Government Moves to Make English the Official Language

"...And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?" We can add, "and how shall they hear if they don't speak the same language?"

God has again moved to help the spread of the gospel in South Sudan. The new government has passed the Higher and General Education Bill, announcing that it will now use English as the official language of instruction in all of South Sudan's schools.

This will be supplanting Arabic and is an effort to improve their students' ability to compete globally. Before the recent separation of South Sudan from Sudan, Islamic law had ruled the country since 1989.

Other East African countries now also use English for instruction. So this move will enable Sudanese students to participate in intellectual exchange with other countries. With more than 60 languages spoken in the country now, English could become the great unifier.

It also opens up a great opportunity to teach the Bible. The young people of South Sudan are now going to know English because that is the language they will be using in school. But what about their parents who do not speak English? They need to know it because that is going to be the official language of South Sudan. We are hoping to find a way to offer English language courses free to any adult who would like to learn it. These classes would be taught by our preachers and the Bible would be the textbook for learning English. We would teach the villagers English and the Bible at the same time! And who knows where that might lead. What a great opportunity is being laid in our lap!

Universalizing the language will make it much simpler for all of our Bible school teachers and students to understand each other, eliminating the need for translators. It will also facilitate our efforts to get written materials, which are already prepared in English, to our teachers and students.

Young people throughout South Sudan will soon be able to read materials such as World Bible School courses, thus providing our preacher training school graduates more and more prospects. So the move to make English the official educational language of South Sudan is going to be of great benefit to the spreading of the Gospel!

O Listen To Our Wondrous Story....

We have a standing offer to churches and individuals. If you would like to hear the story about the mission work we are doing in South Sudan, we will come and give it with no obligation. We just tell the story. We do not make a solicitation for funds.

Here are two recommendations we have recently received that might help you to make up your mind.

Don Humphrey has a mission presentation that is the best I have even seen. Don is involved in The Sudan Project in South Sudan. This is a very exciting and successful program which has had a tremendous impact for the Lord in that troubled part of the world. I highly recommend brother Humphrey and this very successful program!
Ray L. Miller
West Olive Church of Christ
Phoenix, AZ

I truly believe the opening of a preacher training school in Sudan will be the best thing one can do for the people of Sudan. It is a must to train and equip the national people to reach the mass with the saving power of the Gospel in the country. It will be a gratifying work and at last the Lord will be content in your efforts. Our prayers will be with you and others that are working hard to meet this great vision.
Behailu Abebe

Reading the Bible for the First Time!

The Lions Clubs of Georgia have donated 200 pairs of reading glasses, 100 pairs of prescription glasses, and 100 pairs of sun glasses to our Pajok clinic. We have always had a policy of providing a free Bible to anyone who does not have one, and now even those with bad eyesight will be able to read it! Wouldn't it be wonderful to be given glasses so that you can read the Bible for the first time?

For nearly 100 years, Lions club members have worked on projects aimed at preventing blindness, restoring eyesight and improving eye care for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. The people of South Sudan thank them for their generosity.