The SEED – June 2024

 In The SEED

Image

June 2024

“We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.” –  2 Thessalonians 1:3

The Gospel of Christ is continuing to spread throughout Toposaland, South Sudan. The Toposa Missionary Team revisited 45 villages in May and shared the Gospel in 25 new villages with 88 people accepting Christ as Savior! Another 33 Audio Bibles, 3 hard-copy Bibles, and 14 DMM Bookmarks were distributed to believers.

    There are now 115 Champions discipling 1,047 believers in 73 villages! The Team continues to visit and train these Champions on a weekly basis. This keeps them very busy! The Team is very thankful for their motorbikes, making it possible for them travel from village to village. As their circle of reached villages grows, it becomes crucial to have well-trained Champions and Evangelists remain in the reached villages to continue the work that they have started.

A Champion leading an Bible Discovery session as the group listens to the Audio Bible

TOI Coordinator, Jackson Erus, and Evangelist John Aponi visiting a Lighthouse in Penypeny Village

Evangelist John Aponi leading a time of worship in a village

CORNERSTONE NACHUMAE SENDING CENTER
(Est. May 2023)

Attendance fluctuates between 70 and 100 pupils at the Cornerstone Nachumae Sending Center. Class is held Monday through Friday under Veronica Imana Ereng. Attendance is irregular due to food not being provided, and the teacher, provided by the Kenyan government, does not get paid regularly.

The students have been learning to read and write the alphabet. They can count to 50 and are learning basic math. Their Bible lessons have been based in Genesis, focusing on creation. Currently all their lessons are in Turkana and Swahili. They will begin learning English once they have a grasp of their native languages.

The center is also used for church service on Sundays under Motivator Immanuel Eris with about 60 members attending.  In addition, the center is used for Women’s Fellowship on Wednesday afternoons and youth choir practice on Saturdays. The youth clean the building on Saturdays.

 

Children having their milk outside after class

BETENBOUGH NAKUK SENDING CENTER
(Est. July 2023)

There are 60 pupils attending at the Betenbough Nakuk Sending Center taught by Peter Ekai Tototoi. Class is held Monday through Friday. This school is still fairly new, so the children are still working on learning the basics. They can say the alphabet with the help of their teacher and can count to 20. Peter has been sharing Bible stories about God’s love with them. There are no lunches provided which causes a lack of attendance some days. However, the children are grateful that they have a place to learn.

On Wednesday afternoons the women of the village use the building for a time of fellowship. Saturdays the youth use it for choir practice. They also clean the building getting it ready for Sunday services where Motivator Joseph Lolii leads a congregation of 80.

 

Peter Tototoi teaching the children while Next-Gen Coordinator, Mary Esinyen, observes

The completed Sending Centers are marked in red.

LOKORI ZONE

On May 8th, the SHARE Team traveled about 110 miles south of Lodwar to Lokori Zone to the villages of Lokaburu, Kidewa, Nakaruon, Nakwamomuwa, and Nayanae-Katon. The purpose of this trip was to meet with the village elders to seek permission to share the Gospel message and plant a church. Upon arrival to Lokori Zone, they learned that it was unsafe to visit Lokaburu and Kidewa villages as there are ongoing raids by cattle rustlers causing unrest in the area. The Team also discovered that the village of Nayanae-Katon had already been reached with the Gospel! Leaving just Nakaruon and Nawamomuwa villages as possibilities for outreach. 

The village elders agreed that the SHARE Team could plant a church in Nakaruon Village and screen The Jesus Film in Nawamomuwa and Nayanae-Katon villages. The SHARE Staff and Missionaries talked through the logistics and came to the conclusion that the local Missionaries would take on the responsibility of planting a church in Nakaruon Village.

LORUGUM ZONE

May 15th – 17th saw the SHARE Team visiting Lotagor Village in Lorugum Zone (53 miles from Lodwar) to follow up on the Disciple-Making Movement (DMM) methods that they began teaching the new Champions and disciples when the new church was planted in February of this year. The Team held an open-air meeting and gender-age-appropriate ministry teachings with 145 people attending and 49 people accepting Christ!

From May 21st to 23rd, the SHARE Team visited a different area in Lorugum Zone to survey four other villages: Lumunio Village, pop. 110; Ulukuse Village, pop. 250; Nawamor Village, pop. 300; and Kopeta Village, pop. 150. The Team discussed their plans with the village elders of all four villages, and they agreed that the Team could plant a church in Lumunio Village and screen The Jesus Film in the other three villages! From May 27th to the 31st the Team returned to Lorugum Zone to do just that!

The Team began their ministry by walking through Lomunio Village talking to people, sharing the Gospel with individuals, and praying for those that were ill. That night they screened The Jesus Film in the village. Day 1 resulted in 130 people hearing the Gospel and 49 accepting Christ! 

On Day 2, the Team held an open-air meeting in Lomunio Village and conducted gender-age-appropriate teachings. Then they traveled to Kopeta Village and screened The Jesus Film. Day 2 resulted in 419 people hearing the Gospel and 115 accepting Christ!

    On Day 3, the Team continued open-air meetings and ministry teachings in Lomunio Village. They also screened The Jesus Film in Ulukuse Village, resulting in another 506 people hearing the Gospel and 16 acceptinChrist.

On the final day, the team held one more open-air meeting in Lomunio Village, then traveled to Nawamor Village where they walked from homestead-to-homestead sharing the Gospel and praying for families. They also screened The Jesus Film that evening in Nawamor Village, resulting in 368 people hearing the Gospel and 6 accepting Christ as Savior. At the conclusion of the Team’s outreach a total of 186 accepted Christ, 27 were baptized, 10 Champions are being trained to lead a Lighthouse, and 74 of the new believers committed to attending the new church planted in Lomunio Village! This church will be under the leadership of Evangelist Paul Lokolong.

 

In all of Lorugum Zone, there 13 Motivators/Evangelists who oversee 41 churches and 95 Lighthouses with 502 disciples attending! In May, 314 people accepted Christ, and 58 believers were baptized. (This includes those who were saved and baptized during the outreach.) There are still Champions in this Zone that do not own an Audio Bible. Below is a video from Evangelist Robert Ekuwom Narusah sharing how God has changed his life and how the Audio Bible is being used to change others lives.

Lorugum Zone Representative, Moses N’gapaki (right), speaking with the “person of peace” and village elders

Praying for a family during homestead-to-homestead evangelism in Kopeta Village

SHARE Staffer, Sarah Esekon, sharing Christ with women

Evangelist David Ekal teaching the children

“Person of Peace’s” son being baptized

PRAISES

– Many saved and baptized in Toposaland and Turkanaland in May
– Evident effectiveness of the contextualized DMM Curriculum used in teaching throughout Nyang’atomland, Toposaland, and Turkanaland
– Good progress on the construction of the remaining Sending Centers
– Successful outreach and church plant in Lorugum Zone in May
– Rainfall in Turkanaland
– God’s protection over all the SHARE Missionaries and Staff

PETITIONS

– That active indigenous Champions will be birthed in Toposaland through the DMM approach that the TOI Team is using

– Continued growth of Next-Gen children, construction of the remaining 3 centers, finding qualified teachers, and provision of food and water at each of the centers

– Safety and perseverance for the Motivators in Turkanaland, Toposaland, and Nyang’atomland
– Missionary David Ekal, Lorugum Zone, who suffered a broken leg in a motorcycle accident
– Preparations for this year’s Short-Term Outreach & Relief Mission (STORM) trips happening in July (The first team arrives July 1st; the second Team arrives July 20th!)

THE POWER OF TESTIMONY BY AN INDIGENOUS BELIEVER

Many…. believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony” (Jn. 4:39).

    As a Jew, Jesus demonstrated the power of the Gospel testimony through an indigenous believer when He shared the Good News with a Samaritan woman – a member of an enemy tribe of the Jews. He took time to present Himself – the Embodiment of the Gospel, The Messiah – to the woman at the well, then commissioned her to go share the Good News – Him – with her own fellow towners. And going she really did! “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out en-masse and made their way toward Him (vss. 29-30).

We are not told how long Jesus spent sharing the Good News with the woman at the well, but was at least two days in her town (v. 43). Observe the impact of this “short-term outreach mission trip” by a “Foreigner” who made an indigenous disciple and commissioned her to go invite and make disciples of others! The outcome of the power of the testimony by one of their own (one that was well known in town!) was phenomenal – “Many…. believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony”. I think that’s one of the secrets of successful “Missions”.

That’s the anticipated result from the 28th and 29th Short-Term Outreach and Relief Mission (STORM) teams of “foreigners” in Turkanaland, Kenya, respectively this July. Two outreach missions comprising of 32 “foreigners” that will spark a fire across many villages in Turkana County and beyond. The power of the Gospel testimony by the new indigenous disciples to be had will draw many to faith in Christ as Savior. And you – our supporter-sender – is making it possible through your prayers and generosity.

Here we are! Thank you for sending us (Isaiah 6:8).

Our remaining budget for 2Q is $147,527. We humbly request your continued support. Thank you SO MUCH!

– Sammy
SHARE Founder

Thank you so much for your prayers and support!
Our budget for 3Q is $180,000.

Image

Thank you SO MUCH for your prayers and support!

Image

Image

Recent Posts