Serving God in Africa 4Sho!

I Love you...

2010-10-11T04:06:00.000-07:00

I love you…

And I will miss you,

I will miss your dark beautiful skin, smooth as the desert sand duns, sweet, and shiny, as glass, tempting me to touch

Your long stilted legs holding you high above anyone you stand next too, even though you think your above everyone, but your not.

I laughed with you.

I love you…

I love the way you walk so high and proud with both arms cocked back to wave from side to side behind yourself, most people did not know this walk, but I knew it.

I personally called it the George Jefferson walk…I mimicked it...I adopt it….

I love the way your character is so smooth, ridding each wave without a crash, but so outrageous, as a peaceful morning then a raging storm, tearing and ripping everything in your path…Your so obnoxious….

Many foreigners know your dismay and have seen your destruction and disliked you, some even hate you, they talked about you at lunch time, But I hated them for it, they would tell me jokes about you for I to laugh, but I would not…

They do not know the light of your beauty, your glow, your immense pride, your never-ending strength, always for a fight…

I have become of you, I like to be like you, I see myself hairless, dark and beautiful, like you,

Can I be like you…?

Your different and special in every way, so far from weakness and yet so close to wickedness, I cry for you to change…

But I love you…

I love the long stroke of your neck, turning in each beam of light is a master piece of art, pure gifts to my eyes, so wiry and tall as giraffe, stronger than a ox, able to carry any amount of cargo for miles of travel….

Anything you have to do to take care of your children, anything to survive…

You woe me, make me feel easy and calm as the breeze, chilled free and laid back, your danger excites me and keeps me alive, as if dancing with a black mamba, you may lose your temper and strike me at anytime and I lay there and dye in your arms my lovely…

But God protects me…

My sweet dark chocolate, so sweet, so bitter, I do not like dark chocolate, but you like me, you entice me to your nature, your dance, your drum, I grow closer to you in each field of the day, beats of your songs call me…

I run to your dancing and join you like a fitted piece to your puzzle, I jump to your beat, our thighs ach, our sweat drips down our bodies and bounces off my chest and your back, as we jump to our backward motion, my shoulders bounce back into the air with my hand at my side, you in front of me bouncing your back, bending it to a Bo, popping it to such a rhythm we both ride with such grace, cupping your hands to your breast as we dance, both of our bodies so tired, but we don’t stop…the drum persist, we persist, dancing into the moon light…all night long…

engulfing myself into your soul with each bounce to my feet,

Your feet…

Your feet can describe your character that lays in you, beat up and dirty, old looking at the age of young, but strong, thick, and durable, ready to take on any terrain, better then any, sandals, shoes, or boots, pace to pace they go, slam to the ground and pounds the dirt and separates the dust as the red sea, as you sit they tilt up and the ball of your feet stay rested on the ground shaping them into the way of a rabbits feet.…

Your teeth…

As white as the moon, bright as the dry season sun,

Your eyes…

As a shine to marbles, shaped perfectly into your face, they sink in and reach out for my eyes to gape…

Your shaved head…

Bald and shiny as the globe,

dented and scared as your soul….

I love you…

I love your long extended arms, filled with pulsating veins spread out and parting as the Nile… You intake me, you give me many things to think about, you have changed me, you have tried to kill me on many occasions, you made me stronger, not to fear you, bolder, wiser, you let me experience you and explore your body,

I have swam in your rivers, drove through your mountains, laid in your fields, breathed your breath….

O you are such a foolish girl….so lost…so blind….

Pray God adopts you for I feel your end too near, or hurt cry,

But now you smile, and I the same,

I love you….

I love you Sue…

I love you Monyjang….

And I will miss you.

My Last Days...

2010-10-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

My last days…

Well my last days was spent lying on the bed in aching pain of my bones with an added touch of abdominal pain followed by diarrhea which lead to a long agonizing walk to the cho. Mundane goodbyes, but blessed with the final good by of my best friend, more then a brother, Peter Malual Marier. I got to say goodbye to him as he journeyed off to the cattle camp again to continue a ministry that was once a dream. It was beautiful to see him ride off into the bush with his tent, cot, mats, and water on the back of his bike. A hard lump filled my throat as he went and my heart was content, I turn to sit in my seat and laid back and held on as my stomach gave pain to the shake of the car as my last days in Akot…went a way from me...

Goodbye....

A Mundane cattle camp trip.

2010-10-11T03:57:00.000-07:00

Hey yeah we had a great time saying goodbye to the cattle camp. But it was pretty mundane for me, which is OK, I wanted the focus to be on God. We have seen growth in Peter and in the ministry.

When we got there we found that we brought the tent that has a broken zipper on the door so it could not close! So as we were going back fourth on what to do about it, to go back or where to sleep, the young cattle keeper men came and sat down in front and said we want to hear stories now! That is a complete growth in the ministry in my sight because before we would always have to gather them and look for them, but now a good same group of boys come to us!

Also as I said before we were discussing what to do about the tent Peter stands up and says, “Ok well the people are here to for storing so you all can discuss and I will start teaching because they are ready!”

That is a huge growth as well cause Peter was not doing that before, he would always ask us what to do and sit around, almost intimated by the cattle keeper. By now he is the confident one ready to teach, he gathers the young men together, and tells people to shut up when he is teaching, he is really growing!

But there is much growth still that Justin will have to disciple him in like different stories, we find him using the same stories over and over, and also teaching. He needs to teach them the gospel and what it is about, not just stories, and Justin knows this and will help him.

So other than sleeping in the car it was pretty mundane trip for me in cattle camp, I guess I was just use to the atmosphere.

I could have got a couple of wives to take home, but I don’t think there free, well at lest not free from cows…and I aint got any!

Please continue to pray for Peter and his growth and cattle camp ministry, that it continues.

Pray for Justin as he will be helping Peter through this, and Justin will also be the lead coordinator for all the teams coming into South Sudan!

Peter Malual

2010-09-17T05:28:00.000-07:00

Peter Malual , my collaborator, my brother, my ally, my partner, and my best friend. I remember it like yesterday my first week in Southern Sudan I arrived in Akot on the compound. I was so green. A team from a America was building the center and Jamie introduced me to him and said “Jermaine does not have a Dinka name yet.” Malual said “OK”

and looked at Jamie and then looked at me and said “OK your Dinka name will be Mabor.” I did not know then how much God would use him in my life here in Sudan. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to see Malual grow in God and to become a true teacher and missionary for Christ.

It was the best day and a joy of my life that out of all the students in the TRT class he was one of the two to first take the step to going out on their bikes to teach God’s Word to their own people, without our presence and vehicles. Then to travel with this man all through Akot and surrounding areas to gain disciples for Christ. We lived together, ate together, laughed together, and even fought through the

dangers together.

Now this young man has stepped up to the plate to be the missionary to the cattle camp, a group of people that I label un-reached. He has accepted the mission when nobody would. I was recently prevented to go with him on any more missions to cattle camp despite my disagreement to leave him on his own he was left. I was in a time to disciple further in the missions in a cattle camp, not to say I knew more then him in cattle camp, but we found that he was lacking in some areas when it camp to doing the mission work and discipleship, as cattle camp can be intimidating. I wanted more time with him as my last work to God but it was cut short. I was proven to be wrong as to put boundaries on the Holy Spirit for he was proven faithful and the Lord guided him to a successful mission to the cattle camp!

Without out transportation but on a single bicycle with a tent, sleeping material, and a bag full of ground nuts. He went without complaint but eager to serve God in whatever he has to do.

I told him this is the time you will see how much you really want to give your self to God and serve Him no matter what. To get the word to the cattle keeper at all cost. We agreed and the blessings arose.

He left on a Friday and came back Sunday after he had church there, as that was our original schedule in cattle camp. The report he gave was a true blessing from God!

Malual reported that he taught the word of God two times a day to different young men! This is a huge rejoice to us because there in cattle camp, it can be hard to get the young men to come and hear the word. But with someone of their land and local language they listen and want to hear! Malual said he would walk through the camp and a group of young men would say, “May you come and teach us?” Then Malual would begin! I asked him about discipleship as well and he quickly answered with excitement to tell us that a young man name Michael heard the word of God and the stories Malual told and Michael grab the picture book that Malual decided to use to help them understand better, and Michael began to tell the stories to the other cattle keepers! The Word of God! We have been going there for more than two months telling the word of God and trying to get them to understand, but no one would retell a story. But Malual”s first journey there alone, the Lord uses him to get several cattle keepers to know God’s word and retell the stories to keep them in their heart. Malual was very happy as we all are. Thank you my God I am overwhelmed to see you move.

Thank you my Father!

Please continue to pray for Peter Malual , that he continues to go out and reach the cattle keepers with the word of God with discipleship.

Also Mapol as well, he has been gone from the cattle camp each time we went, so pray that Mapol and Peters paths may meet and continue the discipleship to Christ.

To give him strength and to continue, as the journey there is very long for bicycle, and malual and the church’s eyes may be open to how they can support this ministry.

The Lord will continue to use him to reach the Cattle keepers .

To keep him safe from danger or sickness, as life in cattle camp can be hard.

Thank you for your prayers

Jermaine Mabor Majok

I think we got one tugging!

2010-08-25T02:04:00.000-07:00

Well after much fishing for over two months and coming up with missing bait and no fish I think we finally have one tugging at our line.

This last week we took are good teacher and friend Joseph Mabor with us to Cattle camp. There has been one cattle keeper who was very serious about our teaching of God’s word and always came to our teaching, his name is Mapol. I told Peter and Joseph to setup a separate time with him to disciple him and teach him the word one on one. So when we got there immediately Joseph starts to disciple and teach Mapol one on one (Mapol on the left and Joseph on the right) . They even went into the night hours as Joseph continued teaching him.

It was a great blessing to see it, I really felt ready to go home I feel complete a lot of the time out here, and we also got to do our open wide teachings to all who wanted hear at the cattle camp, despite having to leave are area of teaching because some cattle keepers wanted to play drums and dance. But that’s Ok God’s word got out anyway.

Please pray for Mapol as he deices to make one the greatest decisions in his life, that his ears and eyes be open the teachings and he takes them in to become a follower of Christ!

Pray for Joseph that he may have time to come to the cattle camp with us again, as he is the headmaster if the Baptist school and is very busy.

Please pray for Peter as he is taking on a new mission to the cattle camp. That he gains a level of maturity to bring God’s word to the camp and keeps the passion to serve God in the cattle camp. That he does not get sluggish, Justin and I find Peter intimidated at the cattle camp sometimes, so God shows him the way to take on this mission soon on his own, as I will be leaving soon.

Justin and myself as we continue to disciple Peter in how to be a servant of God to the cattle camps on his own.

Thank you for your prayers

Jermaine

The Lord Prevails II

2010-08-24T03:19:00.000-07:00

The next week we went to cattle camp another problem accrued! But I am not even going to get into that. So when we got there we set up and once again we had only two days. But it started raining and we could not do anything. So that day went away. Sunday came and we had a great church service! Justin spoke on Ezekiel and the vision of the dry bones. They really responded well. They said “we are like the dried bones, we have no one controlling us, but even the fish are better, the fish have water to control them but we are dry”. A lot of them that day said they want to follow Jesus and do right by God. That is great but I means nothing if they don’t do it! So I had Malual get with the main guy who always response to God’s word well, his name is Mapul. Mapul and Justin have a good relationship. I told them that Malual will start training to disciple anyone who wants it. I asked Mapul would he want to do that he said I am ready including another young man. I told them that “Yeah well the last people who came and said their ready to get training we don’t even see them!” I explain to them that the work of God is a sacrifice and there will always be something to stop them from coming. They agreed and said they would come.

Pray for these young men, Mapul and the others who want learn more of God’s word.

Let all distractions be put down so they can come see us when we are there.

Pray that these are the right men God chose and they are not in this for selfish reasons.

Pray for me as I sit down with Peter Malual to form a type of training for them to learn more about God’s word so that Peter can begin his discipleship with them through Jesus Christ our Lord and savior.

Please pray for Peter Malual, as has just got a new job as a missionary to the cattle camps, at this time attending Bible school when he has never been in a school setting ever, and still taking care of his widowed mother and his crops.

God has really put a lot on him but just pray that he stay strong through all of this and allow God to continue to use him, providing him with wisdom to get through school and begin discipleships with in the cattle camps.

Thank you for your prayers!

His slave…

The Lord Prevails

2010-08-24T03:17:00.000-07:00

It has been to the cattle camp twice now since the Nehemiah team left and has been nothing but a success. God is so great He always thrives around us. But trouble still comes are way and many struggles. Like the first week, we were ready to go back to cattle camp and on are way there just oust side of the town we would turn into the bush to get there the bolt and bushing to the shock of the truck completely fell off!

It did not break or crack off it just loosely fell off, then I here click clanck! I immediately stop.

So now we are left to have to go all the way to Rumbek were we know they will have the parts to fix it. Everything went well, and we got the car fixed and went straight to the cattle camp the next day. I was a little worried about teaching because we missed one day and now only had two days there. But God always prevails. When got there the young men flocked to are truck and it was not long before we got to teach God’s word, thank you Jesus!

Peter Malual was on firer! We talked about purity and holiness and Malual spoke to them about Joseph fleeing from woman. Justin and I also got to teach that day. They really responded well and so well in fact they came back that night asking to here more of God’s word. As so as they asked Malual step right up with no hesitation! “OK I think I have this one.” Malual says. Seeing makes me so happy, love my best friend who is a strong man of God.

The next day we also got to have church and sang praise songs to God! Malual told them the story of Amman and Tamar. It was a good time, all praise to God!

Masochist for Christ

2010-08-24T03:13:00.000-07:00

I lay at night in our tent within the cattle camp, as the wind is getting ready to take off our rain cover to our screen roof tent. The raindrops hit hard on the tent, the lighting flashes and the thunder cracks and pounds. I sleep in my clothes always but this time with my hoody and I pull it over my face. I pray. “Lord please don’t let our rain cover fly off.” Then I feel drops of water come down on my cover and my head I look up and the rain cover is still there, just some rain that is blown in, it is a hard storm.

I smile as Justin, Malual, and I all suffer in this thunderstorm, as none of us are asleep. I feel happy, I feel great, I feel closest to God at times like these. I think I have learned to love my suffering for God. Think about it, when all is wrong in your life but the reason is because you are serving the one true God who created this earth! I love it! Hurt me, burn me, cut me, soak me in this tent, all just to give glory to God even if that is just for one Church service to Him in the cattle camp, it was all worth it! I smile at the barrel of an Aka, I laugh that I get to praise God for the treats and strikes. There is masochism in my work for God to feel close, to feel right.

O crap now I have to pee! O well I will just hold it, I don’t feel like getting up and peeing in this rain.

O no….I feel a great fear come upon me as I lay there giving God praise for my suffering. Bang! An Aka fires, but that is not were my fear is coming from, it comes from with in me. I realize this journey this adventure in Sudan will end soon. Then I go back to America and do what!?

My whole enjoyment of suffering for God will be gone! I thrive on my sufferings for Christ each day out here, how will I do that at home!? There is no suffering for me in my sweet little American home! I have everything I need there! Here in Sudan I depend on God for every single thing in my life. I wake up and do the service to God and go at it until there is nothing more I can do, then done, I rest then I get up and do it all over again! That is the life! What more do I need? To only constantly depend on God for everything, and knowing your in the right place from your work and the suffering you go through. Where will I find this pleasure at home!?

When the truck breaks down in the middle of nowhere on the road who do I call, God! I pray that no one will rob me I pray that we get there safely and I suffer and am made weak for him, and it is the greatest feeling ever, I can’t even describe with words! But in the States who do I call, AAA! Hop on the cell and call a homie up!

Now I know you say o well that’s God helping you out in the States, but no! It’s at a different level I can’t explain nor can I go back to! I just cannot go back to that low sight of faith and dependency of God that I was! Ezekiel, I hate the person I was!

God told the Israelites over and over put you trust and strength in me, why, because trust and dependency is love, is relationship. In the New Testament we see that suffering for Christ is held as an honor! This is something to brag about! Now how will I continue this in the States!? I need to continue to serve Him so when I suffer it is nothing but great pleasure in my heart; I am a masochist for Christ! O lord and if I don’t continue to serve you back home or in the future like I do here I think I will go crazy! When things go wrong in the States how will I enjoy the suffering? It’s not for Christ, No! It is to pay a bill or look for a job, all things to serve my selfish self; I don’t want to do that! I don’t give a damn about my self! I need to serve God and Him only that is what we are supposed to do! God is my pimp and I am his hoe, who relies on him for everything! I am like an soldier who kills in the war all day, then suddenly they just send me home, what now?!

But I can just see my self falling right back in to doing nothing for God! O the thought of it makes me vomit!

To feel this close to the Lord is so indescribable, but I do know it is like the sweetest drug that I cannot put down!

And now I go back home to what?! To people who will try to hold me to a high title because I have been out here for just two years, when really it is not an high title at all! It is the low title the lowest of the low! Who will be first will be last! I am His slave His nothing; this is just what I suppose to do anyway!

Then I go back to the woman I love and will marry but will she even know me? I think I will aggravate her more then anything with my obsession with suffering for Christ!

I can’t hold my pee anymore, I just wip it out and pee through the zipper of the tent outside.

I don’t know God, all I’m saying is please don’t for get your slave, your dog who eats from your servants crumbs. Lord I long to keep this feeling I have each day out here with you and now I am so scared that I might lose it. Please give me something Lord Please. I need to continue to serve you where ever I am in my life, that is all I ask, let me continue to be your slave….

We are like the Nineveh

2010-08-09T03:27:00.000-07:00

I for got to share these testimonies.

When the Nehemiah was here in the cattle camp just before the camp moved to another site, something great happened in our teaching that God let us be apart of.

One day:

Justin first taught on the story of Jonah and here is where my testimony takes place. After he got done telling the story and explaining the message they said “ Yeah that story is a very good story. You see we cattle keepers are like the Nineveh. We are bad people too and you can ask even a Dinka man to come with you and they will refuse because they will say we are bad and no one wants to come teach us. But you all came today and stay here with us and we learn many things about God.”

Justin and I stood next to each other praising God! Then the rest of the team including Peter told the rest of their stories on forgiveness. Peter taught on the women caught in adultery. After all the lessons and stories were told the young men said “You see now that we have heard this, we now know God loves bad people like us. And now today have learn how to repent.”

Peter then explain more on this and talk with them more and more of God’s word.

But I myself was jumping for joy and giving God the praise for what just happen! They learned how to repent! God loves bad people! Man what a quote! I thought about it and God does love bad people! Praise God.

Testimony!

Please pray the cattle keepers and the Lords work He is doing out here! That they really take His word in and learn to love God and change their life and actions.

Pray for us as well that we are used by God and do nothing to keep us from that, we stay on the right track and make the right decisions.

Thank you, His slave.

Another Testimony:

Early in the morning there was no sun and very cloudy basically on the verge of rain. When it rains here there is no teaching or anything. All your plans are canceled if there is site of rain coming or rain has come. So that is what our morning for teaching looked like. But we all decided to keep going forward and see what God will do. So Justin, Peter, and I went around the cattle camp inviting all the people of cattle camp and the young men as well. Things look dim for our teaching and there was a lot of doubt but we kept going. We went to this large group of young guys sitting on their gor nhom (a mound of where the cattle keepers live, like their home). We ask them to come for teaching and they look up and it is obvious to see that rain is coming. They say “the rain is coming you know”. Then I say “yeah but if we just teach for maybe one hour before it comes, and if it starts to rain then we will stop”. They all stare at us like we are crazy for asking them and as if they are not going anywhere but staying by their dung fire. There is an awkward silence for a while and then suddenly one of them says “OK lets go.” I was like wow! OK lets go! Thank you God! Then they all got up and came to our tent and we started teaching right away. The rain clouds circled around us ready to pour out. I just kept praying O Lord just hold back this rain just until we get done teaching your Word. We had a large group of young men all around listening to the word of God. I was just on an high but I was still praying to God let us get this teaching done please. There was some drizzle but soon enough we finished all of our teachings we had that day as the clouds literally surrounded us and we taught under the one part of the sky that had no clouds. It was really kind of weird and in my mind I am quick to say it was divine.

I kid you not, that as soon as we stop teaching the rain did not come, we were able to go get water first driving on dry land through the bush instead of mud where we might have got stuck. And we did not have much water either and when it rains I don’t like to go get water but God worked it out! So as soon as we got back from getting water the skies poured!

Testimony! Thank you my God for taking care of us and letting us be apart of your great work!

Seeing the most beautiful thing in Dinka Land!

2010-08-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

I saw the most beautiful thing here in Dinka land.

It was a Sunday at the Widows church.

I was kinda down because we had left cattle camp when they moved and we went and found where they are but they where all busy working and setting up there settlements in the camp. So there was no time for teaching. So the team said their good bys and we left to go back to Akot.

I was down because I know there are a lot of people still there in the camp who need the word of God, and I have seen to much death to just leave and sit around when I know they need it. I don’t like that feeling. We need to keep going.

But we could not get them to come and sit down for any of our teaching because eof the their work. So we talk to the leader and he said it is Ok to come back because we are very busy now. I was the only one not for leaving as I always am. But we left so the Nehemiah teams will have time to say good by to the people in Akot, as their time was coming to a end here in Dinka land.

So the next day, Sunday we went to the Widows Church. We had church and this is where I saw it. Something that I will never forget and will hold in my heart and memory forever.

After Peter told his story and message to the church at the end of the service a older man, a soldier stood up in the middle of the church and said “I have come to church today to confess my sins to God and repent what I have done. I was going to the witch doctor and keeping idols in my home and then I began to do bad things. I beat my wife and choked her if she had not bit me I might have killed her. I destroyed this ladies house (she was sitting in the church) and burned it lighting it on fire. I come today to turn away from these bad things and I wan to follow God only and I would like you to come with me to my house and burn my idols.”

I was astonished! Those words were music to my ears, sweet sounds of joy to my spirit, my heart flourished in praises to God.

Then the whole church walk to his house and he brought out his idols and we all and the church got a piece of grass or hay and burned the idol together!

We all sang praises to God as we watched the idol burn in the fire.

It was he most beautiful thing I have ever seen in Dinka land since I been here.

Praise God!

It reminded me that this part is finish for me. The Dinka have their church going by their own means and for me to stay would only handicap the ministry. As hard as it is to say I think I am ready to go now. Not to say everything is perfect but the walk with God I see everyday in these churches now.

My only need I look to is the cattle camps to the un-reached there but that is where Peter and the other local pastors can take over now, just with our small support.

So…

Thank my God to let me see. It was so beautiful. I held back my tears of joy and I just praised Him. It was no other feeling I can describe; maybe heaven will feel like this. Thank you.

Pray for this man and his new walk with God.

Thank you.

When to laugh and not to laugh

2010-08-02T07:57:00.000-07:00

We came back again to the same cattle camp teaching the Word of God. The Nehemiah teams are building great relationships everything is going well.

The leader of the camp is our friend and we hang out with him and others all the time. We even have dance parties with them! We really love them they are all our friends.

The three men who volunteered to be trained in the word of God, don’t come to our teachings and are always gone.

But like Mark said “That is up to the Holy Spirit to chose a leader out there”. So we just keep teaching the word of God.

I am trying to push Peter to disciple some of them himself but it takes time.

Peter is so great, we have him teach by himself in straight Dinka language and they all listen to him and quiet. When we teach their laughing and talking sometimes.

Its gotta be the locals! Peter is amazing and God is using us to make good progress with them. We trying to be the planters out here, So please pray for our continued ministry out here in the cattle camps.

Jermaine

I wake up to Ak shot… Bang! I don’t jump, neither am I scared, but I just lay their. I know right away it is just another cattle camp arriving and they love to announce it by the crying of an Ak-47. I lift up my head to see them through my tent, I see a huge Sudanese Flag and big bulls caring milk cans. A large amount of new cattle keepers are coming in are camp. “You see I told you” I tell others, as I tell them everything is cool so they don’t freak out and I lay my head back down to get some sleep.

Bang! Another shot…Bang! Another shot. Ak-47 is a song to my ears.

Peter says “O no, Fighting take place!”

I turn over to look at him and Peter is getting up and looking out into the distances. So I look where he is looking and I see a crowed of people and commotion I know well enough that, that means fighting.

I get up and hurry to put in my one and only contact in my eye that I have had for about two weeks know, yeah half blind man. I look out my tent again and yes I see fighting. Peter comes out of the tent and I follow him. I look and see about 70ft in front of me people are fighting! Ok but not like one or two people I’m seeing a hole crowd of people fighting! Yeah it’s like our cattle camp Vs this new cattle camp. People yelling and screaming, and for some reason I start laughing! Since I been over here when something bad happens I just laugh, I get it from the locals, I think it is a way we coup maybe. I see the fighting and I know this is real but I just laugh. The team does not even come out of the tent because they think I am joking from all my laughing.

But I finally convince them that this is real and all of the team come out of the tent and is watching the fighting erupt. Then the fighting moves from hand to hand to clubs and big sticks! The crowd of fighting people get clubs and other people pick of these huge sticks out of nowhere and they just start fight like crazy. It was like something off of a barbaric movie or Gladiator!

Cluak!...Cluak…Cluak…Cluak!

I hear yelling and screaming and the clipping of the clubs and sticks! I am laughing so much that the team doesn’t believe how serious this can get. Now mind you I’m still not scared or fearful for the team. But I think my laughing keeps the team calm in this situation because we are surrounded by Ak’s. I know club and stick fighting happens all the time so I am just watching like wow! No biggie to me yet. So I am laughing! But we are all edge over the truck as we hide our bodies incase Ak-47 goes off which can happen at any time. Me and Justin Hendricks heads are picking out off of the tail of the truck and Justin Hendricks says “Holly crap their really mauling each other!” I laugh!

A kid we well know comes running in front of us screaming and crying. Then the crowd of fighting began to move toward the tent and us. Peter say lets move! I laugh and say ok!

We move but the fighting is all around us now! The men with guns kneel down kock their gun ready to firer if some one tries to strike them. It is pure ciaos! The fighting moves from our tent and into the field. We move back to our tent and the truck and the fighting then dies down. You see no biggie.

But the people still argue and soon move to the back of the camp where we can’t see. Then Bang!...

Ak goes off and people from the camp run our way! I see a little girl run with her hands covering her ears; her eyes are filled with fear! I think I saw this in slow motion. It’s funny what your mind remembers at times like these and they way it sets it.

I hear the shot and smile and say ok maybe we should go. You see this hole time I did not want to leave! Every time we come here with the word of God satan throws something at us or the camp to make us leave! I did not want to give in to his foul play! Everyone wanted to leave even Peter! He knows way better then I do. After the shot I knew it was time to leave.

But I hate leaving! First we can’t continue the work of God! Then we let satan get us, then we look like cowards! But we left once again. Satan is really after us out there, this the second time we have had to leave early. But God is more powerful because the Word is getting to the cattle camp regardless! So Satan keeps hitting us and God picks us back up each time over and over. Now I ask you who should be frustrated, I just rely on God but satan fails after hit after hit, as God just picks us back up. Now that is something to laugh about.

And we are going right back as soon as it calms down!

4Sho!

2010-08-02T07:13:00.000-07:00

Hook up, to hook some one up. In urban terms or at least in Cleveland Hook up is a term you use when it is a need for you to talk to a girl and you ask your friend or maybe even your sister to talk to the person you like and set up a time you all can talk or a date so you both can get to know each other maybe become boyfriend and girlfriend. As we get older in the States we tend to frown upon the thought and terms of hook up. The women look down upon it and look at the men as if they are weak or too shy to talk to them for themselves. Therefore this causes the men to not even fathom the idea of hook up, but only left to talk bravely to them their selves or don’t talk at all. This why we States dwellers have talks of I’m kicking game, spitting game, and take pride in the thought that way are brave enough to talk to girls and they respond well to our character. This is all in the States.

But on Dinka planet I have come to find out the term hook up is widely use and practice here even as adults men and women. If a Dinka man likes a women and goes to talk to her straight, she will become very shy and not talk to him completely even running into the bush and hiding. So here on Dinka planet they use the hook up method to communicate even when it is established that the boy and girl are a couple. This leads me to my best friend Peter Maluwal.

One day: as we are in the cattle camps trying to plant seeds for Christ, on our free time as we are roaming around the camp Peter says to me “O what shall I do I need to talk to my girl but who will talk to her for me?” You see the hook up method is used in relationship not just to get to the relationship. On Dinka planet if you are truly a good friend of that person you are the one who is to talk to the girl for him. So I say “Ok Peter yeah I could try and talk to her.” This will be hard and awkward in Dinka terms because first, I don’t speak Dinka fluently so that means Peter will have to be there translating for us both, second at this time Peter is not suppose to be there so she won’t be shy and I can ask questions about him. But we are left work with what we have so I am the one. Mind you this is not my first time at playing the Dinka hook up method with Peter, so I have some experience.

It is night time and the team I are sitting around the tent just finishing our bowls of Raman. Peter says “Ok Mabor(me) will you come with me to visit Amat. I said sure and I also invited Justin Culp as well for reinforcements.

You see basically when it comes to playing hook up, you have to be a good time and entertainment of a conversation for the girls. Just like in the States except so much more is at stake here!

When I play the hook up man for my best friend Peter who I love and care about his future, I have Peter and Amat’s relationship in my hands, all depending on me rather they will get married or not. And marriage is very important for a Dinka man, and it is very hard! They can’t just fall in love and say lets get married like us State dwellers, no. They have to play the hook up game through the whole relationship and talk with the family to make sure they like him and then they have to save cows. This takes so long to get close to marriage, because a marriage on Dinka planet takes months.

So here I am, me and Justin talking for Peter. I really take this as a great honor! Peter told me “If I don’t get some one to talk to my girl then I don’t get married.” So I take this with great seriousness.

We sit down in the middle of cows and we are served milk. Then we wait. We wait for about an hour and half until Amat’s work is finally done, then her and her friends gather to talk to us. I had me and Justin make a list of what we could talk about so we won’t lose the interest. So we began and Peter translates are conversations and all is going well but then we reach the end are list fast! So then silence hits and Peter says “Ok keep going..” Ummm….ummmm Justin you have anything more to talk about man? Ummm… O Ok.

So Justin starts talking again and keeps the convo going. I think of more as he is talking. The girls laugh and it seems they are just happy to be talking to Kawagas. Which is a good thing for Peter I think.

We talk late into the night and we all get tired and decide to end the night. As we walk back to our tent Justin and I are anxious to hear how we did on the Hook up game. We both ask

Peter how we did and to my surprise it was very nonchalant response from him, more of a “you did OK”. I really feel bad because I am Peters friend the one to do this hook up but I will always have the language blocking me. But Peter says “any talk is good now, it is OK, you know, No cultivate No crops.” What? I said. Peter replies “No cultivate No crops, if you don’t cultivate you get no crops, if you don’t talk you get no marriage.” That mad me feel better, any talk is good and I think they enjoyed themselves, but I think it is so funny, because I feel like I am back in elementary school again trying to hook up my friend with a girl. Funny!

We get back to the tents and we zip up to call it a night and Justin starts talking about how he was never good at that himself and can’t believe he is Africa now being used to do hook ups, and he can’t get a girl himself he says. Then he picks his head through our tent and says No cultivate, No crops! Me and Peter burst into laughter so loud! We laugh and laugh!

That’s the hook up in Dinka land, No cultivate, No crops!

LOL!

Take your own advice

2010-08-02T06:34:00.000-07:00

“YO boys! We hitten new ground now. This is a spiritual battle and satan does not want to see us succeed in the glory of God. Now I’m going to tell you now that there will be disappointments, I see some coming already. For example those three guys who volunteered themselves as to be trained in God’s word, probably won’t be here when we come back. That’s how is out here, people say they will be here and then one day just get up and move. But we are going to have to stand firm and keep doing the work of God giving glory to Him, keep bringing the word to them no matter what!” My words before we left the cattle camp the first time, I found out I need to listen to my own advice…

We all came back to the cattle camp with such vigor and motivation ready to teach the word or God to these unreached people, happy to see our friends, and wrestling some with our Dinka boys. The cattle camp greeted us with such reception running to the car meeting us with their big beautiful smiles. Plus we were all excited that we finally got my best friend and Pastor/ translator Peter Maluwal!

The main man of the day. Peter has been wanting to go with us to cattle camp since we started, he

even road all the way out to us in cattle camp in one day just to help us! But his job at the Baptist training Center prevents him from doing so. How we got him to come is another story.

Anyway, The first we had such a crowd a round our tent we just taught God’s word right then. It went so well! They responded pretty good and we all where on a high from being back and teaching that day.

The next day:

I piss facing the camp as I brush my teeth, the others sit in a circle by our tents. I suddenly hear Peter say “OOo! Magic!” I turn to look and I see an old man walking around with a big stick and beating ground as he circles the cows. The calmness of actions from the witch doctor surprised me in the fact of if Peter had not told me I would not even have notice it. But the cow the witch doctor was blessing was our cattle camp leader. That really hit me down. I felt like all we have been doing here is a waste and their just using us to see what they can get out of these white Americans.

I mean we have been teaching on only serve and worship God, so many Bible stories teaching the exact sin this leader is doing now. I was not the only one who felt this way either, we all got pretty bumped after seeing that and we had to teach in a few hours.

I told you I needed to listen to my own advice. Justin Culp was the one who encouraged us all to not get down, “We can’t expect them just to turn right around just because we come in teaching some Bible stories, it will take some time.” In which was right and I agreed with him on.

So we push our selves up and laid out the word of God to them. It turns out that all the stories we taught that day had to do with worshiping and serving God only again! We elaborated on it big time and told them you cannot serve both, but only God. Justin said he saw the leader putting his head down maybe in guilt, I don’t know, but they where all given what God’s law on says on that, they know and now it is up to them to act. We finished out that week with consistent teaching of God’s word and their responds seem blissful.

Please pray the word reaches their ears and heart and that they understand it.

Please pray for us that we able to teach them clearly that they understand and except it.

Pray that they except God and His laws in their heart and put it in their actions to depend on God only.

Thank you!

I had desire in my heart and that desire was taken from me

2010-07-03T04:24:00.000-07:00

Naked kids play around burning dung hills, Men piss in my direction showing me the anatomy of a man, young women on their knees cleaning the cow dung around their mound with their bare hands, young men gathered under a tree playing dominos, Women slam their faces to the ground to scream out their pain from their lost one, small calf’s graze in the fields, dogs bark and grow to gather to fight in their own dispute of their laws as if demon possessed, a young cattle camp man struts by proud with his cattle camp dress that stops at his high thigh and a wind breaker jacket tied half way around his body just to cover his Ak on the side of his left shoulder.

Sites so familiar to my eyes here in cattle camp, sites that stop the eyes of us State dwellers, but my eyes just keep going and no warning is felt. But this day I saw a site that stopped my eyes, turned my head, and gave warning.

Second week at cattle camp:

Third Day: morning

I awake in the cattle camp to find out Zach’s spear has been stolen out of the truck that he bought just yesterday. I come out the tent and check the truck to make sure nothing else is stolen. I sigh and find that nothing else was stolen except the spear.

So I feel weird this morning, and I decide to sit in the back seatt of the truck to reminisce of the spectacular day God blessed us with yesterday!

Yesterday in our first training of God’s word we had all young men! This hardly happens in America let alone Sudan! We pored out the gospel to them as Shad rack translated.

The young men where into the training very seriously. I was praying and praising God the whole time through training. It was a sight to see all these young cattle camp men come to our tent by their own means, we did not even have to call them this time, just a butch of them came and sat down and said we are ready, teach us now!

LOL! It was all God! We did nothing!

The training ended with us all excited to meet the next day and even more for the team and I because we where going to give them a butch of Jesus stories and then show the Jesus film in their language the next night!

So back to me in the car, I am pretty pumped about today, but I feel weird I don’t know why maybe it’s the stealing, but that comes with the territory. I mean, I should know that by now!

Any way Justin Mayom comes and joins me in the back seat of the truck and we talk in very laid-back manner. Then even Shad rack joins us in the truck as he is in the front seat. We talk and joke together, and then soon Daniel Mapar even joins us in the truck as he seats in the drivers seat. We start to have a fly killing competition because there are so many flies in the car for some reason.

We all joke a laugh about things and then some cattle keepers join us at the truck windows. I look at the tall Dinka man lean over in the window to Shad rack as they talk, then suddenly a medium size, well built young Dinka man runs from a distances out of the cattle camp as if a solider from the movie 300.

He has an Ak in his right hand.

That right there is it. My eyes stopped, my head followed, and my warning went off. No fear but new site, a site that even the Dinka men could not ignore. The young man’s face was full of passion, or invisible tears maybe. I could see them but no tears only a need to feel his emptiness with something. The men standing by our vehicle yell in Dinka “Akunu! Weka! Weka! Weka!” Then they go running after him. Then more Dinka men come running out of the cattle camp behind him, some with Ak’s as well. We all step out of the truck, two Dinka men in the distances fight over a Ak, not for the gun, but as if trying to stop one from running, or trying to give some advice to one who wants to do something foolish.

The Dinka men crowd in together before the bush, then I hear wailing, but this is a different type of wailing, not a lost wailing or death, but a girl friends cry is how I heard it, it was a group of young girl crying. Then suddenly the crowd of Dinka men disappears into the bush with their Ak’s as if warriors charging ready to never return.

We are all left in silence wondering what just happen.

Shad rack talks to the leader and we find out an o so common story here in South Sudan. A solider killed a Cattle keeper. Now the cattle keeper must take revenge. We stayed and prayed with the cattle camp

that peace comes there, that they follow the ways of Christ and forgive,

No more killings come this cattle camp,

Their safety,

And that God’s glory and ministry is not put to stop by this

But His power is shown to them and that they may see Him as their God and live by His way and follow Christ.

Please pray for these things as we are trying to reach these people.

After we prayed we got news that that cattle keepers had already took revenge. We where told to pack up and leave before the military comes, and the camp was getting ready to move. So we did like cowards we had to leave.

Where they move? We don’t know, probably some where deep away from people.

Pray God shows us clearly what to do, cause right now I’m lost.

Pray for the cattle camp please, that they are safe and no harm comes to them.

Pray that we find then again to continue to teach God’s word.

Thank you.

P.S: Well it has been about three days since I wrote this and nothing big has happen to the cattle camp, all is normal and I here they did not even move. It’s almost like we have been thrown a fake punch and we all jumped back and duck to soon.

So Pray for us because we are going back this Monday to continue.

Thank you

Slave to Him, Jermaine

Drink up!

2010-07-03T04:21:00.000-07:00

Rain hits my skin in the cold storm like needles. The lightning strikes and the wind blows against my way. I press forward but then you strike me in my gut. I fall to the mud as I curl up to the ground from the pain you just caused. I try to rise but you steal my rings, money, jewelry, and some entertainment. I don’t fight back for if He let you take those things I see now I even can take it further to see that they are worldly things I don’t need. I rise but you shatter my path and I fall into a deep dark pit of your creativity. I look up and see you unzip your pans and piss on my head. I lie back down in a pool of your piss and realize that you really don’t like me, in fact I think you hate me.

After five days at cattle camp we left there on cloud nine singing praises to God! For they seek God and wanted His presences with in their cattle camp. We had to make are we back to Rumbek for more supplies, which I dreaded because as you know from my earlier blogs satan loves to attack me there. Which in this case I was right.

Rumbek was supposed to be a day trip and then head back to Akot to get ready to go back to cattle camp. Not long in Rumbek before I was struck, I came to find all my belongings; basically my whole life was stolen from me…LOL!

You see I live in my backpack. I have been living this way for a long time now, its just how I had to live out here. I just move too much to settle somewhere. Well that back pack I was living in was stolen. So that made us have to stay in Rumbek another day so I could file a police report…lol! A police report out here …..yeah right what a joke!

Well any way the Lord had my back and I was blessed with what I got back, like the important stuff like pass port and travel permit, stuff like that, you know.

Yeah! I’m stupid and with Him I would be nothing, believe me I know!

So as we get ready to go the truck breaks down again. LoL! I just laugh. Cause it’s just funny how things happen.

As I stood beside the truck waiting for the mechanic under the truck, it began to rain and you know I just let it rain on me. Everyone ran to get out of the rain, but I just stood there. Water swallowed my broken sandals, and I looked down to the ground and just let the piss flow down. You just keep coming, I might not be fifth teen or ware a mask but I will drink your piss.

You know why cause I don’t deserve better, I am a slave to Christ. I brag in these small sufferings, I take them as honor to do for my master! So the more you do to me I just love cause it is for Him who died for me, He who I can never pay back. So with each little blow you give me is just a inch of nothing for what I try to do for my master! So I will drink that piss up!

My master gives me a white light of rope to crawl out of the pit and move on. I smile because my body just became stronger from the climb out of the pit. Lol! My master knows what he is doing!

I was cold and shook in the rain soaked from head to toe, and I could tell the team thought I was just crazy. I came out of my mind and the truck was fixed, and we got back on the road went back to Akot for cattle camp, to train and disciple them for Christ!

Praise You My God! It is an honor to suffer for you I am not worthy but you let me drink his piss for you Lord. Thank you, for I am but a dog who eats from your children's crumbs.

By Their own means!

2010-07-03T04:16:00.000-07:00

The night of are arrival in cattle camp one of the leaders and some young aparaks (young men) sat with us and Abraham.

As Abraham translated…

I tell you what, in the dark night of Sudan I cannot remember what they where talking about or how I got to it, But I just remember I just started laying out the gospel to them, from creation to Christ. Then this young boy said “so how do we keep a relationship with God from down here?”

My heart jumped as I heard those words!

You know where I went! I went straight to Jesus!

Then boy kept asking great questions! “What about are sin’s and the bad things we do?” “What are some bad things God does not want us to do?” These questions where right on time! I was praising God so much!

Then another older man said “You see, these are the things we need to know so we can do right by God, but we have know one to teach us and train us, we want to learn these things.”

I said “this what we came to do!”

The he said “You can come and teach these things but if you just teach and leave, we will just forget your teachings. We need some one you can train within our cattle camp to teach us when you leave.”

Hot dang it, I just about dropped my mouth when he said this! I said that is exactly what we want too! It has to be the people of the land who do this, but we got nobody willing to do it!

As I had Abraham translate this…

So we talked more agreeing with each other that night and prayed God would reveal to us what to do to get the cattle camp some permanent training in His word.

The next day CAP Sudan training went great! We had a lot of young men sit down and listen. Then later that evening we had the four leaders of the cattle camp and some others sitting and talking with us.

So out of nowhere on of the leaders says bring us some history (story from God’s word). So we did. Then right after the story one of the leaders says “You see this is good, but we have no one to teach us these things of God’s word. You come here and you tell us these stories but we just forget them. “

Then he said this….

“You see the villages and cattle camp is very different. In the villages they have their people and their time on Sunday they can go to church. But here in cattle camp we don’t do those things. When Sunday comes we have no church like the villages, we need a church here like the villages so we can learn more about God’s word.”

MY God, my God…I just about fell on my knees right there to praise God.

Abraham just translated all this to my ears….

So we began to talk about them to chose a leader for the church so we can train them!

Justin, the team, and I began to talk about just staying at this one cattle camp to pour our heart and soul into training just this one. Because our original plan was to take CAP Sudan teachings to different cattle camps around the area. But we all agreed to just keep coming back to this cattle camp to train and disciple the men.

I was so pumped! These young cattle keepers actually wanted training, actually wanted a church in their cattle camp by their own means!

Praise you my Lord!

This crazy!

Please start praying NOW!

They Denied me.

2010-07-03T04:10:00.000-07:00

Justin Macar, Justin Mayom, Daniel, Mapar Makala gar, and Zachariah Marial is my new team to come with me to bring the Gospel to the unreached of the Cattle Camps. God has placed it on my heart for maybe if possible that a church can be planted with in the cattle camp as they move in the bush! Beyond impossible but I want to see what God will do. If they call on God to be there who can deny them, their unreached people just like anyone else, the heart of the Dinka people, their pride and warriors. But before all that I was met with a broken truck to settle to my on doings, which I did not get fix by the arrival of the team. We where stranded in Rumbek for some days, but finally old buddy awoke and we were on the road to Akot to find a Cattle Camp.

Now normally I would have had the cattle camp picked out and set up for the team but I had no time at all coming from back to back to back teams so they got to see all my reckless ground work. I did not even have translators! I am Lc’s nightmare.

We get to Akot and first thing I want is what? Translators! Yes correct!

But I was stop by….ummm… well I will just let you hear some of this conversation.

1^st day

Me: So Abraham did the team explain what we plan to do out here? (I explain this to him many times already)

Abraham: Ah…yes to go to cattle camp…

(Silence)

Me: ummm….yes! we want to go to cattle camp to do CAP Sudan teachings there and maybe…

Abraham : How long do you stay?

Me: Ummmm…five days at a time.

Abraham: How many translators do you need?

Me: two translators would be great.

Abraham: I think it will be too difficult to get translators.

(Silences)

Abraham: Ok I will be going now thanks you! (He gets up and leaves)

(End of convo.)

I did not let that stop me, Just another tool of the devil to get me down. I just kept faith and kept going! Not knowing if I was to have a translator or not I got my best friend Peter to go with us to find a cattle camp. It had to be one of the easiest cattle camps I ever found in the bush! (Can’t tell), is the name of the cattle camp. They welcomed us with such open arms that day, and with complete stupidity and faith I planned the day of our coming to stay with them. I told them we would come Friday and stay five days.

3^rd day

( A rainy day in Sudan, I am call by them to talk about cattle camp. I walk over to the center where I see Shad rack, Isaac , and Abraham all sitting in chairs of a circle formation, can’t be good and it was not. I will give you just some bits and pieces of the convo.)

Abraham: I have other things to do here, I can’t be bothered with your work separate from the church! Next time you get another translator then us, we have work to do, You get another translator separate from us!

Me: Yeah Abraham I know you guys are busy but this is why you got the training of CAP Sudan, there is no other translator. I mean I’m not going to make you go I’m not no big person, but I need some one who wants to go, and I do need you guys.

Shad rack: My friend, I cannot do it on the weekend I have to build my fence.

(That is one piece of the convo, like that, here is another)

Me: Yeah but I just think that the cattle camp is so unreached cause know one wants to go out there and just maybe if we stay out there with them, God willing a Church may be planted with in the cattle camp! I mean that would be….

(Abraham, and Shad rack laugh.)

Shad rack: OOO! My friend!

Abraham: No there is no way that can happen.

Me: You don’t think a church can be planted in cattle camp?

Abraham: No!, There is no way it can happen. You call them for teaching and they will not come.

Shad rack: Impossible my friend, they are cattle keepers they wont take it serious.

(Abraham, Shad rack and Isaac all agree)

(Silence)

Me: …..well…ummm…..Ok.

(End of convo.)

Sucks right! I mean these guys are my heroes, I look up to them, I love them! And for them to come at me like that! The cattle camp is their people their land….Whatever I aint bout to let know one stop me from giving the gospel to some unreached people who want it! So I don’t give a cow’s flip tail if they want to go or not but somebody gone translate, and they can go their mad to I don’t care about that either! I just do the talking, you just translate and look salty! But God is going to show you and crack that hard heart and crumble that enormous pride too! See if I car if you like me you know I don’t! Tell me what God can do and can’t do!

Despite their unwillingness to go to cattle camp and their huge negativity of the thought of a church in cattle camp, Abraham agreed to go one week and Shad rack agreed to come the next week Monday through Friday. But it really was sad to see these strong men of God just to be used by Satan to hold me down not to go, and to forget about a church there. I was sad and angry that day and I really held back a lot of things my flesh wanted rip out! But it’s cool, I just kept quiet, humbled down and prayed.

They denied me.

Pastors training & Sports Ministry

2010-06-01T01:33:00.000-07:00

Agany Church

2010-06-01T01:04:00.000-07:00

Paloc & Jok Lai Churches

2010-06-01T00:21:00.000-07:00

Widow's Church

2010-05-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

Your Darkness overwhelms me Baby girl

2010-04-18T05:09:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I am overwhelmed by her darkness. She lays on top of me and covers me with her dark filth until I am smothered by her darkness and I cannot see the light. Her herself is beautiful, eyes ach at her sight because of her lovely appearance, smooth black skin and a smile that pierces the heart and captures the eyes to want forever.

But her filth is too much! You are dark in filth, your filth covers my sight of light, and then I cannot see. I am stuck in your darkness so long to where my eyes adjust to the dark.

My dear women, you cut your self and kill your kids and paint their blood on your body, then you lay their blood in my hands!

I have seen your blood spilled out and your kid’s dead bodies. I have smelled their blood for far too long and I am sick to the smell. I grow sick and open to the enemies attack.

But we continue on in the name of Jesus Christ. He will wash your filth away! He will cleans your darkness in the light! I am His slave in His shackles bowing down to do as He please to use me to fight off your dark filth women! But to my weakness your darkness blinds me and the enemy attacks me from behind.

The voices of the enemy creep up my back like a snake to a tree, sliding, and twisting up my spine to whisper into the back of my mine and ears.

I ask God to take the snake out of my spine but I realize I must be broken by God into pieces and rebuilt to resist this new kind of evil to my knowledge. I have never been attacked like this before, But God taught me how to resist and rely on Him.

So now even covered in your darkness sweetie, I turn to My Father and see His light, and only then I can see.

O how I lament for you Sudan. You open yourself to this filthiness woman. You lay down on your side and your left hand cuts the right side of your body and blood spills out! Then your right hand cuts only the right side of your body as well and even more blood spills out! You bath in your own blood. O dear God please help her O dear God Please.

Things our moving here in Akot, and God controls the pieces. There is an Idol temple in the back of Mayom village that Andrew and the others have been trying to talk to the family and have it burnt down. Please pray on that! Also there is a man chain to the tree there as well named Daniel.

Daniel is an educated man who can read Dinka, so Andrew gave him a Bible in Dinka. He said that he believes in Christ and that He died for his sins.

But we still don’t know how he got there chain to a tree. People say he is crazy and tries to kill people and burn down houses. But he was a leader in a church.

So Please Pray for Daniel and whatever is keeping him at that tree, sickness or evil spirit, That God release him from bondage and bless him in his beast way possible for Daniel.

Please Pray that God’s will be done in Akot and that we agree on it.

Please Pray that satin’s angels and his army our weaken and cast out from their strong hold on Akot, that they stay from us and God protects us from their doings of any kind! Pray these things in Jesus name…Thank you.

Jermaine

Are we doing something right?

2010-04-18T04:34:00.000-07:00

Do you smile upon our work here? I ask.

Are we doing something right here? I ask God again.

Drive!

Go go, go, go! Watch the stump, watch the pothole, go down to third now, watch the dip in the road, and try to stay in fourth around the corner, go man go! God You not bout to let this girl die on my watch! Go faster! Go Jermaine, Go Jermaine, I think to myself…I look back her eyes go to the back of her head and her breathing is short, as she coughs to get more air, she can’t hold her head up! Come on Jermaine kick dirt! Get her to hospital before she die….I say to myself!

We all set out to go to Ma wang Ajith. A land that has not got the gospel yet, a new land of new souls to win for Christ!

By all, I mean Andrew, Peter Gilliland, three girls from fusion, and our pastor Abraham. We where all excited to go and so happy to reach an untouched land.

But Peter in the morning told us that he feels we just should not go to Ma wang Ajith. He felt that it is just what the Spirit was telling him. We said Ok we will take it into consideration, as he said that I really just felt well yeah he is right, I started to lose the reason for going there. But we continued

We stop in Paloc because we have to go through there to get to Ma wang Ajith. We were praying for these three women as they were sick. Then one of the girls grab me and say Jermaine Kaley got stung by a bee. I said “ Ok she O right?” well it turns out she is allergic! I say “well do she have a epee pen?” They say no. So I take a look at here and this girl is breathing in short breaths, and bobbin her head back and forth, talking about, “O I’m Ok guys lets go.” Naw homie this girl trippin! She does not look good at all and we are an hour away from the hospital! So I say lets go! We jump in the car and bounced!

Man as we go, this girl is coughing and passing in and out! I’m like naw God Lord I ask that she be healed right now and crush the devils angels of darkness that cause this!

Man I am flying in this bush like crazy! Flying around the curves, jumping on dips in the

ground! I keep looking in review mirror to see how she doing. She connects eyes with me but only to pass in and out at that time. But I stay calm, cause I got Faith in my Father, my eyes became sharp, and I knew His angels guided me through the bush with God’s speed! But Kaley looks so bad as I look back, but I stayed calm, cause she was not about to go no where! It was real bad, she started throwing up! But my Lord flew the car, God had my foot sleeping on the gas, no brake pads, and no such thing is last!

God’s speed, we mad it in forty minutes to the hospital and the Dr. was right there to take her in. Man God is so good! They fixed her up and everything was cool. She was healthy and back to regular. Thank you Jesus!

Later that day Peter said that he feels this was a spiritual attack. I agree.

He said that we might need to take care of what is here in Akot first then going to other places. He also said I am glad that satin attack us like this because at least I know we are doing something right!

Please continue to pray for Paloc church.

Please pray for us as we discern God’s will for us here in Akot and hearing His Spirit.

Please pray for Kaley that she be healed and the enemy can’t harm her or touch her in the name of Jesus.

Thank you

Jermaine

Yes! We can use some Help!

2010-04-18T02:16:00.000-07:00

TrT class came to an end with all of our students graduating, except one. Which is pretty awesome for out here and Andrew and I our very blessed by how God used this class and bright young men to serve Him.

Like Moses I was unable to see the graduation but put at a job to meet another new segment of my allocation here in Southern Sudan to pick up a astute of a man called Peter Gilliland.

Peter is staying here for three weeks to help encourage us in anyway and open doors to the high authorities like the Military, police and Chiefs of the area.

Less then five days in Akot Peter with his white beard, high military background as Ct., and born in Africa, we were able to meet the Ct. of the military, the chief of police, and the chiefs of Akot all in one day!

God really just came through and used Peter greatly to open new doors of ministry. God moves so quick That I don’t even know what just happen, but I know it was from God!

Please pray that God continues to open the doors to minster to the military and police while Peter is here and far after he is gone.

It is very hard to get true ministry to the military, and using our pastors to do so, is very difficult due to language , the military speaks Arabic. Pray for this as well.

Can you see Cause I can't it's too dark

2010-04-18T02:02:00.000-07:00

I drive through this bush, down the bumpy road as the land cruiser is filled with our silences my eyes our stuck to the view of the road, a view that is too familiar to my eyes, but this view is different and is painted and permanent in my mind and in my dreams. The view of the land cruiser through the wind shield and the tip hood of the car two bush branches with leaves blowing in the wind at each corner of the hood….O how I felt your unscrupulousness that day.

Andrew, Malual and I set out to Paloc for a training and encouragement day for this young church on fire for God. We had books and Bibles and training material and a full lesson to teach the young leaders. After a hour drive we reach Paloc.

We drive around the village to find the leader. We did not find him so we went to the church. As I go to get out of the car Malual are Dinka pastor says, “Yeah there are some people there, say a man has been shot.” So we agree to go and see what is the problem.

We drive up to and ECS Church building, where many people are gathered and they all stare at us as we get out of the car. A tall Dinka man walks up to us and greets us Malual replies in Dinka, “What is the problem?” He then explains that a man has been shot and they think he is dead. Then the tall Dinka man looks down at me and says “you check”. I say “Ok”.

As I walk over in the crowed of tall Dinka cattle men, they all slowly move out of my way as I walk to the center. I reach the middle of the crowed met by a beautiful color scarf covering a Dinka man on his side. I knelt down beside him and flip the scarf over to see his face, which I see when I close my eyes. His eyes partially open I felt his neck for a pulse and got nothing. I felt mine as I felt his for comparison but nothing. He was dead.

They then asked us to take the body to Pacong. Pachong is just about to Rumbek an hour away. We agreed.

We put the body in the car and we went from missionary to hearse driver.

They put two bush branches full with leaves on each corner of the hood of our car like flags on a car in a funeral line. I asked” What is that for?” They said to let every one know you are caring the dead.

We reach the family….and women began to wail and bemoan, they slam their faces to the ground and rip their clothes off. They beat their face and hands to the ground, screaming in misery. I felt the darkness close in, I grew sick of this, his body was heavy and his tongue was grey, his blood was spilled.

This aint no joke out here. People dying everyday! We got to do are job! These people are killing themselves over here. It is a Cain and Abel land filled with blood in their rivers and creeks!

Pray for them please, I took this as a reminder of what I need to do and what we need to do! This day I will not forget. Thank you my Father.

We have to abide in Him and work harder.

Jermaine

Thank you for your prayers for Paloc Church

2010-03-29T06:39:00.000-07:00

I thank all the people who gave payers to our God for Paloc Church!

Just this Sunday I went to Paloc Church to see them and encourage them. I really did not expect them to be meeting. I thought I would have to find everybody all around town and gather them together to have church. Well the Lord slapped me in the face with a blessing!

As I drove up to the church there was so many people under the tree standing, singing, and giving praises to God! I was filled with such JOY! I Thank the Lord right then and there! I jumped out of the car and began to praise God with them! I was so Happy. I was really over Joyed! I hugged John Bangic, the leader of the church and we greeted with such love and joy for Christ! We had church and I read a letter to the church from the Oakland Baptist church from Mississippi. They loved the letter and thanked them so much. Thank you Danny, Billy, Jay, and Kenny for all the pictures! The people loved them so much!

After church we had some training with them and taught them more on God. I told John Bangic how proud I was of him and that he is doing such a great work for God!

Please pray that Paloc church will sustain themselves and learn from God's word on their own.

They continue to grow and physically and spiritually.

That Andrew and I may be able to get out there and encourage them and help them to learn the word of God on their own.

Thank you my Lord and saviour for answering our prayers!

Thank you my churches and prayer warriors.

So amazed!

Jermaine

He sent them out two by two.

2010-03-29T06:06:00.001-07:00

Things have been so busy around here. One Sunday Andrew and I were discussing on how we can get our trainees in TrT class, to go out on their own to the villages and preach the word of God. Because we won't be here for ever and they cannot depend on our transportation. So we took a Sunday to pray on that under a tree in the bush. We were interrupted by one of our trainees called Joseph. I was thinking man it is hard to get some alone time out here.

So Joseph, Andrew and I greeted each other and then there came an silence......

Then Joseph said "I want to go to Pandit this week". Well lets see when will we have time to go again?" I replied Then Joseph says "No me myself it is God who choses me and I will go on bicycle". Andrew and I was so surprised! My heart jump and began to overflow! I was so happy God just answered our prayer like that! We have been wanting this so bad and out of no where Joseph is ready to go and spread the word of God, using TRT.

So Joseph and Peter went to Pandit on their own using the transportation they have. Praise God! I watched them bike off into the land like a proud worried parent!

The next day Isaac comes up to me and says where is Peter I said " he went to Pandit with Joseph". Then Isaac goes to tell me that three days ago four people were shot in that area of Pandit and and fighting will happen there.

I was not worried and I had much faith God will take care of them. I even thought it was funny how satin is so typical.

The day went on and not Joseph and Peter, and they were supposed to come back or TrT class in the morning but they missed it. So I waited the whole the day no Joseph and Peter.

Joseph's wife came to our house asking where her husband is and that she heard about the fighting in Pandit. In Dinka she said" You know there is fighting in Pandit and they will kill them cause Peter"s tribe head marks!" She was very worried. Even me I got a little worried but I still heald on and I looked at her and said in Dinka "Don't fear God has all the power" She smiled and looked away. then she went home.

Then Peter's mother came to my hut as well worried for her son.

I'm like Ok God we going to be alright. You will keep your children safe!.

The sun began to set as I waited looking down the road. Then I saw two figures ridding bikes up the road! I ran to them yelling and praising God! It was Joseph and Peter coming home from preaching the word of God on their own!

I greeted them with such love and was so happy! We sat and talked about their adventure and how God kept them safe. They said they preached all over Pandit town and the people welcome them so much! They maybe even a Baptist church may come from this.

Pray for Joseph, Peter, Abraham, Abraham Mongor, Samuel, Johnson, and Isaac our pastors in TrT class, That God will light a fire in all them to go out and spread the word of God by their own means. They will sustain their own way of spreading God's Word consistently. The their TRT classes will stay consistent and useful to spread the Word of God.

Pray for Pandit, as it has two churches one of catholic and one of ECS church But the ECS church leaders need some training and encouragement to spread the word of God more.

Thank you Lord for lighting the fire in them just like you sent your disciples.

Praise On the Paloc Church!

2010-03-29T06:06:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much to all at home giving prayers up to our God on the Paloc Church

Update in Akot work

2010-03-16T00:03:00.000-07:00

Andrew and I Have been doing TrT (training rural trainers) in Akot with the pastors. It has been going so great! and all the young men are really into the training and using it to build churches and spread God's word more effectively!

A few weeks ago we went to Paloc and showed the Jesus film to the town. Stayed there and the next day we explain the film and told them the gospel. They were very expectable and we built are Baptist Church back up from it. There was a Baptist Church in paloc but the pastor got shot and the church stop meeting together after that.

But God blessed us and the church came back together and that sunday we had church under a tree with forty people! Praise God!

At the end of the service a women called Elisabeth Akoi ask that we pray for a snake to leave her home. So we prayed but Andrew and I said let's kill it now. But everybody said No, no,no,no...."Why?' We asked. They told us that her husband is related to the snake. And I knew what they were talking about. It goes into animistic religion and it is not Godly. So we told them that it is wrong and they have to chose God only and to talk her husband. Then we went back to Akot.

Then a week later some soldiers went to paloc for disarmament and scattered the people and the church! So Andrew and I wanted to get back up to Paloc bad! But we could not take the car because the army would take it over. So we road our bikes! only about over 30 miles back and forth.

We got there and we could not find any of the church leaders, but we found two church members. One of them was Akoi, We sat with Akoi in her home and the snake was gone. I asked "where is the snake?" She said " I killed it." She explain how God gave her the power and she does do those things anymore and God had all the power! Andrew and I was so thankful to Jesus! Akoi said that she had ran when the soldiers came to her friends house and another snake came into the house. But she killed that snake also with the power of God! What a blessing. We left her house praising God and wrote a message of encouragement with the word of God to the leaders of Paloc church. then we went back home.

Please pray that this Church keeps going and stays together.

Pray for our TrT class that God is with us as we teach and the pastors and young men teach the word of God with boldness and that the class helps.

The Day of Murphy’s law

2010-03-15T12:10:00.000-07:00

Though I was completely exhausted from moving all day that yesterday, I was still ready!

Ready to go to Akot my new home!

This day we were all packed up and ready to go and move to Akot into my mud hut! I was so excited and ready to go. My heart was so sweet and pumping full of anticipation for a new location and new people. New adventure and new missions!

But when we woke up and found the pick up truck sitting on a flat tire.

But that did not stop us, no way! Plus we had the Fusion team to help us change the tire very quickly. Also! The truck has two spare tires so we are still good to go down to Akot with one spare.

So we all loaded up the pick up truck to the top and Mark, Cathy and all the Fusion team stood in a circle to pray for a safe journey to Akot.

We prayed.

Then Mark, Cathy, Andrew, Jessie, and Kaley got into Mark’s land curser. Wycliffe and I were in the pick up truck. I jumped into the drivers seat, put the key in, took off the safety break and let it rip.

On our way to Akot, driving good as the wheels hit the dirt road and kick up dirt to leave a dust trail. This is great I thought, so great!

Then suddenly I hear a noise on the right side of the truck. “What is that?” I asked. “OO! The tire is flat.” Wycliffe replies. I pull over on the side of the road. Ok lets get this tire changed and go, I thought. Thank God we had two spares. But I also thought as I loosen the bolts, that we have no spares for the truck now going down to Akot and we are pretty far away.

So I am turning the jack up and the truck is going up and up, then suddenly the jack pops off and the truck slams to the ground, BAM!

“OOO! Sorry, Sorry!” Wycliffe says. “Hot Dang it! This stupid Jack!” I ranted off.

This same jack broke on me when I was in Juba, the top plate broke off. But I knew how to fix it and everything is cool. So I just put the jack back under the truck and start again. The Jack works there is no problem, Thank you Jesus! I began to take the flat tire off but the truck is not high enough so I tell Wycliffe to turn the jack higher. So as Wycliffe is turning up the jack I hear this metal ping sound! Then I see something fly from the jack!

“O! You know I don’t like these jacks!” Wycliffe yells. “What happen?” I asked. “ The hook to turn the jack up and down broke off!” Wycliffe says. “All Naw!” I said, as I took a look at the jack. “Dang! How we going to get the jack down to lower the truck?!” I asked. Wycliffe said “That one I don’t know.” Wycliffe replied. LOL!

So I said “Man let’s just change this tire.” We change the tire.

Then after much thinking and consideration Wycliffe wedge the bar in where the hook broke off of the jack and lowered it very slowly. I took about an hour and a half or so just to change that one tire with all those problems!

So finally the truck cam down, but I look down and saw that the spare was even flat! So I calmly said “well this tire is too flat as well.” “What?!” Wycliffe said shockingly, running over to take a look.

So! We have no jack, no spare tires, two flat tires, a flat spare, and no pump either! We are officially stranded!

I tried calling Mark on the SAT phone but no luck. So I sent Wycliffe on a matatu back to Mark’s compound to get the pump. I sat on the road by the truck and every person passing by asked what is wrong and then they see they can’t help and drive off. It started to aggravate me so I hid in the bushes from off the road and watched the truck. I waited only for about another hour and half or so then Wycliffe came back with the pump!

Yes! God is with us I thought, we are on our way! We went to pump the tire and I kid you not, the pump would not work!

But after some struggle with it Wycliffe took it out of the sun and he fixed it. And we began to pump the tire. And we pump, and pump, and pump so hard. I pump until blisters came on my palms. Finally after another about 30 min or so we reached 50 PSI! Lets go to Akot right, wrong! I figured we are much closer to Rumbek then Akot and it would not be smart to go down to Akot with no Jack no spares and a soft tire. So we head back to Rumbek to get all those things we need.

We get back to Rumbek in town and the first traffic stop we hit we are whistled down by some traffic cops in all white uniform. They harass me like always. “You must bring license now!” the traffic cop says.

I guess I violated one of his many made up rules by turning into the tire shop, whatever. Wycliffe and I argue back and forth with the traffic cop on what I did wrong. It finally ends with a traffic fine on me. And it really aggravated me at that time but I just tried to keep Christ on even though it was false accusation.

So now we have to go into the market and get a jack. So we leave the two spare tires to be fix and go to the market. As we turn around the round about I hear another traffic cop whistle! I say “You have got to be kidding me?!” But then we see a motorbike come flying passed us and the cop is pointing at the bike. So thank goodness we continue.

But no, the same traffic cop speeds up to us on a motorbike, pissed. He yells “Pull over!” As I pull over I told Wycliffe “Man I’m just about to go to jail!” I then continue to say “Take me to jail cause I’m sick of this crap!”

The traffic cop comes to the car yelling who knows what. Then in English he say “Bring ear phones!” “What Ear Phones!” I reply. “I don’t have no ear phones!” And just as I was about rant and rave a local Dinka man that I know called Jackson came up and spoke for us. He resolve the situation by telling the cop they can’t keep doing this and that he knew the cop’s brother and took him to court for doing this same thing.

The traffic back down and let us go. I thank Jackson over and over for his help, he was sent from God I believe.

So finally Wycliffe and go buy the jack, then we pick up the tires and get out of there. It was a quiet trip down to Akot as Wycliffe and I were dismayed and exhausted from what this day gave us. Me myself I was saying this was Murphy’s Law today. But I was thankful for God’s Law. “What can go wrong God can get you through and fix it.”

Because we could have had only one spare tire instead of two, when the jack broke it could have hurt or killed me or Wycliffe, the jack could have stop working after that, the pump could have stayed broken, the traffic cops could have took me to court or jail, I could have lost my temper and went off on the second traffic cop but God sent Jackson to help me and calm the situation.

Thank you my God, my Lord, my Daddy, when there is Murphy’s Law, The children of God have God’s Law. Thank you Daddy.

So I lose a Mexican and gain a Bible character!

2010-03-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

Three of my teammates went home last month. They have completed their term. Me, I’m headed straight to Akot for moving. To my new home I come, no more Rumbek!

Mark says “Hey Jermaine I got a new idea for you, your going to love.”

“O yeah, what’s that?” I reply. Mark says “Well since the pastor Sunday you was working with fled away to become a policemen and that kinda fell through the cracks on that one. I as talking to one of the Fusion leaders named Andrew and he said he would love to go down to Akot and work with you there.”

I thought about it and I was concerned about leaving Abin Ajok alone but four other Fusion peps are pumped to go to Abin Ajok and live there. So it bumped me out of that, which is cool I have no problem, wherever God needs me. So I said yeah 4Sho!

I spent three days packing and moving crap out of our old compound and on to Mark’s compound, shopping, running around, planning, and making sure Andrew and I had what we needed to survive out in Akot on the BTC (Baptist Training Center) the bush.

Who is Fusion? Fusion is Freakin Sweet that’s who Fusion is! A group of young Christian college students who train to go to the hardest places in the world and spread the word of God. Yeah so we working with them, Shweeeet!

I was going back and forth on the pick up truck, moving all day just totally exhausted. I sat down that night on the porch hard, with Jennifer and Andres. I think it was the two nights before they left for good.

Jennifer went on talking about the Fusion team and their surgery goodness. As I sat there tired and beat it reminded me of my new partner Andrew. Andrew is a white male with average height and weight with long dark hair and a dark beard. I broke my silence and said “You know, Andrew looks like Jesus.” Everyone burst out into agreement.

I went on and explained that even when Andrew and I were in the market a Dinka boy pulled me aside and asked me where is Andrew from. I said “America” The boy then said “ The way I saw him I thought he was Jesus from the movie.” We all laugh!

Then Andres says “I think he looks more like a John. Then we went back and forth, arguing on whether Andrew was Jesus or John and I am so tired and did not want to think any more, and my brain was done. I did not mean for it to be a big deal anyway so I just ended the argument with the saying, “So I lose a Mexican and gain a Bible Character.”

People of the States

2010-01-21T08:12:00.000-08:00

People of the States, The United States of America that is. We live and have come accustom to trust our government officials. Now I am not talking about politics and left or right, blue or red judgments from a majorities peoples opinion. I am not approaching the broad aspect of our government in the decision-making to better off our country, your dang if you do, and your dang if you don’t.

I am simply discussing the trust of our government’s higher and lower officials to do there job of protection of the country. Hands on teams and red and blue ties, three piece suites with a American flag button, bullet proof vest with digital camouflage. The initiative to protect the people. Yes we all do have some level of expectations to trust our government to protect us.

Lets start low and then go up. The police, the infamous boys in blue. I am in the States. I am driving my car. I see blue and red lights and I pull over. The cop puts a gun to my head and pulls me out of the car! “Get on the ground nigger!” The cops all gather around and beat me. I think I might be able to draw a case and get a lawyer. Take this to a higher authority of the government. If that does not work and people still lie to save them selves I can take this to the supposedly ultimate people protector, our media. Maybe I can get the story on the news and fight this to the end. Now I am not saying I would win, not in the least.

But the fact that the actions that the cops did was out of order and gave me and other people that would hear of it a great shock and disappointment. You know what, not shock but the mere fact that I thought it is wrong and they cannot do this to me. I had done nothing wrong.

Another example on TV we watch a lot of police films and on these show there are cops chasing down the bad guy. The bad guy is running from the cops and then he turns and pulls out a gun and shoots at the cop. Then one of my colleagues who is watching the show with me says “ O now the cop can shoot him now”. Why did he just say that? He is not a cop nor is he a law student or lawyer. Why did I agree with him and I think all of us can say the same. It is because we know and trust our laws. We know a cop is bound by that law and if he does not abide by it he will be punished. Therefore our trust comes within the liability of a higher authority. We trust them to a point even if you think their all dirty, you still know being dirty is wrong.

Lets go high on the scale now to politics. (I hope your not bored) Not one red or blue or even green Politian can kill a fly with out us knowing. Not to say they don’t do something bad and we always see it. No not at all, I know a lot is done with out our eyes seeing. But the boiling hot pressure is always on them for us to find out there dirty laundry. So if and when they do something wrong our media is all over them like white on rice! So we have that trust that they can’t do this wrong thing, we have the right to say and think that it is wrong and they will be punished, as we have seen in many occasions.

Now lets take away the trust all together. There is no higher authority cause the higher authority will only back up the lower authority that did you wrong. When you pass a cop the thought of getting beat is there and he can get away with it and that would be that. No case, no media, no nothing, it just happens and you just hope its not you when it does happen.

The so called law that the policemen is bound by is pushed out the door for money and bribes. They live off of it everyday. The protection is not there. The trust is gone!

Your country could fall apart at anytime and you just better hope your ready. A Politian can do what ever he wants. The laws are only there for the other countries surrounded by you to look and say “ O these laws are here” then they go their merry way. But inside your country it is big fish eat little fish and no coral reefs insight to make the game fair.

I rather see the robbers then the officials. At least you know the robbers focus, Take your money and maybe kill you. But officials that can’t be trusted, is a road block a head. Solders sworn to protect you come to kill you , the sight of you country’s flag is worn by the solder who raped your wife, Run from you protection you must. Wait, that does not sound right… Run from your protection you must…oxymoron.

These are lives that are lived, find them and pray for them.

Some food for thought.

Update in Akot.

2010-01-21T08:10:00.000-08:00

Update in Akot.

If you read the small news on this you would understand where I am coming from.

Basically in Akot a gun battle broke out between the cattle boys and the army. Out of the battle a lot army men died cause the cattle boys carry guns too! Then out of revenge some solders went through Akot and burned the houses, killed people, and looted all through the stores and peoples homes. Many people of the Akot area were displaced and left suffering.

I was currently working with CAP, Christian Aids Project. The creators and leaders of this organization is Whitney and Jennifer two of my teammates. 4Sho! I was very exciting to be working with them. I got to learn a lot and see God move in so many ways.

God even blessed us to be able to go to cattle camp! We talk to some of the pastors there in Akot and two of them went with us to a cattle camp, Peter and Joseph. We had so much fun there and the volunteers loved it. The camp was filled with cows and families. CAP got to teach on the prevention of Aids and spread the word of God. We all wanted to stay more nights. At the end of the teaching, the men of the cattle camp said “no NGO or anybody has come to teach us the prevention of Aids and share the word of God like you all” I was really blessed to hear that. A path must start from somewhere and I am so blessed to be apart of trying to build it.

I thank CAP for letting me take part in working with them and fighting Aids.

I thank our volunteers for being such a great team and helping us through this seed planting time of spreading God’s word. I really hope I could work with them again.

Please pray the people in Akot and the displaced, the food we gave is still very little and we are planning to do another, ask God that He works that out and peace comes there, as tension is still high between the army and the cattle men.

Please pray for our pastors in Akot their homes were looted as well and in need of food. Abraham our leader Dinka pastor took no part in the food we gave our pastors. So pray that God blesses him for his selflessness ways.

Pray for the people in the cattle camp of Paloc, that the Holy spirit will speak to them on getting closer to God there, and that they will keep what they learned about the prevention of Aids and teach their young.

Please pray that we can go back there and follow up on the work there.

Thank you.

The Day Cattle Camps were Lost

2010-01-21T08:08:00.000-08:00

CAP had a volunteer team of four coming in right before the incident in Akot took place. Me and CAP were suppose to work in the cattle camps to spend the night there with the people as they teach them the word of God and the prevention of Aids. But at that time it was not the best time to go to a cattle camp in Akot. So we came up with the idea to take the four of them to a cattle camp around Rumbek or farther from Akot.

Now let me tell you that by this time the volunteers where coming in three days. So we meet with our pastors of Abinajok on one day to find if there is a cattle camp we can go to and if they would be willing to take us and translate for us. They said “yes there ar some just here” and pointed in eastern direction towards Akot, where currently we were trying to avoid going down, you know with gun battles and pointless killing of men are. But we really wanted to find a cattle camp. So then the next day we went trucking in the bush looking for a cattle camp.

I had so much fun, just the idea of looking for a group of people in the deep bush of Sudan, just to tell them how to prevent Aids and the word of God. It really drives me!

So we are in the land cruiser going through a path that is probably for walking. We drove for a long time it seemed like because I could only go just below 20km/hr from how bad the road was and I was not looking to pop a tire out there in the middle of nowhere. Then finally we made it to this huge land of cattle camp surrounded by palm trees it was almost surreal like an oasis. But there was no cattle and very little people!

We were highly disappointed because the cattle camp was way to far for such a small group of people. But the day was not a total waste because We got to share the word of God with them and I got drink some of that delicious cow milk and urine mmmm so good! And when we headed back we took another way out with a way better road. A path for vehicle and the path lead straight back to the road and on this path we found many cattle camps but all of them were empty!

We got to the road and out of the bush and we now had many cattle camps in are toolbox for future projects, but all of them were empty and we needed a cattle camp Now!

When we got back home we were beat and tired from that all day journey of unsuccessfulness. We started in the morning and came home around 3pm. We all talked about what we should do and Andres mentioned the Cattle Camps up north from us. We thought yeah we know those and they aren’t far from are home either! So right then we hopped back in the cruiser and went down the road heading north.

As we drove we notice that the road has totally been redone and widen. The area looks so different and we see no cattle camps in sight.

We kept passing buy these huge forest fires and all the birds and animals would be in the road as if their sadly watching their homes burn.

Anyway we drive so long until we hit a roadblock and we decide to turn around. As I turn the truck around we are stopped by a drunk soldier and other people come running to the car. The drunk man comes to the car very angry and drunk! He talks in Arabic to me I think and I say “Arabic maafi” Which is “I don’t speak Arabic” in Arabic. Other boys came to the truck looking in the windows at the white chicks I just brought them.

So I am arguing with this drunk guy “Dude I can’t understand you and Arabic maafi!” Whitney is talking to Dinka boys and asking if there is a cattle camp around. Jennifer begins to feed the group of Dinka guys some tho (fruit seeds from a tree, the Dinka suck on them, they are sour). The Dinka guys start to fight over the tho Jennifer gave them!

Then the drunk reaches in my window and unlocks the back seat and tries to get in. The drunk guy and a small kid with a Ak47 tries to get in! I quickly reach back and close the door and tell them to “A! Yo! Naw homie!” Then we quickly drive off before something jumps off bad. We head off back home with no cattle camps found, the are lost!

We have no idea what to do with the volunteer team coming!

So we spent that whole day searching for a cattle camp for these men but did not find one. So we were all thinking, OK God what are you doing? So Whitney and Jennifer felt maybe God is wanting us to put are attention to has happen in Akot, so they came up with the plan to go to Akot and help with the food distribution.

Really we had no choice but this. So we all kinda knew this must be God pushing us to His direction.

Thank you my God!

CAP Sudan Volunteers Came

2010-01-21T07:53:00.000-08:00

OK So the CAP Sudan volunteers came, from Mississippi and home of the Oakland Baptist Church. There names are Billy, Jay, Danny, and my home boy Kenneth. These guys where so awesome and I enjoyed every minute of their company.

I learn so many things from them and they just gave me a sense of tranquility. They brought me down from always trying to prove myself to just be me. What mistakes I make will just be mine.

I even got a history lesson on General Butt Naked from my homeboy Kenneth. I wanted to look it up on the net but Whitney suggested that would not be a good idea, I might get fired from IMB. They all kept me laughing everyday. I really bonded with Kenneth cause he reminded me of my oldest brother Quinton.

They really brought some southern living to Africa and fit right in.

At the food distributions I would be assessing the situation and I would look over and see the volunteers have a game going with the kids! Then Danny in the whole trip spent time talking and building relationships with the young men. He would talk about his cows and how much he loved them so much and it was an instant bond with the young Dinka men. It was so amazing to see the team just engulf them selves into the Dinka culture. The Guys were a true encouragement to the Dinka people suffering in Akot. They really put smiles on their faces.

I thank our volunteers for being such a great team and helping us through this seed planting time of spreading God’s word. I really hope I could work with them again.

Thanks guys!

The Announcement of Bad News

2010-01-21T07:48:00.000-08:00

Yo what it is like! I wanna tell yall somtin check it out!

The first day of the supposedly food distribution the truck did not come. So we decided to go to the village and let the people know what is happening. And you know now that I am writing this it sounds kind of..umm not smart, but anyway.

We get there and many people are surrounding the water well. I think all of them were displace people I am not sure. We said some hi’s and did some greetings in Dinka. I even found my good friend Peter who is the guard of the Baptist-training center in Akot, and he is also a pastor. I had not seen him since the incident in Akot took place so I was very please to see him. Peter told me that they held him at gun point and looted his things, I call that a blessing because I heard they were just killing all the men at sight. Peter then said” I even went back to the center slowly, slowly (sneaking) at night and got the computer out of the office so they would not take that one.” I said OOO! Peter that was crazy don’t do that one again, I’m so glad God kept you safe!” It amazes what these people go through and do and they just look at it as a everyday thing that comes with living. They are so strong.

So finally it came time to tell the people that food is not coming! I thought” O this going to be great!” (sarcastic) The people came and crowed us to listen to what we had to say. So Whitney began to talk to them through a translator about the food not coming because of something wrong in Rumbek. Whitney told them the news and tried to quickly end the announcement with prayers, but questions kept coming. “Why did the food not come?” “Is this because of you, or people in Rumbek?” “Is the food coming tomorrow?” Their faces were confused and troubled a thought, “of why did you come here?”

I had put my head down and began to laugh and thought they’re going to riot on us and beat us and were all going to die. LOL!

You could feel the tension rising and all the people’s eyes burning wholes in our heads. These people have been suffering in hungry with no food. They have been chased out of their homes by their own protection. And now we come to their run away home in the bush to tell them that food is not coming for them! The tension was high and Whitney could not close in prayer at all, people just kept asking questions and closing in on us! The sweat was there!!!

Then out of nowhere a woman begins to sing a Dinka church song. Then everyone joined in. it was so funny. We sang the song and clapped and me Whitney and Jennifer all looked at each other with confused looks but relief, wondering what just happen. Then you felt the release of tension.

WE then finally closed in prayer. Then the volunteers told Bible stories. I really felt God watching over us at that moment, because I expected nothing like that to happen. From the grace of God the food finally came the next day!

So we stayed in Akot for about five days giving out food to the displaced people. It was such a real blessing to be apart of real on hands physically helping the people of Akot. We got to share the word of God with them, which is always a plus. I mean that is our goal.

Feed my sheep He said. Jesus did both physical and spiritual, yes we are trying to mock Him!

What man has for evil God makes for good

2009-12-07T07:12:00.000-08:00

Abin a Jok Church 1st Baptism

2009-11-24T06:36:00.000-08:00

Volunteer Team to Abin a Jok Church

2009-11-10T02:52:00.000-08:00

Check it out!

2009-10-02T05:55:00.000-07:00

Please Pray for Mamma Rose

Please pray for Mamma Rose.

Mamma Rose is are tutor and teacher for Dinka language and culture. She is also a great friend and mother figure to all of us here in Sudan. For those that do not know Mamma Rose is paralyzed and cannot walk but despite her handicap she is still a strong woman in God with so much wisdom and faith. She does not let anything stop her from giving glory to God and help change her people.

Mamma Rose teaches the Diinka people good morals and how to get a better life. Every time I go to visit Mamma Rose I see her talking and advising young men and women to do better for them selves and get an education and they listen to her.

In a place where such darkness reigns to have one person trying to shine some light is such a vital thing. Mamma Rose has been spreading the word of God to her people for years. She has done so much.

I go to Mamma Rose for more knowledge about the Dinka culture and how to better show them the word of God.

Mamma Rose is such a strong lady who ask for nothing despite her condition. Mamma Rose has one daughter name Mary…In which she says Mary is God giving.

You see When Mamma Rose was pregnant with Mary she was in Akot and at that time a tribe called Nuer came and attack and killed everyone…even in the hospital.

Mamma Rose said she hid away and God saved her. After the attack in Akot she was found and was sent to another hospital to have Mary. How Mamma survived that Attack no one knows today except God and Mamma.

Mamma Rose successfully raised Mary all by her self. She got her land and built a hut for herself with her money by making blankets and quilts. As Mamma raises Mary she also takes in abandon children and raise them as her own..like Paul and Ann.

She takes care of these kids and fights for their right to go to school and get a good education. She is currently fighting to save Ann. Months ago Ann was taken from Mamma Rose after she raised Ann to a young girl. Ann’s family took her and sold her for five cows so she can be married for more cows in the future.

Mamma Rose was so hurt and upset with her people. She preaches everyday to her people to stop using their women as a product for cows. Mamma just wants Ann to get a good education and she has went to the commissioner to get help.

Right now Mamma is in pain on and off daily. She has some type of growth or tumor on her backside. I asked Mamma Rose will the church help you get it looked at or surgery?

Mamma says: Mabor, The church has their poor and people that need them. I will not ask or beg them when the poor is need by the church so much more. If they decide in their heart to help then that is fine. But God will and always takes care of me. I will take no money to spread the word of God. My reward is with Him our Father. Just like this wheel chair I did not ask for this, the church just gave it to me from their heart. God will take care of me.

Pleas pray for Mamma Rose and her pain. Pray that God will remove the cause of the pain and allow her to live safe and healthy to raise her children. Pray for her healing with faith in the name of Jesus Christ.

Please pray for Mary, Paul and Ann. Pray for God to make a way for them to all get a good education. Pray for Ann to keep her safe where ever she is and that she is not miss treated and is allowed to come back to Mamma Rose and go to school.

Pray for Paul: He is one the brightest kids I have ever met! He is always ready to learn and read as much as he can. Pray that he stays in school and keeps the word of God in his heart. For him to stay focus to school as well. I think he has a heart for photography!

Mary as well that she is able to stay in school. That Mamma’s needs are met to give Mary a good healthy future.

Thank you so much for these prayers: In God He will take care of us.

2009-09-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

Wake up….wake up…..

…..come on wake up! All man I don’t feel like going today. But it’s cool, this will help me in the future to communicate better and build relationship with the Dinka and talk and stuff all to give glory to God by trying to do whatever God got me out here for. To ummmm spread his word and reach the unreached. Yeah that’s it!

I got go pee. So I walk outside and to the chow and pee. Lol at night I just pee on the fence by the porch I would do it now but I heard the chow cost a lot of doe. Can’t let money go to waste.

Now go wash yo hands…4Sho! Put in yo contacts…cant let these peps see you in yo glasses is bad enough I don’t shave.

Jermaine, Kamow, or Mabor, Why don’t you shave? Cut your hair! Are you mony dit?

You will look better! They way you look is not good!

I don’t care deal with it homie.

Man I forgot time to take a shower o well! Don’t feel like it any way.

Brush yo teeth! O and listen to some music that well help you wake up and get you going! All yeah that’s nice! Lupe!

Ok morning pray time! Everybody look all tired! LOL even me.

OK welcome to Monday morning! Andres says.

Slight laughs from everybody.

So what do we pray for today? Andres says.

They shoot out prayers. Pow…pow..pow!

We pray…OK now you got to go.

Get on yo bike and ride to lango school. 4sho!

By have a good time at school! They say. 4sho!

I close my eyes as trucks speed pass by me and the red dirt race to my face as I ride through it.

I taste it. MMM…red dirt!

Mabor! The lady I know says. Yin apuol? I ask . Eee! Yin apuol? She ask. Eee!

Keep paddling, you go be late homie.

Mabor! The night guard says. Yin lo pen? He ask. Y’en lo thulic! I answer.

I continue.

Hey, there go that naked kid. Man I got get him some clothes I wonder what size is he O well he is getting to big to be walking around like that.

Alandu tiou?

Juman! My little dude friend yells my name. His name is John.

Hey! Yin apuol? I ask. Ee! He say. Then he says in dinka: I took my exam and was the fourth highest in the class and my brother Ben was second in the class! Might heart jumped with excitement. I said: All Y’en amit puou aret! I was so happy to hear that! Cause some weeks ago he was asking me to pay for some schooling fees. I said cool lets do it! What about yo brother? Let them both have it. Man so when I heard this I was on cloud nine! I thank God that all day for that news! Then the John was like I give praise to God for that! ALL! Man Might heart was so sweet and smiling! Thanks God!

Ok go you going to be late y’en abi gau aret.

Mabor! The traffic guard says. Ee ka di? I ask. Acin karac. He answers. Yin lo thulic? He ask? Ee! Y’en lo thulic! I answer. Stop and shake his hand to show respect cause these dudes always stopping people in they car or on they bike trying to play crooked cop! Man they be feening to take somebody’s money. I aint given them the lint in my pocket! Once you start they will always pick on you to get money. But if you hold yo ground and stand up to these folks they back off.

But these two guards I been saying hi to and speak there language and it makes them laugh to here me talk it! Doing this help get pass them more then once.

The old man guard stop me and I threw some thoung mony jang at him and he laugh and told me to go. Then the other big tall guard at the same round a bout, had stop me in the truck on my way to school. And he saw who I was and told me to go! LOL

Yeah homie the mambo king!

Pass the air port which is Pan taiara or pan rian nhial.

Enter the bush…doge the big nasty pee and dodo infested puddles!

Try and hit these goats that be laying in the middle of the path….Bark at them and scary them. Lol!

Pass these kids. Kawaja, kawaja, kawaja! The kids yell this to me every single day!

I ignore them on bad days and give a wave on good days. Their calling me a white person, or rich person. Which I guess to them I am rich with my nice bike and book bag.

I see some dudes up the road. You know when you see rough dudes looking mean and you don’t know what they might do when you pass. Yeah that kind!

They all stair at me. So I stair straight back at them. Sometimes I say Ca bak! They quickly lose that angry look they carry on their face when I speak and smile and say Ca bak back to me. Some bad days I look straight at them with that crazy look they give me or I do something crazy like twist my face up or start talking to myself or shake my head real hard! The dudes don’t know what to do! LOL it’s funny to me and cheers me up when I am mad.

I get mad a lot.

Ok don’t crash into this other person biking my way. 4sho!

Ee ka di Mama! I say to Mama rose. Acin karac Mabor! Mama rose answers.

Stop and see how she is doing.

OK apuol? I ask. Ee! Ok apuol Mabor! She answers.

Ci nin kadi? I ask. Amaath, amaath Mabor.

All ok so we still have to pray for Mama rose and her pain sickness.

Ok abi longo tene yin Mama. I say. Ee! Apath Mabor. She answers.

Y’en aci gau Mama. I say. Ok Mabor lor, lor. She said.

Ok finally I mad it! And I am on time haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! LOL! But most of the time I am late. Lol!

Sit next to the American catholic sister from Cincinnati, Ohio. Yeah that’s crazy right!

Me and her bond real well. I will miss her.

Lango, lango, lango, lango, Dinka, dinka, dinka, dinka! Bla, bla bla, bla, bla!

Learn, learn, learn, learn, learn, and remember, remember, remember, remember.

O I hear you getting better Jermaine!

O I hear you have gotten a little better then the others.

Yeah right what others? I still struggle everyday. But that is good! I have learned a lot in lango class and got better in Thoung mony jang! But I still have I a lot to learn as I go.

That’s mostly how my Mondays through Fridays went for last pass 3 months.

Man my team is sooooooooo awesome! Jamie and Jenifer goes to Malow with Mama rose every Saturday. They tell Bibles stories and teach the word of God to the people with leprosy. Man That is a blessing to see God’s word going out to them.

Porch talk:

So how did it go today? I ask. It went real well! They where very responsive to the story and answered the questions we asked. Jamie says.

Man that’s cool! So what story did you tell today? I ask.

Jamie and Jenifer tell me the great things God is doing in Malow with the people of leprosy. Please pray for the people of leprosy in Malow….as they depend on God for their basic needs like food and day to day task. Please pray that they continue to receive God’s word in their hearts and use it.

Pleas pray for Jamie and Jenifer as they look for God’s guidance to what story to tell and what to teach. That God clearly shows them their path to giving God the glory with the people in Malow. That they are safe with each trip and angles surround the car with no damage or problems to make it back safe each time. Thank you!

Car talk:

Whitney and Laura have been doing a T4T (training 4 trainers) class and a literacy class in Cue cok.

They tell me things are going so well! But it is not all cup cakes and candy though.

It can get hard to teach these things and to have the ladies see the answers clearly!

In the car as I pick her up talk:

Jermaine: So how did it go today?

Whitney: Ummm the ladies are so lost.

Me ( jermaine) : What you mean?

Whitney: Just with the literacy stuff, some ladies only no one alphabet sound like o. she only says o. And a lot of them have a hard time writing letters. But it’s ok it will just take some time.

Me: what about the T4T?

Whitney: it went well but when I try and tell them that you have to tell others what you have learned here. I told them to think of the people you can tell now. But they said there are none. They say you try to tell some people but they don’t take it serious. So I told them well when we started this class it was fifty ladies here and know how many is it. Four. So it is 46 ladies out there that you can talk to. That don’t take the Word serious. But you must tell them and keep trying. All we can do is spread the word.

Me: WOOOOOOOOOOW homie. That is something! Man! Nick nack Pady wack give a dog a bone!

Pleas pray for The ladies in the T4T and literacy classes at Cue Cok. Pray that their minds are open to the word and education that can help them in the future. That they trust in God to lead them and encourage them as they learn and try to preach and teach the word of God to their own people. Pray that they don’t lose heart.

Pray that Whitney and Laura stay encourage and don’t lose heart either. That God guides them as well to how to help teach these ladies better and in the best way they can understand. Thank you!

CAP talk:

Me: So How is it going?

Jenifer: It is OK just pray for me as I am trying to make this new curriculum for CAP (Christian Aids Program).

Me: 4sho! Now tell me this. What are you doing?

Jenifer: Well CAP goes to Cattle camps and schools to teach them about the prevention of Aids and tie that in to God’s word. So I have to rewrite this curriculum so it can be better understood to the Dinka and to relate to them better. So when another person comes to take over this job, all they have to do is follow the curriculum and it will be easier for them to get the job done. They can travel more and go all over Sudan with CAP and not just in Rumbek. So please pray for me on that.

Me: WOW Holy moly! You got a big job on you homie! Let me see if I can recruit some prayers for you homie.

Hey you guys you think you can pray for CAP on this? Yeah!

Please Pray that God gives Jenifer and Whitney wisdom and clear discernment on how to make the curriculum best for the Dinka to understand. Pray that God shows them how to explain hell and germs to the Dinka. To explains these things to them are very hard to do and to get them to understand. Pleas pray!

Thank you!

Lunch Talk:

Me: mmmmmmmmmmm! Dis goooooood! So how it going Yar?

Yar (AKA Jamie): It is going real well but we have a hard time keeping a crowd control with the kids. You see this is only for the girls but the guys be coming in and trying to sneak in the class room. And then other girls be lying about if we gave them a cloth or not. But they are receiving the messages well.

Akur (AKA Laura): Man sometimes I wanna get a stick and beat those kids!

Me: Yeah, yeah beat the kids! Beat them to the white meat! LOL! Yes!

You see Jamie and Laura has a cloth project for the girls. Which a ummmm lets see ummm…Ok they make cloths for girls menstruation so that they can stay in school and get their education. So this is really big and a wonderful thing Yar and Akur are doing. Aint no pads or nothing out here so. This is low budget and the girls can make it themselves. Plus they mix God’s word with it. So Pray for crowd control and the girls would listen to Yar and Akur. That they be honest and open to the Bible lessons the they give when teaching the girls about the cloths. That girls take advantage of this opportunity to stay in school and get God’s word.

Pray for Yar and Akur that they have patience for these Bad kids! God shows them any way better to tell His word to the girls. Thank you!

Also it’s these Dinka kids James and his crew. They are really on fire for God and they have been helping the girls with translation as they do their ministry. So it has been a real blessing to have them here. They learn a lot from Jamie and the others and it is a real blessing to see them on fire for God.

Please Pray for these young men as walk with God that they stay on track with Him and satin is block to touch them. Thank you!

So things are moving here with the power of God! 4Sho!

Well what about you? Me Ha….ummmm…

I…UMM…I tried to start this small Bible study with this group of boys.

I would play Dinka bible stories so they could listen and then I would tell a Bible story related to the Bible stories they heard.

Man the first Saturday went real well and it was a blessing to see God work.

I could only meet on Saturdays cause of lango school.

So the next Saturdays the numbers of dudes dropped but I saw God working each time I went there. But this last Saturday I found out that most of these boy had a Bible study already and already had a church home. So from the beginning I felt like I am just building on someone’s foundation. And that’s not cool. Cause then I am just there for self gratification and that’s the last thing I want to do. There is so many out here without any foundation at all. All glory to God.

So I may back off of them for a while….I dunno.

Pray for me that God leads me and shows me where and what ministry he wants me in. Pray that I clearly see how to give glory to God out her and be fruitful to His kingdom. Pray I don’t lose heart as I wait or try and fail with different things and ministries. Pray I depend on God to care of everything. 4sho!

Jermaine, AkA Mabor, AkA Kamow, AkA The Canis lupis Wolf from….

PRAYER RETREAT

2009-06-13T03:30:00.000-07:00

Yo! WHAT IT BE LIKE!

After 40/40 I was ready to get back to the Sue, but God had more he wanted to reveal to me. All of the famous Sudan six meet up and we all went to LuKenya fro a prayer retreat. The purpose is just to search your heart and search for God and talk to Him about everything and praise Him and lift our prayer to God. We met together and told each other are prayer request the first day and then the next day we went by our selves to be with God the hoe day.

Man I had such a blessed time! I can’t even began to describe the feeling that God gave me! The next day I just walked and talk to God all day! I walked through the fields of Africa just letting God lead me to where ever he lead me! I kept talking to him and asking him questions. I thought of Jesus when he walked in the desert or Elijah and how so many times in the Bible it said they went to a mountain or place by themselves and just talk to God! That is just what I did.

As I walked and talked with God he showed me some gazelles and impalas and even a giraffe! It was amazing! I also walked up a mountain and looked over God's beautiful creation and just began to praise Him. He reveal things to me that I had on my heart for a long time. I tried to really search for God's heart out there and I feel so recharge and ready to get back to work in Sudan! Continue to pray for me and my team as we have these prayer request.

Pray for the Lewis family, as they are coming into Sudan with in a week or so and waiting for their house to get approved to come in Sudan by the government. Get a helper, language, and a nanny (they have three kids), that they get settled in, so they can ministry to the people of Taposa who are currently unreached!

The Jur people group, that the Dinka and Jur will stop fighting so someone can minister to the Jur.

Our health!

Job replacements for our ministry

To bring an Logistic coordinator , for our team

Hygiene ministry for the young ladies,( Lura and Jamie)

Volunteer teams, That we are able to use the teams as to help Logistically strategies a better ministry. That God clearly reveals to me and my team on how to use the teams.

Abraham, is church planting great and fast! he is a leader of the Dinka pastors..so pray for him.

Cattle camp and (CAP), Jenifer and Whitney as they work to minister in the cattle camps and that God bring someone to minister to the camps. That God use CAP to teach the Dinka people effectively about Aids.

Youth Centerr, God had blessed this Center so much! That God just let us use this center to bring more to Christ! That God moves all through the Youth Center!

Thank you so much for these payers

Jermaine Edwards

2009-06-09T10:23:00.000-07:00

Well I made it through 40/40. I really enjoyed myself and I had a lot of fun! But when I first got there it was so COLD! Man was it COLD! I was freezing and I didn’t bring enough warm clothes! I slept with all my clothes on plus a hoody with cover! Then I got a cold within the first week or so. I was so mad. But I just said Lord just get me through this. My throat was soar and I had dripping of the throat too! I became very weak and my sinus filled with mucus!

So I just laid in my bed and let my Daddy heal me. I got all those symptoms in one night and then I got up and went out to do my DFA sick as a dog! We road into town on a flat bed, while the wind cut my ears and nose! It was the worst! But Imma wolf and God has blessed me since birth with the gift of a healing factor. So I did my DFA and then got back to the seminary and crashed! I just laid in my bed and missed dinner. Than my healing factor kicked in after a long night of swallowed mucus, sinus head ach, and a wasted roll of toilet paper of my snot! Man I woke up feeling so good.

Ok enough about how I was sick, lets talk about 40/40.

So when I got there it was cool seeing the people I went through FPO with. Just to see God using others all over Africa is hot to me! Our Lord using each and every ones talents and gift to glorify His name, man that’s tight!

Hmmmmm…man I don’t know what to write about. How do sum up a month? Ok lets see. Everyday they sent us out on these assignments to find out more about the Zams (Zambians). So we basically sat down with them and got to know them and let them know who we are and tried to learn from them to be able to present God’s word better to them. I was with Ethan who is a journalist/videographer for the IMB. Now as we go out on these assignments we get to witness to them if God allows it.

So one time Ethan and me and are guide Elias saw some bed makers, so we thought…. lets go talk to them. God really lead that conversation to witnessing to those brathas! They really open to hear what we had to say. So we just kept witnessing to them. Ethan was talking to one dude who knew God but could not stay with him. He said he knew the things he did was wrong and he wanted to change. So Ethan told him “you know it’s like two dogs fighting in your body and which ever one you feed will win. You gotta feed the good dog” We prayed with him and had are guide get with him and invited him to the Bible study they had there. That was cool to see.

We got to visit a lot of people in Lusaka, Zambia. O yeah one thing I must say. Man Zam is beautiful with beautiful people! Man it is such a nice place! Everyone is so cool and welcoming, I love them! Ethan, Alias, and I got to sit and visit Miss Ireen F. Sakala, who is a widow. Man I think she is one of the strongest women I met. Ireen was so dependent on Christ and just wrap her self in His love.

You see talking to her, me and Ethan came to find out how funerals work in Zambia and it’s a lot that goes on but the one thing that stuck out to me is the fear that comes over surviving spouse especially a woman. Traditional beliefs and witch doctors come to play at the bringing of death. The traditional beliefs have the women taking out all the pictures and paying unnecessary money to the witch doctors to protect them from their spouse ghost hunting them. So this is what I got from are sit down with Ireen.

You can have a young Christian widow at her husband’s funeral and the witch doctor will come up to the young lady and say, “ your not Christian let me protect you from husbands ghost!” Than the next thing, she is paying the doctor to help her. But you see Ireen is an older lady who is strong in Christ and other elder ladies of the church made these type of situations their ministry. When they hear of women that lost her husband they go and help her with the funeral and witness to them and also give her strength against the witch doctor, who talks in her ear and putting fear over her. Ireen had been through all of this and told them I am Christian and God will protect me.

Now you people in the States might say why would you listen to a witchdoctor in the first place their fake. Ha ha ha ha ha ha…lol! But man! It’s real over here! Satan has got Africa in his hand of fear. They see things we don't see!

Satan gets us at whatever he can do. In the States satan get’s us by money and the total opposite of a God thought. “Man I don't see no God, I am a science man and I can explain everything through science”! Satan goes to Africa by revealing himself to them. Actual physical fear! I will talk more on this later.

So back to Ireen, basically funerals really become a spiritual battle. Man Ireen is so strong in God. She got all her children in school and she don’t know how they going to get through but she knows God will take care of her. She was smiling so big as she told us how God provided for her after her husband’s death. Man that’s what is about! Ireen Sakala asked that you pray for her and her two kids, Charles Sakala, that he finish school, and Smut Sakala, her legs, that they be healed.

I think the best part of Lusaka was going to church and seeing these young men, I mean younger than me and up to my age, was holding Bible study before Church! Man I thought that was awesome! They really got into God’s word! Than after church we went to a youth rally. As I was in church dancing in Africa with my Zam brothers and sisters praising God, I just felt out of world but in God’s arms. I wish I could hold on to that feeling forever as that feeling grows stronger and stronger.

I have to give a shot out to our guide Alias. Man he took such good care of us out there and he was so wise in God’s word. Please pray for him and his family when we left his dad died from a bike accident.

We went on to Petuke and did kind of the same thing we did in Lusaka. But at Petuke I got to stay in my own tent…Yeah! I seen some cool things at Petuke and learned a lot as well!

One day we had to share are testimony, but in a way that Africans can relate to it. For example like in America we refer to God in are testimony as “saved us and guilty things we had”. But in Africa they relate to fear, control, and power because that’s what satin does in Africa he physically blinds them, controls them, and puts fear over them from getting to God.

So I told my testimony in words of power, control, and fear. When I did this I felt God really spoke to me and reminded me how far he has brought me. It felt really good, I know that and it was a better testimony to me I thought.

O yeah before this I got to talk to a witch Dr.! It was pretty awesome! It was just said to see how lost they really are though, man satin really has them in his hand. But one of the other missionaries got to tell a bible story to an x witch Dr. and at the end he asked him if he want to except God and not have those demons, and he said yes! Then Mike the missionary, had the translator to hook up with the x Dr. to make sure he gets disciple and stay on the right path. So I thought that was a real blessing to see!

But the Witch Dr. we interviewed was an odd experience. We where to interview them to see how things work and just to know the knowledge of something like this. So as we were interviewing him I felt cool at first until one of the other missionaries asked “Have you healed anyone?” he said “Mmhhm yes, her over there. She was mad when they brought her to me.” And it was this young lady peeling corn on the ground, then I looked at her again and she did not look up at us once the whole time we were there. I started to feel a dark feeling come over me. She just did not look right, kinda tame you know.

The hardest thing though was to sit there and listen and see how lost they are! I was constantly praying for them and looking to see if God is showing for us to witness to him, but he wanted the demons, spirits is what he called them. He told us that he healed people by whatever the spirit tells him to do and what traditional meds to give the sick people that come to him. I looked around and he was pretty wealthy for in the village.

He told us that he got his powers when he went into the bush and got thrown into the lake and stayed there for a month under water. And when he finally came up he could talk to the spirits with his little object.

You see how satin works out here, man he totally blinds them completely from God in fear and power and even money. It was very sad to see that and hear him.

Lets see….next we went to are home stay, which is when we went and stayed in the village at someone’s home! This was my favorite, cause of the great food and just seeing the everyday life of an African. I loved each day and I thought it was a great experience! The family served us so willingly. The best part was working beside them picking maze and helping them build a Maze (corn) storage. They really didn’t let us help much and they did most of the work but it was cool to work with them and learn new things.

So that’s all folks, that was manly 40/40, now I’m ready to get back to work, in the Sue!!!!!

Pray for william

2009-04-02T03:17:00.000-07:00

Today I was reading Judges in the Bible. Man, and as I was reading, the Israelites just would not stay on with God! They would leave Him and serve false gods and God would put them under hardship or taken over by some other people. Than they would cry...God, save us, save us. God would alway come at their aid sending them an deliver and the Israelites would get like 80 years of peace, than they would leave God again.

I started thinking man God came to them every time! When they called on Him to help, only when their in trouble. From that I feel God wants us to lean and depend on Him. We can’t do the things God ask us to do on are own! He wants that relationship to rely, love, and obey. It’ sounds pretty easy but is it.....Read Judges 10:10-16

Man, I got back from the prison and could not stop thinking about him.

As I sat there stuffing my fat face all free and nothing to do to help, I thought about other prisoners that I don’t know and won’t get no help!

How much help can you really do out here? That’s why it is up to God. You will go crazy out here thinking you can do it by yourself!

Was up my peeps!

On Sunday March, 29th, 2009, me and Jamie went to another church this Sunday.

Both pastors in our regular church we attend where in Akot for training other pastors. So we decided to visit our other church neighbors in the city of Rumbek. I really enjoyed myself! It was great to get a memory of how home churches are ran. What a great message the Dinka pastor gave! So awesome! He challenge the people about talking about the story of the unfruitful tree.

It was a real encouragement to see!

But I think it was Friday morning I sat down to chat with some of the Kenyan workers of my compound. So I say "hay where is William I have not seen him?" William is kind of the manager for are compound. Francis, John, and Sahid ( might have spelled that wrong), Say "O big trouble William is in. You do not know?" I say "no what happen?" Then they say again "O you don't know?" "Naw I aint heard nothing!" I say. Then John says "O you are unaware." I say "yes! I am unaware! now what happen?"

They say "William was taken to the jail! "What!" I say in shock! They say yeah "He was taken Thursday" "Why?" I say. Then they finally explain! They said money was stolen from one of the guest on are compound on Wednesday and on Thursday the police came and took William! I asked them "why did he steal it?" They say "We don't know? We don't know what happen!"

So I say "Will you take him some food and see if he is alright?" "Yeah but we have to wait a few days or the police will say why you bring food to this man are you apart of it?" They replied.

Man that's messed up I thought! I wanted to go visit him as soon as I heard, guilty or not, I thought we should show some Christ love at this time. But I get confused since I been here between showing the love of Christ and just being stupid in Africa!

So Sunday rolls by and on the way to church I ask Jamie did you hear about William? She says yeah. So we planned after church to go visit him and bring him some food and water. So after church one of the Kenyan pastors came up and greeted us and we introduced are selves. Then as we started to leave in the truck, are friend and Kenyan coworker Wycliffe comes up and says "This pastor wants a ride" the same Kenyan pastor. We tell him that we are going to see William in jail first and the pastor and Wycliffe come along to visit William, as fellow Kenyans I thought that would be a good encouragement.

So we all hop in the truck and get some fresh baked bread and water and soda for William. We first go to the jail but we found out that he has been taken to the prison. So we go there.

I just love how God works! Me and Jamie had never been to the prison before or even know how visiting works, but God sent the Kenyan pastor with us who just took over in getting us in.

We wait for William in this little side room with a blown out wall, what looked like a broke down building but still in use. As we wait the Kenyan pastor says lets just be encouragement to him and pray for him. I hear the drag of sandals approaching the the room and William comes in with his regular huge smile and says "I was just thinking about you all, that I hope you pray for me!"

The guards told us we only have five minutes so we pray right away. William looks fine, no marks of harm I can see. As a pastor and Kenyan the pastor talks of encouragement and Jamie also gives him some encouraging words of the word of God. Then the Kenyan pastor begins to try and work out his situation as a Kenyan community council member. Contacting his family, follow the case, and making sure there is no mistreatment. The Kenyan pastor is even going to take his case to a Kenyan UN women to follow his case. William say “the food they have for me I vomit up”. The Dinka worker of the prison says “the food is for the locals and a lot of foreigner can't handle it”. He tells us that food can only be dropped off only on the weekends, but you can pay to have someone of the prison go and get some food he can handle through out the week. The Kenyan pastor will arrange that. This Pastor is basically going to make some noise for his case so it won't just get looked over. The Dinka prison worker seems to even work with the pastor to be his inside man.

So God really knows how to work situations. We don't do anything, we try and put in are work with faith as the Bible says to do and God takes over.

William says he is in jail cause the money that was stolen was the same day he sent money home to his family. The money stolen was a lot and the money he said he sent home was a lot less.

Please pray for William and his family. Pray that God be glorified in this situation and William take this time to lean on God and talk to him and for this problem. Pray for his health please. It is not the best place at all from what I seen. Pray for him....

See you my peeps

Jermaine

Yo!

William has been released from prison. Praise God. He got released while I was at 40/40. They did not have any proof on him. So he got out and left to go home to Kenya with his family. I will most likely never see him again but please pray him. Pray that he grew closer to God in this situation and really choose to have a personal relationship with God and not just take God for granted.

Jermaine

When God moves!

2009-04-02T02:56:00.000-07:00

Man when God moves, God moves! That’s just it!

It aint about us telling Bible stories or how many people I get to talk to! It’s about God’s word getting out and people accepting it! He don’t need us, but it is by His grace alone that we can ride his space ship!

He is the pilot! we just along for the ride. It took me a minute to realize that! Thanks Brown Suga!

Man What a blessing it is to see God work! Tuesday March 24, 2009.

Me and my partner Andres went to the bush with three pastors from America and three Dinka translators and are boss Mark. We went about 75 mile into the bush to visit the people and tell them the word of God. Sudan is so beautiful! All the land I got to see while traveling was so awesome!

We get to the village and all the little kids come running up to the car yelling kawaja, kawaja, which means foreigner. Than the chief comes out with all his other officials. They have people to get us all chairs to sit under a tree and have a meeting. We all sit down in a circle, half the circle is us and the other have is the Chief and his men.

Sometimes I imagine we are some type of gang or secret agency, like Metal Gear Solid, trying to fight some evil in the world. Man I mean that’s what it’s like sometimes. You got Mark who is the big boss the commander. The Volunteer teams which are under Mark and assist you out on the field with medical and new kinds of weapons to help you get the job done. Than you got Andres and the four other J-gales, who are the weapons, the soldiers, the hands on work! Finally me, the rookie to the field! Still green boy! The new solider coming in, the gopher! So I watch everybody! I try and take in everything they do and how they act! I mostly watch my partner Andres who is training me even if he does not know it! He is an amazing man of God and I could not have a better partner! He is crazy just like me! It’s cool! He’s Snake and I’m Raven.

OK back to the blog...sorry. So we all sit down to have a meeting, Mark in the middle with the three pastors from the States and me and Andres on the side.

Now All this is done by the Dinka people because of are boss Mark. He is an older white man with white hair and the Dinka see that and it is immediately respect! Plus he has been in Sudan for about 15 years. So he knows what he’s doing! Mark talks to the chief about why we have come. That we come to tell the word of God and we want to be encouragement to the churches out here and see how they are doing. We did three of these same meetings with three different villages.

It was all a true blessing to see and be a part of but the best part was the last meeting we went to.

Mark begins to tell the people why we have come here. Than he asks “is there jak here?”, which is evil spirits. They all laugh because they are surprised that Mark knows about them and they say yeah other people go to jak. Mark and Tim, one of the pastors from america ask where is the jak in this village? They say some other people and other villages go to the tree.

Mark tells them but who created the tree. They all smile and say God. Mark says why do you worship the created when you can worship the creator!

Now let's back up to the night before. When we all sleep under a tree in tents. We sat around a pot of beans and rice and ate under the stars! I really enjoyed my self! It was such a blessing to be there seeing Mark and Tim tell Bible stories and try to figure out ways to bring medical help to the villages! This was all earlier that day! All the chiefs said that they are making peace with each other and stopping the fighting.

We head out to the other village where we stay the night.

As we sit under the star lit sky of Africa Tim and all of us discuss how we want to give God's word to the next village. Tim comes here each year so he remembered the next village was doing a sacrifice for a dead witch doctor last year. So he suggested we tell Bible stories that dealt with God’s power over false gods.

So that is just what we did. Mark and Tim picked out the Bible stories and we all took one to tell the next day. The next morning we got up way to early to go to the village and tell the Bible stories. So we sat around under the tree as the Lord gave us a nice cool breeze and even some rain! O yeah because the day before that was HOT! I mean HOT! I really did not want to move it was so HOT! I was sweeting like a fat mans arm pit!

So the cool morning was nice. Children stayed by are side under the tree all morning. So Tim told the translators, Shadrach, Sunday, and Isaac, to gather the children around I want to teach them a song. These Dinka translators are great guys! Their all pastors and we could not get anything done with out God sending them here!

Baka! Baka! Baka tin! Says the translators, means to come. Now as wild as these kids play they really listen and have a natural respect for adults. They came over and all sat down as if they were in class. Tim taught them the song...Jesus “loves me this I know”, than the translators put it in Dinka right than and there! I’t was pretty cool to see! Than the translators taught them the song in Dinka and another song in Dinka, that was about God creating everything even satan and the power he has over all!

Isaac explained to them what the song meant and How God has power over all!

What a blessing to see the kids get the word of God through songs! They all got up and started playing again and you could hear the kids singing the songs as they played! All man my heart smiled!

So after that we got in the trucks and headed to the next village over to tell Bible stories. So finally we are back to where we left off, sorry.

OK, We all tell are Bible stories to the chief and the village. As the Bible stories were told myself and others prayed that they hear God’s word!

The Story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal, Moses and the golden calf where told. Mark told the story of Saw and the witch doctor, another told the story of Paul and the fortune teller and how paul got put in jail, I told Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Naego, and Andres ended it with the story of Jesus rising from the dead. They all stayed and listened! Thank you Jesus!

When we where done the chief sat back in his chair with his cool pimped out sun glasses and said “In our generation no one has told us these stories and explained it like this”. Man My heart melted! Than Mark said “now who all wants to go straight to God and not to the jak?” All the people surrounded us raised their hand! Thank you God! Now they have a choice!

Mark and Tim will visit them again.

Pray for these people! Pray that they go straight to God and rely on Him for protection. Pray that the peace talks work and peace remain in the villages of Malak to Myan. (might have spelled that wrong all well)

see you my peeps!

Jermaine

Check in!

2009-04-02T02:09:00.000-07:00

My brown plaid look a like converse slammed down into Dinka planet’s red dirt for the first time!

Check in! This is just an intro to my blog and I will not be able to tell the rest of what has happen in the last 2 months....mostly just language learning and bike riding.

The first week I went to Akot and a volunteer team came out here and built a training center to teach the word of God to their own people. It was wild to see God move in only my first week! The team told Bible stories to the Dinka people on their lunch breaks.

I followed Jennifer as she lead the way because she has been on Dinka planet for about a year, a lot longer than I have, and she knows how to survive on this planet.

I guess we had to get check in. I didn’t know what was going on! So she led me to this little broke down building with a small concrete porch. We where the first of the passengers to get there and I assumed this was the check in. We went in the door way by the porch and we where met by this huge, stern, mean, Dinka man in a red button up shirt. He came toward us and kind-of pushed us back out to the porch saying and gesturing, “back!, Back!” With aggression in his voice, it was very intimidating. Then he say’s “NO! line!” I have no idea what he wants because it is only the two of use and he wants us to make a line..OK. He pushes us off the porch an he keeps saying “line!” with a stern aggressive voice. Jennifer is in front of me. Then he let’s her go through and I follow her to the desk of an older Dinka man who is checking her in, but a blur of red comes into my sight of vision and I am being starred down again by the huge Dinka man!

He says “No! Line” and he aggressively guides me out of the building and back off the porch. So Jennifer gets check in as I look through the arm pit of the huge Dinka man blocking the door way.

I was a little confused with all types of different thoughts going through my head. Jennifer got through with no problem but I have been waiting here for like 8 minutes maybe, and the line is building up. OK that’s cool she will get treated like an American, an earthling, but I am black and they probably think I’m Kenyan. I read about this, I knew this would happen, but not so soon! In Kenya, me and Jennifer where treated like equals and in fact I think I had more of a bond from the Kenyans. So for this to happen I was a little thrown off but not scared or hurt, I expected it. So finally a Dinka man tells me to come in the check-in building.

That’s another thing, on Dinka planet at the airstrip the workers have no identification or uniforms, they just wear whatever they have on that day. So you don’t know who is who, so I figured who ever is giving me orders like he’s my daddy must work here.

I went cautiously checking for the big Dinka man with the red shirt. I get to the check-in desk and they check my papers . It seemed like I went to three different men for the same thing, just to check my papers. “Who you for?” What” I said, “Who you For?” I said “ I am with Baptist Mission” The tall Dinka man with the red shirt, stares into my eyes as I stare at his, and then he gives me my papers. So I grabbed my suitcase and my camera bag and my stupid plastic covered pillow and headed for freedom out of this intimidating place but I was stopped once again right at the door to check my bags! Than they went through all my bags!

I look to the right of me and I see an home free exit door to get out of here, where Jennifer is peacefully waiting for me. Than the guy checking my stuff pulls out my camera! O crap! Red Alert, Red Alert!(I’m a photographer so my camera is big..that’s how I roll!) ‘’You, Journalist!, Your Journalist!” yells the big dinka man with the red shirt! Everybody and the building looks at me some people even get up from their desk. I can feel the tension all on me! I say “No I am with Baptist Mission” I strain my ears to understand their broken English as everybody talks at the same time...”Your personal camera?” I say “yes it is my personal camera”. Than everybody calms down. Good Lord I’m thinking! The guy finishes checking my stuff and than I high tail it outta there!

Check in!

Welcome to Dinka planet as seen through my eyes

2009-04-01T03:53:00.000-07:00

Hi my name is Jermaine Edwards. I’m a missionary/photographer serving in Africa. At the time I am living in Rumbek, Sudan. I have been living their since New Years day. So I am about two months behind as I start this blog page. Sorry if anyone cares...probably no one does. But I’ll try to keep this updated as much as I can.

Let’s see how can I catch my peeps up? O I kept a journal here let me get it, hold on......OK

I got it! The last job I had in the States gave me this journal book as a going away present, Thanks TRG! I will just pick certain things in my journal to catch you up, OK.

Welcome to Dinka Planet!

1/10/08 (when I wrote it)

I’m writing this as I go and as I feel so bear with me as I hop around in my mind a little bit. I came to Dinka planet during the dry season (mei in Dinka language) which for beauty in my eyes, is not the best time to come. It is a lot of dust and dirt, red dirt and dust similar to mars. Dead grass from the heat and gust of wind hits my eyes as I get off the ship (plane.) I can feel the hot temperature of Dinka planet that everybody has been telling me about. Wait hold on let me start at the airport. OK Dinka planet’s airport is not like other air ports, as a matter of fact it is not an airport but an air strip or dusty dirt strip.

The Ship(plane) that I was on the pilot tried to park next to another ship that had people getting off. The pilot of my ship, let’s call him Jack. Jack was cutting it close to chopping a few peoples heads off with his propellers!I never seen anything like this! But Jack park the plan than a Dinka comes yelling at him gesturing him to move somewhere else. So Jack is probably angry now because he has to maneuver this big ship to another parking space. He guns the gas, and red dirt goes flying from behind the propeller, a cloud of dust hits the people getting off the other ship and again almost chopping some heads off as the ship turns around. Than Jack guns the gas again blowing another cloud of red dust at the locals to the far right of the airstrip behind a fence where people cling to the gate as if they where watching a show or trying to escape.

So Jack finally finds a parking space further down the airstrip.

I grab my over packed book bag and my huge pillow covered with plastic, that made noise with each movement. I hit every stranger with it as I pass by getting off the ship. I thought I look so stupid with that pillow. I grab my camera bag filled with excitement and ready to see Dinka planet!