Gaining Independence
It was a great surprise to many that the referendum which took place in January 2011 went peacefully and that the official results (98.83% for separation) have been recognized by the government. South Sudan will officially gain independence on July 9th 2011. As a result of these positive reports and the continued peace, AIM South Sudan missionaries have been given the green light to return to their locations of ministry and some of them are already back. I cannot help but thank the Lord for this.
There is much rejoicing in South Sudan. None with whom I had talked expected the process to go as well as it did. Neither did I. I believe the Lord has answered the prayers of the many who were crying out to Him on behalf of South Sudan. Nevertheless, we must not forget to continue praying. I have committed to pray for Sudan regularly, yet I find myself praying for this nation less frequently after seeing that the referendum went well. As I write this I am reminded of how greatly South Sudan still needs to be continually covered in prayer. It will be important to resolve the issues regarding border demarcation, citizenship, and a separate referendum for the Abyei region which lies on the North-South border before independence. Also there have been some clashes between groups in the South resulting in many deaths, mostly being civilians caught in the crossfire. Furthermore, the price of fuel and other items have increased drastically since the time of the referendum making life more difficult for those who have already been struggling to survive. South Sudan still has a long road ahead of it with numerous challenges of which any one of them if not properly dealt with could threaten its stability.
While in the United States
Since candidate week in November, I have begun the process of raising support. Currently, I am at almost 60% of my monthly pledge target. Considering all that I wanted and needed to do in preparation for long-term ministry in South Sudan I made the decision to leave my job in December. Since then I still find that I have plenty to do everyday, but I thank the Lord that I now have more time and energy to do it. I am glad to be part of a Sudanese church here and I appreciate the friendships that have developed through it. I am also regularly spending time with refugees from Darfur, a region in the western part of North Sudan. They have been helping me with the Arabic language and I have been helping them with English. I so greatly desire that these people would see the love of Christ and His truth through my actions and words.
An Assignment
I am usually a bit hesitant to give too many details when it comes to plans for a specific ministry assignment due to the fact that in the mission field, especially in an area like South Sudan, direction of ministry can change in a moment's notice. Nonetheless I still would like to share about where I believe the Lord is leading.
When AIM's South Sudan unit leader, Phil, did an exploratory trip to visit the Boya people group in June 2010 he was well received. This community that Phil visited had no church or missionaries among them, but they continually expressed their desire to him for missionaries to come and teach the Word of God to the people.
With such a response from the community, Phil went to visit the area again in December. This time he went along with two Africa Inland Church pastors from Juba, South Sudan's capital city which is about a 3-4 hour drive west of Torit. The two South Sudanese pastors, Joshua and Francis, along with Phil met with the same Boya community Phil previously visited and again the people welcomed them to come to teach, preach, and share the Word of God. Pastor Joshua made the request that if they, Africa Inland Church Sudan, were to send someone, then the community would need to build accommodations and provide food for the missionary. With this request, the leaders accepted and said they would begin construction soon. Phil also mentioned my name as AIM's likely first missionary and applause erupted from the leaders. He told them that I would need their support of friendship, language learning, protection, place to sleep, etc. and the leaders responded saying they look forward to all these things. Last I have heard is that pastor Francis, a young married man, is seriously considering relocating from Juba to the Boya area as a missionary. If he agrees to go, it is my hope to work alongside him in reaching these people for with the Gospel.
Phil has encouraged me to make my main focus on the youth and children for evangelism and discipleship. He has also encouraged me to look into chronological Bible Story training before coming. Because most Sudanese in the villages are illiterate, they are skilled oral learners. In oral-learning cultures, much knowledge is passed on from generation to generation through the telling of stories. Though many of the Boya may not be able to read the Bible, they definitely have the capacity to learn and understand it.
Though I do expect that the work will be very difficult with many spiritual, emotional, and physical challenges, I must admit that I am incredibly excited about this possible opportunity to be part of bringing the Gospel to these people. I do believe it is God's will that I go to South Sudan so I am praying that this door to join the Boya community would remain open. At the same time I know that my future is not in my hands, but in the Lord's. Therefore I trust in the One who sees the whole picture and directs each one's path for His glory.
Prayer needs:
-Pray for the transition of South Sudan to independence. Pray for the specific North/South issues of citizenship, border demarcation, and the Abyei referendum which needs to be held, but has been delayed due to a disagreement over who will be eligible to vote in it.
-Pray for peace among the people groups and political groups in South Sudan. Pray for economic stability and God-fearing leadership.
-Pray that the Lord would prepare the hearts of the Boya people to receive the Gospel and also that the Lord would raise up Sudanese who will go to the people with His message.
-Pray that the vision for sending out missionaries would continue to grow and become a reality in Sudanese churches.
-Pray that I would not be blind to the opportunities the Lord has set before me here and now as He prepares me for future ministry. I want to be obedient wherever the Lord places me.
