"Go swift messengers, to a people tall and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers." Isaiah 18:2

Dear Swift Messengers,

Let me introduce you to two of your dear brothers in Christ, serving in Southern Sudan. Isaac Bol and Chadrack Chol are wonderful men of God. They are both pastors of Baptist churches. They do not have a church building, have an office or own a suit. However, they teach, preach, visit the sick, plant new churches, serve as hospital chaplains and evangelize full-time. These young men have families and live on whatever food they can raise in their own garden.

Every time we, and all other team go to Akot to minister, they are our hosts, facilitators and translators. They have been serving faithfully for the past five years.

Both men came to know the Lord through IMB Missionaries Mark and Cathy Kissee. Chronological Bible Storying (CBS) was the method used to introduce them to the Savior, disciple them and train them to be church leaders. They, in turn, use the same teaching method to teach their congregations. CBS is a wonderful way to teach people who are primarily oral learners. They are able to understand, remember and tell others the stories, much easier than other methods of teaching. CBS has been a tremendously successful church planting movement in Southern Sudan. Chadrack and Isaac deserve much of the credit for this.

Isaac and Chadrack are committed to the ministry and want to grow and learn. Last year they were able to go to Bible college in Rumbek, a town about 1 1/2 hours away. Unfortunately the Bible college ran out of funds and had to close, before they finished their coursework.

Plans are underway to begin a Pastor training center in Akot. There is a lot to do to get this project up and running. Please help us pray for this center to be ready to open next year. There are several other church leaders in the Akot area who also desire to better educated.

It is imperative that we do whatever we can to help strengthen the church in Southern Sudan quickly. The window of opportunity may close at any time. The past few years of peace has been very unusual, as war is more familiar to Southern Sudan than peace time.

-Pray for the team from Dawson Memorial Baptist in Birmingham, Alabama, who have committed to building the Baptist compound in Akot, in January '09.

-Pray that the library of 1000 books donated by Idlewild Baptist Church in Tampa, Florida, will reach the compound.

-Pray for discernment in the selection of curriculum for teaching Sudanese pastors.

-Pray for 12 godly men to volunteer one week a year to go to Akot to teach in the Bible college.

-Pray for God's choice for an administrator to be revealed.

-Pray that God will provide all the finances necessary for the compound and training center.

I believe the Apostle Paul gave us our charge for this project.

"The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others" (2 Timothy 2:2).

Nhialic abi thieei (God Bless You in Dinka),

Ann Rao