Sunday Church in Sabet & Suzy’s Compound

Hello from Tonj. We are so blessed and humbled to be here. To be alongside those who have given up their lives to follow Jesus is so exciting.

Saturday morning started with the Pastors preparing to return home for semester break. Some of the pastors had been away from their families for 4   months, as they immersed themselves in the study of His word. To see them dressed in their best clothes, proudly wearing their Pastor Collars and their crosses was delightful. Emily has been quite unwell, and a number of the pastors prayed over her, and she gingerly made her way to say Oh-ga-be-Yuk (goodbye), and to see their smiles as they came and wanted to see how she was and get their photos taken with her, was so lovely. And then they piled into the Landcruiser, 14 grown men, plus the driver, to head off on an all day drive. It was truly humbling their commitment to the call God has placed on their lives.

Then we had a Sabbath. It has been go-go-go since we arrived in Africa, so some time with the Lord was truly a blessing. Being a 24/7 medical clinic, of course there was some interruption. We were also as a team able to come together and spend some much needed time of prayer.

As we prepared for another outreach, since one of the Landcruisers was off on Pastor transport duties, we had to send some guys to set up the PA, projector, screen and DVD player, and then come back to pick the rest of us up and take us there. But of course, this being Africa, we needed to be flexible. On the way we came across a large group of people around an elderly lady on the ground. She had been knocked over by a man on a bicycle. So we loaded her into the back of the Landcruiser, took her to the clinic, and then finally got to the site for the outreach. Turns out she had a dislocated hip, and the medical officer, John Paul is still deciding the best course of action. By the time we got to the outreach, numbers were continuing to increase, and by the time Josephine began some worship over 300 people were there. Many prayed to receive Jesus, and then sat to watch the Jesus Film. By the end of the night over 500 people came out.

Sunday there is a church service held in the compound. It was a blessed time with a wonderful time of worship and digging into the word. We looked at Acts 20:17-35 and were reminded to stay focused on Jesus and committed to the call he places on each of our lives, and to share Him with ALL we meet. It was a great opportunity after service to fellowship and pray with a number from the local community.

Then after service we were in for a very special treat. One of the Sudanese women, Elizabeth, who works in the compound, invited us to visit her house. This is a great honor. After a brief walk we were ushered into her house, a round Sudanese grass roofed mud and straw hut about10 foot in diameter. And it was amazing. It was so cool. It was well into the upper 90’s outside, and yet in the hut would have been at least15 degrees cooler. She fed us Kissera bread (made from sorghum) and a beef stew thing which we ate with our hands. Elizabeth did not eat with us, which is the Sudanese way, but after she came in and shared some of her pain with us, and so we were able to pray for her and over her. After this, another 2 woman invited us to their houses, and then into another house as well. It was a very full, but blessed time.