December 1999

Dear Family and Friends,

We write this letter during the season of Advent with the trust that "Emmanuel" is with all of us, especially as we begin the new millennium. We are especially grateful for the presence of your thoughts and prayers for us and for the Christians here in Sudan. We want to share with you what has been happening with us in this past year, with the hopes that we will not let so much time elapse between letters.

Our Work

Changes are occurring at Nile Theological College these days. On December 2, NTC had its third graduation, with 28 students receiving a bachelor of arts degrees in theological studies and seven graduates receiving a bachelor of arts in Christian education (two of whom were women). Three graduates received a diploma in theological studies and one received a diploma in Christian education. We graduated our first batch of spouses from the spouse program at NTC. The spouses of nine of our graduates completed the four-year program designed to provide skills and training for those who are married to pastors and who will be partners with them in their ministry. The graduation means that next semester we will see a new batch of students arriving on campus. These 40 some students will begin with one full "preparatory year" taking "Bible content" and English as their only subjects. Final exams at the end of each of those courses will determine which of these students continue in the regular four-year program. This need to a have a basic Bible knowledge course came from the realization that the Bible, especially the Old Testament, has not been available to many students in their tribal dialects. Many cannot read Arabic and have only begun reading in English. They are entering NTC with very scant knowledge of the Bible stories that we in the West have learned since Sunday School years. Then the current "Junior" class (which is now the "Senior" class) will continue with their final two years of the degree program. Sadly, one of our eight women students in the Junior class died suddenly this past year. Betsy will be teaching these 32 students "Preaching II." As always, scholarships that will cover not only tuition but also their other expenses continue to be a real need of many students. This year the complete cost per students is $2,000. (Here’s a catchy slogan: "2000 for 2000." Fund one student for $2,000 for the year 2000 and beyond.)

Barry continues to work with the PCOS and their administration regarding their financial problems, however as of September 15th he has officially been given a new job assignment. His new position is the "Sudan/Ethiopia Partnership Enabler." This is a new position both for Barry and the churches involved so we are praying for guidance as they grow into it together. It means that Barry will now be relating to all three Presbyterian Churches in Sudan (Presbyterian Church of Sudan in government and liberated areas and Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church) as well as working with the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus in Ethiopia. This of course is going to mean more travel into the areas outside of Khartoum, and he is really looking forward to those adventures. He is also anxious to get started working with the church in Ethiopia. We will be keeping you all posted on these new changes. Please keep Barry in your prayers as this new job and all it entails starts to pan out for him.

Our faith life

Every time we worship with the Sudanese, we feel the blessings of God’s presence with us. A few weeks ago, Betsy was invited by the pastor of one of the PCOS preaching centers to preach and to assist in baptism. Barry also assisted in the baptisms, because there were 56 baptisms that day: 29 adults and 27 children and infants. It was a wonderful experience to see that much water flowing! We were (again) paid in poultry by one of the families. This time we gave our gift to our neighbor who keeps chickens and, as of today, the chicken is out pecking in our street! In our International Church, there is also a change taking place. The pastor for the last 15 years has retired and returned to the States and a new pastor from England has begun. There are so many new folks coming to Sudan that we have to go early to get a good seat! We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses to the faith, including the Sudanese Christians and you, our dear family and friends. We ask that you join us in prayer that God will continue to hold us fast to our faith that we may continue to run with perseverance the race that is before us.

Our time ahead

Our next Interpretation assignment is scheduled to begin in January 2001; however, because our residence permits here in Sudan expire in April, we have requested that we begin those 6 months in September 2000. This means that we will be able to visit with you through those beautiful fall months and share with you what God is doing in our midst here with your help. That also means that we will be able to enjoy the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays with our families before we return at the end of January. We will be looking forward to connecting with as many of you as we can, and especially those of you we were not able to see when we were home the last time. We will be writing more about this time as it draws closer, but if any of you would be interested in having us visit with you, please contact us.

Until then, we pray for you and yours, that God will guard, guide, and direct you into the new millennium and into God’s perfect will for us all. We send this, as always, with our LOVE in Christ.

Barry Almy and Elizabeth A. McCormick

The 1999 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 51