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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
An email from Pastor Edward Dima (only slightly edited)
Close to one year and half in the field of mission in Kagwada in an attempt to reached Bari, the least of unreached people in South Suda. We have finally make a break through tick and thin, it was not easy to share the gospel in that location because of all the hostility of the local population which almost pushed our missionary away from the area. The area witnessed a huge Lord Resistance Army (LRA). This ia a Ugandan rebel group operating in South Sudan.Those years the place was the operational field for Kony but now the place is peaceful
Big Catch.
The secretary of Kagwada Paramount chief Mr Alison Loro gave his life to christ on 29th Jan 2010 at 8:00pm. This is unbelievably for a big man to have a personal conviction and to stand to confess Jesus Christ publicly. We thank God that the Lord has made it, Praise God. For a responsible man to reduce himself just to confess Jesus a midst the crowd is an awkward thing to do but God did it praise the Lord
28 baptized.
The team from First Baptist church Kajo-keji was led by the senior Pastor Mr. Edward Dima They went to Kagwada and had 28 believers baptized in Ganji stream. this was a big turning point in the community. One member from the crowd was surprised to see the biblical baptism being done in the stream. It looks like what we did was such a new thing. We did have a lot of questions which turn up to be positive.Some of the Episcopal church pastors were there watching on the Biblical Baptism and other guy gave them questions as to which baptism is right the one carried out by the Baptist or the one done the Episcopal?
Evangelism.
The person to person Evangelism was done with the approval of the local administrators in the area. We visited 25 homes, 57 heard the gospel and 32 accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. The participants who attended the conference were 186 adults and 88 children. we too staged an open air crusade in Ganji Payam Headquarter in which 131 were drown to the ground by the Melody of our singing choirs.It was a history to have a big number of believers visiting Kagwada to strengthen the people there.It was surely a revival that has happen to the people of Kagwada.
Big Challenge. ...click Read More for the challenges.....
Read More | Posted by on 02/04/10 at 08:58 AM
style="border: 0;” alt="image" />Early on, Kagwada had problems with discipleship and church planting. Candidly, Elias struggled with how to be a church planter/missionary. He found Kagwada very difficult. The people were hard, deep into traditional beliefs, and consumed with alcoholism.
In mid-2009, we sent David Sanya to join Elias. We realized it was a crucial mistake to send Elias alone. David and Elias encouraged one another and worked well together, but they still struggled to plant a church. After a few months, David fell ill with severe ulcers. It got so bad, we pulled him off the field, hospitalized him, and sent him home to rest.
In David’s place, we sent Jackson Mogga, and everything changed. But first, a quick story about a young disciple who’s father tried to kill him for turning to Christ. So I don’t retype it, you can read that one here.
Click Read More....
Read More | Posted by on 01/28/10 at 07:42 AM
Witch doctors beware. Here’s a story Edward Dima (President of the Bible School) just sent me. Now follow me down a fun path for a sec.
* e3 has a heart and calling for church planting (duh).
* We go to Yei to support Pastor Mullai and Samuel Malish.
* Heather Sumner and David and Missy Williams come on that trip.
* Heather spends 3 months in Sudan loving on the women.
* David and Missy answer Jesus call to help the poor.
*They start Seed Effect(microfinance) and hire Heather.
* To make Seed Effect work, they install an Internet Cafe in Kajo Keji. (DSL-speed baby)
Edward Dima now hunts and pecks his way around a key board to much more regularly share what God is doing so WE can praise God that these Bible School students Go directly towards witch doctors’ homes!!!
But wait, this tree branches more (but we only have time for one more branch).
The Radler family comes to Sudan. They are inexplicably drawn to punching holes in the ground wherever they go. Water Harvest International is born by them. They hire Stephen Huber (he of an e3 trip to Sudan) to run their ground operation. Water Harvest Loves God and knows the church sure gets strengthened when there’s clean water nearby and so...BOOM, Edward Dima’s email to me this morning (slightly edited for the hunting and pecking).
Kajo Keji Theological Seminary students stormed a home of a witch doctor in Kangapo Dwani area in an evangelism exercise. This is the place where Water harvest international was helping the community by drilling a bore hole in the area.It was exactly at 4pm when the students went out to share their faith to the lost world and indeed God did it and 21 homes were visited 4 gave their lives to Christ including a man who was got in the home of the witch doctor. He too gave his life to Jesus praise the Lord. In the house of the witch doctor were also ten other men who were got outside and equally they heard the gospel. Many people in kajokeji love visiting witch doctors and that is why there is a need to plant more new testament churches in this land to free people from traditional beliefs which is mixed up.Keep praying for this country and God bless .Pastor Edward Dima
How cool is that?
Have a great weekend and God bless,
Mike
Read More | Posted by on 01/22/10 at 11:30 AM
The Ramirez’s are working with a tribe called the Didinga. They were invited to be a part of a manhood ceremony.
Read More | Posted by on 01/04/10 at 11:20 AM
Watching and experiencing God’s unchanging faithfulness is in so many ways humbling, but also tremendously encouraging. And isn’t it cool that He uses us as His conduits of love and to execute His plans?
The photo here at the top is of David Kaya’s kiddos. They’re laughing after accusing their father of favoring my namesake.
As we close out this year, I want to be sure and let you know all that God has done.
- We trained 423 leaders in church planting, how to share the Gospel, and how to make disciples
- 7,860 people heard the Gospel in Sudan
- 1,663 people made a profession of faith
- 22 new churches were started
- 17 existing churches got a push and were strengthened
- We put 124 Americans on the field
- Graduated the first 17 students of Kajo Keji Theological Seminary
- Have 64 men currently enrolled
- Put indigenous missionaries in 7 locations
- Launched Seed Effect (microfinance)
- Launched Rapha Sudan (12-step alcohol recovery program)
- Held three women’s ministry conferences
- Signed up three new church partnerships (6 total)
- Put four interns on the field for long-term assignments
- Hosted our first ever 5K (The Sudan Footrace and Family Festival) fundraiser, netted $3k
- Built out the e3 Sudan Team to 44 members
- Worked with four great partners:
- WHI
- Children In Christ
- Water4
- Started with Harvesters
- Educated and fed 510 nursery and primary school children
Here are a few more photos from a recent (all Sudanese) internal mission trip from Kajo Keji to Pageri/Loa/Nimule area in Sudan.
Click Read More to see the photos.
Read More | Posted by on 12/30/09 at 09:56 AM
An email from Kaya:
Kajo-Keji county will celebrate the world aids day on First Baptist
Compound tomorrow. All the comunity of kajo keji will be on our
compound. We shall be sharing the Hope cube at the opening of the
program.
This is the first of it’s kind on this compound
Blessing to His Glory
Pastor kaya David
Read More | Posted by on 11/30/09 at 09:40 AM
There has been an unfortunate incident with one of our translator/evangelists. Paul Lonok is one of the 7 Toposa guys in bible school (see BibleSchool photo-left most one is Lonok), training to become pastors. He and three others are on a practical assignment until January working in Kapoeta with the Toposa, and were helping with our campaign. Last night at the campfire during a praise and worship session, a young man began beating his little sister with a stick. Paul got up and made him stop, but the boy came back with a machete and attacked Paul. Paul’s hand was seriously cut when he put it up to block the blow. The local clinic suggested sending him to Juba to have two fingers amputated. However an EMS missionary in our camp looked at it and recommended sending Paul to Nairobi for medical care.
Read More | Posted by on 11/02/09 at 01:46 AM
Hey guys:
My life remains absolutely ridiculous. The team in Kajo Keji is super cool. Keep praying for us, we’re doing all sorts of stuff. We have a team strengthening a baby church that’s recently undergone persecution. The Seed Effecters are training, and loaning, being all around awesome. Thanks to them, I’m sitting in an Internet Cafe in Sudan. Ridiculous.
Remember the team in Kapoeta/Riwoto, Sudan. We got to hang out together in Amsterdam. I love those guys so much. Patricia Caroom and Robert Gunn and crew are so dogged and committed. Please pray for them.
Quick Story.
I’m sitting under a tree watching Tara Kohlbacher tell a group about Jesus. After awhile, I strike up a conversation with a guy named Francis. My translator, Kenny, says Francis wants to talk in private so we get up and walk over to his home.
At his home, I meet Christian, Francis’s wife. She crawls out of her garden. She only has one leg and the other is scarred and twisted from when she stepped on a landmine. We just talk. I tell her my testimony and that God loves her; tell her a little about Jesus, then she starts talking, and talking.
Click Read More ....
Read More | Posted by on 10/30/09 at 09:44 AM