Teng Kur’s story

I’ve never met Teng Kur—but I’d welcome the chance. The school that produced a young man like this deserves a second look.

Teng has just finished fifth grade, and is right now launching sixth grade studies at Cush Christian School (CCS) in central west South Sudan. Teng also enjoys his role as a “junior teacher” for second graders at this most unusual school. Teng says he’s 15 years old, although exact ages aren’t typically important in South Sudan.

CCS’ founder, WORLD reader Scott Brinkerhoff, a veteran Christian school teacher and coach, was exploring a new role in some other country. His pursuit led to a rural outpost in South Sudan. The missions arm of the Reformed Presbyterian Church wanted to augment a handful of church plants by including a radio station and a school. Brinkerhoff ended up being drafted to head both efforts—and both efforts called for unusual strategizing.

Enrollment in the school was just 25 students for the first year in 2012. But when registration doubled in the second year, and then grew rapidly to 165 students, Brinkerhoff’s team knew they had a big challenge. In the days just before Christmas, Brinkerhoff chatted with three CCS students about their experience. The first was Teng Kur, the 15-year-old mentioned above.

Do you remember 10 years ago? Yes, I can remember, I was like 6 years old. Also I didn’t know what I was doing. I liked to come early, and I liked to fight with other students. I liked to run home with other boys and go to the school of my friends. My parents would beat me and take me back to school. My mother told my Dinka teachers they needed to beat me, but my teacher told them not to beat me but give some other punishment that would make me not repeat my mistake.

What were you studying? I didn’t know what I was doing, but I was changing. I was learning verses. And we had visitors from the United States—but I didn’t know where they were coming from. When I was young, what was in my mind, was that where I was in South Sudan was the only world, but I was growing and learning. There was a day I was studying maps in grade 4 and I was confused. Is there another continent—and are there other countries? I was having a hard time understanding that the earth was round.

So something happened I guess. Do you still come to school looking for times to fight? No, there was a time when we had a program, and I looked for a verse I wanted to say to the parents. So I got a verse, and I still remember the verse. It says you need to forgive. If you do not forgive, God will not forgive you. So I was just thinking about this verse. How? What is a good way that I am going to say it to the parents? How will I say it? One thing came to my mind. I need to change and I need to forgive, so that my Father will forgive me. So that is how I changed.

So He did forgive you? Yes, He did.

So have you thought about the future, when you are finished with school, what do you think God wants you to do? Maybe you have a few ideas. Do you have one? Yeah, my plan was to be a teacher, it was my plan. That is the way I am thinking.

OK, well I didn’t know that, Teng. That’s good to know. I just think about being a teacher a couple months ago, and I think that being a teacher is very good also. I like it, because I see your practice, how you work with us, that is why I like it, and I say that I want to be an example like you in some years, to have a Christian school like this and be a teacher there.

Well, I think that there will always be a need for teachers at Cush Christian School, so Teng, that’s encouraging to me, I’m glad to hear that, that’s good. I really appreciate you sharing that with us.

Indeed! If there are adventuresome and healthy WORLD readers who might feel God’s call to spend a few months at Cush Christian School, an email to Scott Brinkerhoff at brinkerhoffscott@gmail.com might help in taking the next step.