Update on the Food Crisis!

South Sudan continues to grapple with a worsening food crisis, as the impact of tribal unrest, unpredictable weather patterns, and economic instability deepens. Over 7 million people, more than half the population, face severe food insecurity, with many areas still at risk of famine. Our town and the surrounding area have not received any aid from the World Food Program or other aid agencies and In Deed and Truth Ministries (IDAT) has been their only hope. As we share the food we share the truth, that we get our hope from Jesus.

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

A government representative in Tonj was very happy when he witnessed the relief food distribution to refugees from North Sudan. He announced to the town that only In Deed and Truth Ministries who are doing food distribution in Toni South and Mapel, while other Non-Government Organizations are doing nothing this year to help.

So far we have bought and delivered 120 tons of food, feeding 19,000 people! Even though these numbers sound impressive we are only giving enough food to prevent starvation. Please keep praying we have one month to go.

New Water Well Partnership!

Over the past 3 years, our IDAT team has facilitated 12 new water wells in our CHE villages. This has provided safe drinking water to thousands of people throughout Tonj who previously had been drinking contaminated surface water.

These wells have had a life-changing impact in each community, however, our team is already stretched to capacity planting churches, caring for the sick in our mission hospital, and establishing Community Health Evangelism (CHE), so we have not been able to keep up with the needs. This year we started a new water well partnership with another ministry in South Sudan called Every Village, which recently purchased a powerful drilling rig. IDAT conducted community surveys, identified CHE villages in desperate need of safe drinking water, held community meetings, and shared the gospel.

We also purchased the core materials required for the water wells such as hand pumps and pipes. The villages each raised $400 to contribute toward material costs, this provides ownership and investment in the need, breaking decades of unhealthy dependence. They also pay a subscription to the Every Village Well Maintenance Program to ensure the well continues operating effectively.

Every Village used their new rig to drill down to depths of 40-70m to reach underground aquafers of pristine water, and then installed the pipes, handpump and concrete pad to enable each of these villages to bring this pristine water into their homes.

We are grateful to Every Village for their partnership; and to each of you – our IDAT supporters whose donations have made these water wells possible. It is great when God’s people work together to bring His Kingdom!

Food Crisis Response!

We have had an incredible response to the food crisis appeal we sent out last month. Every year, South Sudan faces a severe food crisis between the months of June and October. Some years are worse than others. This year, In Deed And Truth Ministries have had people brought to our doorstep who have been found unconscious due to severe hunger.

As Mark 8:3 says, “If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from far away.”

This lady represents thousands of women and children currently in South Sudan. Desperate, afraid, helpless, without hope and food, slowly witnessing the deterioration of her child’s health and not being able to do anything about it. She is one of many we have been able to support, and we thank God they found us and we invite you to join us in praying for them

This heart-breaking image is one of many that moved us to put out a ‘call to action’ to fundraise for food distribution among our Community Health Evangelism (CHE) villages. It was reported that 70 of the 85 villages were in desperate need of food but since then we have 76 villages currently registered with us for food. That’s an estimated 12,000 people and over 75 tons of food. The estimated amount to raise was $150,000 goal and we had faith that God would provide above and beyond this amount. It is with great joy that I announce the total giving to be $193,093.14 at the time of writing this newsletter. Most of this was raised within three weeks of sharing the food crisis with our partners!! This ‘extra’ amount will easily enable us to feed all the extra villages, and help some of the 17,000 refugees currently in Tonj displaced from the civil war in North Sudan. God is so good!

“Great is God’s steadfast love towards us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!” Psalm 117:2

Suzy in Southern CA

My trip to Southern California was amazing. Thank you to everyone who hosted gatherings for me to share my testimony. I pray my story inspired and touched many hearts and especially those that might be struggling and needing hope. The Lord is faithful and never leaves us or forsakes us. Thank you for introducing new friends to In Deed and Truth Ministries. As our ministry has exploded in the last five years we have needed to expand our donor base. Thank you to everyone who gave so generously to our ministry during this trip. I am so blessed by the outpouring of love and support.

One of the blessings for me personally was being asked by Horizon Church Women’s Ministry to be the speaker at their annual Christmas Tea. This event will be on December 8^th and 9^th. Please let me know if you would be interested in attending.

As I focus more on fundraising and making new connections stateside, I ask you to pray for me and for the Lord to open doors of new opportunities for me to share. If your church does not currently support IDAT, please pray about making that introduction for us. This is one of the ways you can help support our ministry.

Food Crisis – Call to Action!

We have a dire situation in South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation is facing an unprecedented famine crisis. More than half the country is in desperate need of food. In our area of Tonj, 70 of our 85 CHE villages are at risk of starvation. One of the most pressing concerns is that the main harvest is not until October. This extended period without adequate food supplies places immense pressure on already scarce resources. Communities are struggling to make their dwindling food supplies last, leading to increased malnutrition. One mother shared that she was rationing her food and feeding her children one meal every three days. Her greatest burden was watching her children crying from hunger and not giving in to those cries. The scale of the crisis is overwhelming, but despite the challenges, In Deed and Truth Ministries is committed to getting involved and helping in any way we can.

How You Can Help

1. Donate: Financial contributions are the most effective way to support our relief effort.
2. Raise Awareness: Spread the word about the famine in South Sudan. Use social media, small groups, and your churches to rally support.
3. Start your own Fundraiser: Run/walk; auction artwork and crafts; benefit concert; bake sale; cook-off; car wash; garage sale. These are just a few ideas to get you thinking.

Every contribution counts in the fight against this famine. There is enough food in the world that no person should be starving in 2024. Together, we can help the people of Tonj through this crisis so that a family never has to face the horrors of starvation.

For more information and to donate please visit our website.

“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” 1 John 3:16-18

Fistula Patients!

Since 2021 IDAT has been partnering with the Barbara May Foundation to send ladies for maternal fistula repair. A maternal fistula occurs when a woman has had complications during labor. It is most prevalent in the villages and communities without maternity services. The most common occurrence is when a woman has been laboring for days and is unable to deliver successfully. Not only do they eventually give birth to a stillborn, but the damage caused by the delivery leaves the women incontinent and unable to control their bowel or urinary movements. More often than not women are then shamed for this and ostracized from their families and communities. In some cases, women are forced to be locked away from the outside world and only provided one meal a day.

Last month, we were pleased to send seven women to have their fistula repaired. One of these women was only 17 years old and had developed a fistula in February after complications during labor in the village. Another had a complete 4th-degree perineal tear 10 years ago that never fully healed. She had been living with pain and leaking ever since. Two months ago, she gave birth to twins which resulted in rupturing her tear completely.  We pour the love of Jesus on these women, making it a priority to share the gospel with them and pray for them before they leave for surgery. When they return, they are completely transformed, full of hope, ready to become ambassadors to help more women with fistula, and best of all they have returned singing God’s praises for the healing He had brought to their lives!

We thank God for this partnership and invite you to join with us as we pray for these women and the many more who are living with this condition.

Suzy in Southern CA

I’m excited to announce that I will be in San Diego and Orange County at the end of the month, from July 17^th to 31^st, and would love the opportunity to catch up with you. I look forward to reconnecting and sharing stories of all the amazing things the Lord is doing in South Sudan. I’ll be in Rancho Santa Fe attending the Horizon Church mission weekend on the 27^th/28^th, look for the In Deed and Truth Ministries table in the courtyard. If you can come it would be wonderful to see you there. If not, let’s make some time to get together and share a coffee or a meal. As our ministry continues to grow, I am in need of making new connections. Please pray and see how the Lord might use you to help me with that.

Tonj Bible Institute!

We are thrilled with excitement and the atmosphere here is electric. Just over a month ago, we celebrated the graduation of our first class from the newly completed Tonj Bible Institute. With heartfelt gratitude to God, our prayer partners, and our financial supporters, the school was completed and dedicated in November of last year. Now, with the assistance of Intensive Care Ministries, we are preparing to welcome another group of students into our Pastors Training Program later this month and appreciate your prayers for this class.  Please pray for wisdom in selecting the right students, that they may thrive under the rigorous schedule, and for the safety and well-being of the pastors’ families during this time of spiritual growth. We have selected four pastors who graduated in May to retake this class, along with our missionaries Ben and Michael. The plan is for these men to teach future classes in both Dinka and English giving the opportunity to all our 45 to earn a Diploma in Pastoral Ministry.

This bible verse highlights the importance of teaching and mentoring reliable pastors who can, in turn, train others, establishing a continuous cycle of leadership development and pastoral training within our church plants.

“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others.” 2 Timothy 2:2

Church Planting Program!

The church planting program is rapidly growing. Our Community Health Evangelism (CHE) program has been so successful that many communities are requesting a church plant as a high priority for their village. It blesses our hearts that they are requesting and prioritizing their spiritual needs to attend a church over their physical and mental needs for schools, community gardens and safe drinking water. This reflects the heart of the people that they desire to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto them (Mark 6:33)”.

A Calvary Church plant begins with a CHE Solar powered bible listening group that eventually develops into the church congregation. Out of the Bible Listening Group, emerging leaders are identified and trained as elders which allows for the selection of a pastor when the time comes. CHE is currently in 84 villages and aiming for 100 villages by the end of the year. This is a potential 100 churches to be planted. It is our heart that we are able to plant a church in every one of these villages. However, it is important to us that we do this in a way that is scriptural, wise and glorifies God. Please keep the following needs in your prayers:

• Out of those 84 villages, 40 villages are waiting to start a bible listening group because we need to purchase more solar bibles in their language (Cost $40 per bible).
• Pray as we continue to equip our pastors providing a Diploma in Pastoral Ministry through the Tonj Bible Institute and Intensive Care Ministries.
• Pray for our 45 National pastors in ministry. Twelve of those pastors still require sponsorship. This number will continue to grow as we plant more churches. If you can commit to pray and financially support a pastor ($25 a month) go to this website: https://pastors.indeedandtruth.org/

Medical Scholarships!

Every year IDAT gives four of our medical assistants the opportunity to go to school and train in a specific area. This year, in partnership with Africa Mission Healthcare, we are training one clinical officer, two nurses and one pharmacy technician.

Please join with our team as we commit their study and time in school to prayer. We are so proud of them as they passed their interviews and entrance exams. They are committed to not only providing quality healthcare to the community of TONJ but also to the gospel and strengthening their faith in Christ. Pray they would be a light in the darkness among their fellow students.

United in Service!

Tonj is in the heart of South Sudan, and 25 years ago we established a work of God in this town. The goal was to build a platform where teams could serve the Lord without worrying about safety, shelter, transport, food, and water.

We’re excited to share that the Beard family has finally made their move to Tonj and will serve In Deed and Truth as long-term missionaries. They will work with the pastor’s sponsorship and church planting program. Ben will also mentor our Senior medical team and help with the administration of the hospital. Our goal is to put a church plant and pastor in every village that has CHE. We are currently in 80 CHE villages and have 35 church plants. We can’t wait to see this program expand.

Alongside them, we also welcome Michael Herzinger who will serve as a project manager for the construction of the new ward. He will also train to be a future Tonj Bible Institute (TBI) teacher. He will serve TBI and CC Tonj and also support our Senior Pastor, Mabior.

They recently arrived in the field with four IDAT board members, plus a small team from Suzy’s sending church, Horizon in Rancho Santa Fe who came to witness the growth of our ministry over the past 5 years. We also welcomed three visitors from African Mission Healthcare who have faithfully partnered with our hospital providing scholarships and medicine. And Ps. Ed, the leader of Suzy’s first trip in 1999.

Pastor’s Graduation!

After two years of intensive training, perseverance, and God’s overflowing grace, 16 South Sudanese pastors graduated from the Tonj Bible Institute (TBI) in front of a jubilant crowd of over 2,500 people.

In a partnership with Intensive Care Ministries Africa (ICM) and In Deed and Truth Ministries, the degree from ICM in pastoral ministry included over 1,100 hours of class time and preparation of over 50 sermons. The intensive program included five, 11-day,12-hour-per-day modules which required students to eat and sleep at the institute facilities (recently built by IDAT). This first graduating class of TBI will begin to meet the exploding demand for shepherds for the 35 local church plants and as more villages around Tonj beg for their own churches. God miraculously orchestrated the bringing together of IDAT and ICM as the answer to many years of prayer and labor.

“LORD my God, you have done many things —your wondrous works and your plans for us; none can compare with you. If I were to report and speak of them, they are more than can be told.” Psalm 40:5

Celebrating 25 Years!

In Deed and Truth Ministries marked a significant milestone on the same day as the pastor’s graduation – 25 years of dedicated service to the people of Tonj, South Sudan, and the town came out to celebrate with us.

To commemorate this achievement, a feast of three bulls was prepared to feed over 2,000 guests. As well as the board members from the USA, we also had representatives from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Australia and UK, as well as local leaders.

The evening was filled with joyful spirit-filled singing and dancing as well as lots of speeches that shared the history of how IDAT has impacted South Sudan. Over these years, hundreds of thousands have been physically and spiritually healed, pastors have been trained, 80 CHE villages have been formed, 35 churches have been planted, and countless have come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. My team and I were thanked and recognized for these heavenly accomplishments. We are praising the Lord for all He has done in 25 years.