In Deed and Truth team visitation

Our outreach to the community using our Ante natal program is becoming more and more popular.  People are so excited to have us visit them, which then draws a crowd and opens a door to share the gospel.  We visited the home of one of our ANC clients known as Elizabeth Mabior from Hyzindia village about 3 km from our clinic. These home visits are making a remarkable difference in the community. Many mothers are aware of basic home hygiene. The family of Elizabeth appreciated the program indeed after we shared on one of the common ailments - DIARRHEA  we discussed on ways of preventing diarrhea and emphasized on hand washing and use of toilets which they never had. We also promised to go back for the evaluation on the same.  Please pray for us to be effective as we share and gain the trust of this community.  Pray for spiritual and physical transformation of this community.

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.

Sabet and the kids on the trampoline!

Written by Annie, a midwife at In Deed And Truth Ministries

Medical emergencies have been so rampant this month in our clinic, especially in our ANC. I saw two ladies recently with serious conditions, Akon Deng from Malualmok village and Amon Det from TimTok. Akon arrived having Ante-partum hemorrhage,very anemic ,even going into shock. We started our emergency care immediately and managed to stabilize her.

Amon Det had obstructed labor and had been laboring for the last 24 hrs at home. She was brought to the clinic in a very bad state. On examination,there was intra Uterine fetal Death (I.U.F.D).

Both women were referred for surgery to a hospital in Wau about 5 hrs drive from our clinic and we assisted them with our ambulance. In our follow up we heard Akon survived but she lost her baby before delivery. Sadly Amon did not make it, she had a cesarean but passed away the next day.

Please pray for the families of these two ladies and in general for the pregnant women and for improved maternal health.

South Sudan holds one of the worst maternal mortality ratios in the world at 2,054 deaths per 100,000 live births. That means that 1 out of every 48 babies who are born alive loses their mother at birth. In the United States that statistic is 8 deaths per 100,000, or 1 out of every 12,500. That the average woman in South Sudan experiences 7 pregnancies in her life makes this reality even more dire, statistically, 1 of every 7.5 women will die due to pregnancy or delivery complications. Take a moment to think of 8 women you know. If you lived in South Sudan, chances are one of them would die from hemorrhage, sepsis, or obstructed labor.

God bless you for caring and for praying.

Written by Pastor Kibe

Sunrise Easter Service

We had a great day last Sunday celebrating the resurrection of our Lord  Jesus Christ. We were blessed to have guys in the church being of great help in putting everything in place. Some of our church members from the community joined the praise team and glory to God we had a wonderful time worshipping together as a body. We had guys still help us to prepare the meeting place since we were holding our service under a mango tree rather than in hall. I was just blessed to see the service that this believers gave to the Lord and to the body. It is evident that the Holy Spirit is working in their lives and drawing them closer. Their participation was worth noting for I believe they are walking in obedience to the scriptures as far as serving each other in the body is concerned and making use of the gifts that the Lord has given us.

“Now to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good”
– 1 Corinthians 12: 7

We have being urging them to get involved as we go through the book of Acts and it is beautiful to see them take some responsibilities in the church and in help with the Sunday school. We continue to pray that they will keep the fire burning in their hearts and lives through the help of the Holy spirit and that their walk shall be evident of the risen Lord.

We also had a wonderful service being reminded that just as Jesus resurrected in a new body, so also we who hope in Him will also have our bodies raised to be like Him. Thus we have to keep watching and keep our hope alive until that day that He comes for us as He promised.

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also.” – John 14:2-3

Ultimately we had our breakfast together and enjoyed a great fellowship with each other as we had our snacks. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

Written by Sham Musyoki

“But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.” – Job 12:7-10

Mary Agum is from Hyzindia village, about 2 km from our the IDAT clinic. She has been attending our ANC clinic and has a bad obstetric history having lost the previous delivery during birth due to macrosomia (big baby). The previous was a home delivery.

When she went into labor this time round she decided to deliver in our clinic. She was afraid and we were able to comfort and reassure her that God holds the life and breath of her baby in His hands. And so we put our trust in him, prayed and went to work. Although the delivery was difficult, with God’s help we managed to assist her and delivered a healthy baby boy weighing 4.5 kg (9.11 lbs) who scored well after delivery. She was so thankful and we are seeing the fruit of our ANC program going out into the community. We are praising God for this young life.

Written by Pastor Kibe

“But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” – Luke 18:16

As each Sunday the church gathers, part of our congregation is made up of kids. They join us at the beginning of our service at 10 am. Before they can be released to their classes we have songs that are relevant to them. It is happy to see them sing in both English and Dinka. We have one teacher very committed to the Sunday school and I had a chance to help her for two Sundays. I realized that the kids are very attentive and creative and can remember past lessons, which was a great blessing to me. We have been having one class but are implementing a second class such that we can be having two classes every Sunday. We believe and hope that this will help in reaching many kids and increase effectiveness. It is always happy to see the kids have fun outside after their classes. They do various forms of games.

Pastor Kibe with the Sunday school

We believe that in reaching the children, we are reaching not only this generation but a generation to come. These kids are still fresh and their minds are quick to learn. The bible tells in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it”.

I also travelled to Malony last week with the medical team where after ministering the word to the adult patients, I called the children aside and it is kind we had another wonderful service. I shared the word from Genesis about creation and fall of man. We then prayed together and had a couple of songs. The kids were very excited and kept telling me that I should do the same next time I visit.

Pastor Kibe with Kids at Maloney Outreach

I also visited the head teacher to the local primary school, which has a population of 97 pupils. I shared with him our idea of showing the Jesus film to the pupils in school and requested Him for permission to do so. He was okay with it and promised us that when they begin the feeding programme sometime later in April we are welcome to go and minister to the pupils as well as show the Jesus film. This we feel is a breakthrough worth praising God for.

These are part of the effort we are making to make the gospel get to the children, and have them won for Christ. Statistics show that about 85% of Christians give their lives to Christ when they are still children.

Prayer Points

• Pray that we shall have breakthroughs in many other schools to air the Jesus film and share the gospel regularly.
• Pray for our Sunday school that we shall have enough teachers and helpers.
• Pray that these kids shall make their personal choices to follow Christ.

Sister Annie with her nurse aids on a home visit

Home visiting has been part of our program to bring up healthy families especially focusing on pregnant and lactating mothers. Today we visited Rebecca Koikathia family in a place called Manyatta about 3 km from our Clinic. She has three children and is expecting the fourth child. We decided to visit Rebecca after one of her friend’s who visits our ANC clinic told us about her. Rebecca has had bad obstetric history of losing pregnancies in the first trimester and we felt that she needed some encouragement, follow up and prayer.

We did the antenatal check up while in her home and encouraged her to visit our clinic. She was so very thankful we took time to see her and is now willing to start her ANC program and even join our Sunday church service. While in the homes we share some health tips on simple adjustments they can make to have a healthy home, which in turn brings overall better health to the entire family. We are really seeing our vision to have our clinic more community based start to take shape and and even we are seeing growth. Please keep praying for the Community Health Evangelist (CHE) program as we combine to the two ministries for the Glory of God.

Pastor Kibe with Peter

True christian fruits are seen when mere men chose to put their faith in Christ and in His word despite their hardship, cultures and what the world teaches them. One of the greatest hindrances to the gospel here is a culture that is so much implanted in belief in witchcraft and sorcery. The community believes in them greatly, that is their first option in case of a disaster or sickness. We know that this is idolatry, and God does not want His children to practice it.

Today we saw this change. One of the guys who has been very keen to discipleship is Peter. He is a student in secondary school, and he is born again. He has been coming to our ministry premises at IDAT every week where we spend time in the word of God. He also comes to church every Sunday for fellowship. We also pray together. His story is that of breaking away from tradition by not only embracing Christ but also His teachings.

I see him as a good example of what Paul said to the church in 1 Thessalonian 1:9b, “…and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living God”. Peter’s dad was sick two weeks ago, his brothers were planning to have their dad taken to a witchdoctor (which is kind of the norm here) but Peter said no. He suggested they take him to the hospital in Juba since that is where his dad works. Peter feared that the brothers will not take his advice since they had also taken their dad to a witchdoctor for treatment last year. He came to me asking that we pray together and ask God that his dad not to be taken to a witchdoctor. We prayed and after 3 days Peter came back with a testimony that his elder brothers had agreed to take their dad to the hospital. On Saturday March 17th, Peter came with the good news that his father was now well and had been discharged from the hospital.

This story is one among many others that we witness everyday here ay Tonj. The Bible tells us that we are not to live as the unbelievers do, Ephesians 4:17-18, 24

“This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind. Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart…But we are to put on the new nature which is created in the likeness of Christ”.

For Peter it took courage to say NO to what was ungodly, to walk away from what the culture advocates and to follow what the Bible says.

Prayers points:

• Peter and other believers that they will continue to trust in Jesus in difficult situations and they will severe any ties with the witchdoctors and spirit masters.
• Pray for Peter’s growth and continual commitment to discipleship.
• Pray for his Dad and brothers that they will fully trust in Jesus and that they will accept Him as their Savior.
• Pray for His exams that are forthcoming in April.
• Pray that the Lord will continually use Him.

Serving Christ in Tonj,

Kibe Mwangi

Written by Whitney Smith

Athunta Farming God’s way

So we just completed our fourth and final training for this group of trainers! It’s so exciting to see their motivation and hard work now almost a year after they attended the first training. The trainer teams have all started committees in their communities, and most of them hope to finish training those committees by April, which is when the real fun starts!

During our training we discussed leadership skills and responsibilities, biblical roles of men and women, and Farming God’s Way! Though the afternoons were hot, most of us managed to stay awake through each lesson. We also gave each training team some time to share how things were going in their communities. Everyone was really moved by what Pastor David of Lurchuk shared. He and Athunta (pictured above) went to visit a woman in their community who had just given birth to twins. They took some clothes they bought, some food, and also prepared a CHE lesson about infant nutrition and feeding to share with this young mother. During their visit they were not only sharing with her words about God’s love, but they were demonstrating it with their lives. The woman was so touched that she wanted to know more about God and decided to give her life to Christ! She started attending the church where David pastors. Not long after, however, one of the twins died. In the midst of this tragedy, the woman now had a church family that loved her and took care of her during this time, grieving with her. And then, just a few weeks ago, the woman was baptized.

What a powerful testimony of the faithfulness of these two trainers not just to share the word of God and give health teachings, but to come along side someone and really be the body of Christ to that person. And there were many testimonies of how each team is working to seek that transformation in their own lives and the lives of others.

One trainer, Pastor Joseph, shared with me today that what he really likes about CHE is how it helps people grow closer to God. And that’s the point of the Kingdom of God, God’s glory and our good.