Report of Church Planting Survey Mission to the Republic of South Sudan 2012

Here’s an update from Kenya Ministry that is fulfilling the vision of African Christian.info of Africans helping Africans. We commend them for obeying Jesus to “Go and Make Disciples”. We know you’ll enjoy reading the update of their church planting Mission to South Sudan. We’d like to include the story of your church and ministry. Please send it along. Samuel

Greetings to all Partners and Friends in the name of Jesus Christ.  The Mission Council of People For Jesus Ministry (PFJM)  based in Narok County in Kenya sent a team of three men to conduct a Church planting survey in South Sudan from 9^th to 20^th November 2012.  Pastor Tom, the General Overseer of PFJM, led the survey team and one person (called Gardner) from Northern Ireland U.K went with the team to South Sudan.  Our host Church was Faith Evangelical Baptist Church.  Our team traveled to South Sudan by road using Kampala Coach Bus from Nairobi, through Uganda and finally to South Sudan.  We went to Juba (the capital city of South Sudan), Torit, Kapoeta and we mainly stayed at Narus.

MISSION COUNCIL PREPARATIONS: Pastor Tom traveled to Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya,  on 5^th November to get visa and to welcome Gardener from Northern Ireland who arrived at 3:30a.m on 6^th November.  Pastor Tom, Gardner and Aloice embarked on application process to get South Sudan visa on 6^th and we got visas on 8^th November after overcoming some challenges.  On 9^th November at 10:00a.m, we all left for South Sudan by bus through Uganda and arrived in South Sudan on 10^th November 2012 at 4:00p.m.  One of our Host pastors named Gabriel received us and we had a 10 minutes ride from the Customs Bus Stage to Juba Raha Camp Hotel and we BEGAN OUR FIRST SHOCKING EXPERIENCES IN SOUTH SUDAN.  We paid US$200 for a ten minutes ride in a Toyota Hilux pick-up vehicle that belonged to the pastor’s brother.  At the Hotel, pastor Tom became suspicious that it could be expensive and that was true.  He asked the hotel receptionist to print the costs and for bed, dinner and breakfast, the three of us paid a total of US$330.  We had to move to a cheaper hotel on Sunday which costed our team a total of US$130 per night for BED ONLY.  Juba City does not have electricity.  Power generators make noise everywhere you go around the new nation.  Our Team had a good time in Church worship service though we did not understand the Dinka language but Rev. John interpreted some sessions for us.  Hymns were mainly used but some choruses were also sung with some little clapping.  It was the most lively worship service we attended in South Sudan. The service had about 200 people including children. When Monday 12^th November 2012 came, we had no money for food , accommodation and transport expenses .  SHOCKWAVES!!!!!!!!.

TUESDAY 12TH AND 13TH NOVEMBER, we spent most of our time contacting friends by Text messages on phone to FUNDRAISING so that we could get additional US$2000 to enable us to travel to Narus town which is two days trip so that we do our survey mission there as was planned by the host church.  Emails are very expensive and not many and they can be very slow.  Visa cards DO NOT WORK unless you have an account with a bank locally in South Sudan. On 13^th November, God answered our prayers when some of our friends outside South Sudan sent us emergency funds by Western Union and we began a long,  tedious, very risky and dangerous trip to Narus.  We used a 12-seater Nissan van which was overloaded to travel from Juba to Torit where we spent the night.  The roads are muddy.  The only tarmac road we used is from Uganda boarder to Juba and we had some tarmac in Juba city.  On Thursday 15^th we traveled the most dangerous and the worst muddy road from Torit to Kapoeta town.  Strange Gun men on the roads, bushes everywhere and we saw  a little hell on earth but we made it to Kapoeta in the evening on a Land cruiser Toyota. From Kapoeta to Narus village town, we took a four-seater car and arrived there at 6:30p.m to a warm and generous village welcome.  We were happy to be in Narus because I could hear some Kenyan business people speaking in Swahili.  We stayed in affordable guest house at Narus.

FRIDAY 16TH NOVEMBER 2012

We visited members of the Faith Evangelical Baptist Church in Narus town  in their homes.  That was done in the morning session. We saw great needs as we prayed with them.  Many are sick, illiterate, and poor. Our team saw adult and literacy conducted classes under trees.  A particular tribe called Taposa drew our attention.  They have no clothes or they put on scantily. They came to town to take birth in a swamp.  They are a nomadic and wild people whose population is about 300000.  They are animists and a few are Catholics.   There was no government hospital there.  A Catholic clinic and small government clinic serves the over 100000 people.  There is only only one private Primary school and a government Secondary school.  In the afternoon we did teaching seminar to Church leaders first then we combined a teaching session for all Church leaders plus members.  About 15 people attended.

SATURDAY 17TH NOVEMBER 2012

 

Our team visited members in their homes and villages in Narus  in the morning session.  In the afternoon, our team had a seminar for leaders and church members.  The place is bushy.  Most South Sudan is a bushy nation.   About 15 people attended.  Late in the evening we dealt with tough counseling sessions in the homes to the hurting widows and orphans who are victims of decades of war in South Sudan.  They told the pain they went through when parents and relatives were killed in war.  Some of them were disabled due to gunshots during the war time.  PEOPLE HAVE GUNS HERE AND WE HAD TO BE TAUGHT HOW TO USE IT.  In the Church we had a special time of needs and questions and answers.  It was wonderful.  Needs were lack of clean drinking water, lack of income generating activities/projects, illiteracy, no school, no health facility, no roads, etc.  One man commented, ‘Kenyans please open my eyes because me and my family are blind because we are not educated and we do not know God that well in South Sudan’.

SUNDAY 18TH NOVEMBER 2012

Our team enjoyed a worship service singing hymns throughout.  The worship service had about 100 people including children.  Gardner preached in the service.  The church service begins at 6:30 and ends at 10:00a.m.  Most worship services begin very early and end very early in South Sudan and I was told that it has been like that since the war began over 20 years ago.

MONDAY 19TH NOVEMBER 2012

Our team left very early in the morning for Kenya by road via Nadapal – Lokichoggio border.  Gardner and Aloice flew to Nairobi at Lokichoggio airport near South Sudan –Kenya Border.  Pastor Tom traveled by bus the whole night on the dangerous road of Lokichoggio to Nairobi then to Narok.  Pastor Tom arrived in Narok on Tuesday night on 20^th November 2012.

OBSERVATIONS AND FINDINGS OF MISSION COUNCIL

1. Majority of the  people in South Sudan are illiterate
2. Health Facilities are very few and many people lack health services
3. Most of the people are traditionalists and animists
4. Pentecostal Churches are very few and are facing opposition from mainstream churches. Mainstream churches are Catholics, Episcopal (ECS), Anglican, Presbyterian Church, Baptist and Africa Inland Church.
5. The Church and the Christians are not actively engaged in evangelism, church planting and outreach.
6. Church leaders with good training are working in the government and many have abandoned their call to serve God

7. Poor discipleship and poor teaching in the Church.  Majority of the church leaders are not trained or are ill-trained.
8. Majority of the people have war attitude and have negative attitudes against visitors.
9. Infrastructure is very poor.  No proper roads, not enough schools, no hospitals/health facilities, no electricity, etc.
10. Very expensive country due to lack of proper policies and plans for the future development of the nation.  Corruption is very high especially in the government and in the NGO sector.
11. The human rights abuses are devastating.  One is not allowed to take photos freely, killing by shooting is very common in almost every conflict or dispute.
12. Some foreigners are exploiting and taking advantage of the people and the nation.
13. The security situation is volatile and many people illegally own guns.
14. Investment opportunities are many.
15. Churches are very few generally in the nation and Pentecostal churches are greatly needed to revive the nation.

PEOPLE FOR JESUS MINISTRY PLANS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SOUTH SUDAN

1. In the year 2013 and beyond, we plan to plant a Church in South Sudan.  We need US$2000 for another visit in 2013.  We need short-term and long-term missionaries to come alongside us.  We need to buy land and Land Cruiser Toyota for transport.  Pentecostal churches should be planted here in thousands.  Evangelical and non-pentecostal churches also needed here.
2. We need support for the work in South Sudan.  A full-time pastor in Juba needs US$850 per month while in the rural areas a full time pastor needs US$500 per month.
3. We want to buy 10 sewing machines for women in the Narus and other areas so that we train them and establish an income generating activity for them.
4. Micro-finance schemes are needed to empower people for business and farming.
5. We need teachers, doctors, and other professionals.
6. Schools, medical clinics/mobile clinics, clean drinking water water wells need to be constructed.
7. Technical institutions are needed such as polytechnics, etc .

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT.  WE NEED YOUR VALUABLE PARTNERSHIP TO DO OUR WORK IN SOUTH SUDAN AND BEYOND.

PASTOR TOM OPIYO

PEOPLE FOR JESUS MINISTRY—– NAROK KENYA.

P.O. BOX 1008,,  Narok, 20500, KENYA, EAST AFRICA.

E-mail: peopleforjesusintmin@gmail.com