Akropong is a small city up a mountainside from Accra, the capital of Ghana. The campus was originally a mission site and is very pleasantly situated with a grassy courtyard in the center surrounded by buildings on four sides that house the teaching and administrative functions of the Institute. There is also a guesthouse that cares for students and visitors like me.
I will be teaching Contextual Theology and two other classes this coming Fall Semester 2010, which begins in mid-August. I went to the Institute to learn more about African culture and theology. And that I did! I sat in on a Master of Arts degree program that had been created specifically for its students — 20 African Pentecostal male pastors and me. It was a wonderful experience, and I learned a great deal about the gospel and culture. Much of what I learned I will in turn be teaching to my own students at NTC.
I was at the Institute during the World Cup in South Africa. I, who cannot be called a sports fan by any stretch of the imagination, chose to sit with my classmates and watch the World Cup instead of sitting alone in my dorm room. They were patient and kind, and I actually learned enough about the game to enjoy watching it!
After three weeks I flew to Ethiopia and spent a week with another mission co-worker, Carolyn. We had a delightful and fun time, and I have now learned from firsthand experience that every African country is different from the others. This was part of what I wanted to find out. Mission successful!
I am now back in Khartoum working on lesson plans and looking forward to being reunited with students, faculty and staff next month!
The Sudan faces a referendum early next year that will determine whether the country remains intact or becomes two countries. This referendum will have an impact on the lives of the Christ followers of NTC, no matter what the outcome is. Please keep us in your prayers.
Be blessed,
The Reverend Debbie Blane
The 2010 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 47