Fun in September and October!!!

It’s been quite some time since the last newsletter, but September and October were filled with blessings!
The first two weeks of September were spent in Nairobi doing some work there (i.e. fixing computers, chillin’ with friends, etc). That time was pretty neat, but the big praises for that month were that Jermaine finished up language school and that my supervisor Mark’s knee surgery went well! Thanks for all who have been praying for both of those things. If you could please continue to pray that Mark’s knee keeps healing as the months go by and that Jermaine keeps progressing in his language studies even though the class is over (we all have a tendency to put it on the “back burner” haha).
In October we were blessed by having a group of 3 guys, Richard, Zach, and Peter, come out here and do some ministry. It was so awesome to see the doors that were opened through their bible stories and sports ministry in the local town of Abinajok. Abinajok is a small town that is outside of Rumbek where we attend church. We pray the bible stories told there thrive among all the animistic practices of the area. We continue to pray that the work done by those three volunteers makes the Gospel known to more people in the area of Abinajok. Also continue to pray for a possible Baptism in that church within the next week or so. They have already started to dig the hole for the Baptism!!!
Last but not least we Praise the Lord that our road trip from Kapoeta to Rumbek went smoothly. The Lord made the 740 Km trip go smooth and seem shorter than it really was. It was amazing to see different tribes and territories of Southern Sudan as we passed on our way to Rumbek. Please pray for all the other tribes, families, and peoples of Southern Sudan. That they would come to know the saving grace found in Jesus Christ. Making that trip helped me realize how many people may still be unreached by the saving message of Jesus Christ. Pray that people rise up to take the message to these other tribes and peoples.

Please pray for the following as well:
 Lewis family working with the Taposa in the areas surrounding Kapoeta. That their language studies and “settling in” time is blessed.
 HIV/AIDS work for the CAP Sudan project
 Laura and Jamie’s “cloth project”, that it may reach the girls of the schools and other areas with the message of Jesus Christ
 The Dinka would have soft hearts and continue to turn to Christ as their one and only savior

Thanks again to everyone who continues to pray for the Dinka, the work, and progress of those spreading the Gospel in Southern Sudan. Your prayers are definitely having an impact!

July/August 2009

Cattle Camp and Akot:

July and the beginning of August were such a blessing. There are two girls on the team, Whitney and Jennifer, using bible stories and cultural stories to teach the Dinka people about the effects and dangers of AIDs. At the end of July there was a volunteer team that came in and I had the privilege of going with them to a cattle camp to help out. It was such a blessing watching the reaction and change of heart of some of the cattle camp people! God’s word has such a redemptive power and it was very real in that cattle camp. It was a slightly tough at first because the young cattle camp men (aged between 16 and 30) were acting a bit “macho” and trying to get into the tents and supplies we had. What amazed me was how God totally gave us the grace to survive the week long adventure and more awesome was how God really spoke to the Dinka cattle keepers through the two men who came out to volunteer. Please continue to pray for peace among the Dinka as the cattle camps are still full of Dinka who will steal cattle, fight with spears and other weapons, and start tribal clashes. Also continue to pray for the hearts of the Dinka of cattle camp “Kaguet”, that the stories from the bible that were told there would pierce their hearts and turn them to a saving grace only found in Jesus Christ.

God also blessed me with the chance to travel down to Akot (a village about 40 mins away) with Jennifer and her parents. Her father was asked by Mark to teach a 3 day pastor’s training session on “Purity and Holiness”. It was amazing to see the pastor’s hearts moved by the stories of from God’s word! There were stories of Jacob working 14 years for his wife, Amnon and Tamar, Jesus’ teaching about clean and unclean from Matthew 15, and more. The pastors really engaged the stories and asked many questions to gain understanding of the passages. Jennifer’s father did a fantastic job of both telling the bible stories and answering questions about them. Please pray that the pastors of Akot and Rumbek who attended the training will continue to seek a holy and pure life before God. Also that even though the scriptures taught might be culturally difficult to follow, that the Dinka pastors would lead the way in showing what a life devoted to Christ looks like.

Thank you all for your prayers and support! God Bless!

April May June...

April, May, June

So it’s been a long time since my last update and a lot of awesomeness has been happening in Southern Sudan!

In the month of April I was blessed with a chance to go on a trip with a man named Billy. On this excursion that lasted about a week, we got to see and experience some cool places. One day that stood out was when we were able to visit an elementary school that the military was hosting. It was really neat to see children so eager to learn come for the surrounding villages to this military base. Please pray that these children will succeed in this school that the military is hosting. Also pray for Billy who is helping educate the military officials in English and incorporating bible stories with his teaching. Also for his safety as he makes the 8 hour drives to and from the military base he is focusing on.

During the month of May our team focused on fixing up the youth center in town. Thanks to the contribution from Pathways Community Church we were able to paint, build a sand-pit volleyball court, fix cosmetic issues inside the youth center, and many other little repairs. The picture shows a few of the repairs we were able to do. Our hope is that when we finally have our grand opening (tentatively July 19th) that youth will come to “hang-out” at the youth center, in the process learning about how they can have a relationship with Christ. Please pray that the grand opening at the youth center brings out new relationships with Dinka youth. Also pray that God will guide us in what programs to offer at the youth center to draw to come “hang-out”.

Other things to pray for are the team’s health, that the Dinka would cease fighting and find a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the AIDS/CAP Sudan project is fruitful, and that the girls’ project for “young women” be fruitful.

Lastly, in June I was able to visit my family and friends back home. Just wanted to say thanks to all who I was able to see and hang out with during my time home. San Diegans are one-of-a-kind! :)

Thanks to everyone for the prayers and support.

March

Malek & Mayen:

After coming back from a 2 week R & R in Nairobi, March was a slow start but full of blessings! The first blessing came about two weeks into the month, mid-March. I was in the last few lessons of TRT training at Abinajok when an older man decided to sit in on the training session that day. I realized quickly that it must have taken some humility on the part of the older man to sit and listen to a “boy” probably 40 – 50 years younger than he. What stunned me is what he said after I had finished with the training for that day. In front of all the guys I’ve been teaching he proceeded to tell me that God is working in that place. He notices that we (2 of the girls on the team, myself, and Jermaine) go to a church in the middle of the “bush” and that God is working through all of us; that what we are speaking is truth and that even if the Dinka are not helping themselves, God is helping them through his servants. I was blown away by the fact this older man told us this! It was such a blessing to hear this older man’s words and his faith in God. It really reminded me of John 13:35 “By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another”. This man had noticed the love within our team! Pray for the people of Abinajok, that God would continue to penetrate their hearts and draw them to faith in Jesus Christ. Pray that the church there shows love to all the people in the area and that this overflow of love leads to a noticeable change in the area.

The month just kept getting better after that experience! 3 pastors came from the US and we went with them to a few villages up north of us (Malek and Mayen) for a total of 3 days. We were all able to story in a total of 3 villages and were very happy with the reception of the Gospel message in those villages. The pictures show a few of the children in those villages and the 3 amazing translators we had who are also pastors. They taught the kids songs related to the bible. It was a joy to watch! Pray for Malek, Mayen, Amuk, and Aliet villages. Pray that God penetrates the hearts of the leaders and people to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and not the other gods/totems of the area.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. The Dinka people in Rumbek and the surrounding villages are responding to the Gospel and that is truly an answer to prayer. Keep it up prayer warriors! God Bless!

February :)

The month was an adventure from beginning to end! The first week found myself, Cathy, and a couple who will be working out of Juba (capital city of Southern Sudan), driving two vehicles from Northern Kenya across to Sudan. What an amazing trip! The scenery was amazing and I was praising God so much for allowing me to see more of Southern Sudan! When we reached the city of Kapoeta we were met with a very friendly people group, the Toposa people. They are similar in many ways to the Dinka but have more Kenyan influence due to their location. The picture below of myself infront of a GIANT termite mound (it was seriously like 25 feet!), shows some of the landscape of Toposa-land and the potential home of the Lewis family. There is a new family, the Lewis’s, coming to live and serve among the Toposa in the middle of the year, Pray that they are used by the Lord and that their transition from the States to Sudan is smooth. Also pray for the couple living in Juba who will be handling logistics for us cRaZy kids in Southern Sudan! Pray that they stay healthy and encouraged being in such a dark and dirty city (literally trash everywhere!).

The remainder of the month I headed down for some R and R in Nairobi, Kenya. I spent a lot of time with God and just admiring the work he has been doing through our team and others in Southern Sudan! Two of the girls on the team are really doing awesome with an English course they started teaching the Dinka ladies and the two other ladies on the team are getting stuff ready for a few potential teams coming from the States to serve with AIDS curriculum! Pray for both the English course and the AIDS work in Southern Sudan, that they may reach young and old with the Gospel through these different ministries. Pray also for the newly appointed members of the youth council who will be working with us on restoring and reviving the youth center in Rumbek! The next few months will be filled with potential bible studies, courses, and relationship building activities at the youth center. Pray that through it all we glorify God and that his name is known among the Dinka youth!

I would like to add a few other prayer items: Pray that the young men at the Abinajok church keep learning more about Christ and bible stories during the TRT sessions. Pray that more people are burdened by the Lord to come out and serve the people of Southern Sudan through various ministries.

Thanks to all of you who pray for the work in Southern Sudan.

January...

January:

What an amazing month! From start to finish it was filled with so many blessings. The first week of the month had our Sudan 6…yup we are back up to 6 thanks to your prayers and God’s answer to prayer with our new teammate Jermaine…where was I?...Oh ya…had our Sudan 6, Mark and Cathy, and a volunteer team from the U.S. (The Dawson Team) out in a nearby village, Akot, constructing a Pastor’s Training Center. This team’s dedication in resources, time, and money was a huge encouragement to all of us. Each member on the team had a special gift that contributed to the team as a whole and helped both in the construction of the building as well as spreading God’s word through Bible storying. It was amazing to see God work through this volunteer team and I am still so grateful to the Lord that I was able to help along with my teammates. Pray that the Pastor’s center is used to spread the Word, lead people to Christ, and help more Dinka become stronger in their faith.

The month didn’t end there, Jermaine has been initiated by being part of a major project his first week. He has been adapting well and learning the language with great speed and accuracy. Pray that Jermaine continues to learn language and find the ministry that God has him out here to be a part of. Also pray that he continues to transition from “life in America” to “life in Sudan”.

The two weeks in the middle of the month were busy but also filled with great moments. The highlight has been the TRT (Training for Rural Trainers) with the young men at a church in a local village, Abinajok. The amount of guys attending the training varies from week to week but there is a good core of 3 – 4 guys who come and learn all the bible stories. These past two weeks have really been awesome because I have started to incorporate personal testimonies with the training sessions. At first I was skeptical and wondered, “How can my stories from life in America relate to a rural culture?” Despite this thought I shared and to my surprise God used the testimonies I gave to relate some things from the Bible to these young men’s lives. There is this awesome joy that wells up inside with God does the unexpected, it is so hard to express sometimes, so sometimes I just laugh and look up admiring and standing in awe. Pray that these young men keep coming to learn more bible stories. Also pray that they continue to tell their friends and family about the saving grace found in Jesus Christ.

Thank you all so much for the prayers and support. I know the Lord is doing some awesome work with the Sudan 6 in Southern Sudan. Pray for the work of Whitney and Jennifer as they seek volunteer teams to help them teach about AIDS/HIV prevention in cattle camps, schools, and other venues. Pray for Laura and Jamie as they hang out with women and lead an English course that could lead to relationships and good conversations about Jesus Christ.

Long Time...

It's been a long time since my last post. Here is my latest newsletter, if you could like to be on the e-mail list to receive it just e-mail me and let me know.

Nairobi, Malindi, and the Youth Center:

This month was filled with amazing moments from God! The first two weeks of this month were spent relaxing and reenergizing in Nairobi and a little town on the coast called Malindi. It was an amazing week with just God and I on my little week vacation to Malindi. I was able to visit a Swahili speaking church there along with seeing the beach for the first time since January, it was awesome seeing God’s amazing creation again!

When I got back from Malindi our team met for a weekend of prayer, the Southern Sudan Prayer Retreat. One of the days of the retreat was spent fasting, praying, and just spending some alone time with God. He kept reaffirming the reason I am here and really let me feel a peace about all that He is doing with the Dinka of Southern Sudan. Even though at times selfishness and pride creep into my life when living among the Dinka, the Holy Spirit really convicted me to keep on loving them as God loves them. I was reminded of how much Christ showed his love for me on that cross!

On the 15^th I returned to Rumbek where I prayed for a few days about the direction I should go with the Youth Center in town. I met with the head of the Youth Union and was encouraged greatly as we teamed up with his co-workers and students to clean up the youth center as best we could with the resources we had. It is really coming along and the grass is even cut! Please be in prayer to where God will lead the Hangin’ Out team in how to use the Youth Center as a way to build relationships with the youth here in Rumbek.

Prayer:

v Pray for the fighting among the Dinka to end. There have been a few deaths due to tribal fighting, pray for peace among the losses of the families involved.

v Pray that our witness among the people in our compound is a reflection of a life devoted to Christ. Let them see a difference in us as we see them day to day.

v Pray for team unity among our team of 5. We are also still looking for a guy to come out and partner with me in the “Hangin’ Out” job, be in prayer for the guy God is preparing.

v Pray that the TRT (Training for Rural Trainers) bible study that I started at Sunday’s Church will be fruitful and yield a few Godly men as leaders among the youth.