Uche Izuora

Just imagining…

This great poem by Rudyard
Kipling was posted here by Seth Barnes recently
and it stuck to me. My adaptation of it on a day like this keeps me imagining what life would be like…

If I can keep my head when all around me
Are losing theirs and blaming it on me;

If I can trust myself when friends and family doubt me,
And I still make allowance for their doubting too;

If I can wait and not be tired of waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, don’t write or talk too wisely;

If I can dream – and not make dreams my master;
If I can think – and not make thoughts my aim;
If I can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;

If I can bear to hear the truth I’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things I gave my life to, broken;
And still I choose to stoop and build them up again with worn-out tools;

If I can force my heart and nerve and sinew
To serve my turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in me
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;

If I can talk with crowds and keep my virtue,
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt me;
If all men matter to me, but none too much;

If I can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run –
Then the earth and everything in it would be mine,
What’s more, I’ll be a man and not a child!

If you read the original Poem, you’d notice I omitted this piece:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;

Not just because I don’t know
how to play Pitch-and-toss, but simply because this is hard to imagine let
alone experience. I missed my flight to Abuja last week and I’m still mourning
the fact that I had to buy a brand new ticket at such an exorbitant price to continue my journey.

It’s my birthday today and I’m
wishing these great virtues for me as I move into 2011.

Why not join me?!

Radical conversion: The story of David

“You are to open
their eyes and turn them from the darkness to the light and from the power of
Satan to God, so that through their faith in me they will have their sins
forgiven and receive their place among God’s chosen people.” (Act 26:18)

When he stood before the brethren at New Generation Tabernacle
Church in Yei and testified of his salvation on the 24^th of October
2010, the church shook with awe and gave much thanks to God.

He was one of the fruits of our first door-to-door evangelism
thrust then, which yielded a great harvest. In that first outing, 42
members returned to church by 3pm after the Sunday morning worship service, armed with
our Bibles and strategically grouped in threes, we set out to a nearby village
to witness for Jesus.

On sighting the team that came to his neighborhood, David loathed
them but still listened to their words. When they departed, he lost what was
left of the peace he seemed to have and in the solitary confines of his room
that evening, he silently asked Jesus to save him. He did!

The journey of this disciple was barely 2weeks old and many
of his friends and family had come to Jesus on account of his changed life and
public witness. They couldn’t understand nor believe this was the same David-
the drunkard, the marijuana smoker, fighter…He didn’t know how to quote Bible verses, but would say, “You know me before, but now this is a new me…”

There are others like David and their individual testimonies
will be posted here for your information and encouragement.

This video clip is the first of two recordings on David’s
life before and after Jesus took control.

Your prayers and support amount to much. Please don’t
relent.

–
Pray for David and others like him, that their
faith will grow stronger and deeper in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

–
Pray that their prayer life will be enriched as
they continue in the study of the word of God.

–
Pray that their zeal will be nurtured for
greater harvests.

–
Pray that they’ll continue to overcome the
temptations and youthful lusts that ensnare the soul.

–
David is a skilled plumber. Please pray for his
business to grow and be established.

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those
with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14)

Merry
Christmas!!

Risk Vs. Safety

The words “risk” and “safety” have
been on my mind for a couple of days now. Towards the end of the year here in Nigeria,
most people are on high alert. Most people seem more determined to enter the
New Year safe, healthy, happy and even wealthier.

While in Kampala last week, my
safety consciousness was pretty high. I wanted to return home safe. But I
amused myself once, sending an sms while commuting on a “Boda-boda” (a commercial
motor-bike also called “Okada” in Nigeria.) I dare not try that in Lagos. Not
even the great James Bond 007 can attempt that here. In fact, it’s almost
punishable to imagine it in Lagos, let alone doing it.

But seriously, what kind of a
leader calls you to engage his dreams and gently tells you, “You could be
killed pursuing these plans?” Only Jesus Christ graciously calls followers to
such life adventures and insists it is worth the ride.

When we think of risks, we weigh
them alongside caution, cares and our fears. We wonder, “Could there be another
option with minimal or no loss involved?”

This perspective to life is
dangerous and unhealthy for any disciple hoping to see Christ manifest in their
daily adventures in this narrow way. In his insightful interviews with Seth
Barnes some 3years ago, Andrew
Shearman made several profound comments, like; “Jesus is free, but Christ
[to be formed in you] will cost you everything.” Check out the entire series
1-5 starting here.

What motivates followers of Jesus
Christ who make choices that some others (fellow disciples included) consider
as too risky or even somewhat foolish? Why will a man dare so much for a cause and feel nothing is
too much to give away for it?

How we define risk, engage or avoid
it tells the story of our life. Many have given their all and many more will
still give theirs for the cause of Christ’s rule in the Nations. Following
Jesus is the most expensive and risky adventure on planet earth. Something
about you must meet the cross as you trip with Jesus.

All four Gospels recorded this amazing counsel of the
Master, “For whoever has a desire to keep his life will have it taken from him,
but whoever gives up his life because of me, will keep it.”

I was greatly stirred to pray for Travor
Curington, on the World race who
caught a rare case of malaria while on a mission for Master Jesus in September
this year. He almost died.

Trevor’s story gave me more insight to the many intricate
issues STM are laced with. But fundamentally, I saw how the two paddles of ‘prayer to’ and
‘faith in’ the Faithful One, can row through the wildest storms of life, even
with a smile.

Scriptures didn’t tell us
what Epaphroditus suffered from when he fell sick and Paul commended him to the
Philippians Church thus, “…he was sick
and almost died. But God had pity on him, and not only on him but on me, too,
and spared me an even greater sorrow… he
risked his life and nearly died for the sake of the work of Christ, in order to
give me the help that you yourselves could not give” (Phil 2:25-30)

When our risks as disciples bear the trademark of
Christ, which is an unquenchable passion for God’s glory and fame in all
things, our status as aliens in this world will not be in doubt.

My Short-Term-Mission blues

My itinerary for the last quarter of 2010 was set long
before I arrived Sudan. I knew I’d leave Yei on Sunday 5^th December
and would stop by in Kampala for a few days before heading home. With mission accomplished as at other times too, I feel I should be more
excited and joyful about going home than I am currently.

But there’s a strange mixture of sadness and excitement all
cascading inside me as I head for home. It’s not the first or second time, so I’m
beginning to think it may not be the last.

My mood swings are engineered by some imaginary and real
issues:

1.
I’d started missing some of my disciples and
friends in Sudan terribly, even before I left. I’m coming to terms with the
fact that there may never be a good way
to part on this kind of trips. Many showed and voiced their sincere displeasure
at my departure. Should I develop a tough skin for these moments?

2.
As my departure drew nearer, my heart became more troubled; I felt there’s
still so much to teach, to ask, to supervise and to learn. Is God getting all His due? I couldn’t hide my
feelings, forcing someone to ask, “…so why don’t you just stay
here?” Good question!!

3.
I miss my church, my friends back home, some TV
programs that slavishly poke my humor and humanness and of course, I miss my family. I
miss my wife so much sometimes I cry. When I see kids here, I think of mine,
longing to hold my boys in the way only a dad can and should. They are missing
me just as much.

4.
I imagine I’m missed for various reasons by
various people here and at home. It’s sometimes a wonderful and yet traumatic feeling
to feel missed. So I’m sitting here,
halfway home, feeling that tension from two quarters I’m so passionately involved with. If you were me, what would you do or be doing?

5.
Then I also imagine there’s a lot of work waiting
for me at home, appointments to keep, broken things to fix, errands to run and may
be much more. I always dread these with all my heart. Who will help?

6.
After almost three months of continuous ministry
to others, I feel I should disappear to some remote location alone. Did I say
alone? But I’ve been missing my family all this while! My mentors insist on
this but it takes great discipline which I’m still struggling with, to shut
down or at least, hibernate for a few days after arrival. How can this be properly
managed for the overall good?

7.
You see, I’m already planning my return to Sudan with some intense excitement.
What’s my next plan based on what happened on this trip? I don’t know all the
answers yet, but I’m dreaming… Before you conclude I’m a superstar,
consult my wife. She knows the truth.

8.
I’ve had some major concerns on this trip and
each time I think about them, I seem to end up more confused. It can be very
scary to be confused and admit it publicly with, “I
don’t know.” I’m wondering if it’s
normal to feel lost with some critical life issues. Enter the mentors!

Regardless of what you think of my blues, I’m convinced that there’s something more terrible
than feeling lost or even being lost as a matter of fact. It is
maintaining a steadfast drive with a confident disposition but without divine
direction and destination. Also, there’s
something more tragic than missing your target and I think it’s hitting
someone else’s target and then owning it as yours.

I’m in good company, but feeling spent on the inside. I’m
afraid to imagine that though much virtue has left and is still leaving me for
the good of others; there’s a blues, more like an anticlimax that has
to be addressed.

Have you been here before? What did you do?

Training, trying and spiritual tests

The sources of tests and the circumstances warranting
them in our walk with Christ will continue to vary from person to person. But it helps always to acknowledge that testings are inevitable, continual, necessary,
productive, influential and are ultimately crafted by God.

Here are some tests most Christians endure:

1 – The Faith Test (Can God…?)

2 – The Discouragement Test (Isn’t all lost now?)

3 – The Motivation Test (Can I…?)

4 – The Frustration Test (How did this happen again?)

5 – The Self-will Test (I don’t need God’s help here do I?)

6 – The Time Test (How long should I wait for God?)

7- The Betrayal Test (How could s(he) do that to me?)

8 – The Misunderstanding Test (Don’t you think a divorce is it?)

9- The Failure Test (Can I have another chance?)

10- The Servant Test (Who’d take care of this…?)

11- The Success Test (Can’t you see I’m made?)

12- The Money Test (Where’s the the 90% going?)

13- The Leadership Test (Who succeeds me and how?)

14- The Wilderness Test (Where’s God in this?)

We all find ourselves wrestling with one or more of
these as God aims to reveal what we really believe, help explain what we don’t understand or
show us the applicability of the lesson(s) He intends to teach.

There are always challenges that accompany tests
which could be devastating when the tested become disillusioned
(asking why me?), distraught (doubting God and lose hope), distracted (focusing
on the test and miss its purpose), angry (hate on the source and seek
vengeance), bitter (wallowing in self pity) or even hardened (embrace their
failure as normal, making it a lifestyle).

As I press on with discipling a hand full of passionate youngsters here
in Yei, I am more convinced than ever that spiritual discipline does not come
by trying harder but by training better for these inevitable tests of life.

I come from a place where being told, “You’ve tried”
is often a huge compliment; meaning you’ve offered your best. But trying to do
something is not the same as training to do something.

This need for preparation, or training, does not stop when it comes to
learning the art of forgiveness when people hurt you, or living joyful when suffering
persecution, or courage when surrounded by fear. These three elements in
spiritual grounding are inevitable for all disciples.

Learning to think, feel, and act like Jesus is just as demanding as
learning to run a marathon or ride a bicycle. So Paul told his son Timothy, “Workouts
in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so,
making you fit both today and forever.” (1Tim 4:8 The Message)

The true indicator of spiritual well-being should be growth in the
ability to love God and people; which is revealed by various tests, with
the evidence of abounding fruit.

What fills my heart?

As my life adventures of faith in Jesus Christ take me here and
there, I see that the need for regular pit stops cannot be over emphasized.

I’ll be
leaving Sudan soon; but not before I finish running tests on my heart, with the
instructions of two great men. John Maxwell’s message – Inside
Out Leadership, fuels my resolve to probe my intentions and re-evaluate my
relationship with Jesus in the light of my Christian service.

Brother
Maxwell insists that working on being bigger and better on the inside, will by
and by make one bigger and better on the outside. People, who appear bigger and
better on the outside but small on the inside, will sooner or later hit the
wall. The inside, is the heart-side.
So I’m asking the question, “What fills my heart?”

Apostle Paul
enjoins believers in his Epistle to the Corinthian Church to, “Test yourselves to make
sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for
granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not
mere hearsay that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do
something about it.”(2Cor 13:5 The Message Bible)

It is impossible
to properly address the condition of any heart without revealed truth. Where
truth is frustrated with deception and disallowed through unbelief, compromise
thrives. If unchecked, over time, compromise displaces truth and one’s
conscience becomes “seared with hot iron”.

I’ve seen
how vices like covetousness, lust, bitterness and unforgiveness can thrive
successfully in the heart of Christ’s disciples; even as they earnestly seek
godly privileges and pursue their divine callings. Tragically, they may feel no
need for an emergency spiritual make-over. I wonder at these things with the
question, “What fills my heart?”

“But
Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep
back some of the price of the land?”” (Acts 5:3 my emphasis)

This man and
his wife were about to hit a high pitch on the outside, but God exposed the
diminutive nature of their inside.
Their inside was filled with lies. They may have known Jesus personally, so I
don’t think they started like this- alas, how badly they ended.

I’m asking
myself today, “Uche, are you doing anything remotely similar to what
Ananias and Sapphira did though you seek and expect the evidence and power of a
life totally given to God, but giving yourself only in part, yet presuming to
have given yourself wholly?”

The
searchlight is on me, but
you may also see yourself if you try searching. I know I want
the semblance of the comfort of the Spirit and His intimate communion, but it
appears too, that I want it at the lesser price of embracing truth in a
doctrinal sense alone, or in the sense of being correct, rather than
acknowledging truth as the very sum and substance of the reality of my
existence.

Sometimes, I
notice a struggle in me to want to speak the truth but not to be true; to use
correct words and publicly acknowledge truth, but not to obey it. In the light
of my relationship with Jesus, I’m seriously asking myself, “Uche, what
fills your heart, a passion for Him or for yourself?”

Am I
replacing partial truth for the whole, in my attitude and actions? Is the
reality of what I believe and teach transforming me first? For Ananias and
wife, it was covetousness which had to be preserved with lies. It could have
been unforgiveness or bitterness or pride… A heart gets filled with
something. “Uche, what’s fills your heart today?”

To decide to
tolerate one evil (no matter how insignificant and for whatever the reason) is
to violate the whole truth. To be 99.99% true and represent that as the whole
truth is to lie utterly. It could be where I’m most tempted to keep back for
myself that the issue of truth really lies.

What one
truth, what one final issue, what one reserve is it, that keeps me back from that
total abandon in Jesus I earnestly long for, that makes truth really the truth,
and injects into my vision and ministry the reality of Christ’s presence
and glory?

What really
fills my heart… and yours?

Encounter with demons

Years ago, we derived immense satisfaction and, I must confess, even some excitement from engaging demons and dealing with them.

In those days, you dared not fall to the ground during one of our prayer or worship meetings! If you did, we were likely to interpret it as evidence of demonic activity, and you probably weren’t going home until whatever we believed was troubling you had been confronted.

We were young, zealous and sometimes overconfident.

Yes, Jesus warned His disciples not to become carried away because spirits submitted to them, but rather to rejoice that their names were written in heaven (Luke 10:20).

Still, there was something thrilling about the thought of little me confronting something supposedly bigger and stronger than myself, and seeing it submit to the authority of Jesus.

But don’t worry about me. My name had better be written in heaven!

Since arriving in Yei a couple of weeks ago, however, I have heard about and witnessed several situations attributed to demonic attacks. Some have involved children.

And it got me thinking.

Back home, encounters of this dramatic nature seem to have become less common, at least within the Christian circles familiar to me.

So, what happened? Did the demons flee?

Are the people in our neighborhoods suddenly free from spiritual oppression?

Have the demons somehow become immune to our prayers?

Or have we simply stopped recognizing their activities because they no longer look the way we expect them to look?

Could it even be that we are looking for dramatic manifestations while the enemy has become far more sophisticated, comfortably and quietly working among us?

That question took me back many years.

Fifteen Demons and a Fifteen-Year-Old Boy
In an earlier blog, Can Children Be Witches?Can Children Be Witches?, I promised to tell the story of one unforgettable encounter from my younger years.

Here it is.

In the company of two wonderful friends, I participated in what we understood to be the deliverance of a fifteen-year-old boy from fifteen demons.

It happened on the final night of an evangelistic outreach on a university campus. We called the meeting Holy Ghost Night and what a night it became!

The main meeting had ended, and most of the students had already left when I suddenly heard loud prayers coming from an unfinished building near the meeting hall.

Then came the repeated command, “Come out!” “Come out!”

I raced toward the sound. There on the floor was a young boy being physically restrained by several young men while Brother Austin Okeke, now a pastor, led the prayer session.

I watched for a few minutes.

When this young boy attempted to move his restrained limbs, the guys holding him down could hardly hold their ground. It was a war.

I became so fascinated by what was happening that I ran back to the hostel to get a tape recorder.

This encounter, I thought, must not go unrecorded.

By the time I returned, the team had cast out six of fifteen demons.

Brother Austin was using an approach we had not tried before. He asked each supposed spirit to identify itself and describe what it was doing in the boy’s life.

One after another, voices responded. I began recording when they reached the seventh.

The voice coming from the boy sounded to us like that of an old man and sometimes it came like an echo. He repeatedly gnashed his teeth in a manner that sent cold shivers down my spine.

For some time, he refused to answer our questions.

Then came these words, “When a foolish man holds his peace, he is counted a wise man.”

I was stunned.

About two weeks later, I came across those exact words in Proverbs 17:28 and it pained me much that the demon quoted a scripture and I didn’t know.

We continued asking for a name.

The boy’s face contorted strangely before the voice asked us, “Can you imagine a tree growing in the middle of the sea?”

Brother Austin tried to interpret the statement.

“So you are Oke Osisi?” he asked, an Igbo expression referring to a great tree.

No.

The answer, we were told, meant something more.

Then came the name, “Nkpologwu bi na mmiri.” In Igbo, roughly, “a root that dwells in the water.”

Each time the boy moved with such extraordinary force that the brothers restraining him lost their balance over and over.

The message being communicated was clear, “You cannot uproot me from this boy.”

But we continued praying, addressing the spirits tormenting this boy.

By now it was very late. We were getting tired.

Someone suggested that instead of continuing one by one, we should simply command all the remaining spirits to leave at once.

So we did.

There was only one problem:

Where were we sending them? To the Moon? The Sun? The Arctic? Everyone commanded them at will. The boy tossed and turned on the ground and let out a loud and prolonged scream. We believed he was delivered.

We were young and naive. Looking back today, I can smile at some of our youthful enthusiasm and theology.

Eventually, the boy opened his eyes. We celebrated and retired to sleep, assuming it was over.

But the following day, the boy approached Brother Austin and said something chilling, “How do you think you can cast all of us out like that?”

Apparently, as far as we understood the situation, it wasn’t over.

The Final Night
That Sunday evening, Brother Austin, Brother Ken Nwaopara and I took the boy to a quiet area of the campus to pray with him again.

This time, we approached things differently.

There was less physical restraint and less commotion.

We also kept asking ourselves one question, Why did this boy voluntarily come back?

Whatever was happening inside him, something within him seemed to want freedom.

We attributed that to the work of the Holy Spirit.

What followed remains one of the most extraordinary deliverance ministry experiences of my younger years.

The remaining demons each manifested in their unique voices and characteristics. They gave their names, described their supposed functions and made numerous claims about the boy, other people, local and national events.

Some things they said appeared to correspond with information we later encountered. Other claims concerned events and supposed spiritual schemes far beyond anything we could verify.

That experience taught us something important, but perhaps not exactly what we thought it taught us at the time.

We came away convinced that evil was more organized, deceptive and determined than we had previously imagined.

But today, years later, I think there was another lesson waiting for me.

What If the Enemy Doesn’t Need to Make You Scream?

When the last demon came out that night, the boy suddenly stood up and looked around.

“Why are we here?” he asked.

Then he noticed us sweating.

“What happened?”

We explained what we know had taken place.

He wept.

And there, that night, we led him to Jesus Christ.

I have never forgotten that encounter, but neither have I stopped thinking about it.

Because spiritual warfare doesn’t always look dramatic.

Perhaps this is where we sometimes get distracted.

We look for someone screaming on the floor.

We expect strange voices.

We expect violent manifestations.

We expect something spectacular enough to announce, “The devil is here!”

But what if deception has become quieter?

What if the enemy can accomplish more through a Christian’s pride than through a dramatic manifestation?

What if unforgiveness can keep someone bound for years without anyone shouting, “Come out!”?

What about envy?

Secret lust?

Greed?

Bitterness?

Self-deception?

Spiritual apathy?

What if a believer can attend church, sing worship songs, quote Scripture, carry a Bible, and still become increasingly useless to the purposes of Jesus because something has quietly captured the heart?

Perhaps the most dangerous bondage isn’t always the one that throws somebody onto the floor.

Sometimes it is the one that allows us to remain comfortably seated in church while our hearts slowly move away from Christ.

So, Where Did All the Demons Go?

Maybe that’s the wrong question.

Satan’s ancient strategies of deception and camouflage have not fundamentally changed. Scripture still describes our struggle as extending beyond what is merely physical.

But perhaps we need to become less fascinated with manifestations and more attentive to fruit.

What is happening to our hearts?

What is happening to our marriages?

What is happening to our integrity?

What is happening to our love for Jesus?

What is happening to our compassion for people?

What is happening to our obedience?

What is happening to our churches?

The signs of warfare may not always be spectacular.

Sometimes the battlefield is the human heart.

So let me leave you with the question I am asking myself, Are the signs of this war visible where you live?

And more personally, Are you moving from victory to victory, from glory to glory, or have you become so accustomed to the battlefield that you no longer recognize the war?

Eugene Peterson’s rendering of Ephesians 6 reminds us that this is no casual contest from which we simply walk away. We face realities greater than our own strength, and therefore need everything God provides if we are to remain standing (Ephesians 6:12–13).

And yet our confidence remains anchored in the supremacy of Christ,“The LORD (God) says to my Lord (the Messiah), Sit at My right hand, until I make Your adversaries Your footstool.” Psalm 110:1 AMP

The enemy may change tactics.

The manifestations may change.

The battlefield may change.

But the authority of Jesus Christ has not. Hallelujah!!

Where are the Women?

When one of the lead facilitators of an important ministers’ training I attended here asked, “…why are there no women here?” his query seemed to suspend airflow in the room briefly. Our befuddlement was salvaged by a quick response from one participant, urging him to proceed without waiting for an appropriate answer on this worrisome question.

No excuse could suffice for the absence of a single local female in that meeting. But were they considered and invited? Were they needed there? Who really qualifies among them to attend anyway? In a meeting where the youth, church growth, discipleship and children are on the main menu, it’s sad to imagine that local women were absent.

Brothers and Sisters, we have a largely unengaged battle field before us here in South Sudan. This is another Macedonian Call! Who’ll come to our rescue?

We are in dire need of Women whose heart the Master has touched; disciples of Christ to whom women here can run to for godly counsel. Our future is doomed without local mentors who have been through it and withstood the heat, arising from the complex issues that bedevil today’s Woman.

Let me attempt to give you an idea of what we are wrestling with here.

Early this week, I had this chat with a pastor friend, who told me he was just returning from seeing his brother whose wife passed away.

“Was she sick?” I inquired.

“Well yes, she had a mental illness for some time and just committed suicide… she left the man with five children.”

“It seems the case of suicide deaths is on the rise here…?”

“Yes my brother, we have an average of 65 cases like this every year here… many of them are married women with children and a good number of young girls too…” he added.

“What do you think is the problem?”

“I guess they feel they don’t have anyone to talk to or maybe no one understands them or they are just tired of dealing with the same evils over and over… suicide seems to be their last option.”

I was afraid to ask him, “What should we do?” because he could say, I don’t know and proceed to ask me the same.

During the debrief session after our evangelism thrust last Sunday; Rose, a heavily pregnant and yet energetic young leader in the church commented thus:

“It’s a pity we don’t have a lot of our women coming to go on evangelism with us. Many women in the villages are suffering seriously and looking for help. Since we started this evangelism I’ve seen that we have a big work to do amongst the women…”

Others concurred with her, sharing their experiences with women they’d encountered who were drunks, possessed of demons, with illnesses that have defied doctors’ help, in bitterness etc.

A 12yrs old girl was delivered of her baby girl just over a week ago.

Abortion is on the rise.

Some hospitals here now offer the service for quick money.

Many young girls are dropping out of school due to unwanted pregnancies.

Many women are being treated for depression.

I’ll not talk about the rape cases, the abuse in the schools, the prostitution and so on. No one can minister to a woman better than a fellow woman. So where are the women? I mean local hands!!

When one of the missionaries here, a qualified medical doctor lost her baby during delivery, she connected fully with the women folk around her.

She told me her story, which ended like this:

“When I returned home, the women came running from everywhere but when I told them what had happened, they mourned with me. One put her hands around my neck and said, “…now that you know what we’ve been suffering, you are one of us.” This opened doors for my ministry to them.”

Many local ministers’ wives do not command the respect of their flock? But do they even know their duties? What is the place of the pastor’s wife in the church? I’ve seen that one of the most challenging positions any woman can occupy is- Pastor’s Wife; even here in Sudan. But are we without hope… help? Where are the women?

“If the war alarm gives an unclear signal, who will prepare for battle?” (1Corinthains 14:8 my paraphrase) We are at war on all fronts but it seems the church thinks otherwise. Many are doing ministry that’s not people focused.

* Do you have a heart laced with grace and yearning for solution to Women issues?

* Do you lead a thriving Women ministry with abiding fruit?

* Are you concerned for the next generation of Women leaders and wish to mentor some unto maturity?

* Can God use you and/or yours to stir up a response for His fame and Kingdom here?

* Are you burdened enough to seek a solution with and for us? Can you share this with some women in your church or network and solicit help for us?

* Can you sacrifice a few weeks of your life sooner than later to come bring joy to a desperate woman here?

If your answer is yes to any one of the above, please feel free to connect with us. Let’s plan your trip to South Sudan together. You could be Jesus in flesh and blood to someone in need here.

To my wife TODAY!

Darl,

When we said what we thought was our last good-nights yesternight; I couldn’t sleep, so I had to make that very late call, to wish you a great day today and also seek an exit into sleep-land.

There was a tad of gloom that pervaded my spirit as we spoke, though I had many reasons to be more joyful, as I’d shared a few with you on the goings on here. STILL, I struggle… , wishing we were together. It’s your birthday today and I’m not there again.

Knowing how you cherish our special days, makes it more challenging to discern how best to light-up your day and make your joy fuller when I’m away; especially with the boys growing older and my absence a little louder with each trip.

You know how I hate to be far from home but you relish the opportunity for an expedition such as this. We’re surrendering better to Abba’s sovereignty. Yeah, He concocts wonders in His matchmaking workshop; ever seeking to announce Himself with and in everything. He doesn’t just love to say, I AM THE LORD! He delights in proving it. He smiles.

I celebrated you here last year and I’m back here this year, celebrating at the very same spot, but you are STILL hundreds of miles away.

Darl, I appreciate you for being in my life like this... I can’t stop wondering why of all men, I should be the one, to have and to hold you… but alas today, of all days, I’m not on site.

The events at home soon after I left burst my surprise package meant for today. But I know you know I understand. I know you know Abba’s smiling. You fill His joys and that of many that appreciate Him for our ministry here and there.

Our common passion for His cause will STILL guide your actions and words, He’s there for you and I am too.

Some days, our adventures with the Master are nice when the waters are calm and not as stormy as now. But you never complain. The last 6weeks have been loaded with activities, duties and issues meant for both of us to tackle, but it STILL pleased you well to let me go, pouring out your blessings and affirmations as I left.

You’ve sacrificed much…

You’ve sown much…

You’ve sweated much…

You’ve served much…

Having done so much, you’re STILL standing; helping to save many.

Truly, truly I say unto you Darl, you may miss my presence today, as I miss yours, but we’ll not miss Abba’s embrace when we finish. I promised, I’m taking us there.

May Abba’s pleasure continue to prosper with your every effort. I prayed long and hard for you this morning; asking The Sweet Paraclete to put a flavor in your week, that’s unique to Him; one that will linger. He assured me.

May the Lamb that was slain STILL receive the reward of His pains as you mark your day today my Darling. (I could rap this line for you:)

On behalf of the boys and me, here’s a toast to you again! We love YOU!!

Your One&Only…

[This video clip is a song by Bebe & Cece Winans that comes close, yes, close to what I think I should sing to you today. But there’s STILL my return to wait for.]

Abba smiles again.

Primary Passion hits another target – The video

The
entire students of Jogomoyi Primary School here in Yei came out to receive
their peers, 5 students from Kinji Primary School, who brought the gospel of
Jesus and a plan to help them start their own Scripture Union fellowship.

Many
gave their lives to Jesus and will be joining the SU fellowship which the
school administration has graciously authorized to hold meetings on Mondays and
Thursdays, providing a platform for discipleship there. Com’on Yesu!!

Three
new Scripture Union (SU) fellowships in 3 primary schools, within a week, all
started by Christ’s disciples, who are ordinary primary school kids from
one school! If this is not God at work, I wonder what is. If this is not a good
illustration of Kingdom passion and expansion, please tell me what I’ve missed.

I
witness to the change this thrust into those schools has brought to these kids.
Their prayer lives, study of the word, boldness and general conduct have all
been affected positively. This is what passion for God’s Kingdom rule does to
people that embrace it. Abba smiles(:

Genuine
vision is lived not just loved, talked about or dreamed of. Christians without
deep commitment to something of eternal significance will certainly have the
hard pillow of regret when their sun sets. Our sun is still up here and I’m hanging with these kids. God’s
happening here.

“God uses peculiar
people to accomplish unfathomable feats and it is all for His glory. He loves
the underdog, underachieving, unloved and unlikely. And He takes their simple
unassuming lives as the base ingredient for a masterpiece.” Butch Maltby

Reminds me of that day Jesus rejoiced, exuberant in the Holy Spirit and prayed, “I
thank you, Father, Master of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from
the know-it-alls and showed them to these innocent newcomers. Yes, Father, it
pleased you to do it this way.” Luke
10:21