Kujs on Mission!

We are a traveling family! It is our calling and it requires a lot from us, especially from the kids. It’s important to us to not just drag the kids around but to teach them about this world and the part our family plays in the lives of the people we serve. We constantly remind ‘our three’ how blessed we are to be in this position!! Our recent travels took us to the beautiful neighboring country of Kenya; our goal was to fill a truck of medicine and get it on the road before the end of March. But the work aspect of this trip could not dampen the excitement and anticipation to spend a week at the coast… dipping our toes in the warm Indian Ocean and dreaming of delicious seafood. The kids were ecstatic of course and worked hard to get all school work done so they could truly relax.

It’s critical we have these ‘fun’ moments together to alleviate the stresses of living in South Sudan. There’s so much joy to be experienced in this amazing continent, and ‘our three’ have experienced the outstanding beauty and the overwhelming despair. Perhaps they understand this world better than most?  They’ve certainly seen more than most their age.  But can anyone really understand why girls, instead of going to school, spend hours every day carrying heavy jerrycans of water for their family? Why children die from malaria when it’s preventable and treatable? Why mother’s die in child birth? Why people go to bed hungry? I’m so thankful for children who see their simple lives as privileged and choose to live it with compassion, love, courage, hope and thankfulness. Hannah, Agum and Jed are very much a part of our family’s calling.

As we enter this Easter season it is a reminder of the hope we have in Jesus and part of our calling is to share that hope with those around us. We always tell our children, “God can use anyone and He is using YOU!”

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” – Philippians 2:13

South Sudan Famine!

You’ve probably seen in the news that parts of South Sudan have been experiencing a famine. This has mostly been due to war and drought. This is the first time since 2011 that famine has been declared. We’ve been seeing quite a few malnourished children in our clinic and we’re now helping to provide a service to monitor and feed these precious ones.

Prayer Request!

We have two trucks on their way to us through Kenya and Uganda. We need prayer for safe passage and favor at the borders. They are carrying food and medicine for the entire year. The light rains have already started and will become heavier, so we want to avoid any delays. There are so many unstable areas right now that road travel can be quite unsafe. Please continue to pray for our teams safety as well. Our area has experienced some tribal conflicts.

Kujs in Kenya!

Once a year, before the rains start in April, we truck thousands of dollars of medicine from Nairobi to Tonj. Along with the medicine we purchase some food items, gas bottles and other supplies we can’t get in South Sudan. It is that time of year again where we need to truck our yearly supplies, so our family is escaping the 105°F heat of Tonj and spending a few weeks tackling the hustle and bustle of East Africa’s largest city, Nairobi. With a trip like this comes a few ‘luxuries’ like ice-cream, cool breezes, cheap pedicures and fast internet!! Our goal is to fill the truck in the few weeks we’re here and then head back to South Sudan where we’ll await for its arrival. When we go back the temperature will be getting into the 115°F range so please pray for us as we adjust back to this unforgiving climate.

In addition to this truck from Kenya we are also waiting on a container that was sent from Missouri on February 9th through Friends in Action. It contains our ‘surplus life’ from spending extra time stateside. It also has a new solar fridge and freezer for the compound, lots of food and other ‘fun’ things to soften the hard edges of our lives in South Sudan. Please pray for that container. It is expected in Mombasa port around April 4th and Lord willing, will arrive in Tonj a few weeks later.

Calvary Chapel Tonj!

We have a great problem…God is moving in Tonj and we have outgrown our existing church! The school building normally used can’t accommodate us anymore and we are now meeting outside under a large mango tree. This works for now but in two months the rains will start and we will face a different dilemma.

Most of the church growth is coming directly from the patients that visit our clinic and live in Tonj. Our ministry treats every person that enters our gates as a special appointment from God. They are prayed for and counseled before leaving to go back to their villages. Many give their lives to Christ and there is a hunger for God’s Word among these new believers. Last month we purchased 3 acres of land to build a permanent church.  The elders of the church have been praying and fasting for favor as land in Tonj is now so hard to get directly in the town.  God faithfully answered our cry and gave us above and beyond what we asked or thought possible, 3 acres in a high populated residential area!! The entire church is fired up and eager to move. Please join us in asking God’s continued favor as we take the next steps.

“Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving, and the voices of those who celebrate. I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will make them honored, and they shall not be small. Their children shall be as they were of old, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all who oppress them. Their prince shall be one of themselves; their ruler shall come out from their midst; I will make him draw near, and he shall approach me, for who would dare of himself to approach me? declares the Lord. And you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” – Jeremiah 30:19-22

CHE!

This past few months we’ve had the awesome privilege of training the committees in the three CHE villages we are currently working in. We posted a lot of fun pics and videos from the training on the @idatsudan Instagram account. During training we’re always looking for those ‘champions’ that stand out from the crowd and show initiative.

Meet Rosa, she is one of those champions. She’s from Warrak village and is on the CHE committee there.   Inspired by CHE training she started a bible study in her home using a solar powered audio bible. She had 11 people join the study, and all of them have made decisions to follow Jesus through hearing the word of God. Imagine the multiplication factor when all the CHEs in all our villages are setting up bible studies like Rosa has!

Kuj Family Outreach!

This year has started out great for our family. It’s almost as if we never left! We are nicely settled into our new home. The kids are doing well with school. Sabet is busy with the church and Suzy is busy with CHE. Every Thursday is our ‘family outreach day’. Our entire family goes to a nearby village for outreach, sometimes medical and sometimes just playing games but always sharing the gospel.

So far we have combined these outreach days with CHE training in our three CHE villages. Another highlight has been going to the ward and praying with inpatients. The common factor for most of them is they have already been to the witchcraft and because it didn’t work they came to us. We start by telling them we believe Jesus brought them to us for physical and spiritual healing. We also encourage removal of charms. We have three chaplains counseling patients. Most patients are completely open to hearing the gospel. Knowing where they are from and if there is a church in their village helps us plan our outreaches and where to show the Jesus film. Every patient is prayed for by a chaplain. I love this because we are saturating them in the truth and Jesus said: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Baptism!

You might remember we sent an above ground pool in one of our containers a couple of years ago. This has been an amazing blessing when the afternoon temperatures soar into the 100’s°F. From water aerobics to kids play dates and now BAPTISM! Yes, we did our first baptism in the pool.

This is Mary Wutchok. When we were doing our ward rounds she asked about being baptized. I love the joy that radiated from her as she rose out of the water. She is one of Dr. Destinee’s patients and was having malaria while pregnant. After her baptism, we sent her back to her village with an audio, solar powered, New Testament bible in Dinka.

These audio devices also hold bible stories and teachings. They cost $35 to purchase. With high illiteracy in the villages, please join us in praying that we can provide 1,000 audio bibles for distribution during our outreaches. Email us if you would like to help.

CHE!

Suzy has been working alongside Dr. Jono in the CHE (Community Health Evangelism) villages. This last month we have been focused on helping our CHE villages choose their committees. These committees will oversee the CHE’s in their villages and hold them accountable. It’s therefore really important the committee members are committed and fully understand the concepts of CHE. In January, we completed the first of four trainings in Warrak, Bobi and Guaria villages. We used role play to teach the importance of the community identifying the needs and under God’s direction, becoming self-reliant in development to avoid dependency on NGO’s. They learnt it takes a community working together to have a strong and successful CHE program. NO to witchcraft and YES to Jesus. As we shared spiritual truths one man asked Jesus to be his Savior. The entire CHE committee laid hands on him for protection in the decision he made to follow Jesus.

Now we are in need of individuals who love Jesus, like people and want a life changing experience to prayerfully consider a one year internship with IDAT’s CHE program.

A Solid Start to 2017!

It is so wonderful to all be together as a team. Our Christmas was amazing and there has been many celebrations since coming home. If you are not getting our online prayer requests and updates please fill out this form to be added to the list. We are attempting to post Instagram pics daily, you can find us @idatsudan.

A HUGE thank you for your generous support of In Deed and Truth Ministries and our family in 2016. We are ready for what the Lord brings in 2017 and we stand together with you to pass on the HOPE we have through Jesus Christ. The Bible says:

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord” – Jeremiah 17:72

Please pray for us to be used effectively. As we start a New Year we want to not only start strong but finish strong. The daily spiritual warfare waged against us is real. The enemy is relentless in trying to discourage us and bring us down. Jesus offers us solid hope so our confidence is found in Him, and nothing we face this coming year will change that. As we serve this community and enter remote villages, taking the Word of God and our friend Jesus to our brothers and sister here, we pray they will find faith, have their lives transformed and be filled with hope. Will you join us and help us through a commitment to pray for us and IDAT every day?

Off The Charts!

We are so proud of the hard work and dedication our team pours out and this last year was no exception. We saw an incredible 39,429 patients in 2016 and every one of them heard the gospel!! More than half were children under the age of five years. Most of our patients come from the surrounding villages, walking very far and without any money. These areas are on our radar for starting CHE and planting churches. It is amazing to me how the Lord has taken such a small, rural clinic with minimal staff and resources and touched so many lives. On an incredibly low budget of just $200,000 a year, our impact and reputation in the community is matchless. We fund the cost of flying in our own medications and professional staff from Kenya. Our goal is to bring hope as well as healing and we do this without charge in Jesus’ name. For only $5, you can help us provide one patient both hope and healing in 2017.

This is Adhel, she was miraculously healed in 2015 as a newborn. This miracle led to her grandmother and mother both getting baptized. They recently came back to visit us! It is a great joy and privilege to be part of this work. It also has challenges as we are understaffed and funding commitments are only 52% of our budget. Could you pray about pledging a monthly amount to help us meet this need?

Gabriel!

Our first medical missionary recently graduated from medical school in Kenya and returned to Tonj to start his one year internship with In Deed and Truth Ministries.

Gabriel Gojoh finished high school with no hope of a job and no chance for further education. He began working in our clinic seven years ago as a CHW (community health worker). He had no experience but we trained him medically and began to disciple him in God’s Word. He had never trusted Jesus Christ and saw life as hopeless. That soon changed and he began following Jesus, attending and serving in church. Over the next 4 years we saw his life transform. He became our #1 CHW and truly loves Jesus. When a grant opportunity arose for us to send a CHW to the Presbyterian University of East Africa to study Clinical Medicine, Surgery and Community Health, Gabriel was our first choice. It was challenging to get a Kenyan school to except his South Sudan high school diploma but perseverance and prayer paid off. Today he is qualified and ready to serve. If you feel led to support Gabriel monthly or with a special gift, please go to visit our website’s donation page and designate your gift for Gabriel.

Commitment to Christ!

Our family is blessed to be ‘chosen’ by God for His mission in South Sudan. We don’t go in our own strength or power but with the knowledge that our God is the Lord, He is greater than ourselves, gracious to use us in ways we don’t feel equipped or worthy. He gives us true comfort and assurance our names are legible for all of eternity in the heavenly leaves of His book of everlasting life. We embrace this calling with full trust in Him and a confidence that none can reverse this blessing.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.”
 – Psalm 33:12

Some might say this is a good time to be getting out of the USA. Some might say this is a bad time to go to South Sudan. It depends really on what we are focused on. Both countries have uncertain futures that generate fear in people. We’re focused on what we know is true and certain, our never changing Rock, Jesus Christ. He cares about our lives wherever we live in this crazy world!! He is the Prince of Peace and we have peace about leaving. If God is the center of our lives and we are in His will, we have nothing to fear. We will continue to pray for Godly and honest leaders for both countries, true revival. We will continue to seek God for our lives and our ministry, to live in such a way that those around us will experience His love, mercy and saving grace. What a tragedy that no matter where you live in this world, your eternal security is not based on who will lead your country but who is leading your life, your heart, your soul? If you are living with fears and uncertainty and want the same assurance our family has please visit the website PeaceWithGod.net.

A New Home!

This will be our last newsletter from USA. With our departure date of December 4th looming we are frantically packing and planning for our next term in South Sudan. We are planning to return for a three year term. When we left South Sudan we were sleeping in a tent and this month our house was finally finished just in time for our return.

Our old house was two team rooms knocked together. This new house has three main rooms, a kitchenette and bathroom, the ceiling is higher, the rooms are deeper, there’s a wraparound veranda, giving us a lot more space. The security is always a top priority and we gave this a lot of thought based on our years of experiences living in South Sudan. This house has no windows facing the outside fence, so any sneaky intruders cannot hide and break in the house out of view of the guards. They’ll be forced to come to the front of the house where all the windows have glass, wire mesh and security bars. No stray bullets flying through the windows from outside either!! All three kids will be in one room, directly connected to our room. The metal roof has been treated with a heat resistant coating, insulated and together with the gypsum ceiling we should be able to reduce the temperature in the house. With the ceiling fans we hope to get from 120°F into the 90°F range (we’ll let you know if it works). Hopefully we won’t have any mice or rats running around at night either! A massive thank you to all who donated to help us build our family home.

Visits!

It is goodbye for now but we really hope many of you will choose to visit us and our mission work at some point over the next three years. God is moving and doing an amazing work in South Sudan and we want to share with you.

With South Sudan having so many problems we appreciate your prayers for our transition. It has been quite a crazy month since we realized we are actually leaving. The excitement of going home and being with our team and friends is mixed with sadness as we say goodbye to family and friends here. This is the longest we have been out of Africa in seventeen years but despite this all three kids are looking forward to going back and for that we are truly thankful.

Eastgate Christian Fellowship has been our home church family while we’ve been in Florida and we are so grateful to Pastor Rob and the church for the love and support they have given to us. But there are so many of you that have reached out and helped us get through this ‘season’ and we are truly grateful for the body of Christ and the old and new friends we have had the privilege of spending time with on this journey. When we arrived on the West Coast, we had no idea we’d be leaving from the East Coast and not saying goodbye in person to those of you we cherish there, it is very hard.