Category Archives: Pastor Training

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.      

Pastor Training

Pastor’s Training

We are so happy to report that we have had a fantastic first 2 weeks of the second 8 week term of the IDAT Discipleship Training Center.  The pastors who returned came back with a zeal in their hearts to learn the Word of God.  We started teaching Old Testament Survey this term and being they do not have the Old Testament in their Dinka language we thought that it might be a real challenge.  However, we are realizing that God is giving them a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.   As we finished the study of Genesis on Friday, we looked into the Book of Galatians and related those scriptures to the Genesis ones we just studied so they would understand the “symbolic two covenants” (Galatians 3) and who the SEED was referring to in the Abrahamic Covenant  where God promised him that through his SEED all nations would be blessed (Galatians 4).   We literally saw the eyes of their understanding being enlightened.   By Joe and Nancy Losee
Pastor Training

Our School is Open!

Since 2005 we have been praying for over 100 pastors ministering within 100 miles of Tonj.  Our desire to have them and equipped in God’s Word finally became a reality today as we officially opened our Discipleship Training Center for Pastors.  We have 33 pastors currently attending the school.  Please keep us in your prayers.

Pastor Training, Teams

Update from Greg & Bev Wootton

Bev:   My eyes burned with tears from the moment we stepped off the plane, and were received with singing and warm smiles by the Sudanese pastors and church leaders that had patiently awaited our arrival and had gathered to greet us on the dusty runway.

 

This past week has confirmed our calling to “Go into all the world and make disciples, teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”  The ninety students, both men and women, have such a hunger and thirst to know the Word of God.   Together, four of us have taught a hundred hours of classes in Bible Study Methods, O.T. Survey, N.T. Survey, and Bible Doctrines in 1000 F, without fans or airconditioning.  We now have a clearer vision for the opening of a permanent Bible Training Center in Tonj for “In Deed and Truth Ministries.”

 

We have had the experience of our lives and cherish the relationships we have built these past two weeks. The hospitality shown us by Sabet & Suzy has been tremendous.  Now that its time to leave and go back to Kenya, tears are again welling up in my eyes.