The SEED – September 2023
September 2023
“This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
– Romans 3:22-24
The Toposa Outreach Initiative Team had a very busy month in August. They revisited 36 villages, following up with believers and encouraging them in their walk with God, and visited 18 new villages conducting homestead-to-homestead evangelism. Missionary Phanuel Loole screened The Jesus Film in two villages. A total of 120 people accepted Christ. There was sufficient water to baptize 46 believers, all of whom were youth!
Believers are encouraged to join Lighthouses, where they will be strengthened in their faith by listening to the Audio Bible, and they will be taught how to share their faith story with others. The Team is also working with the Champions, encouraging them to reach the lost souls in their respective villages and beyond. There are plans underway to conduct another DMM training session in the near future.
It is still the rainy season. The Team is grateful for the rain, as it provides water for the crops and baptizing believers. However, it also means that many people are out in the fields working and not as easy to talk to. Pray for the Team to persevere in reaching those who haven’t heard the Good News and for safety as they travel.
Missionary Ekidor Ewoton Akoroto baptizing believers in Nalemsekom Village
The Nyang’atom Team has not formally been commissioned, but plans are underway for this to happen by January of 2024. This Team consists of 12 indigenous Nyang’atom people and 3 Turkana Missionaries (see photo below). The Team has already mapped out the unreached villages in Nyang’atomland and developed a 5-year plan of how to proceed. This plan will be the marker for their progress.
THE NYANG’ATOM MISSIONARY TEAM
Top (L-R): Bekele Loubin Lukucho, Elias Echom Loutien, Gabriel Napeiwi Lochege, Ilikori Ekuwom Lokuja, Jeremiah Tebakol
Middle: John Ebei Lokiria, Kennedy Egiron Lokiriama, Kula Mama Lokoel, Lochampa Namuya Lopiao, Lochin Ekeno Alemoe
Bottom: Loreng Achok Tikapel, Lucas Akidor Nakotoi, Michael Ekolor Ekuwom, Mitiko Tikapel Lokwaat, Samuel Lokiriama Esinyen
(Those in green are SHARE’s indigenous Turkana Missionaries/Motivators)
The Koutom Church that was planted by the SHARE Team in July is doing well. They are currently worshipping outside under a tree and are looking for a trained evangelist to lead their church. Pray with us that the believers in Koutum Church will continue to grow in their faith and become disciple-makers. The SHARE Team plans to travel back to Koutom in February of 2024 for follow-up and more training.
The Sending Center in Nakoros, Kalobeyei Zone, has about 140 students attending classes each weekday, taught by Jacob Longoli. Several area youth help the teacher by handing out papers and milk and keeping the children quiet. They are learning along with the children. The Biblical focus this month was to respect parents and elders. The children are also learning to share their testimonies and how to pray. They have been practicing the ‘3-Walks’ methodology, which tells the story of their walk without Christ, their walk to Christ, and their walk with Christ. The teacher and students are praising God for the well that was drilled nearby, giving them access to fresh water.
Youth distributing milk to the children
Children getting ready to leave for the day.
They are holding their carton of milk.
The completed Sending Centers are marked in red.
On August 21st, the SHARE Team returned to Nakwamor Village, Nakiria Zone which they had surveyed back in July and received permission from the elders to plant a church there. During the outreach, they did homestead-to-homestead evangelism, screened The Jesus Film, and held age/gender appropriate teachings in the village, as well as in nearby Mantuluke and Katukokieny Villages. There were a total of 650 people in attendance for these events, with 120 people accepting Christ, and 21 believers baptized. Ten new believers are being trained as Champions, and 93 believers stated that they will continue to attend the new church in Nakwamor Village. This church will be shepherded by Motivator Recho Asinyen who shepherds three other churches.
There are 16 active Motivators overseeing 42 churches in Nakiria Zone. An additional 120 people accepted Christ, and 58 were baptized in other churches in the Zone in August . Currently, there are 53 Champions each leading a Lighthouse with a total of 417 disciples learning how to make disciples of others. Lighthouses are continuing to grow, and the Audio Bibles are essential. The Team was able to distribute another 78 Audio Bibles to believers in August, but there are still 43 Champions that do not have their own Audio Bible. There are plans in place to reach the remaining 6 unreached villages in the Zone in the near future.
Nakiria Zone Coordinator, Peter Ille, sharing the Gospel message with men
Peter Ille baptizing a young man
The new congregation in Nakwamor Village
PRAISES
– 240 saved & 76 baptized in Toposaland and Nyang’atomland in August
– Good health and protection for all the SHARE Staff and Motivators/Missionaries
PETITIONS
– Safety for the Toposaland Missionaries as there is unrest in Buya communities where they would like to minister and along the border between South Sudan and Turkana
– Koutom Church to find a trained Evangelist to lead them and that they would continue to grow in their faith
– Continued growth of Next-Gen children, construction of the 7 remaining Centers, and finding qualified teachers for each of the Centers
– Availability of clean water at all the DMM Centers and Next-Gen Sending Centers
– More and more Turkana children to attend Sunday School and boldly share their faith with others
– Motivators and Evangelists shepherding the many churches in Turkanaland, Nyang’atomland, and Toposaland
– Peace between the Turkana and the Pokot tribes along the Kalemng’orok and Lokori Zones’ borders; and the Buya and Jie tribes in Toposaland
– Provision of more DMM Tools in all regions (Audio Bibles, hard-copy Bibles & Bookmarks)
We are approaching completion of our outreach in Turkanaland, Kenya fast! The SHARE team of Turkana Staff and Missionaries (or ‘Motivators’) has reached and shared the Gospel in nearly 950 villages across Turkanaland since 1997! The team has now identified and is targeting to reach the remaining 100 unreached villages with the Gospel within the next 3-5 years, if not sooner! Even more exciting is the unstoppable movement of spiritual motivation inherent in these servants of the Lord to answer the call to reach their neighboring unreached people-groups, particularly the Toposa of South Sudan and the Nyang’atom of Ethiopia. The ‘beautiful feet’ of these saints are making remarkable inroads in answer to the call to take the ‘glad tidings of good things’ (the Gospel) to these other people-groups (Rom. 10:14-15).
The Lord is using your continued partnership with these men and women of God through your prayers and financial support to make it happen. My plea is for you to be equally unstoppable in your calling to pray and support them. Our financial need for the remainder of 2023 is $576,690/KShs.69,202,800. THANK YOU for remaining faithful to the Lord in this eternal endeavor!
– Sammy
Thank you SO MUCH for your prayers and support!
