Doing Kingdom work in Southern Sudan

I got an email from Wycliffe today thanking everyone who has been praying for his family and the entire situation in Kenya. I’ll paste it here below for all to see.

“Sometimes people do forget to give testmony of what has happaned in their life, and on that behalf i would like take this chance just to thank all Christians who gathered all over the States praying for peace and calm in Kenya. For sure God is doing great things and we hope soon there will be peace there. I got an sms today that things are coming to normal and thats why i want you to know that your prayers have not just been noise in the eyes of the LORD but a better perfume. BARIKIWA SANA.”

Cathy and I have some major challenges in the months ahead of us. Housing for six new colleagues, language programs for them to go through, five volunteer teams coming in before June, budgets to be completed, etc. Please be praying for us in these days that through it all we can be Kingdom builders that will glorify our Master each and every day.

Praise the Lord Wycliffe was able to return to Rumbek this past week. I just got an email from him detailing the trials he and his family have gone through the past month in Kenya. His wife and children are now safe and staying in Uganda with relatives. They managed to flee just in time – the next day Wycliffe was informed that his house was burned down to the ground by those from another tribe. We are so grateful to God for allowing us contact with him during this troubling time and that he and his family’s lives were spared. Please continue to pray along side of us for a peace to return to their hearts in the midst of all the turmoil and that God would give them assurance of His care for them in the days ahead. Ask that we all know exactly what we should do and when to do it.

Just returned from four chilly days in Houston – where Cathy and I thought we were going to thaw out from the recent snow and frigid cold in Atlanta. Turns out the air wasn’t much warmer there but the hearts sure were. We had an incredible time fellowshipping with the saints in Calvary BC in Beaumont. We were able to speak in a couple of classes, as well as the evening service on Sunday, giving the people a vision of what God is doing, and about to do, in southern Sudan.

One of the neatest things about the weekend was the coming together of a long-term partnership with Calvary and Hyde Park BC to reach the unreached Taposa people group. This has been our number one request and focus for the past year or two now and God has now graciously began to show us how He has been working in others hearts and minds all this time, and is now bringing many of us together in service to the Taposa.

On Monday we had a meeting together to discuss strategies and plans it was abundantly evident to all in the room that God was indeed working in several hearts around the States, as well as in Africa, to bring us into agreement and focus to bring a transformational gospel to the Taposa. In the coming weeks and months you should be hearing from us of vision trips, volunteer teams, short and long-term personnel and much more headed into southern Sudan to proclaim the Word and to assist the needy amongst this people. We invite you to join with us in concerted prayer that we all might go forward in unity and faith to bring light and peace where none has been before.

To God be the glory,

mk

God is soooo good – all the time. A lot of meetings have been going on this past couple of months that concern future events in the south for believers. Many of us have been exploring how we can be better stewards and better trainers in the Christian walk for our brothers in Sudan. While nothing is set in concrete just yet, we do have several partners who are well along in their plans to step into the gap for our leaders in the church.

We have been looking at how we can re-open the Bible school in Rumbek (this is near to happening), how we can build and operate a vocational training school in conjunction with the Bible school (moving along towards becoming a reality), how we can seriously ramp up our involvement with the thousands of youth who have virtually nothing to do all day long and how we can come alongside of our churches to help them support their pastors.

After so many years of feeling like we were alone in this God has amazingly revealed Himself and shown us that we are NOT in this alone and there are many others who have our same heart’s desire for our Sudanese brothers. In the weeks and months ahead we should be providing you with some exciting news as many of these plans unfold and we move closer alongside of our Sudanese leadership to give them the encouragement they need to move boldly forward with the gospel and discipling those that take up the challenge of transformational living.

We received news today that our final journeyman puzzle piece is being fitted and should be completing the team of six who are on their way out this coming spring. What an incredible answer to prayer.

Like I said – He is soooooo good! To Him be the glory,

mk

This past week we got some very sad news – the ACMI Bible school has had to close due to financial constraints. This has left a huge void in theological training in the Lakes region of the South. We are now scrambling to find some solid support for this school to get it reopened and functioning again. Each year this school trains about 20 young Sudanese to go out into their world and proclaim the good news to their fellow men, women and children. Please pray with us that God would direct our steps as we seek to fill this void and take up the mantle of solid theological education in Southern Sudan. Pray for Andrew and Samson as they are looking at some very tough days ahead of them wondering what they will do and how they will provide for their families.

To God be the glory,

mk

About ten days ago around 50 people with hearts for Kingdom work in Sudan gathered in Dallas to put our minds, hearts and resources together. It was one of the most energy-filled meetings I have ever attended. Many contacts were made, partnerships were begun, future alliances were discussed and just a whole lot of excitement was garnered during the three days of meeting time. Carol Davis did an incredible job of putting and keeping us on task. We came away with some concrete ideas of implementation in several different areas.

One of the recurring themes throughout was the pressing need for better discipleship training programs. While the church appears to be somewhat widespread in the south, the evidence of the lack of strong, well grounded leadership is very apparent. This will be an area of concerted focus in the coming year for many of us.

Just this past week I received an email from the director of the ACMI Bible school in Rumbek explaining to me that the school had to close due to lack of financial support. This has sent many of us scurrying to put together a plan to keep the very much needed school going. Please be praying along with us as we meld our minds and seek God’s wisdom in the path He would have us follow. An exciting opportunity is before us and we need to step up to the plate and do what is right.

Continue to pray for Wycliffe as we have not heard from him since he wrote to us in Yei last week.

I still have not experimented with getting some pictures on to this site but will try to get at that in the near future. Right now I can’t even get my Picassa to function properly.

I just received a very sad email from our friend and co-worker in Rumbek, Wycliffe, who informed us that his young daughter has recently died. This is doubly sad as this is the second of his children who has died in the past few years. What made matters even worse is that we have been trying to contact him for the past several weeks with no luck whatsoever and he was feeling that we didn’t care about his situation. This is yet another example of how Satan is at work among the faithful in the south.

What Wycliffe didn’t know is that since we hadn’t heard from him we sent out word to some of our strong prayer partners to be lifting him up in whatever situation he was in. We were fearing an accident or being put in prison or something like that but never had imagined this tragedy. He is currently on his way back from Kenya to Rumbek and we are asking everyone who would to be interceeding for him at this very sad and emotional time in his life. The fact that Cathy and I cannot be there for him make it very rough on all of us. This is one of those times when I wish I wasn’t who I am and could just jet myself over there to give he and his family some comfort.

May the mercy doors of heaven be opened up and pour themselves out on this faithful servant. Pray that all grace may abound and that he be girded up by the Masters presence in a way that transcends all human knowledge.

mk

Sorry to everyone who has checked this site out recently and not found anything new. We have recently arrived in the States from Sudan and have been rushing around to this conference and that training module and have been woefully absent from sending out any updates. In fact I just in the past two weeks got a new computer, which is great, but most of the information that I need to “get up to date” is on my other one – which I won’t see until next week. The old one took an early R&R but I’m not so certain that it has recovered sufficiently enough to be of further service in southern Sudan.

We are doing well, though a bit weary from the travel, and will be headed to Dallas this next week for a BIG meeting with many different churches and interested parties that would like to work, or already are working, in the south. This is a great opportunity to bring resources and minds together for the glory of Kingdom work in the south.

Right now I would ask anyone who reads this to be praying for Wycliffe, our guard, gardener, and church discipler, who is there in Rumbek alone. That can be a very discouraging place to be if you don’t have one or two brothers around to encourage and build you up. He has a good strong group of about 15 young men who have been faithfully attending a Bible study at the secondary school in town. We are praying that they will take what they are learning this year back to their homes and begin new work in church planting and discipleship.

Look for more news here in about two weeks – when the Dallas meeting is over. You may find some great opportunities of service to come along side of us in southern Sudan.

To God be the glory,

mk

Sorry to everyone who has checked this site out recently and not found anything new. We have recently arrived in the States from Sudan and have been rushing around to this conference and that training module and have been woefully absent from sending out any updates. In fact I just in the past two weeks got a new computer, which is great, but most of the information that I need to “get up to date” is on my other one – which I won’t see until next week. The old one took an early R&R but I’m not so certain that it has recovered sufficiently enough to be of further service in southern Sudan.

We are doing well, though a bit weary from the travel, and will be headed to Dallas this next week for a BIG meeting with many different churches and interested parties that would like to work, or already are working, in the south. This is a great opportunity to bring resources and minds together for the glory of Kingdom work in the south.

Right now I would ask anyone who reads this to be praying for Wycliffe, our guard, gardener, and church discipler, who is there in Rumbek alone. That can be a very discouraging place to be if you don’t have one or two brothers around to encourage and build you up. He has a good strong group of about 15 young men who have been faithfully attending a Bible study at the secondary school in town. We are praying that they will take what they are learning this year back to their homes and begin new work in church planting and discipleship.

Look for more news here in about two weeks – when the Dallas meeting is over. You may find some great opportunities of service to come along side of us in southern Sudan.

To God be the glory,

mk

What an incredible experience to be part of the first gathering of Baptists from all over Southern Sudan a few weeks ago. From Malakal to Kajo Keji young men came together to meet each other, many for the first time, as Baptist leaders.

By the end of the three days the leaders had elected a team of leaders to take them forward in their quest to present Christ and disciple believers all over the south. They were engaged in many sessions of learning, had times of prayer, and set out some goals for their new convention. Only God know where these church leaders will go in the coming year but they are now filled with a vision and have been sent out on their own – much like the early disciples. Be praying for them as they seek to be faithful servants, teaching other faithful men and women to share the love of God.

Also be praying that they will find the resources needed to assist them with their goals and ambitions in this coming year.