{"id":161416,"date":"2026-09-18T09:39:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T09:39:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/temp.aimint.org\/ap\/?p=161416"},"modified":"2026-10-30T00:33:29","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T00:33:29","slug":"christian-mission-south-sudan-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aimint.org\/ap\/2026\/09\/18\/christian-mission-south-sudan-education\/","title":{"rendered":"An Open Door for the Gospel in South Sudan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\u2018I look up to see a tiny, shy smile, quickly hidden. But I saw it, and my heart soared. Yes, you sweet girl, I finally cracked that hard shell.\u2019&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\">AIM missionary Marlene was serving in a mud-walled classroom in Torit, South Sudan. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">It was an achingly hard town to teach in. And this student was reluctant. She never joined the games or class activities, and tried to hide her damaged arm. Anger radiated from her body.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">She was not the only child facing significant challenges. For many children in South Sudan, the opportunity to go to school cannot be taken for granted. According to UNICEF, more than 2.8 million children are out of school, with girls forming the largest group. And fewer than half of primary school teachers have received formal training. Years of conflict, poverty and displacement have left schools struggling to meet the needs of their communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"722\" src=\"https:\/\/aimint.org\/ap\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2026\/09\/AIM-Web4_07-1024x722.jpg\" alt=\"Children in a lopit village in south sudan\" class=\"wp-image-161418\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aimint.org\/ap\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2026\/09\/AIM-Web4_07-980x691.jpg 980w, https:\/\/aimint.org\/ap\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2026\/09\/AIM-Web4_07-480x338.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Many children have also experienced significant trauma through war, famine, alcohol misuse and child marriage. It\u2019s a rough environment to wake up to each day. But they do it. Their resilience is astounding and humbling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In this environment, Christian teachers have an opportunity to make a lasting difference, offering children an education, encouragement and the chance to hear about Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\">And for this child, today was different. &nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In that shy smile, Marlene noticed the girl\u2019s changing heart: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\u2018Today you took the risk, you tried, and you succeeded. Tomorrow you might try and fail, but I know you will have the confidence to weather that storm and I will still be here to hold your hand if you need me.\u2019&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\">South Sudan is a country with its doors wide open. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In Marlene&#8217;s experience, sharing the gospel at school is welcomed! She writes: &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\u2018When I first moved to the Lopit mountains, one of the girls in my neighbourhood had stopped attending school. I was privileged to teach her to read and write, and she returned to complete primary school. She attends high school in Torit, and we still meet for weekly Bible studies, where she improves her reading comprehension, and the Lord deepens her knowledge of Him. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"679\" src=\"https:\/\/aimint.org\/ap\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2026\/09\/AIM-Web4_06-1024x679.jpg\" alt=\"Didinga children walking along a path in South Sudan carrying jerrycans\" class=\"wp-image-161417\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aimint.org\/ap\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2026\/09\/AIM-Web4_06-980x650.jpg 980w, https:\/\/aimint.org\/ap\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2026\/09\/AIM-Web4_06-480x318.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">In a country where girls seldom complete primary school due to home demands or early marriage, it is a blessing to make a difference in at least one life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">There are so many more opportunities to reach the lost for Christ through education\u2019.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In South Sudan, education can open doors for the gospel. AIM missionary Marlene shares how teaching, encouragement and Bible study are helping young people grow in confidence\u2014and in their knowledge of Christ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":161420,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-161416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-impact-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Christian Mission in South Sudan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"AIM missionary Marlene shares how education in South Sudan is creating opportunities to build 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