Happy New Year

January 18, 2013 Tyler Paulson 2 Comments

We had a glorious end to 2012 – Christmas spent with Sabet’s Mum in Nairobi. This was her first time to Kenya and a special treat to all of us to have her with us. I love Christmas and making a fuss, so it was an extra blessing to be able to bring Bodo and Aman, two of the four orphan children living with Mama Sabet. We had so much fun with them, and in true African style, we fellowshipped and feasted!! Thank you Jesus for the joy of having these precious ones with us to celebrate your humble birth.

Then we headed off to a missionary retreat at Brackenhurst, to be refueled spiritually for the year ahead, uplifted and united as a team and while there we celebrated Hannah’s 11th birthday having afternoon tea at a local tea plantation.

The speaker at the conference, a Kenyan Pastor called Ken from Emmanuel Baptist in Nairobi, shared two themes. In the morning he spoke from Joshua about leadership and in the evening from 1 Peter on suffering. These two areas are always crossing the missionaries’ path, leadership and suffering. It’s almost like the one can not exist without the other when you are serving the Lord.

But there is great encouragement found in the Word as scripture gives us God’s promises and reminds us HE can be trusted no matter what is going on around us in the world. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified: do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9. And 1 Peter reminds us that HE is our living hope, we are to be holy as HE IS HOLY. We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, the end is near, let us focus on the things above and not on the things of this world. Pain is inevitable but being miserable is optional. I felt like I got a good ticking off and then a loving shove in the right direction by God’s own hand as he launched us into 2013.

2013 didn’t quite start the way I had scripted it to, but God in His infinite wisdom and plan for us, prepared us divinely for such a time as this as the past 2 weeks were very difficult as we faced seemingly impossible challenges and decisions. What I can say is, HE was with us, giving encouragement and wisdom and this morning as I read Galatians He reminded me again, to NOT grow weary in doing good for we SHALL reap if we do not give up. The message was clear, You’re doing great, I’m with you, keep going, I’ve got your back, don’t quit!!

So thank you for your prayers. We took an extended time in Nairobi and took advantage of our team all being in the same place for once. This was not an easy decision with the clinic closed but a necessary one to prepare ourselves spiritually, mentally, emotionally and to get the physical rest before going back. The constant demands and spiritual depravity of the people we serve in Tonj drains all our reserves quite quickly, so your prayers for our wellbeing are greatly appreciated. We feel this time has been worth it, we are one with each other and one with our Lord Jesus. We are ready, armored and strong for battle. We are willing to count it all joy and to lay down our lives. Thanks for standing in the gap through your prayers and financial offerings. They are not taken for granted but are the very seeds the Lord uses to bring new life to the people of South Sudan. Here’s to a NEW life in 2013, we want to always be learning, growing, reaping and sowing. The harvest is coming, if anyone feels called to help us please let us know!!

Much love in Him.

Suzy for the Kuj’s and the Tonj IDAT team

Uncategorized

Year End Prayer and Praise

December 28, 2012 Tyler Paulson 2 Comments

The Kuf family with MAF pilot Dave Pearce — Without missionary pilots bringing us food and medical supplies we would not be able to continue our work in South Sudan.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” – Hebrew 10:23

Warmest greetings from East Africa!!

We are currently in Kenya celebrating our Lord’s birth, getting some much needed rest, enjoying the rain and cooler weather and looking forward to attending a 5 day missionaries’ retreat with our fellow missionary doctor Tom taking place over the New Year. We brought Sabet’s mum (who is elderly and cares for 12 children under the age of 9) and also our orphaned niece and nephew with us just to give them a break, so we are a busy household of nine!

2013 is the 14th year our family has served in South Sudan and WOW what a year! As we look back over the last 12 months we can say without a doubt, “Our God is Faithful!”

This year is the worst security the people of Tonj, South Sudan have experienced in over 10 years. Cattle camps, which are the Dinka people’s main livelihood, have been destroyed, families have been torn apart, children and adults killed as gangs of cattle raiders have wreaked havoc, firing arms without hesitation or thought to life. Entire communities are living in fear, immobilized, they don’t know what to do, they have nowhere to go and have absolutely no hope.

Together with the pastors we have trained for the past three years, we are able to go into crisis areas around the Tonj County and minister to these families, pray and encourage them and quite simply just love on them. Tremendous damage has been done to the lives of these people after surviving horrendous conditions and years of civil war and now they are disheartened once again. Food, fuel and basic essentials are not accessible, the only road to the South for supplies is cut off by constant cattle raids and the only city north of us is experiencing political violence and is too risky to enter. By God’s grace we have been chosen to bring encouragement and spiritual support to those in need. Not just as the hands and feet of Jesus but the hope of Jesus.

Three years ago we medevac’d two children who were caught in the crossfire of the cattle raiders. This year we have seen more gunshot victims than ever and have had to be ‘selective’ on those we can medevac for further medical assistance. We may not always have the funds needed to help in these situations but we continually have Jesus. So we talk to the victims about what happened in the raids, they are always open to share their stories and then to hear about Jesus and the steps they can take to find peace with God. One man told us how good he felt that he had come to us and received the care we gave him spiritually as well as physically. His healing was a true miracle when our medical staff did not expect him to live through the night. After praying with each and every patient, the pastors try to follow up with them in their villages, making sure they understand what they prayed and asking them questions about their decision. As a result two churches have been birthed. Hearing these precious children of the Lord say “YES” to Jesus is the greatest gift anyone can ask for. It is a reward in itself and knowing that God connected us to be there for such a time as this, to unite us spiritually has been an enormous witness to the community. They recognize we are willing to jeopardize our own safety to be there for them and they tell us how much it means to them. Our only response to that is the Father sent us to them because He loves them.

As we look at the events occurring in the world around us, it is all so overwhelming but we know it will all fade away one day. For people to come to Christ, to have that hope in him, to have everlasting life with him, that will never be lost.

When life does not guarantee tomorrow, we need to be willing to bring the good news of great Joy to His people. This is the story and reason we are missionaries, to bring HOPE to a dying World.

We want to thank you for taking the time to read our newsletters and our blogs and to hear how we take the Gospel to the people of South Sudan through In Deed and Truth Ministries.

Our greatest prayer need for our family is to finalize Agum’s adoption so our family can take a much needed furlough, which is over 4 years since our last one. Our ministry needs us to raise awareness and fundraise for our work in South Sudan.

We do need partners, we need you to help, we need your support.

Thank you for your prayers and the gifts you sacrifice to keep our family in the mission field. May God bless you in 2013 and be an encouragement and source of hope to each and every one of your lives.

In His love,

Sabet, Suzy, Hannah, Agum and Jedidiah Kuj

Medical Clinic

Dr. Tom posts from the field

December 14, 2012 In Deed And Truth Ministries

Well I have never been accused of stealing someones toes while they slept till now. On Sunday I got called into the room with a man who was shot in his foot Saturday. Everyone knew the toes which had lost their blood flow needed to come off for they had developed gangrene. He was asleep with ketamine and I removed the 3rd-5th toes to keep him from loosing his foot leg and possibly life. On Monday when he noticed his toes being gone at the time of the dressing change he started a little uproar but me being blessed by not knowing much Dinka was oblivious to the going ons. By the next day all was better for his father realized that we did what needed to be done and all are my friends again. I am glad I did the right thing and we never gave the young man the chance to make the wrong decision.Word is if I was at the cattle camp and stole someone’s toes they would shoot you. I am know known as the crazy toe stealing kawaja(whiteman). Fame and notoriety that what I am all about.

We are all blessed because out of twenty gunshot wounds we only had one case of gangrene which we quickly took care of I believe the drains and debriement we did all day Sunday prevented a lot of gangrene. We had learned our lessons well on caring for those wounds . Most of all we are blessed by God who brings all healing. All week long we have been caring for the wounded and seeing our usual cases. The numbers have been down some because of less malaria with the dry season and I believe our aggressive treatment of malaria is knocking down the numbers. I remember 2 years ago we were seeing many seizing aspirating children with malaria at this time of the year. God is good.

We were visited by members of the UN several days ago Dennis tells me. They said they were evaluating the cattle wars and everyone in the area was saying how much In Deed and Truth workers helped in caring for the wounded. They came by to see our work and give us thanks. Made me feel good. Though we do not do this for the thanks we all I hope work to bring God glory because it is His hand that brings all healing.

Another friend of mine from Canada named Ed came by this week. His group puts in bore hole wells for free. They are looking at the possibility of placing bore hole wells with solar powered pumps to bring water for cattle in areas where there is grass during the dry season and no water. It would be done for the Tonj and Cuiebet tribes so they could stay home more and there would be less chance of fighting.That would be nice.

Speaking of gangrene on Thursday a teenage boy was brought in he had an infection of his chest that started one month earlier at his clavicular area . One week ago he was taken to the village surgeon ( witch doctor, traditional healer) and he received a cut . When he got to us you could smell the gangrene from a long way off and I was fearful that one of the gunshot wounds had went bad. I saw the boy and his whole chest was covered with pus and dead skin. The community health worker asked me if he was going to die and I said I do not think so but I do not know where we will get skin to cover the muscle. I removed on Thursday and Friday most of the skin and subcutaneous tissue down to muscle on his chest for it was all dead and infected. We have him on antibiotics and after we get the infection under control we will try to figure out how to cover the chest wall. Mike Stick, any suggestions? Pray for that young man .

Today I preached on Proverbs 3:5 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” A lesson we must live by daily here. We also lead the singing – Dennis, Pritty and Sham my fellow workers and Robert a friend. We have lots of fun practicing on Saturday nights and we have fun leading the singing. It is a great motivation for the congregation to sing loud when I help lead the singing. I taught the Dinkas the word yee haw today. Love, Tom

Prayer Request

Sabet Asks For Urgent Prayer

December 1, 2012 Tyler Paulson 1 Comment

Written by Sabet Kuj

“Restore us, Lord God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.” – Psalm 80:19

After recent cattle raids the security in our area seemed like it was improving and the authorities said it was under control but today a massive cattle raid took place between Tonj and another town called Ciubet. It took place in a nearby village and as the stolen cattle were being recovered there was open gun fire. We got word in our clinic of possible victims on their way for treatment and as Saturday is an emergency only day for our clinic we had all medical staff on site and ready to receive the wounded.

Our ambulance drove out to the site to bring back wounded and that’s when we discovered it to be a lot worse than we first expected. Of the survivors, 16 people suffered gun shots and 4 of those are critical. The ambulance took them 70 miles to Wau hospital. Pray there is a surgeon on site able to help them when they get there. The remaining 12 gunshots patients are being treated on our compound in the clinic which is so overwhelming as we do the best we can to make each one comfortable and stable, though we are not really equipped for these inpatients.
Added to the stress of the situation is the reports that the Ciubet people want to retaliate and rumours of them coming into the actual town of Tonj and then of course possibly to our clinic when they hear that is where patients are being harbored.

We are asking for prayer for this situation so our medical workers can serve without putting their own lives at risk. Pray for those on the compound to be kept safe and in perfect peace. Pray for me [Sabet] to have wisdom as I make life and death decisions for all involved.

The Lord is showing us how much He loves these cattle raiders and the reason He brings them to us. The hatred and retaliation is all these guys know and we want to show them a different way. We know these wounded men are an opportunity for us to share a better way with them, one of love and forgiveness. Praying Jesus would shine through us and on them in a mighty way.

Ministry

Pastor Santino Facing Opposition

November 29, 2012 Sabet Kuj 1 Comment

Santino Back is one of the recent graduate pastors from our Bible school. He is pastoring a church in the village of Maloney.

He has been living in the village now for over 6 months.

A few days ago, as he shared the gospel with a group of Dinka men in the village (elders), the men became so upset with him because he was sharing the gospel message. The men of the village started to tell him he is not from their village they don’t have to listen to him, and they don’t like his message, the message of the gospel, because it is contradicting to the Dinka way of life and their tradition. They’d like to stay in the worship of idols and ancestral spirits.

They started to insult him and tried to provoke him. Santino remained calm, even though they were threatening that if he doesn’t leave the village, they might harm him.

That happened while Dr. Tom was seeing patients. When they came back, during devotions they asked all of us in the compound to pray for Santino; he is facing a big opposition and we don’t know if the men are going to attack him as they have threatened him.

The whole staff at our devotion prayed earnestly for Santino. Pastor Judah, who is the chaplain at the clinic, shared a story of how he had faced the same opposition in the past. When they were evangelizing a certain village, they were marching, singing songs, praying and proclaiming the gospel message; then one man was furiously opposed them, threatening to spear them if they stepped on his property.

Then the Lord rebuked that man in his heart that night and he couldn’t sleep for the next few nights. It bothered him until he had to return to the pastors who were doing the evangelism and beg them to come and visit his house, apologizing and saying that God rebuked him in his heart that night and showed him he was mean against God Himself. The pastors went and shared the gospel in his house and he was saved along with his household. Everyone at the devotion was very encouraged by that real story.

Some of our staff started to come with suggestion on how to win the village over to Christ, one person suggested for Santino to do a house-to-house prayer walk and every house that accepts them they bless the house with the word of God and the seedlings of a mango tree. Like a tree grow by care from the owner, so is the faith they have put in Jesus like a tree; if they keep Jesus commandments and stay in fellowship with God and the brethren, they will grow and be fruitful like a mango tree. That was so neat because there are two blessings for the village here, the first is the Word and the second a physical one, a Mango tree.

I called Santino to encourage him and see if he is in any danger, but Santino was quick to say he was very happy to be opposed like His Lord Jesus who was opposed and persecuted. “It’s my joy to be insulted and threatened for His name’s sake”, Santino added. He felt the Lord was still leading him to stay even with the difficulty that he is facing.

This week I had the honor to visit Santino to encourage him and also to encourage the church he has started in Malony. I was encouraged very much when I saw how the church, what the Lord is doing among the members, the love they have for each other, the way they worshiped in a beautiful Dinka worship song. Some of the church members are teachers of the primary school and some are the students, some young mothers of the community and even one elderly person that gave his life to Christ recently.

I had the opportunity to celebrate a baptism with them, the first baptism since the church was started. An incredible group of young mothers and teenagers declaring publicly their faith in the Lord Jesus and committed themselves to the new way of life that Jesus offers to them.

Please continue to pray for Santino safety as he continue to pastor the Church in Malony. Pray for the upcoming prayer walk in the coming weeks for the strong hold walls of Malony to be brought down like the walls of Jericho.

Pray for the church to continue to grow and be fruitful, especially as they start CHE in the village.

Pastor Santino (left) , Mary being baptized (center) and Sabet (right)

News From The Field