All posts by Suzy Kuj

HSE Team, Pastor Training, Uncategorized

Dave’s Blog!

 

God is so very gooooood.  Wow has he been working mightily in Sudan.  Today was just yet another amazing day.  It started off super early as I woke up at 5 to get some extra time with the Lord and to prepare for the final day of teaching with the local pastors.  This is a picture we all took today as we celebrated God.

 Its not that hard to wake up early here as the roosters, howling dogs, cows and many critters are faithful to wake you. 

The Holy Spirit spoke powerfully through Kristina as she led devotions this morning.  She had some amazing words from scripture to encourage the pastors.

I have been so blessed to be here and see what God is doing with these wonderful pastors.  They are such and inspiration as they seek the Lord so diligently.  The Holy Spirit is working powerfully in us all as we listen intensely to His words.  They call me teacher however I call them teacher as I have learned so much from there diligence in the Word.  They are so hungry and thirsty for Him.  It definitely humbles me as I have taken for granted all the wonderful teaching and learning opportunities in America.  We have so many resources.  But here in Sudan they are starving to be taught the word as there are limited options to learn.   This is the main reason why I chose to come here is because God has put on my heart the importance of discipleship.  As I have experienced over the last year,  being immersed in the Word is so very essential to our relationship with the Lord.  This is why teachers of the Word are so very powerful.  It is a gift from God to help us grow and know Him better.  I am so very thankful for the time spent at HSE and to my teachers who have sacrificed so much to help me grow.  I was truly blessed to have the time at HSE to learn so much.

Most of the pastors come from far away.  There hunger for the Word brings them long distances to learn.  Some over a hundred miles and no they don’t have cars…..  Some will stay here at the training center while in school and then go back to their families for break.  They are away from their family for months at a time.

Today was the final day of school before break and it was a joyous yet sad day as I have grown attached to many of them.  They are all so very pleasant and kind.  They are so genuine and loving.   We embrace in hugs daily and our souls have become intertwined.  They are so beautiful and amazing.  I thank God for the ability to meet and grow closer to Him with these amazing men of God.  These are my friends, my fellow warriors and my eternal brothers.  I hope to see them again soon.

One of the pastors lost a child today due to a miscarriage so we have been in prayer for Him.  If any of you read this please pray for Judea and his wife Rebecca.    

Leo has been doing most of the teaching as God has truly blessed Him with this gift.  The students were so very happy to have such an amazing teacher of the Word.  I learn from him daily as the Lord speaks powerfully through Him in teaching.  I see how tired he is every night as He spends so much time preparing and loving these young pastors.  He gives all he has to pour into the pastors.  They could not stop asking questions as Leo was able to answer them all.  He has been a wonderful gift from God to us all.  They will miss him dearly. 

We had two miracles happen today.  A woman in the clinic and a male friend of Sabets came to receive Jesus.  There eternal life started today and it is beautiful.  We rejoiced as we have 2 new brothers and sisters in the kingdom.  God worked through Kristina to touch the heart of the lady in the clinic.  She is writing a blog tonight as well so I will share about Sabets friend.

I walked into the kitchen and Sabets friend Richard was there.  We had met him the previous day at the market.  Sabet and Suzy had been sharing with him and bam the Holy Spirit guided him into the truth.  He prayed intensely to God and received Jesus that very moment.  He stayed for lunch and we had the opportunity to fellowship.  Richard is a wonderful man.  He is actually from Sudan and moved to Australia 11 years ago and is now back to get married.  Funny to meet a Sudanese man with Australian accent.   He is from Tonj and his dad is a politician locally here.  We had some awesome talks about the Lord and His truth about marriage and relationships.  It was so amazing.  The Holy Spirit was just pouring into Richard.  We also talked about money and read some scriptures on what God holds valuable.  We had some amazing fellowship as the Lord worked powerfully.  He is going to bring his fiancé to church on Sunday.

I learned some interesting things about the culture here.  Apparently when you get married you give the father of the bride a certain number of cows.  This is not to buy the woman but to show gratitude to the father for raising such an amazing daughter.  Richard must give 150 cows which cost about $500 each.  Wow that’s an expensive gift. 

The culture here is wonderful and I have enjoyed the beauty of it.  There is however some disturbing stuff such as multiple wives being very common here as well as the witchdoctors and many false gods.  But that is why we are here.  To share the truth of the love of God.  His Word will not return void.

We had a few people go down with stomach illness today.  Emily was in bed all day as last night she became ill.  Please keep her in your prayers as she recovers.  Mark one of the brothers here has also been feeling sick along with Suzy.  We ended up canceling our outreach tonight in order to rest up. 

We all have been working so hard throughout the day and then in the evening going for outreaches into the villages.  The outreaches are another amazing story but I will let another teammate share as I will not do them justice in describing how amazing they have been.  I mean they are absolutely wild. 

Today has been a wonderful day of prayer as I have been praying with many of the pastors and with my teammates.  The worship has been absolutely amazing as the Lord has spoken powerfully through Josephine.  We begin the day with devotions, prayer and worship.  What a blessing to begin every day in such a way.  I feel like I am back at HSE…..  

I am getting tired so I will wrap up this novel with a few words.  I have truly enjoyed every minute of this trip.  There has been many spiritual attacks but the preparation in prayer  and all your prayer back home has extinguished all the fiery darts.  I feel at home here and definitely could live here.  The people are amazing and so loving.  Suzy and Sabet are so very wonderful as the light of the Lord shines so bright through them both.  I have learned so much from them and am so thankful to the Lord that I am here and able to serve them.  This trip is a gift from God to grow closer to Him by pouring out His love on the wonderful Sudanese people.  God is so faithful and will never disappoint.  Thank you Father for this wonderful opportunity to serve, praise and give you glory.      

HSE Team, Uncategorized

Love Never Fails!

Today was my turn to lead devotion and as always God’s timing is perfect.  I shared my testimony of being delivered from demon possession.  I had been brought up in the church and baptized as a child but spoke how this had no power and was a false hope.   The Pastors here at the school were being taught this very weak about true baptism.

There were many babies today in the clinic with malaria.  Every day the people come, waiting for many hours often walking many hours.  Wounds are bandaged, medicine given, with opportunities to smile opening the door to why we are here, to bring the Good News of our Savior, to tell them about Jesus who many have never heard about.  To know a God who loves them with a dying love, so strong it was willing to suffer for them, die for them to bring Salvation for them.

Many people suffer here, especially the woman.  I was asked to come to the clinic and speak and pray with a woman who had been beaten with a stick by her blind husband.   She was so badly wounded she was unable to eat for 4 days, keeping nothing down and now she had been brought here in great pain.  I had no words to say to her but I came knowing Jesus did.  I waited while they tried to find an interpreter and held her hand, looking into her eyes.  Eyes that had no hope, a depth of pain I knew that came from being hurt and abused by people who shouldn’t but should be protecting you.

I heard Jesus tell me He would interpret and began telling her that there was a God who loved her and the hope that was available to her about God’s Kingdom and heaven.  I prayed and trusted Jesus was having her understand.  Peter came to interpret and I told her about Jesus, who had also been beaten for us and died but had beaten death and risen again.  He wanted to offer her life that continued after the body died.  But she needed to forgive to receive forgiveness.  God wanted her to have His pure love.  He wanted her to know the hope she had and she didn’t reject anything I said.

But her nephew who had brought her wanted to take her to the next village 70 miles away.  They were going to wedge her between two men on a motor cycle.  It seemed hard to believe she would survive the trip.

The courage of this woman was amazing.  My heart was filled with desiring to honor her and give her dignity.  I knew God was going to honor her in His Kingdom.  We have been saved by virtue and glory (2 Peter 1) for worth and glory.  I felt later Jesus told me this woman had died and was with Him now.  1 Corinthians 13 – Love never fails, it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres, love is the greatest.

HSE Team

Leo’s Blog!

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Children Running

Hello from another magnificent day the Lord has blessed us with in Tonj. Today we had a full day, which started even before the day began.

Josephine and I had such a powerful time of prayer with an overwhelming  burden for the people of this town and for Suzy and Sabet in the wee small hours of the morning. The war is won or lost in prayer, and it was amazing how the day developed.

It started with combined morning devotion with the Pastors and the In Deed and Truth staff. It was such a blessing to have Josephine lead a time of worship, followed by a devotion based on Matthew 26:31-46.

Then Dave was off working on a roof structure, Kristina, Natasha and Kristi were off to work in the clinic, Josephine and Emily to the Pharmacy, and I was off to teach the Pastors. It was such a blessing for all of us to be able to serve in this wonderful place alongside people who have truly died to self, forsaken all and wholeheartedly walked after Jesus.

In the afternoon, Suzy held her first women’s bible study after a long break, hosting 4 women from the town, of who had walked a considerable distance. All the women in the team participated, with another powerful time of worship, and culminating in a time of laboring in prayer. I was off to repair some of the Solar Fridges, and Dave Drown took the last lesson, studying through the book of Nehemiah in a session full of passion which truly ignited the pastors.

And then, we went off on our first outreach of our time here at a nearby tribal village with the Bongo tribe. This was amazing, with some children coming out of the bushes, seemingly from nowhere, having heard we were going to have a special night, and were running after our Landcruiser. We set up in a little clearing (which the tribe had prepared) with a screen tied between two poles, set up our PA, and preceded to minster to nearly 100 people in the middle of seemingly deserted grasslands. Josephine led a number of songs of worship; I got to share a message about the prodigal son, the team sung a few children’s songs, and then showed the Jesus Film in the Dinka language.

It has been such an unbelievable time here. We have all developed such a love for the people here. The Sudanese are truly a special people that God loves deeply, and we need to reach them all for the kingdoms sake. To see the work that Suzy and Sabet have established and continue to develop is a marvelous testimony to the power of Jesus Christ. To God be the Glory, the Great things He has done.

Josephine Leading Worship at Jesus Film Outreach

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We have arrived!!

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Dear family & friends,

Let me begin by saying we are all safe and sound and praising God for the grace He has poured out in our lives the last few days!  We’re in AFRICA!  It still feels surreal, but part of that may be due to jet lag:) During our first flight from San Diego to Seattle, Leo & his 12-year-old daughter Emily shared the gospel with a young woman named Pavla.  After explaining what it means to have a genuine relationship with Jesus, Pavla realized she didn’t really know God and prayed to receive Christ! She left the plane full of joy!  The rest of our 26 hour journey went smoothly, and we arrived in Nairobi late Saturday evening.  Our team member, David Brown, had arrived the day before and was at the airport to greet us with smiles and warm hugs.  We spent the night at Mayfield Missionary Guest House and enjoyed a good night’s rest under mosquito nets:)  Sunday was the most amazing day…seriously!  It worked out so beautifully to be able to visit my (Kristina) good friend, Francis Ngugi, who is a local pastor in a community just outside Nairobi called Limiru.  My dad’s church (Calvary Chapel Johnson City) has been supporting his ministry for the past five years, and it was such a blessing to come and see the great work that God is doing in and through Pastor Francis.  We drove through lush green hillsides and farmland, watching people walk to church in their Sunday best, on our way to Limiru. He greeted me like a long-awaited sister.  The congregation at Sword of the Spirit Bible Church welcomed us as honored guests and showed us so much love, it was overwhelming.  First, Josephine Schmidt led us in a powerful time of worship, and the church worship team also led us in a time of praise “African style”–so full of joy and passion and dancing!  Then, Leo had the blessing of sharing the message from 1 Corinthians 15, with Francis serving as his translator.  The Word was well received, and we were all challenged and encouraged to testify of Christ’s death & resurrection.  David also shared a powerful testimony of how Jesus transformed his life and has made him a new creature!  It was really cool to hear the message being spoken in two different languages!  The service was 4 hours, and every minute was beautiful!  We need to learn how to worship like the church in Kenya! Francis and his family invited us to their apartment for a delicious Kenyan feast and we spent the whole afternoon having sweet fellowship.  It is a precious gift to worship alongside and experience the love of Christ with brothers and sisters on the other side of the world.  Our hearts our truly knit with theirs through the blood of Jesus!  Our time in Kenya was so annointed, and we feel privileged to have begun our time in Africa with such an outpouring of God’s love.  

      The next step of our adventure began this morning with a five hour flight to Tonj, Sudan, where we will be spending the next 16 days serving with In Deed & Truth Ministries.   Our MAF (Missionary Aviation Fellowship) cargo plane touched down on the dirt airstrip of Tonj, stirring up a cloud of dust and attracting a large crowd of curious onlookers.  The Dinka children were the first to approach us cautiously with shy smiles and extended hands.  Their ebony skin is beautiful, making their smiles contrast brilliantly. Suzy and Sabet were their to greet us along with all the native pastors at the training school, singing & chanting as they drove up!  Africa is different from any place I have ever been.  In short time I have been here, I have seen the signs of struggle and suffering that many people face on a daily basis.  Life is hard here, making the hope of the gospel a very present reality.  Please continue to pray for us as we begin a full schedule of working in the clinic, teaching in the pastor’s school, going on outreaches, and serving the Kuj family at the compound.  God is SO good, and His love endures forever!   “For I will pour on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.” Isaiah 44:3    WE LOVE YOU!!   

Love,

Kristina, Leo, Josephine, Natasha, Emily, Kristi, and David

 

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Our Time in Tonj (Carlos and Ted)

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As we wrap up our week in Tonj, we have mixed feelings—the expectation of reunion with family back home while looking back on a week filled with tremendous blessing (and some trials).  It was Carlos’s first time to Tonj to see the work that God is doing through In Deed and Truth.  It was my third time to Tonj, second with Sabet and Suzy.  There are too many things to highlight:

  • laboring with the staff on the new clinic construction and seeing real progress (that is good in Sudan),
  • seeing the pastors’ eyes and hearts come alive as some point of scripture or Biblical principle is explained,
  • hearing the explosion of joyous laughter from the leper community as we attempted to perform a bull dance, getting a blessing from the elder of that community
  • feeling the breeze through Sabet’s mother’s bedroom and seeing the smile on her face after installing a small vent in her ceiling,
  • the “slow” moments of sitting and talking with the staff from Kenya and Ugandan, the US volunteers, and the Kujs, hearing their dreams, their struggles, their resolve in Christ, and joining with them in a night of prayer and worship (with roasted marshmallows)
  • sensing the prayers and support from those back “home”, 
  • mourning for the passing of a young girl who was too far gone with malaria
  • praying for and with a young man who was shot in a dispute but assisted by the caring nurse and doctor
  • seeing the staff savor some of the food items that we were able to resupply,
  • searching and exploring the Word with Carlos and young Mark (from Calif) until the generator ran out of fuel and the lights went out…
  • worshipping the Lord with the Sudanese, Americans, Kenyans, and Ugandas on the Lord’s Day service in the compound.

We came to serve but were served.  We came to teach and were taught in ways unimaginable.  We hoped to bless but were blessed far beyond what we could ask or think.  Thank you, Lord for your love for us, the mission here, and the people of Tonj.  Thank you Lord for the privilege of coming here.  Thank you, Sabet, Suzy, staff (here and stateside) for facilitating our short mission!