Doing Kingdom work in Southern Sudan

Warriors,

1. Our cluster leader, Tim Tidenberg, was just informed that his mother passed away suddenly and as I type this he is on his way back to the States. Pray that his travels will not not be exhausting to him and that God will give him peace in this situation.

2. I arrived back home in Rumbek yesterday – to the “March mountain of dust” everywhere. Been busy digging out and washing everything that was exposed while we were gone. Felt like one of those old-time movies where a lost traveler discovers an old mountain shack, walks in, and starts blowing the dust off of everything. My footprints were like walking in snow. Cathy comes back on Tuesday, hopefully, so I want the homestead cleaned before then.

3. Cathy is in Kapoeta where she is trying to get things in order for the water supply and fencing to get done before the house arrives on site. This is a big task and I ask that you be praying for her as she deals with many crucial details in this process.

4. Our J-men continue to do a great job in their respective assignments. They have bible studies going, English classes, computer courses, woman’s work, HIV/AIDS programs, etc. They are truly making a Kingdom impact in this small corner of the globe.

5. Pray for Tim Ahlen and his team of pastors who are coming out on March 22 to so some discipleship and training in our new Bible school in Akot. This is an exciting time for all of us but we know that Satan does not like what we are doing in this dark land. Ask God that as we faithfully follow his direction he will give success to this team and that many Sudanese will be trained to be better servants for his Kingdom.

6. Our trip to the States was hectic as always, but accomplished many of our goals. We had a wonderful time at Idlewild BC and believe we are moving to the next stage in our partnership – with them and others together. Ask the the Holy Spirit would unite our minds for Kingdom goals and objectives that we can accomplish together as one team.

To God be the glory,

Mark and Cathy

Warriors,

I arrived safely last night and it’s now 4:30 am the next morning. Can’t sleep and jet lag is attacking. The first two legs of my trip were filled with packed planes and very cramped seating – and screaming babies. The leg down to Nairobi did get me some sleep but not much. In about an hour this section’s leadership team is off to Western Kenya for some time together. Be praying for this time of bonding as we seek God’s will for this region’s Kingdom growth.

Please pray for Cathy to have a great time with her family this week before she returns to Sudan – where a pile of work awaits her. She and I will meet up here in Kenya for about two days before going our separate ways again.

Also remember that Tim Ahlen’s team of pastors will be coming on the 22nd of March for some training for our pastors in Akot and some renewing of friendships up in the Pakam region where they have planted work over the past few years.

To God be the glory,

mk

To the faithful praying for Sudan Kingdom work,

1. Cathy, Andres and the Abbotts all arrived safely in Kapoeta as the sun was going down. They had a long day at the border crossing but God graciously allowed the officials to find favor with them and they were able to bring the vehicles in with no problems. Andres and his knowledge of the Dinka language was a huge help as there are many Dinka officials at the border crossing.

2. Andres in now in Kenya for some R&R and Cathy and the Abbotts are in Juba looking for housing for Truitt and Cindy. Again, we ask you to intercede on their behalf, that God would allow them to find the perfect housing for their residence in Juba. This is no small feat in a town that has been said to be the second most expensive on the planet. Just another opportunity for God to show his sovereignty over all things to his believing children. Be praying for the Abbotts to be meeting all the right people, in all the right places, as they begin their ministry for Kingdom work in Juba.

3. Cathy will be traveling to Nairobi (on Tuesday) and on to the States on Wednesday. Pray that she will have good flights with comfortable seats. Having just made that 30+ hour trek I understand what a difference good seating means at the end of the day. Cathy has been under some great stresses in the past few weeks and really needs a refreshing break.

4. Thank you for praying for Travis and his son during the past weeks. They were a tremendous help to us and Wycliffe as we all dealt with a myriad of challenges in our ministries and lives. They will be traveling back to the States as many of you read this. Offer up to God a praise for their generosity and faithfulness to our team. We so appreciate them. Wycliffe is back with his wife after getting a flight out to Nairobi last weekend. God is good…..

Thank you all so much for standing alongside of our team,

mk

Warriors,

Been a while since you have heard from us but , rest assured, we are still embroiled in a mountain of spiritual warfare out here. Here are our latest and most urgent requests as of today;

1. Pray for Wycliffe – again. His wife has had to go back into the hospital and as I write this we do not know what the situation is. It appears that Wiki might have to leave and go back to Kenya again. The recent surgery she had seems to have a recurring infection. Wiki had to turn over the deed to his land so they would do the surgery in the first place (we just found this out) and until he pays the final $300 he will not get it back. Now it appears there will be more expenses.

2. Cathy, Andres and the Abbotts are now in Loki and will be driving the new vehicles for our two new families into Sudan tomorrow (Wednesday). There are now armed soldiers going in caravans over the stretch of “no mans land” between the borders for safety from bandits. Once at the Sudan checkpoint they will have to process all the documents to bring the vehicles in. This has been known to take days, or even weeks, and there is no place to stay overnight unless they return to Kenya. Please intercede for them and ask that they and their documents will find favor with the officials at the border and that they will proceed straight through without any unnecessary hassles.

3. I will be on a plane for the States by the time that most of you will be reading this. It will be a very busy three weeks for me with many meetings, phone calls, conferences, etc. Ask God for his favor on me as I seek to be His ambassador for the work in southern Sudan. Cathy will be joining me in about a week (if all goes well in Sudan) for a major conference in Tampa at Idlewild BC.

4. Pray for our new families: Truitt and Cindy, who are traveling, learning, and experiencing with Cathy this whole week. The handing over process is a long and steep learning curve, especially in Sudan. Also be praying for Shannon and Carrie, and their three boys, who are currently in training at the ILC in Richmond. I know they are anxious to get out here on the field and get started with all the “important” things (like language and cultural learning ) but pray for them to have a peace in what they are experiencing there and to enjoy their last weeks in the States.

5. Our journeymen are really cranking up things in Rumbek with programs going at the Youth Center and proposals flying for the HIV/AIDS work. Several of them will be taking some time out this month from the rigors of life in Sudan. Be praying for them to return refreshed in body and in Spirit and ready to serve with joy once again.

6. One final note – Travis Boyle and his son Travis (Gomez, for short) have been spending a few weeks encouraging Wiki and enjoying the daily life in our little corner of the globe. They will be traveling home on Monday and Tuesday of next week so pray for safe travels. Also pray that this time together in Africa will have a permanent impact on Travis jr’s life in the future.

I know this is a lot to be interceding for but we covet your prayers in an eternal way. As our service expands so do our needs for intercession. Satan never rests in his opposition and I don’t believe we should do so either.

To God be the glory,

mk

Warriors,

Just a time of great news and rejoicing in this update

1. The team from Dawson Memorial came out and did and incredible amount of work in one week’s time. We now have a new Baptist Training Center structure which will be used as a multi-purpose building to train the women, youth, pastors and church leaders of the future. The women already have a training scheduled for Feb. 5-6! God enabled us all to overcome challenge after challenge that Satan threw our way and as I write this some of the youth and pastors are finishing up the new fence around the property – thanks to Friendly Avenue BC. When we return to Sudan after our conference here in Kenya we will send out some pictures for all to enjoy.

2. Wycliffe made it back to Sudan after his wife’s successful surgery. She is recovering nicely and is now home with family members taking care of her. PTL

3. Our new journeyman, Jermaine, arrived the day before our volunteer team and we put him right to work – didn’t even give him a chance to deal with jet lag. He is doing great and is a perfect fit to return the team to the “Sudan Six” again. Be praying for him as he embarks on his language learning journey this week.

Thanks to all of you for being such faithful intercessors for our team. You are such an integral part of Kingdom work here in Sudan.

In His service,

mk

To the faithful for Sudan,

1. I made it back to Sudan healthy and only mildly jet-lagged. Had a great “sleeping seat” on my flight across the Atlantic (it was the direct result of prayer – the flight was full with all seats taken but….when the door closed on the plane there was a seat on the spacious bulkhead open and the flight attendant said I could have it!) Slept like a baby all the way to the UK. Thank you for interceding.

2. My time in the States was very successful and God honored the time I spent there with our son. Much was accomplished. PTL

3. Our Bible school supplies lorry is somewhere in Sudan right now. Continue to pray for the safe delivery of the goods to Akot. Also pray that we can secure all the lumber that we need in the next day or two.

4. Intercede for the work at the youth center in town. We had a meeting with the local leaders yesterday to iron out some wrinkles in our agreement and it looks like we are back on a path that will allow us to bring good programs of education, Bible studies, and training to the youth in Rumbek. Pray for Jamie, Laura, Andres and Jermaine as they follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in all they do at the center. There are great possibilities for ministry at the center and we want to use the gifts and talents we have to serve the Master fully.

5. Continue to uplift Wycliffe. He has been pretty sick since I returned but is now gradually coming out of it. He has been very discouraged with events that have been happening all around this area (tribal fighting, thefts, deceit from locals, etc) and really needs a fresh encounter with God. He will be returning to Kenya in a couple of weeks so he can be around when his wife has a surgery to repair a previous surgery. Ask that all their needs will be met and that the surgery will be successful this time.

To God be the glory,

mk

Warriors,

There are some praises from past, and present, intercessions that we wanted you to know about -

• We got word today that our duty free letter has arrived to allow the supplies for the Bible school project to travel to Sudan. A huge thanks for remaining faithful in that one.
• The woman’s training team is now on the ground with Cathy in Rumbek and Akot. On Monday they begin their training sessions in Akot. Getting women together in African societies is always a tough issue but be praying that each woman will be able to attend all the sessions and that the Holy Spirit will work miracles in their lives this week. Pray for great translators and an encouraging time for each participant.
• I arrived safely in the States (and had great seats on the way) and have one more week here with my son. Ask that God will so fill us both with wisdom and understanding that we will know His will for the coming months. Ask that Joshua’s school schedule will come together in a perfect way for him.
• Continue to pray for Jermaine as he prepares for his field assignment in Richmond. Our whole team is really excited about his joining us.
• This is a great time of transition for Shannon Lewis and his family as they prepare to join us early next year. Praise God for selling their house in His perfect timing. Ask that this holiday season will be one of rejoicing with family members. Be praying that we can have their housing ready for them when they join us in the spring.
• Pray for the Abbotts (Truitt and Cindy) as they too are in training in Richmond and will join us early next year. They will take a huge load off of Cathy’s shoulders this coming year. We still have to find housing for them so this remains a big intercessory request.
• Please continue to pray for Wycliffe. He is still down and discouraged and I have not been there to encourage him for many weeks. Ask God to infuse his life with encouraging thoughts, people and actions so that he can clearly see the Lord at work and desire to “stay the course”.
• One final thing – I currently have really poor seats for the return flights due to a late change in my plans. Could you ask for better ones that will enable me some sleep on the flight across the ocean…and on down to Africa (the Africa leg is the same length as the trans-Atlantic).

I know this is a lot of things to be interceding for on our behalf. But God’s word does say, “you don’t have because you don’t ask”…,we are now asking,,,,and praising….and rejoicing….

To God be the glory,

mk

Warriors,

To bring you up to date on some news and previous requests,

1. We now have a new journeyman coming to join our team. His name is Jermaine Edwards. He is a pastor’s son and is from Ohio. We are all ecstatic and can’t wait till he hits the field. This is a true answer to your intercessions. He is now in training in Richmond until the end of the year.

2. We are still having some major problems getting our building supplies shipped in from Kenya. There is one holdup after another. Just last week the requirements changed yet again for what the government wants from us to bring the goods in duty free. So we were back at square one. The goods are loaded on the truck just waiting to go up. Please intercede. My poor logistics coordinator wife is nearly in tears over this ordeal.

3. Cathy and I had a very enjoyable week on the beach in Malindi where we were ‘pretty much’ able to leave work behind. The past ten days we had another conference on the coast that also was relaxing, while at the same time challenging.

4. I will be making a quick, one week, trip to the States beginning on Sunday. Please be praying for good flights, great connections, and even better seat assignments. Those long flights can be mighty uncomfortable for tall people in cramped seats. Be praying for Cathy as she returns to Sudan on Wednesday. There is a lot to accomplish between now and then for both of us.

5. Be praying especially for our gardener/day watchman Wycliffe. He is really struggling right now with being in Sudan surrounded by people who do not seem to be his friends. Ask God to send someone special into his life that will be a friend, encourager, and counselor. Ask that he will understand that this person is straight from God!

To God be the glory,

mk

Warriors,

As most of you know we are trying to get a Pastors Training Center built and running in Akot. There is a team from Dawson BC coming out in January to help with the construction (we’re using two containers with a roof over it) and are trying to get the building materials into Sudan with our duty free status. It has been one fiasco after another with the government agency responsible for issuing us this permission. Cathy is totally frustrated and it has been making her “holiday” time somewhat less than relaxing.

We are pleading that you send up a concerted petition to the Creator and Sustainer of all things, the One who can move kings’ minds like a stream, and ask Him to be merciful on our plea for this permission. Ask that the Minister of Finance would grant us this permission immediately so we can proceed. Time is a crucial element here as it will take a couple of weeks for the goods to get here and then the man who is doing the preparatory work for us has to scramble to get his work done – all before the team arrives the first days of January. We have been working on this paperwork for about two months and to date have nothing to show for it. Be praying for Mendy and Lori who are on the front lines of this struggle for us – and by the time you read this Lori will be on holiday out of the country as well.

We know that Satan is opposing us at every step of the way in this Kingdom effort. For him to see a Bible school planted, teaching and training young Sudanese men and women how to have an intimate relationship with the Creator is certainly not something that he wants to see happen. Please help….

Mark and Cathy

Following email was received as further details about tribal fighting:

“Here is a report on the fighting from a local person.

It occurred at the Barkeny Market which is 12 miles away from Akot between Duor- Ciek and Duor- bar of Atiaba Payam and Thonic.

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The fight was caused by a song which was composed by Duor-ciek about Duor-bar. Four young men were killed. One of the young men is the son of the police inspector of Rumbek East County named Ruth Mourwel Makuei.

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You may find it comforting to know that it appears to be confined to the area south of the river from you compound. I am sure that Wycliff is still quite nervous over it, though.”