April 2008 Prayer Letter

Dear Family and Friends, Spring 2008

Over the past few months we have been asked by a number of people, including our own daughters, if we are ever going to return to Africa. This has caused us to ask ourselves the question “Why not go back?” I guess the question has been particularly difficult for me (Mark) to answer because of my lack of faith. I have been asking myself if I have enough faith to trust God to take care of our family while we are away:

· Faith that Stephanie will find encouragement to do her best in college and that she will be able to get scholarship funds so she can continue her education and become an Elementary Education teacher (with the hopes of becoming a missionary some day). We are thankful that Stephanie is able to stay with my mom while she is at Santa Barbara City College.

· Faith that as Rebekah and Joe give us our second grandbaby just days before we leave for Africa, that they will be godly parents and be able to find surrogate grandparents who can help babysit, etc.

· Faith that Lisa's mom, Vesta Morton, who is now 87, will be taken care of.

· Faith that the ministry with the international students (who have become like family) will continue to grow and that there will be others to step up to join the team and show Christ's love to the students.

These are all viable and real concerns, but I am convinced that they are not too great for God to handle and to keep us from returning to Africa. The need in Africa is great and so we have made the most difficult decision of our lives and have chosen to go.



God has led Lisa and I to accept a position with Africa Inland Mission (AIM, the same mission we have been with for the past 24 years) in Kigali, Rwanda to oversee the construction of a Bible school called the Rwanda Faculty of Evangelical Theology. Rwanda desperately needs trained pastors to help in the healing after the devastating genocide in 1994 where over 800,000 people were killed. You may remember the movie “Hotel Rwanda” that told about this terrible event.

Emily will be going to school at Rift Valley Academy in Kenya which is about a one hour flight plus a 1½ hour car drive from Kigali.

We covet your prayers as we move ahead with this step of faith, and we pray that our step of faith will encourage you to take one, too. We will be sending an update and more information soon. We will need to raise one-time funds for travel, setting up in Rwanda and a 4-wheel-drive car as well as increase our monthly support.

In the service of Jesus Christ,

Mark Sudman (for all of the Sudman family)
Serving with Africa Inland Mission
P.O. Box 178 Pearl River, NY 10965
Home Address: 5103 Levelside Ave. Lakewood, CA 90712
Home Phone: (562) 531-6610
e-mail: mark-lisa.sudman@aimint.net