September 2009

Their Greatest Wish Came True!

Imagine having never heard of God and then being told about Him for the very first time. You are excited by what you've heard and want to learn more!
You are told that the complete story of God is written in a book called the Bible. However, you don't have a Bible; none of your friends do, either. You certainly don't have any money to purchase one, even if there was a store where you could.

How will you learn more about this loving, powerful God? You are frustrated because the little about God you do know is what a visitor told you before leaving your town. You want to know so much more about this wonderful God! You desire to devour all the information you can about what He expects of you. But you don't have access to a Bible.
Then some Christians in another country send you a copy of this Bible, which contains the story you've been longing to read about God and His message for mankind. You begin to read and are so excited you can hardly put your Bible down. You keep this Bible in a safe place except when you are reading it to your family or neighbors,who gather in your yard to hear more. You are so grateful for this wonderful gift Christians in another country have sent you!

This is a true story! Months ago many Christians, including some of you reading this newsletter right now, sent generous gifts of money to buy Bibles for the Sudanese people. Bibles in the language of the poor people in Africa were purchased and distributed to all who would read them. In these photos, you see their joy and gratitude for your generous gifts!

Give Them a Fish...

We have written before of the serious plight of the returning Sudanese refugees. Groups are packed into the back of U.N. trucks, returned to the vicinity of their home villages, and dumped.These areas are mainly just “the bush”now that all the houses, buildings and roads have been destroyed after more than 20 years of war.
Each family is given a tarp to protect them from the rain and enough corn to last their family for 3-6 months.They have nothing else other than a few small acquired possessions that they hand-carry with them in a plastic bag. Imagine your family starting over under such circumstances!
The dilemma for these people is that since no businesses are left, there are no jobs at which they can work to support themselves. Furthermore, they have no tools or seeds to grow food to feed themselves.
One of our preachers in Magwi, Kennedy Shuruma, has informed us that some of these returning exiles are now desperate and starving. The lack of rain this year has made the situation bad even for those who do have a few seeds and tools.The church in Turlock, California sent Kennedy $3,000, and he was able to purchase 100 bags of corn to distribute
to three churches that he said were "desperately starving."

...Or Teach Them to Fish

These returning refugees are primarily starving because they cannot afford to buy the necessary seeds and tools to grow their own food. Two possible solutions exist.
(1) We can continue to wait until these suffering Sudanese are nearly dead from starvation and
then frantically try to find and distribute food to them.The problems with this are obvious. We might wait too long and lose many of these people. Second, this method discourages the people from helping themselves because they think that the Americans will eventually bring them food.
(2) A much better option is to start now helping them to help themselves. We can do this by providing a packet of seeds (peanuts, corn, beans, etc.) and a few tools such as a hoe, machete, or ax, that will allow a family to clear a spot, plant a crop, and feed themselves--from now on! This is particularly effective in Sudan because their climate can support at least two growing seasons a year.
For approximately $20, a kit containing seeds and the necessary tools to plant a garden can be provided to a family, thus giving them the means to provide for themselves. Our preachers are able to buy these things in Uganda and distribute them to the Sudanese families who need them.
You have given generously to buy Bibles to feed the souls of our Sudanese brethren. Now we need to help them feed their bodies.