“For I was hungry and you gave something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” – Matthew 25:35-36
Beth and John Muehleisen arrived at IDAT compound on Friday 6th. They came from Uganda to facilitate on CHE TOT 2 (Trainers of Trainers). The next day, 7 July 2012, Adhanom and the Pastors from Rumbek and Akot arrived in Tonj at 6 PM. Some of our Pastors and CHE trainers from Tonj area had already arrived at IDAT on 7th.
On Sunday 8th July 2012, all the CHE trainers attended our church service. Then in the afternoon the workshop started.
On Monday 9th July 2012 it was the first anniversary of South Sudan’s independence. We all went to the football field where the celebration was held. It was a colorful and nice ceremony. The training resumed back in the afternoon after celebrations. By this time most of the trainers from Tonj area had come. It was also an exciting training like the first TOT. Most of the trainers were very interactive and good listeners.
Some of the things discussed in the meeting were to help women who don’t have children. The team met together and agreed on going to help one woman in weeding her farm. They went and while they were weeding, many people came to watch what they were doing. They explained to them that they were helping the woman who had no helpers. They encouraged them to do the same. Then the people were excited and said that now they believe that God is there.
The woman praised God and said that “God took away my children and gave me the team as my children.” At the beginning everyone who saw them weeding in the woman’s farm was talking about what they were doing, but later they even began to get involved. Some brought tins of sorghum and blessed her. When they were departing the woman said “Your God whom you worship is a living God.” Hallelujah.
We had several teams in Tonj and one of them was led by Andrew. They also started visiting prison and praying for the prisoners especially pregnant women. They even contributed 10 pounds per month to buy soap and other personal stuffs. Every first Friday of the month they will be going to prison to pray and preach to the prisoners. Some other people came to listen while they were praying and sharing with them the word of God. They also taught them about hygiene and sanitation.
Why would a man in South Sudan buy so much sugar when they don’t have enough money ned vegetable and fruits who doesn’t have enough to eat buy a television? Why is it so hard for children in poor areas to learn, even when they attend school? Does having lots of children actually make you poorer? Answering questions like these is critical if we want to have a chance to really make a dent against global poverty.
These are part of the main problems that are main reasons for poverty and remaining in the dark trap that south Sudanese are suffering from and the light
You are the salt and the light
CHE training comes in with thoughtful provoking ideas that are deliberately provoked originated from the participants themselves.
The main point or breaking point or the punching point for the whole training is the participants to come up with the answers.
John Told me that he doesn’t think the group we are training needs anything outside of them, they have the answers they just are not aware of that reality.
This was the second Training of trainers (TOT2), almost everyone from the first training in April was available this time. The group seems to be the best of best people around, Humble and excited to be part of CHE, thoughtful and very active in the discussion and loving to one another.
John and Beth are excited over their enthusiasm regarding the topics and lessons for CHE.
In the week long training with over 24 people participants, we covered main five topics. Starting with reviewing the TOT1 in April and also show the seed project they have done in their community.
It was a bessing to hear the testemonies that came back with these groups.
Adwale group, brought a beautiful story of cleaning the the town where they live from plastic containers, then the Health and sanitation officers were so excited that they became part of the cleanng and they were encouraged by the initiative they have taken to do this beautiful work, it gave the CHE group in that area a very good repitition and saw there some good things can come from the area.
Another group from Lorchok, decided to help an old lady in their village who didn’t have any one to plant for her since it’s the beginning of the frming seasons, so they sawed seed for her and clean shrubs and weed from her farm, that act of kindness generated a feeling of wonder and awe, because the members of this CHE group are 2pastors and a respected mother who is a leader in the church in that community.
It was all good reports from the other groups, acts of kindness and care for nature and people around the community directly and indirectly that cause the community to think and know there are enough resources locally that can be used to benefit the community from and provide answers to pressing issues.
Some of the important tool was given to the different CHE groups was SHOWD, where when presenting a problem you need to ask your audience questions in this acronym SHOWD, what you SEE, what HAPPENED, does it happens in OUR place and WHY and lastly what do we DO about it.
Very true how simple stuff like this makes is it very easy to teach very valuable lessons that transcend would lead for ownership and transformation from these communities.
Now 12 years, when we started our project we did start using the same book that CHE uses today, let’s build our lives, with the help of the book we were able to share Ideas with the many villages and make over 40 pit Latrine and build over 700 Bio-sand Water filters.
This week we are back to something we have started and now to continue the race, the difference is much organize than when we started and more holistic approach and very motivating to the local guys here.
To explain how organize the training is now these groups of trained trainers are going to look for indicators in the community that would show the program is actually working, a list of 20 things in a home that will defiantly be the key reasons for physical and transformation:
- Clean water
- Pit latrine
- Treated Mosquito nets
- Rubbish pit
- And so on…
Very exciting to see these groups are equipped and now can’t wait till the third TOT and then to start the implantation of what they have learn on daily basis. Obviously they have already started between training but now when they finished the last training we know they now see the big picture and are going to be part of the engine to train and oversee others that they are going to recruit in this good work.
I was very excited to see the spiritual side of all these lessons was making a very important part of the whole CHE approach, on the personal level to the trainee and to the program itself. Emphasis on reading the word and seeking Gods guidance and praying groups that believes only the Holy spirit can transform hearts and lives for eternal for his glory.
Training 20 people in CHE can be a drop in a sea, but thinking again about these 20, I see each f them handling between 2 to 4 families talking about CHE and doing CHE together, a family average is 6 people here n South Sudan, if we take about one person to handle 3 family the 20 traind CHE personal will impact over 350 people, then they train some of them and do the same and the know what the results is that the gates of Hades wouldn’t stop the power of the transforming Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Brothers and sisters something good is happening here in Tonj south Sudan, all these years we are reaching only small numbers but today I can witness that somethings in a bigger scale are starting to happen to us and CHE is one of them.
We are very grateful to mango ministries for interudicing CHE to us and the whole family of WGM thier generiousty of sharing thier resources with us.
One year ago on July 9th we joined our brothers and sisters of South Sudan in celebration and witnessed first hand an historic occasion as the ROSS or Republic of South Sudan gained independence from North Sudan and became her own nation.
Another celebration of birth is our second church plant this year in the small village of Maloney that we have been serving with weekly medical outreaches for the past 2 years. Two pastors currently in our Discipleship training school made it their mission to plant the church and are currently living in this remote village. Their hearts were stirred through Simply the Story training and Community health Evangelism training, and they passionately wanted to bring God’s Word to the Maloney people. They approached the village chief to allow them to meet under a tree every Sunday. The chief who is not a Christian, listened to their request and asked what kind of church. Pastors Joseph and Santino explained they were sent from our Bible school and this type of a church is more like a protestant church, so he called both pastors in front of a crowd to present their request. The Chief followed their request with a speech on how God has been good this year to their village, from a school being built by UNICEF to Australian NGO ‘Kingdom Assignment Sudan’ building a clinic and helping us to keep a Community Health Worker on staff in Maloney. He was excited at the thought of God giving them a church and acknowledged God had blessed them. He left the meeting with the pastors and immediately walked them to a piece of land they could have for their church. It was a miracle and turned into a celebration in keeping with Dinka culture, they were gifted a goat and officially welcomed to the community to begin the work of the church.
Hilary Langat volunteered with us for the second time from Tenwek Mission Hospital in Kenya. This allows us to give our Kenyan staff a break without reducing the service to the community. Hilary was blessed to see how much the outreach to Maloney has grown since his last visit a year ago. One lady from Maloney was transported back to our clinic with the ambulance due to severe malaria. Her condition was serious but after Hilary prayed with her, she asked Jesus to be her Lord and Savior. After that her condition rapidly improved and she went home.
The clinic yesterday was extremely busy, during lunch hour they had seen over seventy patients and about fifty were still in the queue. By God’s grace, Doctor Rozzi arrived in the compound in the afternoon. We thank God so much for him as he will be covering Dr Tom for a period of three months.
As the patients are seen by the doctor or nurse each patient is asked about their spiritual well-being together with their physical complaints. If they are wearing charms from a witchdoctor they are encouraged to go for prayer and counsel with the chaplain, Sabet or Albino.
In an average day we see over 100 patients and more than half of those will ask for prayer from the chaplain and nearly all of those will ask Jesus to be their Savior. That is 150-200 people each week. The pastors in our discipleship program will also help out with counsel and sharing when they can. Witchcraft plays a huge part in this communities foundational beliefs and the lack of churches is a challenge in the villages.