Over 25 Years of Service to the People of South Sudan

There are 100 Native Sudanese, ordained Evangelists with college degrees preaching in their hometowns. They take turns today coming to Malek to teach 40 to 60 new Students in their own language at ABC. There are now a total of 160 Evangelists, including students, serving Christ in growing churches in Sudan. Prayers requested!

UPDATE ON YOURNEW AND RUAY’S TRIP TO THE U.S.

Yournew and Ruay were not able to obtain the necessary documentation to visit the U.S. The note received from Yournew said that perhaps this fall the trip would be possible. Please continue to pray that in God’s timing this visit may be made possible.

FAMINE IN AWEIL AND SOUTH SUDAN AS WHOLE
--Yournew

For the past twenty‐eight years from 1988‐ 2017, people across the United States have been supporting SSAM by raising much of the money for relief aid assistance to respond to people’s needs. Things then do not compare to the current situation.

Our young nation is at war with itself which results in higher market prices making everyone dependent on relief aid assistance and outside support. This year, thousands in our churches will be affected by hunger. Last year (2016) the rains were erratic, causing poor harvesting in all regions, this forced communities to leave their homes due to fear of war in South Sudan. These individuals remain in need of help to cultivate their own food this year.

Some of our congregation members in greater Northern Bahr el Ghazal have gone to Khartoum in search of food and other living needs to purchase and distribute in mid‐June and July to the neediest in Malek.

EZRA REPORTS ON THE HUNGER SITUATION IN SOUTH SUDAN

Much of what I say is about the hunger in our state as well as South Sudan in general. People are starving to death while others have gone to Northern Sudan to work for wages to survive. Some went seeking refuge by living with their relatives, leaving behind families and their loved ones in South Sudan. I have met five people who say about seven children were left at home while their parents went to Northern Sudan. UN Agencies have tried to help but still the situation is not under control. The local radio station announced that 64,000 people went to Northern Sudan which shows that there are great challenges for our government by not taking care of their people. People need to see their government pay attention and have concern for their conditions; however, the government is silent when there is more crisis. It has been two years since the starvation started in South Sudan because of the corruption in government officials. People don’t have capital to start individual businesses so they may be self‐reliant. This year is worse than the last year because this year money doesn’t bring food home; there is too much inflation to buy one sack of sorghum which is 10,000 SSP (about $100 U.S.) of which each gallon is 320 SSP and quite difficult for the vulnerable people to afford. We are planning to introduce cultivation plans for at least one plot for each person so this can help reduce the hunger level next year. We are praying for God to help us overcome every condition we are facing now in South Sudan.

Ezra waiting for the ABC graduation ceremony to begin

AWEIL MISSION REPORT FOR JANUARY ‐ APRIL 2017
--Yournew

Dear Steve, Bev and SSAM
Greetings to you all in the name our Lord Jesus Christ
I pray this report will reach and find you well.
The work of the church ministry is going on well. After the three ceremonies (Malek Christian Hospital, Malek Church of Christ and the graduation ceremony of the Aweil Bible College) were conducted at Malek Church compound it encouraged many people in the area to turn and give their lives to Jesus Christ through baptism. The opening of the church building has resulted in many new churches being established in all counties of Aweil State. This year many of our new ABC (Aweil Bible College) graduates have taken the ministry work to their own villages. Our Lord is doing a great work in the lives of the South Sudanese.

DR. JOHN RETURNS TO AWEIL STATE, SOUTH SUDAN

I hope you are all doing well in the States.

I want to inform you that I arrived to Aweil State this afternoon. (May 5)

I talked with Yournew, Ezra, Angelo and Dr. Garang at MCH (he said the medicine is out of stock because the diseased population was increasingly high the last months). They are all doing fine in the Lord.

It's unfortunate that Yournew and Ruay’s trip has been postponed after such hope in them. Maybe God is planning the visit another day in the future.

Of course, the first thing that caught my eye is the price of every commodity in Aweil town that is skyrocketing.

Thanks lot for the prayers and support toward my return to Aweil.

May God bless you all. In Christ,
John. .

Dr. John with some of the children in Malek upon his return to the village.

MATUIC CHURCH OF CHRIST
--Daniel Deng Chan

Dear Steve and Bev:

Receive my warm greetings with the hope that you are doing well as I am also doing fine here with my children.

Along with my two evangelists, Paul and James we have mobilized our church members to clear the farm for the church farming. We have two small farms, one is for the groundnut (like the peanut in the U.S.) and other one is for sorghum. We have also planted seed and we are just waiting for the rain to fall.

We have door to door evangelism every Friday.

The women’s groups are doing very well. There is a Bible study every Saturday. Prayers are offered for their families and the sick people.

On May 4th, I was in Malek to witness the closing day of ABC and gave the student words of encouragement.

Our prayer requests

 Pray for the famine in South Sudan.
 Pray for peace to come to South Sudan.

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