Sudan Reflections: The Journey of Pain

Imagine walking for an hour and a half through the bush of Africa in the dark of night with your feet sinking ankle deep in the mud, with barbed thorns ripping your flesh,with no shoes on your feet and a 100lbs sack on your head. That is what the women do here virtually every day as they head to and from the nypengoroko village to sell their harvest of grain or to get it ground for consumption.

Or imagine being a 16 year old boy walking that same walk every Friday night to take God’s Word to a people whom you know will persecute you and then returning the next morning for follow-up.

Last night we got as all taste of their struggle. We headed out last night at 7:30pm to take that same journey only we had flashlights in our hands, shoes on our feet, and no 100lbs sack on our head. We waded across the river, trampled down a path of deep mud with the bush climbing higher than our heads until we finally arrived at a village in the middle of nowhere under the glittering stars of the African sky.

I’m ashamed to say that Initially I fought discouragement when I saw there were only eight young men. I found myself trying not to think it was all wasted effort. During the first several songs I was selfishly focused on my exhaustion, the painful blisters on my feet, and the aching back that I didn’t notice the crowd was growing one by one as the people slipped in under the cover of darkness. By the time I got over myself I was amazed to see that this young 16 year old boy had gathered over 100 people to hear God’s Word!

After a wonderful time of teaching by the boy we had to face the hard road home. By the time we arrived safely at home all we could do was shower and collapse in bed. I cannot imagine getting up the next morning and heading out there once again to follow up with very same people.

Lokoyo is the name of this amazing young follower of Christ. Please pray for him as he takes this long journey of pain every weekend for the glory of God. Joseph Lonya, Joseph Lotibe, Joseph Lomana are also heading out on similar journeys weekly. May we pray that the Lord will grant them courage, peace, protection, strength, endurance and so much more as these men faithfully obey the Lord’s command to share His good news.

Pray for the Toposa women who live a very hard life of physical labor and for the Lewis family who have dedicated theirs lives to loving and serving and teaching these people the Word of God though it is often a journey filled with pain.

TG
jn

Sudan reflections: Adventure in South Sudan

Over the next few weeks, we'll be sharing stories from out Sudan team.  Not only will these stories help you know how to pray for the Lewis family in their ministry, but it will also display the joys of faithful Gospel proclamation.

Well the adventure continues in Sudan!

Because the roads are so wet Shannon took us to a different village today. Knowing the roads would be bad we drove only part of the way and hiked it the rest of the way with Shannon serving as our guide pointing out the African countryside, the unique Toposa culture, and the truck that someone got stuck over four months ago because the river suddenly rose without warning.

We made it to the village and began singing and dancing with the women and kids which brought the men in from their houses only to find some young Toposa men had been drinking homemade brew for three days. They were a real distraction to the teaching time as they acted like fools and displayed aggressive behavior. One of the few Toposa Christian women stood up to them and tried to run them off. Things got a little heated so we decided it best to leave. Shannon tells us that women who stood up for us will probably be slapped around or even beaten that night for taking a stand. Please pray for her as she must live there and face the persecution as we leave the village for our safety.

We do believe the Lord used their wicked behavior for our good because as we left we discovered the streets were flooding and the river was rising rapidly from the rain in the mountains. As the Toposa people were running home away from the river we are running toward the river trying to get to our truck before the river became impossible to cross. When we get to the river it is rushing fast with rapids growing stronger. After asking some Toposa where the best place to cross, we lock hands and waded through the rushing rapids being sure to drag our feet as we had been taught. The current was strong and moving fast so when we arrived safely to the other side we all cheered and shouted praises to the Lord! It was awesome!! Even better than the rapids at Disney :)

What an amazing adventure with emotions ranging from tears over the unbelief and sin of the drunken young men, heartbreak for the suffering the young lady will likely endure with such courage, to the thrill of wading through the rushing waters. No words can ever express what we have experienced and what the Lewis’ are living every day. I can’t wait for you to meet them next year!!

TG

jn

Before and After

Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, "You also are not one of his disciples are you?" He denied it and said, "I am not." One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Did  I not see you in the garden with him?" Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed. John 18:25-27

This is how we often think of Peter.  He is cowering and afraid.  He is overcome with the fear of man.  He's so overcome that he denies the man that he correctly identified (via the revelation of the Father) as the Christ.  We condemn Peter for his cowardice, but we do so with fear in our hearts because we can certainly identify with him.  In fact, if we are honest with ourselves, we far too often keep our mouths shut when we out to open them and speak truth to the lost.  Far too often we forget the warning of Matthew 10:32-33.

But just as flesh and blood did not reveal to Peter that Jesus was the Christ, flesh and blood does not empower us to speak the truth of the Gospel in difficult times.  Back up a few verses from Matthew 10:32 to verse 19: When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

The Father has a track record of giving his followers the words to say when they are faithful in their attempts to represent him accurately.  He is our power.  His Spirit is our helper.  In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells us that we will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes and that this power will enable us to be His witnesses.

Look at how the Spirit empowered Peter in Acts 2:14-41.

We are faithful in evangelism in the same way we strive for holiness or worship rightly or love our brothers and sisters sacrificially...through the power of the Spirit.

May we faithfully rest in the power of the Spirit for the strength to live as those who've been crucified with Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria

...to Nations

This will be an abbreviated entry.  Check back next week when we will be back in full swing.

This morning, four men from our church left Shreveport and began the trip to Southern Sudan to assist in the ministry work of the Lewis family.  



Pray this week for Mark Pearson, Scott Adams, David Hamm, and Tracy Graham that they would have travel mercies and they would find favor with the Toposa people that they will be witnessing to.  Specifically, pray for the Karkamuge people that we will be working with directly.

Shannon Lewis talks about the Toposa People

Happy Labor Day from N2N!

Soli Deo Gloria