Back in Tonj!

Today was a very special day, I was able to return to Tonj after being gone for almost 9 months. The welcome I received from the church showed great love for me as their pastor and the bond we share together in Christ. They celebrated the new arrival of the Macleod family and warmly welcomed the return of Dr. Tom.

The children from Sunday School sang special songs; it was so awesome! They can really teach us adults in the church how to worship God biblically with spirit and joy. It is custom in the church here to welcome visitors with songs and prayers.

I was blessed to hear the reports from our church elders about the activities within the congregation. Christina and Victoria, two of our church women, who along with the rest of the ladies from our church have been serving through evangelizing the community with home visitations. They have been praying and fasting for transformed homes as well as holding prayer meetings every Saturday. These have been deep, spirit filled meetings, fasting and praying for homes to be transformed, focusing on different homes every week. The prayers during the corporate prayers during Sunday service were spirit filled and deep, it was awesome to see God in the middle of our meeting, Sunday was a long service but for sure was a spirit led and filled.

Shukran Dr. Jan!

Dr. Jan Zijp from the Netherlands used his summer vacation time to cover while Dr. Tom took his 3 month home visit to the USA. Jan is known as the Tonj river swimming doctor! Living and working conditions are much harder in South Sudan than what he is used to in the Netherlands but he stayed strong spiritually, sharing Jesus’ love with his patients. So many were touched by his love for the community, the way he identified with the local people, taking tea with them, visiting their homes and praying with them. He not only impacted the clinic on his trip but left a part of him with the church and town as well.

Medical students!

In Deed and Truth is committed to raising up Godly leaders through discipleship, mentoring and education. Our desire is to pass the baton one day and see our ministry run by South Sudanese who love Jesus. It is our greatest joy to witness this transformation first hand and to pour blessings of opportunity on those sincere in their faith and commitment to serve the Lord. In 2013, after 4 years serving in our medical clinic and being discipled in our church, we enrolled Gabriel Gojo in medical school in Kenya.  He is now in his second year of three years for clinical officer training and impressed us all getting As in his exams.

This has been such an inspiration to our other community health workers and this fall we were able to send four more.

One answer to prayer was for Marco Maluth, the Lord’s answering to prayers after one of the original candidates dropped out. We had sent his application for next year and were totally surprised when they offered him a placement for this year. The timing of my flight enabled him to be flown immediately back to Kenya.

Now we need to pray as all these students must pass exams to stay in school. Pray for these young men who represent the next generation of our ministry leadership.

Testimony and Baptism!

Akol is a young man we have helped for a few years with his diabetic needs. We purchase and store insulin for him. His younger brother Chan sometimes visits with Akol and has met with one of our clinic chaplains, Pastor Santino. One day while they were chatting Pastor Santino felt led to share the gospel with him. The power of the Holy Spirit came upon them and Chan repented and prayed to receive Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. Before Chan had believed in witchcraft powers, trusted in charms and had bought from the wirtchdoctor. When he got home he shared with a friend what Santino told him about Jesus and that he no longer trusts in the charms but in the Son of God.  His friend also believed and together the boys burned their charms. This story really encouraged me on my return to the field, hearing how the Lord is using the pastors and continuing the work He began in me.

I had the great joy and privilege of baptizing Chan in the Tonj River together with Pastor Santino. Jono and his daughter came to watch and this drew a crowd, so we shared the gospel again and Chan’s decision to follow Jesus.

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” – Acts 3:19

Prayer Requests!

• Pray Jono and Destinee will get settled in
• Pray for the upcoming cataract surgery outreach
• Pray for the Prayer Walk on November 1st
• Pray Agum’s immigration application would be approved

Time!

Where did it go this year?? Everywhere we hear people saying “It’s August already can you believe it?” To be honest, no we can’t!!! This year we have really seen the value of time and the precious gift it truly is. With our home assignment plans changed while we work on immigration issues we are reassessing our time here in the USA. How we spend our time in this world is so important and needs to be prioritized because once it’s lost it’s gone forever!

As we extend our time stateside we have been praying we can prioritize this extra time and use it wisely. We have our goals but we really want to focus on the Lord and align our plans with His perfect will. We want to be ready when He sends us home to Africa in His perfect timing!

As we wait on the Lord for our leaving date our minds are continually focused on the calling He has placed on our lives. We are challenged as we think about South Sudan and the ongoing unrest. How are we effectively bringing evangelism and discipleship to our community in Tonj? Our medical workers can barely cope with rising number of daily patients’ physical needs let alone the spiritual needs. Over 80% of the medical issues we deal with daily in Tonj are preventable and the cost to minister curative medical care is high. Is there a better way? Is there a better use of our time? This has been a question we have asked and prayed about for the past 5 years.

CHE!

Three years ago we began a shift in our ministry focus from curative to preventative and targeted children and pregnant mothers. With the help of CHE (community health evangelism), we have been very successful in combining both physical and spiritual needs of the community and it has proven to be more cost effective too.
The medical needs in South Sudan continue to be drastically under-served with no hospitals or labs. The rural villages make up 90% of the population which has no trained medical workers at all. With such a high number of preventable diseases claiming lives of children under five the need for sustainable community health programs are desperately needed. This is where CHE is so effective to meet the physical need through preventative care along with the spiritual need through one-on-one evangelism. CHE focuses on the individual, one changed heart = a change in attitude = a change in behavior = one changed life multiplied by one community!! It is simple yet amazing and has led to 7 church plants by our pastors, and discipleship of hundreds of people. It can be used by non-medical workers, missionaries, pastors and pretty much anyone who has a heart to empower and equip a community with spiritual and physical truths.

In Deed and Truth Ministries has been hosting the training of CHE’s for a few years and seen firsthand the fruit of this program. Sabet is trained and in July, Suzy made great use of her ‘extra’ time stateside and participated in a training of trainers for CHE.

She learned how to use CHE effectively in the field as well as with churches and short term mission trips. We are very excited about this opportunity to get our supporting churches involved and even make trips to the field to participate and see CHE in action. We know CHE is the way forward for lasting change in Tonj. Would you please join us in praying for this program as it continues to grow and develop and for churches and individuals to be raised up to serve in this area of ministry. We are looking for one year interns to go to South Sudan and serve in our CHE program.

News from the Field!

While Dr. Tom has been on his summer break we are blessed to have Dr. Jan Zijp volunteering for a few months in the clinic.

With the unpredictable insecurity in South Sudan we continue to have limited professional help. Pray our clinic can operate effectively within these limitations. We are waiting on a truck of medical supplies to be cleared and get exemption which will boost our medical stock for the next 6 months. Pray for favor as this has already taken many weeks and every week we are told it will be completed!

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”  – Isaiah 61:1-2

Prayer Requests!

• Pray Sabet can leave for Africa by the end of August.
• Pray Agum can get her status changed while we are here.
• Pray protection and good health for Dr. Jan Zijp and the team.
• Pray for interns to get involved with CHE.
• Pray we we can fill our container by the end of August.

Tonj Update!

We are happy to announce the team arrived safely back in Tonj after taking a few weeks rest in Nairobi. They are ready to work through until Christmas break, so please be praying for their stamina, safety, health and most of all their spiritual well-being. Dr. Tom has started his summer break in Florida, so volunteer, Dr. Jan Zijp from the Netherlands, is serving in his absence. We are so thankful to Africa Inland Mission being able to assist our team by getting them and the ‘stuck’ medicine from Nairobi to Lokichoggio in northern Kenya and then onto South Sudan without going through Juba.

Thank you for praying for the Lord to make a way. He is clearly in control and completely turned a difficult situation around for the good of everyone. Firstly, our medicine finally made it to South Sudan. Secondly, because we pulled all our professional medical personnel from the clinic due to lack of supplies and exhaustion, the authorities in Tonj responded by promising to supply us with medicine from the Ministry of Health! These drugs will only cover certain issues but if they help us only with malaria medication it will save us thousands of dollars in purchasing and flying medicine to Tonj. This has been an ongoing struggle for years to try and get them to help us, so we are praising Jesus for this breakthrough and pray it will develop into a sustainable solution.

One thing is for sure, they missed us when we were not on the ground and this has strengthened our reputation among the Dinka people. What we thought would be a disaster, the Lord worked out for good.

Our South Sudanese staff did an amazing job in the absence of the IDAT team, they continued to minister to patients and treat them for malaria as well as determine those needing referral. Mostly offering hope in a hopeless and dying world.

The Kuj’s Update!

We continue to wait on the LORD for the process of Agum and Sabet’s U.S. citizenship. Please pray for favor with immigration officials to complete these applications quickly so we can start our preparation for going back to South Sudan. The kids had a few tears when they knew we were staying longer than planned. They miss the compound, their family, friends and dogs!!!

Lord willing, Sabet will be able to leave by the end of August but Agum’s paperwork might take longer. We are looking toward the bigger picture that our life belongs to Him and we desire to lay our life down and serve Him for the long term. This process will make that possible!

We are so grateful to the LORD for the many blessings He continues to pour out on our family day by day. His provision is amazing and goes beyond what we have even asked for. Horizon Christian Fellowship blessed us with a week at Forest Home Family Camp. A great time of being spiritually fed, making new friends and having so much fun!!! On return the kids were invited to attend the Walking on Water surf camp, again another amazing experience for our children to learn how to surf and have Godly fellowship. This ministry is truly touching lives for Jesus! We were so blessed to be given an opportunity to share with them.

Now with our plans changing and being here a bit longer, this July Sabet is attending the Calvary Chapel pastors conference and Suzy is heading to Canada for some Community Health Evangelism training. We continue to seek His guidance and plan for our return to Africa and pray we will be better equipped and ready for whatever He has in store for us back in Tonj.

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” – Colossians 3:23-24

The Container Is Here!

We are excited to have an opportunity to send some larger items to South Sudan that would be an amazing blessing to both our family and ministry. If you are able to help us with this need either by purchasing or donating items there is a downloadable list of all the things we are praying will be donated along with drop off details. If you’re not in the San Diego area sending in a love gift would really help out with the cost of purchasing our solar unit ($10,000) or with shipping the container ($20,000). We are hoping to complete the filling of the container by the end of August.

Prayer Requests

• Pray for the team to adjust to being back in South Sudan and protection over the compound and their health.
• Pray for Dr. Tom to get rest and for Dr. Jan as he fills in for a couple of months.
• Continued prayer for our citizenship issues for Sabet and Agum.
• The container to be filled quickly.

Tonj Update!

A few weeks ago Pastor Kibe, along with our pastors Juda, Santino and Joseph, were invited to minister in the local prison and to hold a service there every Sunday between 9-10am. This is a great opening for the Gospel message in the main prison in this area. In the past, we were the ones to request to go in and share the Gospel, but now the prison officials have invited us.

We also gave some Bibles to the prison staff and inmates whom had asked for them on the first day we went to preach there. They said they spend most of their time doing nothing, but now they will be reading the Bible. Our prayer is that the Holy Spirit will guide and minister to them and many may be drawn to Him. The first week Kibe preached from Psalm 1.

Our team has been very busy from January until now; they have been smaller in size than usual with us being gone and limited medical supplies. We felt it was necessary for them to take a break for a month in Kenya so we minimized the services we give for this short-period while the essential professional team takes their rest.

I want to acknowledge our local team in Tonj who are holding the fort while everyone is gone – Albino and the entire IDAT team, especially the Community Health workers, have been so faithful and wonderful in getting on with day-to-day operations in our absence. Pray for their strength and wisdom as they continue to serve this month.

South Sudan Crisis update!

The news that is coming out of South Sudan government from their meetings with the opposition in Ethiopia and Kenya the past few weeks has been very positive. The two rival leaders, the president and his former vice president, have met twice. They both expressed their commitment to end the present conflict, as a matter of fact, they took a landmark step in the latest meeting in Kenya and laid out the basis to form a national transitional government in 60 days. That was met with huge applause from the neighboring countries and the US government.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – John 14:27

The Kuj’s Update

We have been on another road trip, this time to northern California. We visited Santa Rosa Calvary Chapel The Rock. It was the first time for our family to visit the area. It was so wonderful to meet the senior Pastor, Ross; the Missions Pastor, Jim; and all the rest of the staff. They have been supporting the work in South Sudan for the past few years before even meeting us. The biggest blessing is how God used our testimonies to bless the church and the church and their love for God to bless us. We give the glory to God for what He has done.

Some of you have received the prayer update regarding Agum’s citizenship; we praise God for connecting us with an immigration lawyer that told us Agum is a US citizen based on her adoption and Suzy’s citizenship. All we need to do is to change her status and apply for a passport. We cannot describe the amount of relief we felt when we heard this news. Pray for all the applications that have been submitted and the time that they require to finish, that God would have His favor on us and accomplishing everything without taking too long.

Prayer Requests!

• Pray for the tax exemption papers from an official in Juba for our supplies for the medical clinics and the compound in Tonj that is ready to leave from Nairobi
• Pray for proper rest for our Kenya staff before returning in July.
• Pray for our local staff as they stand in the gap for this month of June in the absence of hey staff
• Pray for Agum’s application for citizenship
• Pray for Dr. Jan Zip who would cover Dr Tom
• Pray for Pastor Kibe wedding’s plans, Kibe and his fiancé come from different tribes and usually that presents an issue

South Sudan Crisis!

The escalating violence across many states in South Sudan has created a lot of challenges for our team. We are praying fervently for a way to get life saving medical supplies into the field.

Our medical clinic is in great demand and has almost completely run out of drugs. We are so grateful we have been able to stay open this long when other medical facilities have closed. We are assessing the best way to support the team on the ground in Tonj as Sabet is working through the night to secure shipments and clear papers. It is exhausting both mentally and physically and we ask you to join us in praying for a miracle. The red tape has brought a marked increase in cost as we now face paying $12,000 to purchase and deliver one ton of medical supplies from Kenya to South Sudan.

For only $12 you can provide one kg of life saving drugs, which is about 50 doses of malaria medicine, purchased, cleared and flown directly to Tonj, South Sudan.

If you can help with this urgent need please go to our website and donate to the medical clinic.

Kuj Family’s Furlough Update!

Our time on the road was so blessed with many stops and visits to old and new friends and family. We drove from California to Florida up to North Carolina and back to California in 7 weeks, doing over 7,000 miles. Thank you to everyone who provided a bed and meals for us during that time we are so humbled by the love, care and blessings poured out on our family. Our goal was to get back to CA in time for Horizon Prep’s Spirit Run Fundraiser where our kids were participating in raising money for the medical clinic in South Sudan.

It was an incredible blessing to attend the Good Friday and Easter Services at Horizon, our sending church family. Sabet was honored to open for Easter service in prayer.

“The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.”
– Nahum 1:7

Tonj Update!

Despite the lack of medical supplies and increase security risk, our team is doing well on the ground in Tonj. They continue to see patients in the clinic, praying for them and trusting the healing power of the Lord Jesus is being manifested in amazing ways. All the glory goes to Him.

Pastor Kibe had a wonderful time teaching Bible stories (STS Training) to the church in the village of Kulu. It’s encouraging to see God‘s people owning the tool of STS and digging into the stories with such great hunger. The blessing for the IDAT team is seeing the Gospel message through God’s Word spread in the most remote of villages. The leaders of Kulu work with us in CHE, this village has seen not just how to memorize Bible stories, but how to contextualize it to their lives in the village and be transformed, starting with their mind and then their attitude and hearts. The beautiful thing is this transformation is starting with moms right in their homes knowing God’s Word in the simple form of stories.

Prayer Requests!

• Pray for the container we are trying to fill and send to South Sudan from the US.
• Continue to pray for easy logistic for meds and supply to Tonj from Kenya and Juba.
• Pray for our team in Tonj, Dr. Tom, Kibe and the rest of the team that they will be strengthen and encouraged.
• Pray for our second road trip to northern California visiting with churches and friends.