CHE and STS!

This month was incredibly busy and blessed with back to back teams and workshops working together with us to build God’s kingdom here in Tonj. Mango Ministries facilitated the training to more than 30 pastors and leaders on how to use Bible storytelling to bring the gospel to churches and communities. This included the five churches we planted and the two new churches planted in the last 2 months. Each participant was sent home with 12 stories to learn and share. It is so awesome to see the fruit from the three years of Bible training our pastors received and to see them pouring out their lives to serve the Lord through church planting and preaching.

Mary, an STS participant, has been using the story of Mary and Martha to encourage the local women of her village. Many women are too busy working, getting water etc. to attend church. After hearing Mary share the Bible story, Mary said “many were awoken spiritually and began coming to church and they are asking me for more stories”. Mary has a vision to share the Bible through storying with any woman she meets, whether they are gathering firewood or collecting water from the well near her house. It is our joy to see the church of South Sudan healthier spiritually than we have ever experienced it, maturing in faith and seeing these healthy churches teaching the truth of God’s Word and the saints growing and walking in that truth.

This month we also graduated the first class for our Training of Trainers for the Community Health Evangelism (CHE) program. This program is having a huge impact on the communities represented by the trainers. The leaders are being transformed before our eyes through the truth of God’s Word.

Topics of discussion have been about sin issues, trusting the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross and depending on the Holy Spirit for true conviction, repentance and change. The last workshop implemented the teaching of Farming God’s Way as a tool to help communities maximize their harvest. Families live and depend on the land for all their food needs for an entire year, so this teaching was valuable and possibly life-saving to them as we still experience a one month food gap every year following the devastating famine of 1998. Our hope is knowing the Lord Jesus came to give life abundant.

Church Plants!

Two new churches have recently been planted in another area of Warrap state by one of our graduated pastors called Pasquale. One of those churches was planted in the village of Rebobi. Our partner, Every Village, has been drilling bore holes in the Tonj area based on our recommendations. Rebobi village had a three hour walk to the nearest water source and was a perfect candidate for an Every Village water pump. Pastor Pasquale met with the community and shared the Lord’s provision for water with them. After the borehole was drilled Pastor Pasquale called the villagers together for a time of thanksgiving and praise and gave all thanks and glory to God for His answer to prayer and provision for Rebobi. The villagers enjoyed the time of praise and prayer and Pasquale noted they did not have a place to worship the Lord. So he announced that a church would meet every Sunday for those interested in worshipping the Lord together and that’s how the church was planted.

These churches really need your prayers. Pastor Pasquale already pastors a church of 100 + people so he appointed an elder from his church to lead one of the church plants. The other church is still in need of a leader.

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.” — Psalm 1:1-3

Prayer Requests!

• For spiritually strong leaders for the seven churches planted in the last year.
• For the completion of Agum’s adoption and a visa.
• For Sabet as he travels and for Suzy as she remains in Africa.

We always feel close to the Lord when we are outdoors enjoying his amazing creation and worshipping Him. In South Sudan, it is very easy to be worshipping the Lord ‘in church’ but actually be outside! Many churches are a group of people in a village gathering and praying under a tree. Four of our five church plants are in small villages with just humble clearings and the shade of a tree to give relief from the relentless heat and protection from the scorching sun.

It started with a burden for ‘Maloney’ where we have been conducting medical outreaches for the past three years. He recently moved to Maloney, which is not his home, and began sharing the gospel with the local community. As there was no church, he picked a tree and started praying and preaching on Sunday. Soon people started to gather to hear what he was saying and they stayed! As Santino taught the Word of God people listened and came back for more, week after week, totaling now over 70 people. What is so awesome is he used what he learned through our Community Health Evangelism to mobilize the church community to take ownership of their place of worship. Together they gathered sticks and made a fence around the tree and also benches to sit. Without the motivation of money or goods, this is not easy to accomplish.

Santino prayed and used what he learned and today he is so proud of his church in Maloney. And we are so proud of him, his trust in Jesus as Savior and the Holy Spirit to be his guide.

Once a week our medical team goes to Maloney to serve the community. Kingdom Assignment Sudan (KAS), a ministry from Australia partnered with us and funded the building of a small medical clinic. Until recently we always held our medical outreaches under a tree but this year we have been able to start seeing patients in the new clinic. Despite the heat of the midday sun, over one hundred people still come out to see Dr. Tom and receive healing. Peter, our community health worker in Maloney and Pastor Santino, keep the community informed of the medical outreaches and notify us if there are any serious cases needing immediate attention. Santino always shares a gospel message with waiting patients and invites them to his church. He has shown the Jesus film three times in the cattle camps and
local school.

This month we are hosting a team of missionaries from Uganda to lead us in Simply the Story (STS) training. This is a wonderful method to use here in Africa, where story-telling is a part of everyday life. Our pastors are trained in using this method and Santino has three elders in his church that are going to be trained. The other church plants also have raised up people to be trained and our
graduated pastors are all sending people from their villages. We are excited to host 30-40 people for this event.

We also are hosting the fourth and final Training of Trainers (TOT) for Community Health Evangelism (CHE). Each trainer has a committee in their village that selects Community Health Evangelists and then oversees their service to the community. We are excited to see this program get into full swing in the villages. Pastor Santino and Peter Malok are TOT’s serving the community of Maloney.
As CHE expands, we are looking for one year interns to help with the follow-up of the CHE’s and TOT’s in the villages and assist Pastor Kibe with the church plants.

“Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!”
– 1 Chronicles 4:10

Prayer Requests!

• Pray for Agums’ visa, we still have no news from the embassy.
• Pray for the STS and CHE teams to be effective in communicating and teaching.
• Pray for Pastor Santino and his church to grow in knowledge and be a light in the community.
• Pray for Peter Malok (est. age 26) as he begins his final exams to complete high school.
• Pray for our team as we juggle the needs of our medical clinic with the medical needs in Maloney.
• Pray for medical cover for Dr. Tom for 2 months in the summer, so he can take his annual leave.

We are blessed to be part of the Kingdom Work. Please prayerfully consider partnering with us financially to further the territory for Jesus Christ.

Happy New Year!

Thank you for your prayers and love this past year and to the many who used their time and gifts to come and serve alongside us. We are entering our 14th year of serving our Lord Jesus in South Sudan. Stepping into this New Year, we have refreshed faith, determination and eagerness to press on towards the prize. What joy there is in knowing if God is for us then who can be against us? As Sabet took time over the Christmas break to seek the Lord and His calling and will for 2013, we are all excited to implement the vision he received for In Deed and Truth Ministries in Tonj.

The In Deed and Truth Team is made up of a multitude of nationalities and personalities! It is so exciting to see the unique gifting of each person the Lord has called to be His hands, feet and voice to the people of Tonj. We have transitioned over the years from running the programs as a family to raising up volunteers, missionaries and nationals to help fulfill the vision.
As we head into the year we wanted to introduce some of our team so you can be praying for them, the vision and the ministry areas they oversee.

Whitney, an American, is a one year ‘Volunteer in Action’ with World Gospel Mission serving in Tonj as part of Mango Ministries’ Community Health Evangelism program. She works specifically with the national team that are training and implementing CHE in the villages. Pray she would be able to train up someone to continue once her year is completed and for fruitful relationships as she serves in the community. Pray for clear communication as she is learning the Dinka language.

Annie is from Kenya and serves as our senior nurse/midwife. Our desire is to see our ante-natal program complement the community health evangelism program and become more community based. This year we plan to transition this vital service we provide to hundreds of expectant mothers to include home births and visitations. Pray for Annie to have strength as she sometimes works day and night when we have women in labor. Pray also for her as she teaches Sunday school in the church to over 100 kids every week.

Margit is German and has served in South Sudan for many years. She has medical experience and background working with Primary Healthcare Centers in rural areas. As a volunteer, she is helping us transition our clinic to be more focused on the type of healthcare we provide to the community. Pray for Margit as she learns more about CHE and her possible future involvement in the program in Tonj. Pray for God’s will and plan for her as she waits on Him for direction.

Tom is a missionary doctor from Florida and entering his third year of serving with In Deed and Truth Ministries. He oversees the daily running of the medical clinic and national medical staff. Pray for him as he endures the heat, long hours and insecurities of South Sudan. He would like 2 months cover every summer to return to the USA to visit his family, please pray for that provision as well as his financial support to increase so he can remain in the field.

Sabet (South Sudanese) as the founder and director of the ministry he is always under spiritual attack. Please pray for him to have wisdom, faith, endurance, good health, and strength as he implements the vision. He pastors the Abundant Life Christian Fellowship church as well as overseeing the ministry operations.

Albino is a South Sudanese from Tonj. He has served the community of Tonj alongside our family and now ministry for the past 13 years. As a faithful and loyal brother in the Lord, he manages all logistical aspects of the compound, clinic and pastoral outreaches and oversees almost 40 national staff. Pray for him as he is always being pulled in many directions.

Sham is Kenyan and recently joined our medical team as a registered nurse. He assists Annie and Tom in the daily management of the clinic and medical staff. He has taken on some administration roles in the clinic and is excited to see the clinic shift to a more preventable holistic approach to medical care. Pray for Sham as he serves the Lord to remain strong in his faith and to be able to pace his work.

Not in the photo but part of the team are:

Suzy (American / British) is co-founder of the ministry, she supports her husband in any way she can with her administrative gifts. As host of teams and volunteers, she handles communication, logisitcs and bookkeeping of all African transactions. As a stay at home mum of three homeschooled children her time is carefully balanced between her family and her ministry responsibilities. Pray for Suzy to remain faithful, focused and fruitful as she serves Him with gladness and joy.

Jeamette (American) is based in Colorado and has served our family and ministry for more than 13 years as our stateside coordinator. She handles all aspects of the ministry in the USA from donations to teams, volunteers, prayer walk, communication and representation of the ministry to churches. Pray for Jeamette as she often works alone and under pressure to remain faithful and true to the calling the Lord placed on her heart years earlier.

Tyler (American) serves as a volunteer and handles all our media communication from newsletters to the website/blog, prayer requests, calendars and prayer walk cards. He donates 100% of his time to the ministry for the Glory of God. Pray for him as he continues to serve us.

Joe and Nancy Losee (American) are missionaries serving in Kitale, Kenya and serving alongside In Deed and Truth for the past 4 years. Their extensive training and experience in teaching the biblical foundations of the bible make them a valuable asset to the team. They recently completed three years of teaching through the Bible Training for Pastors curriculum to 14 pastors in our Tonj bible school. Pray for their health to improve so they can have a future involvement and continue to teach the Foundation Bible Course to a new class.

Michael Kibe (Kenyan) is the newest member to the team. He serves as a deacon at Calvary Chapel Nairobi. He is joining our pastoral team in Tonj to help oversee the national pastors and their church plants, teaching in the church, spiritual welfare of the team living on the compound, spiritual welfare of the national staff, and assist Pastor Judah as chaplain of the medical clinic.

The vision – To glorify God by sharing and living according to the truth of His Word and bringing that truth to the impoverished people of Tonj, South Sudan through Community Health Evangelism, which seeks to meet the whole need of the community through obedience to everything Jesus commanded and dedicated to provide quality health care specifically to pregnant and nursing mothers and all children under the age of five.

Please prayerfully consider joining our team and supporting the vision through a commitment to pray, volunteer or financially investing in the Kingdom work of In Deed and Truth Ministries.

“Then the LORD answered me and said: ‘Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.'” – Habakkuk 2:2

Eastgate Church!

Eastgate Christian Fellowship became a home church to our family while we spent some time in Florida in 2007 visiting Suzy’s family. We have been so blessed by their continued support of our work in South Sudan. Dr. Tom is from that church and this year they sent a team of eight to come alongside us in Tonj.

The team had professional medical and construction guys. Pastor Rob, a talented artist, painted two murals in the clinic. But the part that touched me the most was the love they gave us and this community.

It showed in everything they did and especially in the boxes they packed and carried across the ocean. They were packed generously with supplies including a new sound system for our church / Jesus Film outreach! And Christmas boxes for special delivery which we hand distributed to the children! The team were concerned that it could be ‘torture’ to give these kids their boxes now to be opened for Christmas but we assured them the kids will not mind, they feel so special to have been chosen to receive them and would want to save them for Christmas Day.

Thank you Eastgate for all your love and support of our family, staff and community.

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” – 1 Peter 2:9

CHE Training of Trainers!

CHE (Community Health Evangelism) Trainers were given more tools in this third round of training to equip them in starting a work in their villages. One testimony; they were cleaning up the marketplace from plastic bottles and a crowd gathered to watch. The CHE’s shared why they were cleaning and one man was convicted, he was a Christian that had stopped going to church. He repented and is now back in church. The witness of this simple fruit among the CHE’s during the training was very powerful and encouraging. We are excited as they move forward, selecting committees in the villages they have been assigned. Pray for the 4th and final training which will take place in March.

Sight for South Sudan!

Jesus said he came to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. In light of this verse it was our joy to host from Kenya for the second year a team from Tenwek Mission Hospital’s eye clinic. This year was extra special for our family as Dr. Ben Roberts brought his wife and three children. He was joined by Dr, Dan Gradin from Washington State and 6 Kenyan team members. Together with the Lord’s help they were able to restore sight to more than 200 patients in less than a week. Three of our graduated pastors ministered to the patients and gave the Gospel meaning.

One little 5 year old girl touched everyone’s heart and needs our prayers. Kana had double cataract and from the information we gathered may have been blind since birth. In these cases restoring sight can sometimes take time and might never be recovered, Dr. Ben said “it is one of those moments where we treat and we have to trust Jesus to heal”. The team did a double cataract surgery on her and she is due for follow up care starting next week. The Tenwek team laid hands on her and we continue to pray our Lord Jesus would heal her.

Prayer Requests!

• Rest for our team after such a busy 6 weeks of visitors.
• For CHE training # 4.
• Pray for Kana and all the seeds planted through the cataract clinic.

Pastor’s Graduation!

On October 6th, we celebrated the day we have eagerly anticipated for the past three years. With over 500 celebrants in attendance including officials from local, county and state government, our pastors graduated. We were honored by the Deputy Governor of Warrap State to have as the key note speaker. The graduation marked the culmination of three years of intensive bible training. Attired in festive marron gowns, these 12 disciples of Jesus Christ, received diplomas and special gifts from the visiting dignitaries. The name of Jesus was clearly proclaimed throughout the two hour program. The event included worship led by the Don Bosco band and the IDAT choir. Greetings and words of encouragement were given by various government and church leaders. We concluded the day hosting a dinner for the pastors, officials and members of the community.

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.” – Matt 28:18-19

Board Visit to Tonj!

We were blessed to have two of our Board members visit Tonj to join us for the pastors’ graduation. Ted Miyake, Jim Ennis and his wife Dena were used of the Lord to encourage the staff and community during their ten day stay at the IDAT compound. God used this time to connect names and faces throughout the entire IDAT organization. The time together was a beautiful picture of the Body of Christ functioning as one for the glory of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

“From whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” – Eph 4:16

Prayer Walk San Diego!

Our annual prayer walk was held Saturday September 22nd at Horizon Christian Fellowship. This year Suzy and Hannah were able to come to the United States to participate. God has continued to extend His hand of blessing as the ministry expands the level of vital services given to the community. Our basic monthly operating budget has increased to $25,000 to cover the operation of the clinic and the compound, support for the Kuj family and our U.S. stateside support. We now employee over 50 local staff in support of our 24/7 clinic operations. Our five acre compound has become a magnet to the community and surrounding territories as we show the love of Christ in serving the Lord.

Leadership Development!

While visiting Tonj for the pastors’ graduation, our Board recognized the godly potential of certain members of our staff. Lack of development and leadership training is a tremendous area of need in South Sudan and Tonj. The Board has recommended that we increase our level of funding to ensure that we have an adequate budget for the development of tomorrow’s leaders. Our recognition of these candidates is based on evidence of a clear calling and commitment to serve the Lord Jesus.

Prayer Requests!

• For the Kuj family as they host teams coming to Tonj through Christmas.
• For the Lord’s blessing on the graduated pastors as they go to serve their flock.
• For God’s comfort for Ayok, a young girl suffering from bone cancer.