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Allow me to ramble a bit. No photos this time, just your mind’s imagination. Yesterday I sat on a bus with David Kaya and Edward Dima. We talked about all sorts of things. It was the three of us, on an e3 bus (yes, we have a bus now), engine off, in the shade, talking. An odd environment, but the seats are pretty comfy. A story arose. They told me that one night a woman arrived here at our main mother church. She had jerry cans in her hands, a sack of grain on her head, and her children by her side.
She approached the kitchen on the bible school grounds. This is adjacent to Seed Effect’s office, which alerted their night watchman. Some women from the kitchen and the watchman asked the woman what she was doing here in the middle of the night.
She was running away
Click below to read the rest.
Read More | Posted by on 07/22/10 at 03:50 AM
As I’ve reflected on our vision, I return, always, to Isaiah 61:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
Our mission is His mission. To preach the Good News (evangelize and disciple), to bind up the brokenhearted (holistic ministry), and to proclaim freedom and liberty from darkness and the prince of this world (vessels of Jesus’ power).
We are combining the Great Commission with the Great Commandment to embark on an holistic, church-planting adventure. Covering all of this is the absolute conviction that the Sudanese Church must stand on its own! We are partners and servants to our Sudanese brothers and sisters, not paternal bosses nor ones who demand our way.
The goal is to walk away one day. We walk away and the church multiplies on its own, supports itself, loves the poor, the widow, the orphan, and begins to look beyond the Sudan border for its’ next mission as well. This is the end goal.
Read More | Posted by on 06/28/10 at 10:42 AM
Jesus is cool. Obviously there are myriad reasons why, (understatement?) but here’s a theme for your day. On the one hand, He’s unbelievably demanding: Telling a rich guy to sell everything, instructing us that to follow Him you have to be willing to leave your own family--heck hate your family and your own life,--telling us we’ll have trouble, persecution, and more.
Yet, he also says, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” And, “My yoke is easy and burden is light.”
How does this play out in Sudan? With Jason Morris, to name one of many. Let me tell you a quick story.
Click below to read the rest.
Read More | Posted by on 06/28/10 at 10:27 AM
Check this out. One church plant (where WHI drilled a well) is under a tree. The Mundari people in that area used to have a lot of killings under that tree. It was the tree of death. Now, they will worship the life-giver, Jesus Christ, under that tree. I guess you could call it the tree of life now? And just walk up a small slope and pump clean water. How cool is that?
But wait, that’s not all. The vets taught a few guys how to vaccinate cows. Those guys, shot cows for hours getting rid of worms and a lung disease. Then the three vets treated sick cow after sick cow. Around Noon each day, they’d teach the cattle keepers bible stories. Even the chief showed up. He was so happy, he gave us a goat, which made a great dinner on the last night. He and 52 other cattle keepers professed faith in Christ under a tree one day as well. Hallelujah. e3’s Sudanese missionaries, Geofrey and Fred, are planting a mobile church who will move with the nomadic cattle keepers.
But that is also a mere drop in the bucket. Did you know we have two teams on the ground right now? One with the Toposa, healing wounds, teaching discipleship, and loving on children. In Kajo Keji, a small team of mostly women are training 120 people in medical care.
Seed Effect issued their 100th loan this week!! Still they have a 100% repayment rate! Praise God!
We have a man we know now with a plan to enter Darfur!
This next week, two missionaries will land in Cale and open up a new area with the Gospel. Pray the find a person of peace.
So, so much more. Get updates almost every day here.
Mike
Read More | Posted by on 05/28/10 at 03:21 PM
The pastor’s conference had 1,630 participants. Men and women from Sudan, Congo and Uganda flooded in for teaching, preaching, encouragement and heavenesque worship.
Dr. Danny Akin, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, preached and taught every day. A huge honor and blessing to us. Meanwhile his wife helped plant a new church!
Read more ....
Read More | Posted by on 05/09/10 at 03:13 AM
Today, Ali and I are leaving to take Alexa to Sudan. We’re heading out a bit early to ease the jetlag on her. We can’t wait to see how God works in her life as she sees the other side of the world, and another piece of Christ’s Kingdom. We’d love your prayers for us, and for her little brother and sister staying behind with grandparents.
But she’s not the only kid going. Mark Jordan is bringing his son, Alec, who’s 11. He’ll head out a bit early as well. Joining us is a terrific crew from Prestonwood Baptist Church. They’ll be stepping into a massive pastors conference in Kajo Keji. We anticipate over 1,000 church leaders from Sudan, Uganda, and Congo.
For the Baptists on the list, we’re blessed that Dr. Danny Akin and his wife will join us and lead the teaching at the conference. Dr. Akin is the president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. SEBTS is incredibly mission-oriented due to Dr. Akin’s leadership. We are tremendously excited.
I’ll send you reports as I can. After sending this team home, I’m staying in Sudan to receive another incredible team from Birmingham, Alabama and Dallas-Fort Worth. They’re going to Terekeka (Tear-uh-cake-uh). We’ll sleep at the Harvesters’ Orphanage and love on those kids, drill water wells with Water Harvest International, conduct veterinary work on cows, goats and other animals with Dr. Jason Johnson, meet healthcare needs as we can in clinics with Dr. Chris Harmon, and of course strengthen church plants by indigenous Sudanese, e3 missionaries.
We really do value your prayers. Thanks for covering us as we go.
Read More | Posted by on 04/27/10 at 06:06 AM
Remember the purple fingers from Iraq’s election? The men and women holding their fingers up, showcasing their pride in their ability to vote and determine their future? Sudan is on the cusp of their first election in nine years. It’s helpful context that the elections in 2000 were in the midst of a 23-year war, and the president (Bashir) won with 86% of the vote...after his bloodless coup in 1989.
The upcoming elections, this Sunday through Tuesday (April 11-13) are complex--in that there are a lot of moving parts and dynamics that I won’t do a great job explaining and are so fluid that by the time you read this things will have changed. You can find more details here.
Read More | Posted by on 04/08/10 at 02:09 PM
Remember the purple fingers from Iraq’s election? The men and women holding their fingers up, showcasing their pride in their ability to vote and determine their future? Sudan is on the cusp of their first election in nine years. It’s helpful context that the elections in 2000 were in the midst of a 23-year war, and the president (Bashir) won with 86% of the vote...after his bloodless coup in 1989.
The upcoming elections, this Sunday through Tuesday (April 11-13) are complex--in that there are a lot of moving parts and dynamics that I won’t do a great job explaining and are so fluid that by the time you read this things will have changed. You can find more details here.
Read More | Posted by on 04/08/10 at 01:22 PM
A boy showing his calf to us. Wealth in this area is in cattle. The entire dowry system is built upon cattle as well.
A tukel in the area....
More stories to come later. For now photos from our trip to the Upper Nile in Sudan. We went to evaluate the area, conduct two church-planting trainings (we taught about 100 people), and to ask God what he wanted from us. We found a desolate area that needs everything. We’re praying about this being a training area for church planters and pastors, how we help orphans in the area, how we can clean water, and how to get Christian education to desperate parents and children.
Taylor Martyn took all of these photos.
A view of the Sobat River.
Read More | Posted by on 03/11/10 at 02:27 PM
Do you know there are some people nutty enough to actually do this? Here’s one on your left. Thomas Bell. He has literally sold everything he has (had?) and is giving his life to help the poor and follow Jesus. Another ordinary radical. Some of us in ministry are dorks (read, me) who can’t do anything else anyway. Then there’s Thomas. Duke University graduate, did something important sounding in a place called Oxford, England, and helped manage a very large sum of money and operations for a hospital/surgical facilities.
For fun, he learned Russian and started a microfinance initiative in Russia for Hope International. Yes, he’s actually on our team. God is merciful. Since November, Thomas quit his job, raised his support, sold all his furniture, gave away his car (Audi TT, not a beater), and headed to Sudan.
Thomas left on Monday for Sudan. Time period, indefinite. He’s going over with Seed Effect. His goal is to increase loan access to impoverished Sudanese through Seed Effect. $50, $100, $200 loans for bicycles, sewing machines, material, food, and a whole bunch more. Micro loans that end up sending kids to school, providing food for families, and maybe buying that malaria medicine that saves a life.
Is he sacrificing that education, salary and nice “stuff?” No, he’s storing up incalculable riches in Heaven, and obeying our king, Jesus. Take a moment and pray for Thomas as he begins his big adventure in Sudan.
Read More | Posted by on 02/10/10 at 10:43 AM