The SEED – April 2023
April 2023
“Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.” – Acts 9:31
Between March 20th and 24th the SHARE Team traveled to Nachampa Village for the purpose of outreach evangelism and planting a church. They also ministered in 3 other nearby villages where they did homestead-to-homestead evangelism, open air meetings, The Jesus Film screenings, age-appropriate teachings, and training in the DMM Methodology. Through their efforts, a church was planted in Nachampa Village. About 900 people heard the Gospel message, with 144 accepting Christ as Savior! Motivator James Lokamar Lomoru will oversee the development and continued growth of this new church. Pray for the new believers as they are discipled and grow in their faith.
There are 22 Motivators in Nayada Zone that oversee churches in 47 villages and 39 Champions that are each leading a Lighthouse. This month an additional 31 people accepted Christ through disciples sharing their faith stories with others and through messages from the Motivators. Below is a testimony of a new believer.
My name is Kevin Etole Lokamar. I am from Napeililim Village in Nayada Zone. I am very grateful for the SHARE Team and Motivator James Lokamar Lomoru, who have come to our village to share the Gospel of Christ. I was raised in the Catholic faith. My parents and siblings are strong Catholics. Some of my friends left the Catholic church and started attending Evangelical churches but I remained in my home church. This was not healthy for me as I started drinking alcohol, smoking, and doing drugs. I began evaluating my life and realized that my plan was not making me a better person. I started attending the Evangelical Church in my village and heard the Gospel message. I realized that I was a sinner and that God wanted me to follow Him. I asked forgiveness for my sins and accepted Christ as my Savior. I am grateful that God brought this church to my village. I am eager to share my faith story with others so that they can learn what God has done for me and He can do that for them as well. God will give me the strength to share His Word with others in my village.
The Zone Monitor & Motivators have identified an additional 20 unreached villages that still have not heard the message of Jesus. Plans to reach these villages are underway.
In the video below, Motivator James Lokamar Lomoru from Nayada Zone shares his commitment to the new church planted in Nachampa Village
My name is Margaret Lorukia. I come from Nachampa Village in Nayada Zone. I was a member of the Roman Catholic Church, but God saved me and brought me here.
Some time back, a dog bit me in the leg, but God delivered me from the pain and that is why I am alive today. I prayed persistently to God during that time.
God has been my shield, my fortress, and a closer friend than a brother. I am where I am right now because of God. I thank God for bringing this church to our village. I will be fellowshiping in this church because of God’s faithfulness to me. He forgave my sins and saved my life!
In March, the 15 Missionaries returned to the villages that they have been reaching with the Gospel. Right now, the Team is focused on 36 specific villages, with each missionary responsible for 2-4 villages. They are living in the homesteads with the people, fulfilling the mission of SHARE ‘…we were delighted to share with you not only the Gospel of God but our lives as well’ (1 Thess. 2:8). Their relationship with the Toposa people is growing. The Team’s goal this year is to become more intentional in training Champions who in turn will share their faith stories with their communities and disciple new believers. A total of 45 people accepted Christ as Savior this month, but no baptisms were done as the riverbeds are still very dry.
Between March 27th and 30th, the SHARE Toposa Outreach Initiative (TOI) Coordinator, Jackson Erus, travelled from Lodwar to Kapoeta Town (an all-day trip by road) to facilitate DMM Training for Champions. There were 54 proposed Champions and 13 Missionaries present at the training. The teaching focused on the 3/3 format: Personal Testimony (“walk”), God’s Story (“circles”), and Bible Discovery (“stones”). They discussed formation of Lighthouses and trained Champions on the usage of DMM tools that have been distributed to every cluster, emphasizing good stewardship of the tools provided to them, and most importantly, staying focused on the mission, vis-a-vis, reaching the lost and implementing the DMM Methodology. The team’s goal for this year is to accelerate the sharing of Gospel and establishing Lighthouses in villages reached by our TOI team that will eventually birth church plants in the entire land. Once churches are established, the Team can move on to share the Gospel message with new villages.
Kangipusia Sending Center: Education is well underway at the Kangipusia Sending Center. The teachers have found it advantageous to divide the pupils into two groups: Beginners and Intermediates. The Beginners is for those who are learning letters and numbers under Samwel Lemuya. The Intermediates have advanced; they are reading simple words under Michael Echwa.
Each morning some of the desks are moved outside under a tree where Beginners learn in the shade. The Intermediates have learned to recite the Lord’s Prayer already; they are now learning to recite the first 5 verses in Genesis 1. Other activities include singing, playing games and having lunch.
(The completed Sending Centers are marked in red.)
Construction of the 6th Sending Center is underway in Nachumae Village, to be completed in May.
PRAISES
REQUESTS
Financial Update
With nearly 70% of Turkanaland now well reached with Gospel, we are confident SHARE will declare the entire Turkanaland completely reached in the next few years. Hallelujah! As we finish the task in Turkanaland, we are beginning to witness unprecedented spread of the Gospel among the Toposa people of South Sudan. And there’s no stopping! Showers of the Gospel have begun to fall among the Nyang’atom tribe of Ethiopia as well! Our multiplying Turkana believers, our increasing Toposa believers, and our few Nyang’atom brothers and sisters are advancing the Good News “full throttle”! You are making all that possible through your prayers and financial support. We are confident, that as our indigenous brothers and sisters do their part, you will do your part all-the-more so as to hasten the return of the Lord – Matt. 24:14. The output through your prayers and financial input is making an incredible difference! I now call upon you to increase your input more than ever before. The “Boots on the Ground” are unstoppable! Make that sacrifice today to help advance the power of the Gospel, which alone is able to save.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.'” (Rom. 1:16-17).
Our indigenous brothers and sisters are not ashamed to share the Good News, even in very harsh conditions. That being so, let’s be proud and unabashed – let’s share with them the resources that the Lord has placed at our disposal, to the end that many more will put their faith in Christ as Savior in our time. The “Boots on the Ground” are unstoppable!
We are still short by $92,000/KShs.11,040,000 for 1Q. Thank you SO MUCH for helping meet this need.
~ Sammy Murimi, Founder
Thank you SO MUCH for your prayers and support!
Toposa is located in the southeastern region of South Sudan with a population of over 500,000.
