The Sudan Project - A New Year and New Decade

This month marks the beginning of a new year and the beginning of a new decade. I hope that as you look back over the last year and the last 10 years, you can rejoice over much of what is happening in the Kingdom of God.
I also hope and pray that if we are able to look back in January of 2020,we will be thrilled with the exciting spread of the Gospel throughout South Sudan during those years. Please remember that this will all have been made possible because of your generosity and the many faithful Christians all over the world who yearn and work for the growth of God's church. If we continue to pray and work and share our financial blessings, I believe God will bless our efforts in ways that we can't even dream today. Perhaps in 10 years, you will be reading amazing stories of the work that has been accomplished in Sudan due to encouragement.
Please also be praying for the important upcoming February trip to Sudan that four American Christians are hoping to make. Many important decisions will be made on this trip, which we will have an opportunity to talk about in the next newsletter. In the meantime, please be praying earnestly for God's wisdom in their decisions!

New Workers Go to Sudan!

The Lord continues to open doors and to provide workers for the abundant harvest waiting in South Sudan. Several months ago, printed an article on our mission work in Sudan. I remember only one correspondence being received from anyone as a result of that article being read by probably over 100,000 people. But this one e-mail was from Joseph Lagu Balli in Juba, South Sudan, inquiring as to whether a New Testament church existed in his city.
We quickly put this man in contact with the church in Juba. The interesting fact about Joseph is that he was converted while living as a refugee in South Africa.After his conversion, he attended and graduated from the South Africa Bible College. Upon graduation, he moved to Juba, the capital city of South Sudan, where he is now self-supporting and working in a government office. We look forward to the encouragement Joseph and the church in Juba will be to each other!
John Jock is another Sudanese refugee. He had been preaching for the Sudanese congregation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and attending school to become a nurse.He had also graduated from the first two levels of the preacher-training school in Addis. John has recently become a certified nurse and will be returning to South Sudan.We are excited about this as we recently learned that there are only 10 nurses in the whole country of South Sudan! We are looking forward to having John as part of the team who will be helping the Sudanese with both their bodies and their souls.

In a recent issue of this newsletter,we printed a story about the conversion of Samuel Akeri in Nashville. Samuel is moving back to Sudan on February 1. He will prepare a home for his family with hopes that they will be able to join him later.

Samuel will also be attending a preacher-training school next summer that is taught in English.We are very proud of Samuel's dedication to preaching to his lost countrymen--to the extent that he is even willing to be separated from his family for long periods. What an example he is to all of us!

Memorals That Live Forever!

A death is always traumatic to those left behind. One of the main goals of the surviving friends and relatives is to make sure the loved one is not forgotten.
Recently we have received several generous gifts sent to the Sudan Project in lieu of flowers after a death. This seems to be a wonderful way to express Christian condolences to a family that is grieving. Such gifts will be used to educate preachers and establish churches in areas that have never received the Gospel, so these memorials will have eternal consequences.
Some of the recent gifts were sent with the request that they be used to provide seeds and tools for Sudanese refugees returning home. These people are going back to their ancestral homes after subsisting for many years in primitive refugee camps in other countries.
They can now finally return home but with nothing more than a tarp, one hand-carried plastic bag of personal possessions, and minimal food for one month. They have no way to continue providing food for their families once that paltry supply is gone.
For only about $20, however, seeds and tools can be provided to a refugee family. This will give them the ability to grow their own food for the first year, which will then provide seeds for the succeeding years.
What better way to establish a memorial to a faithful Christian who has left this earth? Flowers are discarded in a few days, but a memorial like this will keep on honoring a loved one forever.

Seed and Tool Distribution

Many of you have contributed generously to the “Seeds and Tools” program for Sudanese refugees. Minister Isaya Jackson left Juba, South Sudan, on January 4 to travel to Kampala, Uganda, where he will purchase the seed packets and the tools.We hope to provide you with pictures and details about the distribution in our next newsletter!
Now is the ideal time of year for this work because it is the dry season in Sudan. Trucks can more easily traverse the bad roads to the villages where our congregations are located. Just as Jesus provided bread and fishes to those He taught, the seeds and tools you have provided will help feed their bodies and prepare their hearts to receive the Gospel.



		A New Year and New Decade This month marks the beginning of a new year and the beginning of a new decade. I hope that as you look back over the last year and the last 10 years, you can rejoice over much of what is happening in the Kingdom of God. I also hope and pray that if we are able to look back in January of 2020,we will be thrilled with the exciting spread of the Gospel throughout South Sudan during those years. Please remember that this will all have been made possible because of your generosity and the many faithful Christians all over the world who yearn and work for the growth of God's church. If we continue to pray and work and share our financial blessings, I believe God will bless our efforts in ways that we can't even dream today. Perhaps in 10 years, you will be reading amazing stories of the work that has been accomplished in Sudan due to encouragement. Please also be praying for the important upcoming February trip to Sudan that four American Christians are hoping to make. Many important decisions will be made on this trip, which we will have an opportunity to talk about in the next newsletter. In the meantime, please be praying earnestly for God's wisdom in their decisions! New Workers Go to Sudan! The Lord continues to open doors and to provide workers for the abundant harvest waiting in South Sudan. Several months ago, printed an article on our mission work in Sudan. I remember only one correspondence being received from anyone as a result of that article being read by probably over 100,000 people. But this one e-mail was from Joseph Lagu Balli in Juba, South Sudan, inquiring as to whether a New Testament church existed in his city. We quickly put this man in contact with the church in Juba. The interesting fact about Joseph is that he was converted while living as a refugee in South Africa.After his conversion, he attended and graduated from the South Africa Bible College. Upon graduation, he moved to Juba, the capital city of South Sudan, where he is now self-supporting and working in a government office. We look forward to the encouragement Joseph and the church in Juba will be to each other! John Jock is another Sudanese refugee. He had been preaching for the Sudanese congregation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and attending school to become a nurse.He had also graduated from the first two levels of the preacher-training school in Addis. John has recently become a certified nurse and will be returning to South Sudan.We are excited about this as we recently learned that there are only 10 nurses in the whole country of South Sudan! We are looking forward to having John as part of the team who will be helping the Sudanese with both their bodies and their souls. In a recent issue of this newsletter,we printed a story about the conversion of Samuel Akeri in Nashville. Samuel is moving back to Sudan on February 1. He will prepare a home for his family with hopes that they will be able to join him later. Samuel will also be attending a preacher-training school next summer that is taught in English.We are very proud of Samuel's dedication to preaching to his lost countrymen--to the extent that he is even willing to be separated from his family for long periods. What an example he is to all of us! Memorals That Live Forever! A death is always traumatic to those left behind. One of the main goals of the surviving friends and relatives is to make sure the loved one is not forgotten. Recently we have received several generous gifts sent to the Sudan Project in lieu of flowers after a death. This seems to be a wonderful way to express Christian condolences to a family that is grieving. Such gifts will be used to educate preachers and establish churches in areas that have never received the Gospel, so these memorials will have eternal consequences. Some of the recent gifts were sent with the request that they be used to provide seeds and tools for Sudanese refugees returning home. These people are going back to their ancestral homes after subsisting for many years in primitive refugee camps in other countries. They can now finally return home but with nothing more than a tarp, one hand-carried plastic bag of personal possessions, and minimal food for one month. They have no way to continue providing food for their families once that paltry supply is gone. For only about $20, however, seeds and tools can be provided to a refugee family. This will give them the ability to grow their own food for the first year, which will then provide seeds for the succeeding years. What better way to establish a memorial to a faithful Christian who has left this earth? Flowers are discarded in a few days, but a memorial like this will keep on honoring a loved one forever. Seed and Tool Distribution Many of you have contributed generously to the “Seeds and Tools” program for Sudanese refugees. Minister Isaya Jackson left Juba, South Sudan, on January 4 to travel to Kampala, Uganda, where he will purchase the seed packets and the tools.We hope to provide you with pictures and details about the distribution in our next newsletter! Now is the ideal time of year for this work because it is the dry season in Sudan. Trucks can more easily traverse the bad roads to the villages where our congregations are located. Just as Jesus provided bread and fishes to those He taught, the seeds and tools you have provided will help feed their bodies and prepare their hearts to receive the Gospel. January 2010