Medical Training!

One of the most effective ways to fight poverty and boost economic development is through job creation. Our ministry has invested in our own medical staff over the last 8 years so they can fill the primary roles needed in our clinic. Bridging the skills gap in South Sudan is critical if we are to see social and economic progress. Through partnership with African Mission Healthcare (AMH), we have trained five clinical officers, 3 nurses, one pharmacist, one lab technician and one medical administrator. As our clinic/hospital grows, our greatest need is for a medical doctor to serve as Medical Director over the IDAT Clinic.

Gabriel Gojoh, our first medical staff member to get a scholarship, has served with IDAT since 2010. He is a faithful brother in the Lord and started working in the IDAT Clinic at age 18 years as a Community Health Worker while he completed the last three years of his high school education. South Sudan was behind other African countries in education so getting him accepted into a university in 2013 in Kenya was challenging. Thankfully, the Presbyterian University of East Africa accepted him as a three-year student in Clinical Medicine, Surgery and Community Health, where he graduated top of his class out of 30 students. He returned to Tonj and the IDAT Clinic in 2016 and started a one-year internship as a Clinical Officer (Physician’s Assistant). Now he is part of our Senior Medical Team and committed to IDAT Clinic for long term service. Please join us in praying for Gabriel as we make plans for him to train as a Medical Doctor and becoming our future Medical Director. If you feel called to partner with this need please email us.

CHW Training!

Zac and Rebekah Soper are long-term missionaries that joined our team last year from New Zealand. Every January we have a new intake of Community Health Workers (CHW’s) that are used to assist the Senior Medical Staff in the clinic and the ward. These CHW’s come without any medical background or knowledge. It is a huge commitment of our time, every year to train them to serve safely and effectively. Zac developed a 10-week internship class covering everything from infection control and vital signs to anatomy and physiology.

He started a class in January with 21 CHW students who will graduate this month after completing intensive theory and practical work.

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” Ephesians 4:11-12

CHE Training!

Over 400 of our Pastors and Community Health Evangelists (CHEs) from 12 of our 15 villages gathered together at CC Tonj for our first ever CHE Conference!

These CHEs volunteer themselves to travel around their neighbors each week and teach story-based health promotion and gospel lessons which our IDAT CHE trainers have taught them. They also help lead community development projects within their villages such as repairing bore holes, community gardens for widows and orphans, and establishing village schools.

People arrived from their villages singing & dancing with great excitement, ready to worship, hear testimonies, receive intense training and intercede for one another.

Testimonies!

During his Christmas break, IDAT Pastor Santino Bak returned to his home village of Pagol to share the gospel. On Christmas Eve he showed the Jesus film to around 500 people! The next morning many of them returned to hear more about God and as a result 150 new believers were baptized!

Pastor Joseph Yuot also held an outreach in his village nearby and saw a powerful move of God, including one of the village witch-doctors dedicating his life to Christ. Both communities are hungry for the Lord, and have requesting us to bring our Community Health Evangelism (CHE) program to help them improve their physical lives and grow spiritually.

‘And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’ – ACTS 22:16

Our new CHE village in Wargiir is already having a powerful impact. A new believer called Mabior Akech, accepted Jesus Christ as Savior for the first time. He called us to go and pray at his house with his family and to burn all the satanic material and items in his home.

His faith and acceptance of Christ was due to our growing CHE program.

South Sudan has some of the worst health statistics in the world, with 10% of children dying before their 5th birthday. There are also high rates of food insecurity, a lack of safe drinking water, and poor access to education. Emotionally, the South Sudanese have suffered the trauma of the longest civil war in the history of Africa. Relationally there are still longstanding cycles of revenge between many tribes and clans. Many of the villages in South Sudan are living in spiritual darkness having never heard the gospel.  The CHE program teaches health and spiritual lessons using bible stories that promote emotional, relational, and spiritual health through addressing topics such as forgiveness, loving your neighbor, prayer, salvation, and God’s desire for us to live in wholeness.

It’s been a long process for our ministry of building capacity and gaining experience in CHE, but it’s so exciting to see, what started as a vision and passion, coming into fruition as we enter the ‘multiplication’ stage of CHE.  Because people have given, we have been able to establish CHE in 10 villages around Tonj. With continued support we hope to expand that to 18 villages this year, 26 villages by the end of 2022 and 100 villages by 2030!

One More Testimony!!

Praise God for another witch doctor putting their faith in Jesus Christ! Deng & Kamic brought their child Muom to the IDAT clinic with severe malaria and were touched by the love of God in our staff, and the words spoken by Pastor Joseph Kuol when he shared the gospel with them. Thankfully, they live near one of our new church plants in Wargiir so will have a place to grow their newfound faith.

Soccer Success!

2020 was our best soccer tournament to date!!  The pastors counted over 20,000 people attended the final match. During the course of the tournament approximately 53,000 were evangelized through the radio broadcast, over 70,000 attended the matches and heard the gospel message. There were 3,716 new commitments for Christ and 2,112 re-dedications. It was also reported to us from our pastors that after hearing the gospel at the games, more than 1,000 people started attending local churches and 150 of those joined CC Tonj. The final match was televised and attended by the State Governor and President of South Sudan Football association came from Juba.

The Face of Poverty

Tonj was hit hard this year with food crisis, tribal fighting and flooding. We anticipate helping the community with food and seeds until fall of 2021.

The tribal conflicts led to thousands fleeing their homes but the flooding has prevented much needed food from reaching Tonj and many crops to be lost. The washed-out dirt road created a back log of 1,013 trucks stuck for over a
month.  The road is a meter high from the ground and it still flooded.

Eventually the trucks got moving again and the 5-month dry season just started, so we should not experience this problem for a while.

In the meantime, we are purchasing surplus food and distributing it to the most vulnerable people that are either displaced or effected from flooding. We continue to see severely malnourished children every day in the clinic.

Abouch

Abuoch developed an infection called Noma which destroyed her upper lip when she was three years old. Noma is a gangrenous infection starting in the mouth caused by extreme poverty, malnutrition and poor hygiene. Children between 2-4 years old are most vulnerable with only about 10% surviving the infection. They are left with severe disfigurement on the face and as they grow they carry shame, hiding the face with scarves and have difficulty integrating socially with others. It can be a challenge to eat and develop speech. The only hope is for reconstruction surgery which is unavailable in South Sudan. A few years ago, Abouch came to our clinic to register for the Cleft Lip program that our friends at Samaritan’s Purse run each April, bringing surgeons from Africa & USA. Unfortunately, her case was too complex for the Cleft Lip campaign which repairs over 100 cleft lips each year. Thankfully Samaritan’s Purse have generously sponsored her to travel to Uganda for repair. This is her second surgery. We are so excited for her to get this life-changing surgery.

Happy Christmas!

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God: and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

We feel blessed to have had the opportunity to serve the people of Tonj in 2020. The Lord did amazing things through IDAT and rescued a community from the brink of famine. We can’t wait for the blessings that are coming in 2021!!

May your Christmas be peaceful and filled with love, laughter, hope, joy, and the Spirit of the Lord be upon you and your family.

Sopers in South Sudan!

Zac and Rebekah Soper are both nurses and served in the IDAT medical clinic for 5 months back in 2018. This was enough to stir their hearts and since going back to New Zealand they have been planning to rejoin our team as long-term missionaries. Delayed by Covid-19, they finally arrived for their first 2-year term in October. Please pray for their adjustment, health and safety.

Stephen also came back after being stuck in Kenya. He heads up our construction crew. Now he’s back we will start building our x-ray room, clinic laundry room and planning for the church building.

Now the team are back together, Suzy and the kids will head to Florida in December. Please pray for them as they navigate getting out of Juba, Covid testing, and all the travel restrictions that keep changing between countries. They are still in need of a vehicle to use stateside. If you can help with this need please contact the email below.

Reaching the Next Generation of Leaders Through Soccer!

The IDAT soccer tournament continues to bring hope, unity and the gospel to the youth of Tonj.

Between matches our team of leaders and pastors are sharing updates and Christ to the community through radio.

The IDAT ministry team attend every game and use the “What’s the Goal?” tract to share the gospel and pray with spectators.

“Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” Proverbs 11:25

Testimony in the Villages!

We have three church plants, Ariamduar, Pawel & Palek, in Maloney region, which is about an hour drive from Tonj. The Maloney chief had been opposing our churches, protesting that the teaching went against their traditional beliefs of sacrifice to their gods. Several of our church pastors and leaders were arrested and church, as well as CHE, was forbidden. This was 10 years of ministry stopped by one man. Many husbands were also forbidding their wives to go to church because they refused to make alcohol and slaughter or cook animals sacrificed to the spirits. IDAT leaders and community elders were called to Maloney to try and resolve the issue.

Pastor Muordek shared how God met Saul and transformed him into Paul, gave him a new heart and used him in a mighty way. The Holy Spirit was moving and touched that chief’s heart and softened the hearts of the village leaders. The chief repented, apologized and prayed with our team and gave full freedom to continue with church and CHE. Those arrested rejoiced at the opportunity to suffer for Jesus, and that this period of persecution greatly strengthened the Maloney churches!! Please continue to pray for that chief and for all our CHE villages and church plants.