For the past 2 days, 62 ladies from the Kipkaren area have been gathering for further training as traditional birth attendants. Here, Lindsay Albert of the Bayside team is explaining various danger signs to be looking out for after the birth.
Presenting trainings such as these is just one of the ways in which ELI is making a difference in the lives of the villagers. Midwife skills are typically just passed on orally, and by offering free, formal trainings, we are able to have a positive effect on the health of the villagers.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Sunday, July 02, 2006
ELI's ministry to former sex-trade workers
“If you had asked me, I would have given you living water… And the water I give takes away thirst altogether.” John 4:10,14. Jesus spoke these words to a Samaritan woman over 2000 years ago, and His offer still stands for all thirsty people today. Five present day “Samaritan” women found this living water at our training center this past week, and I am excited to tell you the story.
At an AIDS campaign that we put on a few months ago, the ELI staff met some women who were working as prostitutes. One of them grabbed our director’s arm and said, “OK, I’ve been tested. I know that I have HIV, and I don’t want to spread it anymore, but I don’t have any other way to feed my children. I don’t know what else to do. You have to help me.” Thus began a relationship with six very special ladies. It started in some local bars. We wanted to start where they felt comfortable. Slowly, they began to share their stories with us, and our hearts broke. As trust developed, the meetings moved from the bars to our training center, where the women have been coming every Wednesday for a time of devotion, prayer, and business development skills.
For the first time ever, these women have been encouraged to dream of a new life. We are helping them dream of new possibilities for feeding their children, and hope is sprouting. After a three-day training here, each woman came up with her own business proposal, and we are now praying and working through the endless barriers and logistics of them.
But even more important than business skills, these “Samaritan Women” as we call them, are feeling the love of Christ for the first time. They are hearing the Gospel and are finding dignity, acceptance, and value once again.
I think that initially, the women continued to come to our center each week simply because they were intrigued by our care. “Why are these people so committed to helping us?” “What is this love that I experience every time I’m around them?” “Why do they want to be friends with us when everyone else in society as rejected and labeled us?”
Slowly, they have learned that the answer is simply Jesus. Jesus loves them, sees them, knows their past, understands their pain, and wants to offer them living water. What a blessing to walk this journey with them the past two months!
I have seen their tears of joy as we visited them in their homes (homes that no one else in the community would ever be caught dead visiting). I have loved sharing the Bible with them and watching them learn who God truly is. I rejoiced that day that shyly admitted that they didn’t have Bibles, but would like to own one so that they might continue to read about God on their own. And, my heart has danced as I watched new hope shine in their eyes as they began to believe that another life is possible! But nothing in this journey compares to last Saturday.
The day began as we welcomed five of the six ladies to our training center in the morning for a day of special fun. (The sixth one was unable to join us that day.) After singing and a devotion about the time that Jesus washed His disciples feet, we proceeded to wash the feet of each woman. I think that everyone in the room was near tears. The women kept saying, “No one has ever done anything like this for us before.” Each woman then get a foot massage and pedicure, along with one-on-one counseling and prayer, and business advice for their new proposals. AND, each woman heard the gospel message.
At this point, they didn’t even need an invitation- all of them asked US if they could give their lives to God. All five women found the living water that day, and heaven and earth rejoiced. At the end of the day, I presented a Bible to each lady with verses already highlighted throughout. They kissed the Bibles and hugged me tightly. Each woman knew that she now had a mighty weapon to take with her as she entered the battle at home again. With their new swords in hand, the women bid us farewell and promised that they would see us in church the next day.
And sure enough, they came! They walked the 4 miles to church and greeted us excitedly as they arrived. What joy to sit with them in church (in the very front row!) and watch them raise their hands and worship their new-found Savior with all their hearts. And what joy to meet with them this past Wednesday for our weekly meeting. This time during the devotion time, EVERYONE shared. Each woman shared a scripture that had touched her during the past five days. Though the days had been rough for many, and the battle raged strong at home, each woman had stayed strong and was finding strength and hope in God’s word.
One said, “When I arrived at church on Sunday, I felt God’s Holy Spirit fill me, and as soon as I got home, I just started reading. I didn’t want to waste anytime.” Another said, “I’ve been so happy the past five days because I never had a sword before. I have been in a battle, but never had a sword to fight with. Now I do!”
The battle ahead is still a big one. The obstacles in the way of these new business proposals are many. It’s hard not to lose hope that they will ever be a reality. But I know that God did not lead them through the sea to let them die in the wilderness. Yes, the giants in the way of entering the promised land are huge, but our God is greater. And we trust that he will lead us into that promised land, providing manna for today until we reach there.
I often think, “Lord, we are still so far from getting these businesses started, so what are these women going to eat today?” But He reminds me again and again that He is the God who provided water from a rock, and manna in the wilderness to care for the children of Israel, and He will do the same for these women today.
Please pray for us as we journey through this wilderness, seeking entrance to the promised land flowing with milk and honey. Pray for ideas from above, and for miraculous doors to open. We need a miracle. We need the walls of Jericho to come tumbling down. And the women need strength for today. They need food for their children today. They need protection from the attacks of the enemy today.
Thank you for your prayers!
Kierra Higgins
ELI Upland Staff, currently serving in at the Kipkaren Training Center
At an AIDS campaign that we put on a few months ago, the ELI staff met some women who were working as prostitutes. One of them grabbed our director’s arm and said, “OK, I’ve been tested. I know that I have HIV, and I don’t want to spread it anymore, but I don’t have any other way to feed my children. I don’t know what else to do. You have to help me.” Thus began a relationship with six very special ladies. It started in some local bars. We wanted to start where they felt comfortable. Slowly, they began to share their stories with us, and our hearts broke. As trust developed, the meetings moved from the bars to our training center, where the women have been coming every Wednesday for a time of devotion, prayer, and business development skills.
For the first time ever, these women have been encouraged to dream of a new life. We are helping them dream of new possibilities for feeding their children, and hope is sprouting. After a three-day training here, each woman came up with her own business proposal, and we are now praying and working through the endless barriers and logistics of them.
But even more important than business skills, these “Samaritan Women” as we call them, are feeling the love of Christ for the first time. They are hearing the Gospel and are finding dignity, acceptance, and value once again.
I think that initially, the women continued to come to our center each week simply because they were intrigued by our care. “Why are these people so committed to helping us?” “What is this love that I experience every time I’m around them?” “Why do they want to be friends with us when everyone else in society as rejected and labeled us?”
Slowly, they have learned that the answer is simply Jesus. Jesus loves them, sees them, knows their past, understands their pain, and wants to offer them living water. What a blessing to walk this journey with them the past two months!
I have seen their tears of joy as we visited them in their homes (homes that no one else in the community would ever be caught dead visiting). I have loved sharing the Bible with them and watching them learn who God truly is. I rejoiced that day that shyly admitted that they didn’t have Bibles, but would like to own one so that they might continue to read about God on their own. And, my heart has danced as I watched new hope shine in their eyes as they began to believe that another life is possible! But nothing in this journey compares to last Saturday.
The day began as we welcomed five of the six ladies to our training center in the morning for a day of special fun. (The sixth one was unable to join us that day.) After singing and a devotion about the time that Jesus washed His disciples feet, we proceeded to wash the feet of each woman. I think that everyone in the room was near tears. The women kept saying, “No one has ever done anything like this for us before.” Each woman then get a foot massage and pedicure, along with one-on-one counseling and prayer, and business advice for their new proposals. AND, each woman heard the gospel message.
At this point, they didn’t even need an invitation- all of them asked US if they could give their lives to God. All five women found the living water that day, and heaven and earth rejoiced. At the end of the day, I presented a Bible to each lady with verses already highlighted throughout. They kissed the Bibles and hugged me tightly. Each woman knew that she now had a mighty weapon to take with her as she entered the battle at home again. With their new swords in hand, the women bid us farewell and promised that they would see us in church the next day.
And sure enough, they came! They walked the 4 miles to church and greeted us excitedly as they arrived. What joy to sit with them in church (in the very front row!) and watch them raise their hands and worship their new-found Savior with all their hearts. And what joy to meet with them this past Wednesday for our weekly meeting. This time during the devotion time, EVERYONE shared. Each woman shared a scripture that had touched her during the past five days. Though the days had been rough for many, and the battle raged strong at home, each woman had stayed strong and was finding strength and hope in God’s word.
One said, “When I arrived at church on Sunday, I felt God’s Holy Spirit fill me, and as soon as I got home, I just started reading. I didn’t want to waste anytime.” Another said, “I’ve been so happy the past five days because I never had a sword before. I have been in a battle, but never had a sword to fight with. Now I do!”
The battle ahead is still a big one. The obstacles in the way of these new business proposals are many. It’s hard not to lose hope that they will ever be a reality. But I know that God did not lead them through the sea to let them die in the wilderness. Yes, the giants in the way of entering the promised land are huge, but our God is greater. And we trust that he will lead us into that promised land, providing manna for today until we reach there.
I often think, “Lord, we are still so far from getting these businesses started, so what are these women going to eat today?” But He reminds me again and again that He is the God who provided water from a rock, and manna in the wilderness to care for the children of Israel, and He will do the same for these women today.
Please pray for us as we journey through this wilderness, seeking entrance to the promised land flowing with milk and honey. Pray for ideas from above, and for miraculous doors to open. We need a miracle. We need the walls of Jericho to come tumbling down. And the women need strength for today. They need food for their children today. They need protection from the attacks of the enemy today.
Thank you for your prayers!
Kierra Higgins
ELI Upland Staff, currently serving in at the Kipkaren Training Center
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Kipkaren Kids' Camp
This morning, I went to our base at Kipkaren to take pictures of a children's ministry event. More than 300 kids showed up for day camp where they played some games with a visiting team from Nuevo, California, but mostly spent time singing, praying and memorizing Bible verses.
The kids are so cute. Whenever someone introduces themselves, they start with "Bwana asifiwe," which means "Praise the Lord." Usually, the response is a simple, "Amen." However, these kids respond with a boisterous "Amen-Hallelujah-Amen!"
There were 300 children present, and by the time we left, more children were still arriving...
There is so little entertainment in rural Kenya that any program usually attracts large crowds. What amazes me is that some of the children would walk for an hour or more just to attend a program such as this! Even little 3-year-olds would walk this far!
Edna does a wonderful job working with the kids. A week ago, she ran a big Sunday-school teacher training seminar in our region, too.
Other things that went on at ELI this weekend: Tomorrow, our Anti-Alcohol ministry (alcohol rehab center) is taking in a new group of men and women for their 3-month training. The son of a member of parliament is one of the guys who is part of this intake, so today, his family had a big send-off for him. I was invited to go and take photos at the event, however, I had committed to the kids' camp first. Please pray for Pastor Rono and his team, especially over the next 3 days. They wean the participants of drugs and alcohol cold turkey, so the first few days are especially tough!
There was also a soccer tournament near Kipkaren, the first round of play-offs that will lead to finals during an AIDS campaign later this month.
There's much happening, especially at this time of year. Please continue to pray for our staff in Kenya as well as the staff in Tanzania, Sudan, the Congo, AND the staff in the US without whom we cannot be doing our work...
Thank you for being a part of what God is doing around the world through ELI's ministry.
The kids are so cute. Whenever someone introduces themselves, they start with "Bwana asifiwe," which means "Praise the Lord." Usually, the response is a simple, "Amen." However, these kids respond with a boisterous "Amen-Hallelujah-Amen!"
There were 300 children present, and by the time we left, more children were still arriving...
There is so little entertainment in rural Kenya that any program usually attracts large crowds. What amazes me is that some of the children would walk for an hour or more just to attend a program such as this! Even little 3-year-olds would walk this far!
Edna does a wonderful job working with the kids. A week ago, she ran a big Sunday-school teacher training seminar in our region, too.
Other things that went on at ELI this weekend: Tomorrow, our Anti-Alcohol ministry (alcohol rehab center) is taking in a new group of men and women for their 3-month training. The son of a member of parliament is one of the guys who is part of this intake, so today, his family had a big send-off for him. I was invited to go and take photos at the event, however, I had committed to the kids' camp first. Please pray for Pastor Rono and his team, especially over the next 3 days. They wean the participants of drugs and alcohol cold turkey, so the first few days are especially tough!
There was also a soccer tournament near Kipkaren, the first round of play-offs that will lead to finals during an AIDS campaign later this month.
There's much happening, especially at this time of year. Please continue to pray for our staff in Kenya as well as the staff in Tanzania, Sudan, the Congo, AND the staff in the US without whom we cannot be doing our work...
Thank you for being a part of what God is doing around the world through ELI's ministry.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
To think about
A ministry that thinks a lot like ELI does is ECHO. Says their director, Dr. Michael Price: "It is a bottomless pit to send only medical assistance to treat diseases cause by poor nutrition, yet do nothing about unproductive farms."
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Kau La Amani Training
Last week, we had 51 evangelists from the Kau La Amani Training Center at Ilula for an intensive training session. All 51 are determined to have groups from their individual churches return for our "church empowerment" training.
One person commented that he believed the church (in Kenya) could offer much to their communities if they implemented what they learned at our training center!
Their training included talks about bio-intensive agriculture and small business ideas.
One person commented that he believed the church (in Kenya) could offer much to their communities if they implemented what they learned at our training center!
Their training included talks about bio-intensive agriculture and small business ideas.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Home Safely
Praise God we're home safely! I'll write in more detail tomorrow, but here are some highlights of our journey:
Seeing God answer our prayers to heal Abiye. On Thursday, this young lady had NO pulse, NO blood pressure, and her extremities were like ice. The medical staff gave each other one of those looks that speak more than you'd like to hear. One said, "There's nothing more we can do for her. Let's just make sure she's comfortable..." We went and prayed for God to save her so her cattle camp (see below) can know GOD! Today, she walked. She'll be going home tomorrow!
Spending several hours in a cattle camp. The Sudanese did NOT want us to spend the night since it would've been too dangerous, but we were able to stay from the time the cows came home till almost 11pm, observing life... The camp we visited has about 10,000 cows and 600 people. Some of the people have tarps set up as tents. (I'll post photos tomorrow.) One tarp becomes home to FORTY people when it rains! When it's not raining, the children sleep in the cow ash (ash from cow dung having been burned). They even brush their teeth with the cow ash!
Watching the Dinka worship God!
None of the team got sick. There were fewer mosquitoes than we were told due to the rains being late, but we had a lot of flies (including humongous tsetse flies--ouch!) The ELI staff worked like crazy to complete a little shower room and outhouse, so we didn't have to dig holes... They brought some water from the community wells so we could take simple bucket showers at the end of the day to clean up. It was VERY, VERY hot (the thermometer we had couldn't read above 120F, and it read 120 on several days).
It rained only two days, yesterday being the worst. I'll tell more about that later. We ate rice and beans most meals. There was also sheep and goat.
The medical team saw more than 1,000 patients, mostly for worm and malaria treatment. There were two cases of cholera. Many came to have teeth extracted.
The 2 pastors on the team were able to do a seminar for pastors and community leaders which was well received. I was able to record teachings and preaching as well as worship songs.
Click on the photo to see some pictures from the journey. I'll be uploading more tomorrow.
Adele
Seeing God answer our prayers to heal Abiye. On Thursday, this young lady had NO pulse, NO blood pressure, and her extremities were like ice. The medical staff gave each other one of those looks that speak more than you'd like to hear. One said, "There's nothing more we can do for her. Let's just make sure she's comfortable..." We went and prayed for God to save her so her cattle camp (see below) can know GOD! Today, she walked. She'll be going home tomorrow!
Spending several hours in a cattle camp. The Sudanese did NOT want us to spend the night since it would've been too dangerous, but we were able to stay from the time the cows came home till almost 11pm, observing life... The camp we visited has about 10,000 cows and 600 people. Some of the people have tarps set up as tents. (I'll post photos tomorrow.) One tarp becomes home to FORTY people when it rains! When it's not raining, the children sleep in the cow ash (ash from cow dung having been burned). They even brush their teeth with the cow ash!
Watching the Dinka worship God!
None of the team got sick. There were fewer mosquitoes than we were told due to the rains being late, but we had a lot of flies (including humongous tsetse flies--ouch!) The ELI staff worked like crazy to complete a little shower room and outhouse, so we didn't have to dig holes... They brought some water from the community wells so we could take simple bucket showers at the end of the day to clean up. It was VERY, VERY hot (the thermometer we had couldn't read above 120F, and it read 120 on several days).
It rained only two days, yesterday being the worst. I'll tell more about that later. We ate rice and beans most meals. There was also sheep and goat.
The medical team saw more than 1,000 patients, mostly for worm and malaria treatment. There were two cases of cholera. Many came to have teeth extracted.
The 2 pastors on the team were able to do a seminar for pastors and community leaders which was well received. I was able to record teachings and preaching as well as worship songs.
Click on the photo to see some pictures from the journey. I'll be uploading more tomorrow.
Adele
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Sudan Hands On - Hearts In!
Adele Booysen called from Sudan on the Satellite phone Friday May 5th in the afternoon to let us know some of the ministry the team has already been involved in since their safe arrival on Wednesday. The team immediately settled into their tents and grass hut homes and interacted with the ELS leaders and community Wednesday. Thursday the medical team set up a mobile clinic and was able to see 200 people. On Friday when she called they had already seen 150 by lunch time.
One of the people was a 15 year old young girl that they saw in the morning who was so weak from typhoid and cholera that they did not think she would make it past noon. The treatment and prayers they gave provided some strength to her and so far she is still alive. Praise God.
They have not had any heavy rains so far and the mosquitoes are certainly present but not as troublesome as anticipated.
The team will continue their mobile medical clinic today (Friday) and as they move into the weekend, the two pastors that are on the team will minister in the local churches and meet with Sudanese Christian leaders to encourage them and dialogue with them about how Empowering Lives Sudan can best help them and their churches to heal, mature, and grow.
Empowering Lives Sudan - Empowering the needy spiritually, physically and economically.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Sudan - SAFE ARRIVAL!
Good news!
The ELI team arrived safely to Padak, Sudan and were met by EL Sudan Director Steven Reech at the dirt landing strip. It had rained the day before but the dirt landing strip was dry enough for a safe arrival.
They called me (Don R) on the satellite phone in the afternoon and let me know that they were able to get out to the village of Kolmarek where the property of SL Sudan is located just fine. Steven told me "I did not have any vehicle to transport them from Padak (a 15 mile distance) God then did a miracle and touched the hearts of a local road construction organization. They gave all of us transportation. God is good!"
The ladies will be bunking in a grass hut where there is some solar power near a clean water well.
The men will be setting up the tent under the ELI iron sheet covered structure that is still under construction.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Sudan: The Next Journey
Dear Family and Friends,
Many greetings to all of you! It is amazing to think that it is already May. Last month (April), our theme among the Empowering Lives Staff in Kipkaren, Kenya was "Victory and Celebration," and we were sure blessed to witness many victories for which we praised and thanked God. This month's theme is "Love in Action." We are beginning the month with putting God's love into action in the country of Sudan. We begin the journey tomorrow (May 3rd) from Kenya to Southern Sudan with a dynamic team of nine (five Kenyans, three Americans, and one South African).
We will be partnering with Stephen Reech, director of Empowering Lives Sudan. In September 2005, Stephen returned to Sudan after many years as a refugee in Kenya to his original home in the village of Kolmarek to begin a ministry of empowerment to his people, the Dinka. In February 2006, a team (including ELI Staff Juli McGowan and Don Rogers) went on a scouting trip and returned with stories which opened all of our eyes here in Kenya and broke our hearts. The idea of taking a medical and pastors team began to come into view. As soon as the idea was mentioned, God quickly began opening the doors, and on May 3rd (tomorrow) we are headed to Kolmarek in Southern Sudan until 9th May.
I am so excited to be a part of this team. It is going to be an adventure of discovering unknowns. Some of our team members have never even flown on a airplane before! We are all excited for this opportunity to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of the people of Southern Sudan. We are also excited to go with our notebooks and pens and listening ears to learn all we can about the Dinka tribe and the challenges they are currently facing. I will have a lot more information to share when I return as this is a new journey for all of us. Please keep our team in your prayers during this next week. If the satellite system works, we will be sending updates during our trip to this same blog address.
Also, if you would like to learn more about ELI Sudan's Director, Stephen Reech, please visit the following site, http://empoweringlives.blogspot.com/2006/02/steven-reech.html.
Thank you very much for your prayers and support!
Blessings,
Allison "Chebaibai" Tjaden
ELI - Health Ministry
Note: The team consists of five medical workers: Juli McGowan -ELI, Bernard Kiptoo -ELI, Julius Kemboi -ELI, Rachel Ototo -Turbo Clinic and Mark Lochte -Hillside Community Church), two pastors: David Tarus -ELI, Peter Maru -ELI, one primary health care trainer: Allison Tjaden -ELI, and one journalist:Adele Booysen -ELI.
The medical team will be conducting mobile clinics. David and Peter will conduct pastoral training sessions, Allison will do teaching on primary health care. Adele will be collecting stories on the new ELI School, Orphan care, Training Center construction, and Reforestation Project.
Kolmarek is in Southern Sudan, (far from Darfur - the region that's been in the news more recently for the ongoing genocide.) In fact, there are no usable roads between Southern Sudan and Darfur.
The team will be sending updates whenever possible, and those will be posted on this site.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Bringing Hope
Incredible! What an amazing day I had at our recent Empowering Lives Aids Awareness Campaign.
When I arrived the 10 k race had finished and a crowd was gathered around the soccer field of the primary school we had borrowed for the day. Immediately I met the headmaster (Principal) of the school and he was thrilled to have ELI host such an event at this school and community.
The soccer game brought loud cheers as the local teams competed for the winners title. This was another of our strategies to gather a large crowd and rally people to know the devastating effects of AIDS, to get tested ("Know your status"), and to hear of the hope that is available for all through Jesus.
For three days, we held a music worship concert every evening with preaching where we shared the love of Christ and many made a decision to follow Christ.
During the three-day event, a total of 404 people were tested for HIV. Fourteen were positive. (These fourteen will now be receiving free treatment at the AMPATH clinic in Turbo.)
God knows how many lives were touched by the worship and testimonies. Over four thousand people attended one or more of the meetings.
God is good. This is another way that we are helping to reduce the future population of orphans. In the ELI Ilula Children's Home, over 75% of the children are orphaned because of AIDS. This campaign and the many other programs and campaigns we host each year are a vital part of our overall strategy to share the Gospel and change the futures of people and children for the better. Being tested and even just being given the opportunity to be tested is a powerful way to reach people and have them examine their lives, their lifestyles, and their eternal destinies.
Thank you again for your support and prayers.
Serving together,
Don
When I arrived the 10 k race had finished and a crowd was gathered around the soccer field of the primary school we had borrowed for the day. Immediately I met the headmaster (Principal) of the school and he was thrilled to have ELI host such an event at this school and community.
The soccer game brought loud cheers as the local teams competed for the winners title. This was another of our strategies to gather a large crowd and rally people to know the devastating effects of AIDS, to get tested ("Know your status"), and to hear of the hope that is available for all through Jesus.
For three days, we held a music worship concert every evening with preaching where we shared the love of Christ and many made a decision to follow Christ.
During the three-day event, a total of 404 people were tested for HIV. Fourteen were positive. (These fourteen will now be receiving free treatment at the AMPATH clinic in Turbo.)
God knows how many lives were touched by the worship and testimonies. Over four thousand people attended one or more of the meetings.
God is good. This is another way that we are helping to reduce the future population of orphans. In the ELI Ilula Children's Home, over 75% of the children are orphaned because of AIDS. This campaign and the many other programs and campaigns we host each year are a vital part of our overall strategy to share the Gospel and change the futures of people and children for the better. Being tested and even just being given the opportunity to be tested is a powerful way to reach people and have them examine their lives, their lifestyles, and their eternal destinies.
Thank you again for your support and prayers.
Serving together,
Don
There is Hope
Incredible! What an amazing day I had at our recent Empowering Lives Aids Awareness Campaign.
When I arrived the 10 k race had finished and a crowd was gathered around the soccer field of the primary school we had borrowed for the day. Immediately I met the headmaster (Principal) of the school and he was thrilled to have ELI host such an event at this school and community.
The soccer game brought loud cheers as the local teams competed for the winners title. This was another of our strategies to gather a large crowd and rally people to know the devastating effects of AIDS, to get tested ("Know your status"), and to hear of the hope that is available for all through Jesus.
For three days, we held a music worship concert every evening with preaching where we shared the love of Christ and many made a decision to follow Christ.
During the three-day event, a total of 404 people were tested for HIV. Fourteen were positive. (These fourteen will now be receiving free treatment at the AMPATH clinic in Turbo.)
God knows how many lives were touched by the worship and testimonies. Over four thousand people attended one or more of the meetings.
God is good. This is another way that we are helping to reduce the future population of orphans. In the ELI Ilula Children's Home, over 75% of the children are orphaned because of AIDS. This campaign and the many other programs and campaigns we host each year are a vital part of our overall strategy to share the Gospel and change the futures of people and children for the better. Being tested and even just being given the opportunity to be tested is a powerful way to reach people and have them examine their lives, their lifestyles, and their eternal destinies.
Thank you again for your support and prayers.
Serving together,
Don
When I arrived the 10 k race had finished and a crowd was gathered around the soccer field of the primary school we had borrowed for the day. Immediately I met the headmaster (Principal) of the school and he was thrilled to have ELI host such an event at this school and community.
The soccer game brought loud cheers as the local teams competed for the winners title. This was another of our strategies to gather a large crowd and rally people to know the devastating effects of AIDS, to get tested ("Know your status"), and to hear of the hope that is available for all through Jesus.
For three days, we held a music worship concert every evening with preaching where we shared the love of Christ and many made a decision to follow Christ.
During the three-day event, a total of 404 people were tested for HIV. Fourteen were positive. (These fourteen will now be receiving free treatment at the AMPATH clinic in Turbo.)
God knows how many lives were touched by the worship and testimonies. Over four thousand people attended one or more of the meetings.
God is good. This is another way that we are helping to reduce the future population of orphans. In the ELI Ilula Children's Home, over 75% of the children are orphaned because of AIDS. This campaign and the many other programs and campaigns we host each year are a vital part of our overall strategy to share the Gospel and change the futures of people and children for the better. Being tested and even just being given the opportunity to be tested is a powerful way to reach people and have them examine their lives, their lifestyles, and their eternal destinies.
Thank you again for your support and prayers.
Serving together,
Don
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Celebrate!
Yesterday, ELI celebrated with a group of ladies who used to brew potent alcohol for a living until ELI offered them a way out by making paper.
The ladies worked hard and a group of 37 decided in the end to pool their money and build rental units.
With the help of ELI friends, two of the three houses were officially opened yesterday.
Click on the photo to see more of the celebration.
The ladies worked hard and a group of 37 decided in the end to pool their money and build rental units.
With the help of ELI friends, two of the three houses were officially opened yesterday.
Click on the photo to see more of the celebration.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Celebrate!
Yesterday, ELI celebrated with a group of ladies who used to brew potent alcohol for a living until ELI offered them a way out by making paper.
The ladies worked hard and a group of 37 decided in the end to pool their money and build rental units.
With the help of ELI friends, two of the three houses were officially opened yesterday.
Click on the photo to see more of the celebration.
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Update from Tanzania
I just received the following text message from Don in Tanzania:
"Good, long day. One hundred and ten came forward for prayer at our afternoon meeting. Over 300 now watching the Jesus film! Powerful day for ministry. Bricks for classroom now half way."
Please continue to pray for the men who are in Tanzania, for continued health, energy and protection.
"Good, long day. One hundred and ten came forward for prayer at our afternoon meeting. Over 300 now watching the Jesus film! Powerful day for ministry. Bricks for classroom now half way."
Please continue to pray for the men who are in Tanzania, for continued health, energy and protection.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Empowering Women of Kenya, Africa
Today, the women from Victory Highway went to fellowship with the ladies of a nearby village called Plateau. This entire village has been transformed by God through the ministry of Empowering Lives.
Here's the story, as told by Don Rogers.
GOD'S PROVIDENCE
While living in the village here in Kenya, my wife Amy and I were buying some supplies at a store in the closest major town called Eldoret. While walking towards the entrance, I was walking by two wazungu (white) women when I heard one of them say, "midwife training..." We were just arranging for such a training ourselves in another village, so I stopped and asked them about the training they referred to. They told me that the teacher was inside, so I waited there for her to come. Her name is Mary, and she is the wife of a village chief in Plateau, Kenya.
After talking about the midwife training, Mary told me that she and her husband have been praying for some way to combat the terrible alcoholism that has a hold on the men and women of their village. We (ELI-Kenya) had established an anti-alcohol program the year before, so after sharing with her we agreed that as soon as possible our national leader (Pastor Philip Rono) would visit their village and share the program with the chief.
FIRST MEETING IN PLATEAU
Within a few weeks, Pastor Rono visited Plateau. He thought he was going to talk with the Chief (which he did), but the chief had also invited most of the people from the village - including many of the women who were brewing alcohol and selling it for a source of income. The brew is called Changaa which means "Kill me quick!"
Changaa is actually a powerful and dangerous brew that the women make using fermented corn. Many of the women hate the alcohol and the effects of it, but they have so few sources of income that they feel they have no options in order to be able to buy food and pay school fees for their children.
Pastor Rono shared from his heart and shared his faith in Christ as well. Jesus is the higher power, he shared, and told them that there were steps that they could take to change their lives and come out from the disease of alcohol.
There was an immediate response, and within four months there were over a hundred people meeting regularly in small accountability groups - all becoming sober - taking it one day at a time - and learning about the love of Christ through the program. Within a year, over three hundred people were in the program and we were seeing regular conversions take place as we use the scriptures along with the 12 steps and we recognize Jesus is the higher power.
BAHASHA (ENVELOPE) WOMEN'S GROUP - 37 DETERMINED LADIES
Among the women who were brewing were many who desired to leave alcohol and to stop brewing and selling. However, they couldn't do this unless they had an alternate source of income. This is where ELI came in again. We offered them a short-term opportunity to work making and packaging hand-made paper which ELI would export to the USA and make available for a donation.
Thirty-seven of the women organized themselves and made paper for about a year and a half. This income was helpful but they (along with ELI ) desired that they have their own independent business. During the course of the paper program, ELI had encouraged the women to establish their own savings program which many of them did.
After much discussion and planning, the 37 women of the BAHASHA WOMEN'S GROUP each received a grant to help them establish their own business. But rather than invest their money independently, these women decided that they could do far more together than they could individually. They pooled ALL of their savings as well as the grant money from ELI and purchased property close to the city but not far from their village of Plateau. They set off to build their own rental units (three rooms) on a quarter acre.
Fencing and construction began immediately and enthusiasm was high. Soon, however, the cost of construction and living caught up with their savings and their financial resources were depleted. For a year and a half, the women continued to struggle but they have not been able to get ahead due to the high level of poverty and high costs of food and school fees.
Though the construction had stopped they have never given up hope.
Recently, I was in the USA and made a visit to ELI supporters and friends. Among the many reports of ministry progress, I shared with one couple about the needs and hopes of this women's group. This couple contacted me within a day and encouraged me to find others who would match a $1,000 gift that they would be willing to invest towards helping the women's group continue their dream of having the rental units completed.
God is good! After several months of sharing, I was encouraged by several individuals who contributed, and the first couple kept their commitment as well.
CONSTRUCTION IS UNDERWAY
The construction is now continuing and the women of Plateau could not be more thrilled.
Next week, a women's church team from upstate NY will be working side by side with these women - painting, landscaping, sewing curtains and more. By the end of March one or more of these rental rooms will be completely finished and the ladies will then become landlords and income earners.
This is what empowering lives is all about: sharing Gods love in Word and in action! As this project continues there is no question in the minds of this dynamic women's group in Kenya - it is God who supplies according to His great power and blessing.
A special thank you goes to those of you who have participated in supporting this effort and other ministries of Empowering Lives International. If you would like to be a part of helping the women add to their rental structure or another similar project of ELI please contact Empowering Lives.
Together we can make a world of difference - one life at a time!
Here's the story, as told by Don Rogers.
GOD'S PROVIDENCE
While living in the village here in Kenya, my wife Amy and I were buying some supplies at a store in the closest major town called Eldoret. While walking towards the entrance, I was walking by two wazungu (white) women when I heard one of them say, "midwife training..." We were just arranging for such a training ourselves in another village, so I stopped and asked them about the training they referred to. They told me that the teacher was inside, so I waited there for her to come. Her name is Mary, and she is the wife of a village chief in Plateau, Kenya.
After talking about the midwife training, Mary told me that she and her husband have been praying for some way to combat the terrible alcoholism that has a hold on the men and women of their village. We (ELI-Kenya) had established an anti-alcohol program the year before, so after sharing with her we agreed that as soon as possible our national leader (Pastor Philip Rono) would visit their village and share the program with the chief.
FIRST MEETING IN PLATEAU
Within a few weeks, Pastor Rono visited Plateau. He thought he was going to talk with the Chief (which he did), but the chief had also invited most of the people from the village - including many of the women who were brewing alcohol and selling it for a source of income. The brew is called Changaa which means "Kill me quick!"
Changaa is actually a powerful and dangerous brew that the women make using fermented corn. Many of the women hate the alcohol and the effects of it, but they have so few sources of income that they feel they have no options in order to be able to buy food and pay school fees for their children.
Pastor Rono shared from his heart and shared his faith in Christ as well. Jesus is the higher power, he shared, and told them that there were steps that they could take to change their lives and come out from the disease of alcohol.
There was an immediate response, and within four months there were over a hundred people meeting regularly in small accountability groups - all becoming sober - taking it one day at a time - and learning about the love of Christ through the program. Within a year, over three hundred people were in the program and we were seeing regular conversions take place as we use the scriptures along with the 12 steps and we recognize Jesus is the higher power.
BAHASHA (ENVELOPE) WOMEN'S GROUP - 37 DETERMINED LADIES
Among the women who were brewing were many who desired to leave alcohol and to stop brewing and selling. However, they couldn't do this unless they had an alternate source of income. This is where ELI came in again. We offered them a short-term opportunity to work making and packaging hand-made paper which ELI would export to the USA and make available for a donation.
Thirty-seven of the women organized themselves and made paper for about a year and a half. This income was helpful but they (along with ELI ) desired that they have their own independent business. During the course of the paper program, ELI had encouraged the women to establish their own savings program which many of them did.
After much discussion and planning, the 37 women of the BAHASHA WOMEN'S GROUP each received a grant to help them establish their own business. But rather than invest their money independently, these women decided that they could do far more together than they could individually. They pooled ALL of their savings as well as the grant money from ELI and purchased property close to the city but not far from their village of Plateau. They set off to build their own rental units (three rooms) on a quarter acre.
Fencing and construction began immediately and enthusiasm was high. Soon, however, the cost of construction and living caught up with their savings and their financial resources were depleted. For a year and a half, the women continued to struggle but they have not been able to get ahead due to the high level of poverty and high costs of food and school fees.
Though the construction had stopped they have never given up hope.
Recently, I was in the USA and made a visit to ELI supporters and friends. Among the many reports of ministry progress, I shared with one couple about the needs and hopes of this women's group. This couple contacted me within a day and encouraged me to find others who would match a $1,000 gift that they would be willing to invest towards helping the women's group continue their dream of having the rental units completed.
God is good! After several months of sharing, I was encouraged by several individuals who contributed, and the first couple kept their commitment as well.
CONSTRUCTION IS UNDERWAY
The construction is now continuing and the women of Plateau could not be more thrilled.
Next week, a women's church team from upstate NY will be working side by side with these women - painting, landscaping, sewing curtains and more. By the end of March one or more of these rental rooms will be completely finished and the ladies will then become landlords and income earners.
This is what empowering lives is all about: sharing Gods love in Word and in action! As this project continues there is no question in the minds of this dynamic women's group in Kenya - it is God who supplies according to His great power and blessing.
A special thank you goes to those of you who have participated in supporting this effort and other ministries of Empowering Lives International. If you would like to be a part of helping the women add to their rental structure or another similar project of ELI please contact Empowering Lives.
Together we can make a world of difference - one life at a time!
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Sudan: Looking Back (and Looking Ahead)
Yesterday, Don showed photos from Sudan to our children at Ilula. Many committed to pray for their neighbors. They cheered time and again when they realized how God is using ELI in Kolmorek, Sudan.
Juli wrote the following piece about her visit to our neighbors to the north:
The Story Continues...
“Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously. And plead the cause of the poor & the needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9).
These are the words that resonate in my mind & my heart as I consider my journey to Southern Sudan. Over the past 11⁄2 years, through the vision & life of my friend, a Sudanese refugee named Stephen Reech, God has allowed my eyes to be opened and my heart to be softened towards the brokenness within the land of Sudan.
A Time to Return, A Time to Rebuild...
As I traveled along dirt paths through the desolate countryside of Sudan, I wondered what the place was like before the war. I also considered what it will be like after the masses return from their time in exile. There is a generation of children and adolescents who have lived their entire lives as refugees.
As a ministry, ELI’s vision is to empower the poor and oppressed that they may be able to know, worship, & serve God without hindrance. As the Sudanese return to their homeland, remnants of the war remain, and the Sudanese vulnerably fight to survive: physically, emotionally, & spiritually. After much prayer and consideration, it has been more than evident to the leadership of ELI that God is expanding the ministry and leading us to be a part of bringing His hope into the rebuilding & development of Southern Sudan.
On Sunday, our team had the privilege to attend one of the churches that Stephen had helped start before the war. As I listened to the Sudanese sing their songs of worship, I did not hear the sounds of celebration that I am accustomed to hearing in Kenya.
Although I could not understand the words they were saying, I deeply felt the cry of a people who were intensely and desperately, from the depths of their lives, calling out to God. As I was confronted with the beauty & the brokenness of this people, I was moved with compassion.
In a country where the governmental infrastructure is, at best, weak, there are many challenges to be faced. Within the area of health, resources are scarce and disease is rampant. There are major public health crises because of the mass number of returnees living in overpopulated camps as they await relocation.
Refugees are returning from Ethiopia, Uganda, & Kenya as well as areas of hiding throughout Southern Sudan. Cholera and yellow fever outbreaks as well as severe malnutrition amongst children are prevalent throughout the area. I visited several cattle camps where children are raised outdoors amongst thousands of cows. The children survive only off of the milk of their cattle. The eyes & faces of the children were covered with dirt and flies.
One of the major health problems throughout Southern Sudan is blindness caused by an easily preventable bacterial infection known as Trachoma. Throughout my time in Sudan, it was clear there is an abundant for the implementation of health programs, both preventative and curative.
In May, I am planning to return to Sudan with a team of healthcare workers from Kenya. As I have shared about the experiences I had in Sudan with my co-workers in Kenya, they have expressed the desire to go and share their knowledge and services with the people of Sudan. It is exciting to see those who have been empowered in Kenya desiring to be a part of empowering people in other parts of the world. In order for this trip & ministry to be possible, we need to raise nearly $10,000.
If God would lead you to join us financially in ministering to the sick in Sudan, please make your check to ELI & note that it is for “Health in Sudan”. In advance, I thank you for your partnership.
Praying for Peace...
As I have left Sudan and returned to my home in Kenya, there are many images and experiences that fill my mind. I cannot forget the 18-month old, severely malnourished, baby that sat naked on my lap as I visited a refugee camp. Although his life has started with so many odds against him, he is a part of the generation that is the future of the new Sudan.
I will also remember the words of Abraham, a 26 year old, who found God in the midst of exile. He explained, “I had lost my family when I left Sudan, and I kept asking myself: ‘who is my guide?’ When I was sick and did not have medicine, I asked myself: ‘who is my healer?’” Surely it was God.
And I still hear the fervor in the voices of the Sudanese as they chanted, “Exile is over. Exile is over. Exile is over.”
In a way that I’ve never understood to pray before, I pray that the Lord will make His face to shine upon Sudan. There is much forgiveness needed for healing to take place. Oh, I pray for peace.
Juli wrote the following piece about her visit to our neighbors to the north:
The Story Continues...
“Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously. And plead the cause of the poor & the needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9).
These are the words that resonate in my mind & my heart as I consider my journey to Southern Sudan. Over the past 11⁄2 years, through the vision & life of my friend, a Sudanese refugee named Stephen Reech, God has allowed my eyes to be opened and my heart to be softened towards the brokenness within the land of Sudan.
A Time to Return, A Time to Rebuild...
As I traveled along dirt paths through the desolate countryside of Sudan, I wondered what the place was like before the war. I also considered what it will be like after the masses return from their time in exile. There is a generation of children and adolescents who have lived their entire lives as refugees.
As a ministry, ELI’s vision is to empower the poor and oppressed that they may be able to know, worship, & serve God without hindrance. As the Sudanese return to their homeland, remnants of the war remain, and the Sudanese vulnerably fight to survive: physically, emotionally, & spiritually. After much prayer and consideration, it has been more than evident to the leadership of ELI that God is expanding the ministry and leading us to be a part of bringing His hope into the rebuilding & development of Southern Sudan.
On Sunday, our team had the privilege to attend one of the churches that Stephen had helped start before the war. As I listened to the Sudanese sing their songs of worship, I did not hear the sounds of celebration that I am accustomed to hearing in Kenya.
Although I could not understand the words they were saying, I deeply felt the cry of a people who were intensely and desperately, from the depths of their lives, calling out to God. As I was confronted with the beauty & the brokenness of this people, I was moved with compassion.
In a country where the governmental infrastructure is, at best, weak, there are many challenges to be faced. Within the area of health, resources are scarce and disease is rampant. There are major public health crises because of the mass number of returnees living in overpopulated camps as they await relocation.
Refugees are returning from Ethiopia, Uganda, & Kenya as well as areas of hiding throughout Southern Sudan. Cholera and yellow fever outbreaks as well as severe malnutrition amongst children are prevalent throughout the area. I visited several cattle camps where children are raised outdoors amongst thousands of cows. The children survive only off of the milk of their cattle. The eyes & faces of the children were covered with dirt and flies.
One of the major health problems throughout Southern Sudan is blindness caused by an easily preventable bacterial infection known as Trachoma. Throughout my time in Sudan, it was clear there is an abundant for the implementation of health programs, both preventative and curative.
In May, I am planning to return to Sudan with a team of healthcare workers from Kenya. As I have shared about the experiences I had in Sudan with my co-workers in Kenya, they have expressed the desire to go and share their knowledge and services with the people of Sudan. It is exciting to see those who have been empowered in Kenya desiring to be a part of empowering people in other parts of the world. In order for this trip & ministry to be possible, we need to raise nearly $10,000.
If God would lead you to join us financially in ministering to the sick in Sudan, please make your check to ELI & note that it is for “Health in Sudan”. In advance, I thank you for your partnership.
Praying for Peace...
As I have left Sudan and returned to my home in Kenya, there are many images and experiences that fill my mind. I cannot forget the 18-month old, severely malnourished, baby that sat naked on my lap as I visited a refugee camp. Although his life has started with so many odds against him, he is a part of the generation that is the future of the new Sudan.
I will also remember the words of Abraham, a 26 year old, who found God in the midst of exile. He explained, “I had lost my family when I left Sudan, and I kept asking myself: ‘who is my guide?’ When I was sick and did not have medicine, I asked myself: ‘who is my healer?’” Surely it was God.
And I still hear the fervor in the voices of the Sudanese as they chanted, “Exile is over. Exile is over. Exile is over.”
In a way that I’ve never understood to pray before, I pray that the Lord will make His face to shine upon Sudan. There is much forgiveness needed for healing to take place. Oh, I pray for peace.
Friday, February 24, 2006
The Heart of Worship
Worship in a rural African church is often one of the purest worship experiences. People come pouring their hearts out to the One they worship and expecting God to move.
Click on the photo to see a few more of the photos from Sudan.
Click on the photo to see a few more of the photos from Sudan.
Steven Reech
I am Stephen Reech, and I am from the Dinka tribe. I was born in 1964 in Kolmarek village, near the town of Bor in Southern Sudan. My father, who was the chief of our village, had several wives.
My great-grandfather was named Akuak. He is remembered to this day by the Abordit community because of his bravery during the colonial period. When the Turks and Arabs tried to arrest the Africans and sell them into slavery, Akuak resisted and defended his people. The merchants were so annoyed by the chief’s stand that they murdered him in the nearby Biong forest. Again the Arabs attempted to take the Africans to be slaves, but the spirit of resistance had been planted by Akuak, and they did not succeed.
Out of respect for Akuak’s great service, the community carried his body to bury him within his compound. Because Akuak had given his life to save the Abordit people, the community compensated his family with cows and erected a shrine at his gravesite. The shrine was a place of worship and prayer. Each year, the Dinka would visit Akuak’s shrine to offer the first harvest to be used by Akuak’s children and any first-born sons in the lineage of Akuak. The descendents of Akuak, in return, sacrificed a white cow each year to ask for rain and success for the community.
And so it was that when I was growing up, my family believed Akuak’s spirit was alive, and he was concerned with our welfare. We invited his spirit during the ceremony of slaughtering the white cow. It was believed that Akuak’s spirit could speak through an honest person whose ways were upright before the gods and would assure them of rain, peace and a good harvest.
In 1979, while in primary school, I put my faith in Christ and abandoned the worship of the spirits and other gods. I believed Jesus Christ—not Akuak—to be my Redeemer. At first, my family—who were viewed representatives of the redeemer Akuak—did not realize the seriousness of my new belief, nor the implications it would have on our family.
I attended church with my cousin, Daniel Reech, for five years without any challenges from our extended family. In 1984, I heard the call from God to serve him as a pastor, but I tried to avoid this because I feared the elderly would not take me seriously. I was after all, a young man, and everyone knew that my family was deeply rooted in idolatry. But there was a gentle voice telling me not to fear for He would be with me—I only needed to be faithful and obedient.
This was the beginning of a new chapter in my life: a life of rejection, faith, perseverance, and success.
My cousin Daniel and I decided to start preaching the Good News to our family members first. The message we carried was that God was the provider of rain, peace and good harvests. We preached that prosperity did not come from straining to please the spirit of Akuak, but rather, they should trust in God through Jesus Christ who died and was resurrected to redeem the world.
This message was rejected by many of our family members and the community at large. They opposed our teachings and claimed that our going against the spirit of Akuak would bring disaster to our family as well as to the whole community. They resolved that we should be excommunicated so that the community could evade destruction from the spirits and gods. Even our friends and relatives deserted us.
This opposition and rejection drew us closer to God in prayer and worship.
Our families thought that we were mad and others said we had bad luck and needed to be cleansed. We denied all these claims and told them boldly that the problem was that they did not understand the Word of God. In an attempt to stop us from preaching the Good News, which they termed as heresy, the elders reported to the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) commander that, by preaching a new religion and a new redeemer called Jesus, we were a danger to the peace of the society. They requested the military leaders to enroll us in the military to remove us from the village and to so that we could die in the war.
I praise God that the SPLA—as a military movement in opposition to the imposing of Islamic beliefs to the people of Southern Sudan—preferred Christian beliefs and disagreed with the elders. The community leaders kept insisting that we join the military because we were young and a nuisance to the society.
Eventually, Daniel and I were drafted into the SPLA. Because of illness, I was released but Daniel went to military training camp. The elders did not accept this and convinced one military captain to beat me so that I would change my mind and rejoin the military. I was beaten almost to the point of death; and when I was set free, I was bleeding and urinating blood. People thought that I would die, but I was up in two weeks’ time. God had healed me.
The healing I received from God made me preach the Gospel more courageously without any fear or doubt that God was with me. I knew this was His mission. This is a time I witnessed many people coming to Christ. People said, “If Stephen did not die, for sure his God is able.”
A small church started, and when we prayed for the sick, God did miracles to heal them. In fact, the son of my uncle who was in charge of the Akuak shrine, became very sick. After trying in vain to treat him through praying to their gods for healing, my aunt brought the young boy to the church. I led the church in a prayer of faith and instructed the mother to take the child home to rest because God had healed him. The next day, my aunt reported that there was great improvement in the health of my nephew John.
John was given a new name, John Mathung. The word mathung means “the grave” because the people believed he escaped the grave. After witnessing the power of God, several of my relatives including my brothers and their wives were saved. John’s healing made his parents and many others to believe in Jesus. John’s parents burned the idols erected within their home but spared the Akuak shrine because it belonged to the community. They moved the site of the shrine to another place.
Sadly, not all my brothers turned to Christ after this incident. My older brothers feared the wrath of the community if they, as leaders of the priesthood family, refused to worship Akuak and other gods.
My mother, too, was not yet a believer, but one day she was sick and when I went to her house to see how to help, God impressed on me to pray only after the idols in the house had been destroyed. Immediately I started burning the idols which had been erected in the house and the compound. Then I prayed for my mother, and the next morning she was well and made a decision to follow Christ.
As a result of my mother’s healing and faith decision, two of my stepmothers, two of my aunts and two of my sisters came to faith in Christ within the next month.
By 1990, I had destroyed many idols in our extended family, but the Akuak shrine remained. One night, God revealed to me that the Akuak shrine was the stronghold for idolatry in our community. Upon realizing this, I set the shrine on fire that night. When the people awoke the next morning and discovered that the shrine was in ashes, they assembled at the site. I anticipated that I would be killed, but praise God the women only brought food to appease Akuak’s spirit, and the men decided to go to the commissioner to report the incident. I was arrested and locked up in Kolmarek jail for one week until the case would be heard.
At the hearing, the commissioner and other senior officials of the SPLA were present. The worshipers of Akuak came with objects signifying their beliefs, and the Christians came with flags bearing the cross. The Christians sang songs in praise of Jesus while the other group sang songs in praise of Akuak as well as to the other gods.
When the community leaders explained their accusations against me, God gave me the wisdom to defend my actions. I argued that, since the land where Akuak’s shrine was erected belonged to my family and my uncle who was in charge as the last born son of my grandfather had been saved, it was wise to destroy the shrine. I said that if anyone wanted to erect the shrine it should be in their own land.
The commissioner and his panel ruled in my favor saying that it was against the policies of the SPLA to force an individual or family to worship or to have a shrine that is contrary to their beliefs. The commissioner advised the leaders to erect the shrine within the same location, and I was instructed not to interfere. I was advised to build a church 100 meters away from the shrine.
The leaders agreed to rebuild the shrine and insisted that I pay a cow to be sacrificed, but the panel passed that the community leaders would have to give their own cow for the sacrifice. The Christians were not to be forced to participate. After being released, I went back to Kolmarek and served as the pastor of 3 churches within our village.
This was not the end of the war between the community leaders and myself. They insisted that I join the military and leave them in peace to worship their gods.
In October of 1990, the leaders succeeded to convince one military commander to take me to the military camp. It was very unfortunate, because I had been married to my wife Elizabeth for only one month. When I was taken to the military camp, my wife moved to Torit which is approximately 20 miles away from the military camp in which I was staying. At the military camp, the leader learned that I was forced to join the military in order to stop me from preaching the Gospel. Because the leader believed in Christ Jesus, he set me free.
Upon being released from the military camp, I traveled to Torit to see my wife. From there, I traveled to Bor to assess the situation before taking my wife back to Kolmarek. When I arrived in Bor, the Arabs and other SPLA opponents had attacked the region. They had killed thousands of civilians, looted property, stolen cows and burned the houses. I quickly ran back to safety in Torit and remained there 2 more days until the SPLA had driven back the Arabs.
In 1991, I worked as the pastor in charge of the Bor Pentecostal Churches. Since the Arabs had destroyed all of the property and food, famine struck and many people lost their lives. In search of safety and food, thousands traveled to Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia. To save our lives, my wife and I lived along the the Nile River for a period of 8 months. We ate fish to survive.
In December of 1992, we traveled by foot for one-and-a-half months to the border of Uganda. Along the way, we ate leaves and wild fruits. In Uganda, we lived in the Koboko refugee camp. Within the camp, I preached and worked as the chairman of the Dinka community.
While in the camp, due to disease, we lost two sons. In 1995, my wife and I moved to Kenya. My wife lived in the Kakuma refugee camp while I attended Bible School. At Kakuma refugee camp, I mobilized Sudanese Christians to fellowship together which grew to be the Sudan Pentecostal Church.
Our son Mayen was born in Kakuma. He was very sick; and if it were not for God, we would have lost him, too. When I see Mayen playing with his sister Mercy, it reminds me what a good God we serve. Elizabeth, my wife, stayed in Kakuma for 2 years and was blessed to receive a scholarship to study tailoring near the Bible school I was attending. We faced many challenges, but God provided for our needs. We were able to complete our studies.
In 2000, we had planned to return to Sudan, but God blessed us with a farm in the government forest where my family was able to live and farm for 1 year. The harvest provided enough food to last for 2 years. In 2003, I joined the African Inland Church Missionary College. The community development course was of utmost interest to me. Within it, I learned ways to break the cycles of poverty in our churches and communities back in Sudan. I had a vision to initiate programs to train people on spiritual and physical matters to break cycles of poverty amongst pastors, believers, and the community. To accomplish this vision, I registered the Upper Nile Christian Development Organization with the aim of training our communities with new skills of farming, new technologies and with spiritual development to encourage those coming back to Sudan to move beyond the past and to start a new life of love and forgiveness between Christians and Muslims.
My community development teacher, Samuel Teimuge, introduced me to Empowering Lives International, a missions organization that already had the same vision as mine. We agreed to partner together as Empowering Lives Sudan to better the lives of the people of Sudan in this period of peace.
After 13 years of exile, in January of 2005, the peace treaty was being signed; and I returned home to Sudan to visit. I was very sad and broken when I witnessed the suffering of my people. The children are naked, hungry and many are sick. I traveled with a Kenyan named Micah, and he was shocked by the sights he was seeing. After 3 months, with the partnership of Empowering Lives, I returned to Sudan to start the rebuilding process. I built two small huts and fenced seven acres that will be used to build the training center and a demonstration farm. In addition, I planted 24 mango trees on the farm and raised a nursery bed to be able to plant indigenous trees. In the future, it is my prayer and plan to build a mission clinic at the site where the Akuak shrine once was situated.
My great-grandfather was named Akuak. He is remembered to this day by the Abordit community because of his bravery during the colonial period. When the Turks and Arabs tried to arrest the Africans and sell them into slavery, Akuak resisted and defended his people. The merchants were so annoyed by the chief’s stand that they murdered him in the nearby Biong forest. Again the Arabs attempted to take the Africans to be slaves, but the spirit of resistance had been planted by Akuak, and they did not succeed.
Out of respect for Akuak’s great service, the community carried his body to bury him within his compound. Because Akuak had given his life to save the Abordit people, the community compensated his family with cows and erected a shrine at his gravesite. The shrine was a place of worship and prayer. Each year, the Dinka would visit Akuak’s shrine to offer the first harvest to be used by Akuak’s children and any first-born sons in the lineage of Akuak. The descendents of Akuak, in return, sacrificed a white cow each year to ask for rain and success for the community.
And so it was that when I was growing up, my family believed Akuak’s spirit was alive, and he was concerned with our welfare. We invited his spirit during the ceremony of slaughtering the white cow. It was believed that Akuak’s spirit could speak through an honest person whose ways were upright before the gods and would assure them of rain, peace and a good harvest.
In 1979, while in primary school, I put my faith in Christ and abandoned the worship of the spirits and other gods. I believed Jesus Christ—not Akuak—to be my Redeemer. At first, my family—who were viewed representatives of the redeemer Akuak—did not realize the seriousness of my new belief, nor the implications it would have on our family.
I attended church with my cousin, Daniel Reech, for five years without any challenges from our extended family. In 1984, I heard the call from God to serve him as a pastor, but I tried to avoid this because I feared the elderly would not take me seriously. I was after all, a young man, and everyone knew that my family was deeply rooted in idolatry. But there was a gentle voice telling me not to fear for He would be with me—I only needed to be faithful and obedient.
This was the beginning of a new chapter in my life: a life of rejection, faith, perseverance, and success.
My cousin Daniel and I decided to start preaching the Good News to our family members first. The message we carried was that God was the provider of rain, peace and good harvests. We preached that prosperity did not come from straining to please the spirit of Akuak, but rather, they should trust in God through Jesus Christ who died and was resurrected to redeem the world.
This message was rejected by many of our family members and the community at large. They opposed our teachings and claimed that our going against the spirit of Akuak would bring disaster to our family as well as to the whole community. They resolved that we should be excommunicated so that the community could evade destruction from the spirits and gods. Even our friends and relatives deserted us.
This opposition and rejection drew us closer to God in prayer and worship.
Our families thought that we were mad and others said we had bad luck and needed to be cleansed. We denied all these claims and told them boldly that the problem was that they did not understand the Word of God. In an attempt to stop us from preaching the Good News, which they termed as heresy, the elders reported to the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) commander that, by preaching a new religion and a new redeemer called Jesus, we were a danger to the peace of the society. They requested the military leaders to enroll us in the military to remove us from the village and to so that we could die in the war.
I praise God that the SPLA—as a military movement in opposition to the imposing of Islamic beliefs to the people of Southern Sudan—preferred Christian beliefs and disagreed with the elders. The community leaders kept insisting that we join the military because we were young and a nuisance to the society.
Eventually, Daniel and I were drafted into the SPLA. Because of illness, I was released but Daniel went to military training camp. The elders did not accept this and convinced one military captain to beat me so that I would change my mind and rejoin the military. I was beaten almost to the point of death; and when I was set free, I was bleeding and urinating blood. People thought that I would die, but I was up in two weeks’ time. God had healed me.
The healing I received from God made me preach the Gospel more courageously without any fear or doubt that God was with me. I knew this was His mission. This is a time I witnessed many people coming to Christ. People said, “If Stephen did not die, for sure his God is able.”
A small church started, and when we prayed for the sick, God did miracles to heal them. In fact, the son of my uncle who was in charge of the Akuak shrine, became very sick. After trying in vain to treat him through praying to their gods for healing, my aunt brought the young boy to the church. I led the church in a prayer of faith and instructed the mother to take the child home to rest because God had healed him. The next day, my aunt reported that there was great improvement in the health of my nephew John.
John was given a new name, John Mathung. The word mathung means “the grave” because the people believed he escaped the grave. After witnessing the power of God, several of my relatives including my brothers and their wives were saved. John’s healing made his parents and many others to believe in Jesus. John’s parents burned the idols erected within their home but spared the Akuak shrine because it belonged to the community. They moved the site of the shrine to another place.
Sadly, not all my brothers turned to Christ after this incident. My older brothers feared the wrath of the community if they, as leaders of the priesthood family, refused to worship Akuak and other gods.
My mother, too, was not yet a believer, but one day she was sick and when I went to her house to see how to help, God impressed on me to pray only after the idols in the house had been destroyed. Immediately I started burning the idols which had been erected in the house and the compound. Then I prayed for my mother, and the next morning she was well and made a decision to follow Christ.
As a result of my mother’s healing and faith decision, two of my stepmothers, two of my aunts and two of my sisters came to faith in Christ within the next month.
By 1990, I had destroyed many idols in our extended family, but the Akuak shrine remained. One night, God revealed to me that the Akuak shrine was the stronghold for idolatry in our community. Upon realizing this, I set the shrine on fire that night. When the people awoke the next morning and discovered that the shrine was in ashes, they assembled at the site. I anticipated that I would be killed, but praise God the women only brought food to appease Akuak’s spirit, and the men decided to go to the commissioner to report the incident. I was arrested and locked up in Kolmarek jail for one week until the case would be heard.
At the hearing, the commissioner and other senior officials of the SPLA were present. The worshipers of Akuak came with objects signifying their beliefs, and the Christians came with flags bearing the cross. The Christians sang songs in praise of Jesus while the other group sang songs in praise of Akuak as well as to the other gods.
When the community leaders explained their accusations against me, God gave me the wisdom to defend my actions. I argued that, since the land where Akuak’s shrine was erected belonged to my family and my uncle who was in charge as the last born son of my grandfather had been saved, it was wise to destroy the shrine. I said that if anyone wanted to erect the shrine it should be in their own land.
The commissioner and his panel ruled in my favor saying that it was against the policies of the SPLA to force an individual or family to worship or to have a shrine that is contrary to their beliefs. The commissioner advised the leaders to erect the shrine within the same location, and I was instructed not to interfere. I was advised to build a church 100 meters away from the shrine.
The leaders agreed to rebuild the shrine and insisted that I pay a cow to be sacrificed, but the panel passed that the community leaders would have to give their own cow for the sacrifice. The Christians were not to be forced to participate. After being released, I went back to Kolmarek and served as the pastor of 3 churches within our village.
This was not the end of the war between the community leaders and myself. They insisted that I join the military and leave them in peace to worship their gods.
In October of 1990, the leaders succeeded to convince one military commander to take me to the military camp. It was very unfortunate, because I had been married to my wife Elizabeth for only one month. When I was taken to the military camp, my wife moved to Torit which is approximately 20 miles away from the military camp in which I was staying. At the military camp, the leader learned that I was forced to join the military in order to stop me from preaching the Gospel. Because the leader believed in Christ Jesus, he set me free.
Upon being released from the military camp, I traveled to Torit to see my wife. From there, I traveled to Bor to assess the situation before taking my wife back to Kolmarek. When I arrived in Bor, the Arabs and other SPLA opponents had attacked the region. They had killed thousands of civilians, looted property, stolen cows and burned the houses. I quickly ran back to safety in Torit and remained there 2 more days until the SPLA had driven back the Arabs.
In 1991, I worked as the pastor in charge of the Bor Pentecostal Churches. Since the Arabs had destroyed all of the property and food, famine struck and many people lost their lives. In search of safety and food, thousands traveled to Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia. To save our lives, my wife and I lived along the the Nile River for a period of 8 months. We ate fish to survive.
In December of 1992, we traveled by foot for one-and-a-half months to the border of Uganda. Along the way, we ate leaves and wild fruits. In Uganda, we lived in the Koboko refugee camp. Within the camp, I preached and worked as the chairman of the Dinka community.
While in the camp, due to disease, we lost two sons. In 1995, my wife and I moved to Kenya. My wife lived in the Kakuma refugee camp while I attended Bible School. At Kakuma refugee camp, I mobilized Sudanese Christians to fellowship together which grew to be the Sudan Pentecostal Church.
Our son Mayen was born in Kakuma. He was very sick; and if it were not for God, we would have lost him, too. When I see Mayen playing with his sister Mercy, it reminds me what a good God we serve. Elizabeth, my wife, stayed in Kakuma for 2 years and was blessed to receive a scholarship to study tailoring near the Bible school I was attending. We faced many challenges, but God provided for our needs. We were able to complete our studies.
In 2000, we had planned to return to Sudan, but God blessed us with a farm in the government forest where my family was able to live and farm for 1 year. The harvest provided enough food to last for 2 years. In 2003, I joined the African Inland Church Missionary College. The community development course was of utmost interest to me. Within it, I learned ways to break the cycles of poverty in our churches and communities back in Sudan. I had a vision to initiate programs to train people on spiritual and physical matters to break cycles of poverty amongst pastors, believers, and the community. To accomplish this vision, I registered the Upper Nile Christian Development Organization with the aim of training our communities with new skills of farming, new technologies and with spiritual development to encourage those coming back to Sudan to move beyond the past and to start a new life of love and forgiveness between Christians and Muslims.
My community development teacher, Samuel Teimuge, introduced me to Empowering Lives International, a missions organization that already had the same vision as mine. We agreed to partner together as Empowering Lives Sudan to better the lives of the people of Sudan in this period of peace.
After 13 years of exile, in January of 2005, the peace treaty was being signed; and I returned home to Sudan to visit. I was very sad and broken when I witnessed the suffering of my people. The children are naked, hungry and many are sick. I traveled with a Kenyan named Micah, and he was shocked by the sights he was seeing. After 3 months, with the partnership of Empowering Lives, I returned to Sudan to start the rebuilding process. I built two small huts and fenced seven acres that will be used to build the training center and a demonstration farm. In addition, I planted 24 mango trees on the farm and raised a nursery bed to be able to plant indigenous trees. In the future, it is my prayer and plan to build a mission clinic at the site where the Akuak shrine once was situated.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Safely Home
As I'm writing this update, the last two members of the Sudan team are landing at LAX airport. I cannot help but wonder what is going through their minds as they adjust to life in the US. Los Angeles is 9,000 miles (or 14,500 km) away from Bor, Sudan. Yet the guys (and Juli) need only close their eyes and they'd be right back in Kolmarek Village, Southern Sudan...
This was evident at lunch after the team landed in Eldoret. Steven Fitch and Kevin Robertson headed on to Nairobi to catch their flight to LA, but Jim Mann and Tom Hamic had one more day to visit our Kipkaren site for business. Over lunch, the team related stories of getting lost among the cows at the cattle camp, of the beauty and simplicity of the Dinka culture, of the people of Kolmarek's faith in the God who has stood by them through years of trials.
I will be asking individuals to relate first hand what they had experienced, and I'll upload stories as they come in. Tomorrow, I'll post the testimony of Steven Reech, ELI's director in Sudan.
Due to technical difficulties, I'll post only a few photos (taken by Steven Fitch). As and when more become available, I will post them on this site, also.
In the meantime, thank you for your prayers. Thank you, too, for continuing to pray for the Dinka people in Southern Sudan.
This was evident at lunch after the team landed in Eldoret. Steven Fitch and Kevin Robertson headed on to Nairobi to catch their flight to LA, but Jim Mann and Tom Hamic had one more day to visit our Kipkaren site for business. Over lunch, the team related stories of getting lost among the cows at the cattle camp, of the beauty and simplicity of the Dinka culture, of the people of Kolmarek's faith in the God who has stood by them through years of trials.
I will be asking individuals to relate first hand what they had experienced, and I'll upload stories as they come in. Tomorrow, I'll post the testimony of Steven Reech, ELI's director in Sudan.
Due to technical difficulties, I'll post only a few photos (taken by Steven Fitch). As and when more become available, I will post them on this site, also.
In the meantime, thank you for your prayers. Thank you, too, for continuing to pray for the Dinka people in Southern Sudan.
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