South Sudan

The "flat tire"

When we departed from Cape Town on September 27^th we had no idea all the obstacles we would have to face just in order to get to South Sudan. The first challenge was that we left Cape Town without even have enough money to pay for diesel to get to Sudan. In addition to that we ran into some issues when we were only about 5 hours along our journey. We were driving down the road and the car was beginning to sway a little funny as if it were windy outside but we didn’t see the wind blowing the plants along the road so we kept driving. Then as we were passing some trucks they began to flash their lights at us. So we finally decided to pull over. We all got out to stretch our legs and see what was going on. We walked around the vehicle to make sure everything was okay and to our shock our trailer had the flat tire of the century. The tire was completely gone. We had been driving on nothing but the hub. Not even the rim of the tire was left. There was a white line engraved into the road where we had been dragging the trailer. So we decided to see how far back the tire was. We drove eleven kilometers before the engraved line in the road stopped. We had been driving eleven kilometers on nothing but the rim passing trucks all the while not knowing that we even had a flat tire. The trailer could have easily flipped the vehicle as we had a heavy load of books in there. God certainly is faithful to protect us!

During this whole incident we received a call from the office saying that the funding came through and it was enough for us to get to South Sudan. God certainly is faithful to protect us and provide for us. I was greatly humbled and in awe that the Lord so faithfully provided for us when we stepped out in faith. I was reminded of Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”  

            We had many other trailer issues to face before getting to Sudan as our trailer’s axels broke five times: once in Zambia and four times in Tanzania. We continued to battle with the trailer in Sudan, as the roads are incredibly rough with large potholes littering the rugged dirt roads throughout the country. Finally after three weeks of traveling we made it to South Sudan. The day before we crossed the border from the lush country of Uganda into Sudan, Uncle John received news that his father was about to pass away. At the last minute he had to arrange a flight back home. The day after we arrived in Kajo-Kaji for our first Biblical Worldview Seminar he had to begin his journey back home to be with his family.

Biblical Worldview Summit in Kajo-Kajo

Now our team was down to three members, which meant we all had to really pull our weight. We had a good turn out to the BWS with many pastors, and evangelists attending the seminar. The people were hungry for the Word and very eager to learn and apply the training to their lives. Everyday we had outreaches planned that we all took part in and we saw many lives changed. We had the opportunity to preach to inmates at a prison with no walls, at a military barracks, and in several schools as many of our students went out evangelizing door to door in the town. We saw and heard testimonies of those who came under the conviction of the Holy Spirit and saw their need for the One and Only Savior Jesus Christ. 

Preaching at a military barracks

A man listening intently as we shared the Gospel

The Lord opened the door for us to be able to preach the Gospel in a military barracks. At first when we got there, there was no one ready for us so we decided that we would begin singing. So Daniel, Mike, myself, Canon John, Emmanuel, and a couple of the other Bari leaders began singing. It wasn’t long before the people began to slowly trickle in and sit down to listen to what the strange white people had to say. There were many children, some women, and a few men that congregated to listen to us. Daniel began speaking to them about Gideon and Emmanuel our interpreter was hard at work translating into Arabic. Soon we began sharing the Gospel with them. We shared about how they had achieved their physical freedom from the Islamic north but now they still needed spiritual freedom from sin, which can only be found in Jesus Christ. As we shared the Ten Commandments with them they began to see their true sinfulness and wretchedness in the sight of Almighty God. After explaining to them that even our good works cannot save us from the wrath of God, soon came the question: “How can we enter the Kingdom of heaven?” This is when we were able to share about the wonderful work of our Righteous and Loving God by sending His Son to die in our place to pay the punishment for our sins (2 Cor. 5:21). Mike also shared with them the story about the rich man and Lazerus from Luke 16:19-31. While he was preaching everyone stopped dead in their tracks for the lowering of the South Sudanese flag and Mike began explaining how their flag had the Gospel in it: the black stands for our sins, the red stands for Christ blood shed to pay for our sins, the white stands for the fact that God will cleanse us white as snow if we trust in Christ, the green stands for growth in Christ and the blue with the star in it stand for the fact that one day we will be in heaven in paradise with Christ if we trust in Him alone for salvation. God really used that time to open the people’s hearts to their need for Him to be their Lord and Savior. We saw the Lord work as many people responded when we asked if they wanted to receive Christ. I was reminded of the fact that we serve an awesome and a mighty God, Who is able to change the hearts of sinners. But most importantly I was reminded that “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” except through Jesus Christ our Lord (Acts 4:12).

We had the opportunity to Show the Jesus Film on many occasions to evangelize to the people

While we were in South Sudan the Lord gave us the chance to do training in five different major towns: Kajo-Kaji, Lui (the birthplace of Christianity in Sudan), Mundri, Maridi, and Katobi. Thanks to God’s faithfulness and the faithfulness of those who supported this mission we were able to distribute thousands of books. Supplying hundreds of pastors, evangelists, teachers, and hungry believers with libraries of valuable discipleship resources. We also were able to supply nine different libraries with many Christ-centered discipleship books; we were also able to give discipleship training to hundreds of individuals. I am in awe by the way God uses such broken vessels as myself to further His Kingdom. We are but broken sinners, who have been redeemed by the Holy, Living God. Yet because our Lord is capable of all things He chooses to use us for His glory.

Evangelist and pastor training in Lui, the birthplace of Christianity in Suda

 

Please be praying for the believers in South Sudan as they are now the newest nation on earth but still have many struggles facing them. They still need lots of discipleship as there are many who are religious but do not have a personal relationship with the Lord. Also, South Sudan is at a strategic point as they sit on the edge of the Muslim world. We need to pray that God would send workers out into the harvest to reach the unreached peoples of Northeastern Africa. Also, pray for the Christians in the Nuba Mountains in north Sudan as they still are under severe persecution by the Islamic government of the North.