Testimonies

From South Sudan:

“In the beginning, we were not allowed to use the hut where the Lutheran church was meeting. The leaders thought that I was teaching religion.

One Sunday, having been invited to share the Word of God, I said this: ‘I don’t want to teach religion. I am simply allowing God to speak His Word through me. Religion is man’s way of trying to please God. Jesus Christ is God’s only way to Himself. Therefore, I am only teaching the Word of God!’ When the pastor heard this, he said that he would love for me to teach God’s message.

Since then, we have been having youth meetings to teach the chronological lessons. After the youth leave, they return to their homes and share with their brothers, their sisters, and their parents.”

From South Sudan:

“Among the Daloka tribe of the Nubians, the Word of God has been moving swiftly. Many times, Christians have been persecuted, but God has always been faithful to give the believers strength and grace with patience and endurance for the glory of God.

The growth of believers is evident. We watch people love God by loving one another. Sausa, a believer, has given his property for a church building to be constructed. This indicates a great love for and a passion to know God.

The Daloka tribe is one of the unreached people groups listed in the Joshua Project. The majority are Muslims with no Bible in their language. Many times, missionaries have tried to plant a church, but obstacles always come up.

The Daloka thrive in witchcraft. They have several cultural activities which are demonic and evil including having demonic shrines and idol worship. We thank God, however, that there is now a church of Daloka believers who are willing to share the Gospel with their fellow tribal people, having no fear of being rejected.”

Here is a testimony from Neema, a Daloka woman:

“Before I came to the Lord, I was a total drunkard. I would even drink before going out to work in the fields in order to make me strong. What alcohol did to me was terrible. I would run around naked. I was having sex with different men, not caring about my children who would go to sleep hungry. I was so terrible, completely lost in alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes.

My life was controlled by the devil. The devil had stolen my life, and was busy killing me, hoping to destroy me.

Thanks be to God, Jesus came in to my life. Now, I am no longer a drunk, no longer sexually immoral, no more abusing drugs, and no longer a fighting woman. The Lord Jesus Christ has accepted me, cleansed me, and forgiven me! I am now a child of God, and God is my new identity.”

Not only Neema, but many like Neema now have transformed lives, learning the way of God, understanding God deeply, and walking with God in life. Reading Bible stories has been a key as the Word of God is best understood through stories. These stories teach us about ourselves, our relationship to God, the effects of sin, and how we can get out of sin.

Thank you so much for being a part of the work to reach out to the Daloka tribe. Thank you for your financial support, your encouragement, and your prayers. As a team, we work together, having one goal that the Lord would be made known! May the Lamb of God who was slain receive His Glory.

Please keep praying with us that the church will grow more in the knowledge of God. Please pray that the Lord would send out more laborers. Please pray that the Lord would give us boldness to speak forth His Word.

Ps.8:1: “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens.”
Ps.8:2: “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.”
Ps.8:4: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visits him?”
Ps.8:5: “For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.”
Ps.8:6: “Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.” Blessings!

“My name is Shannel. When I came to school, I was so shy to read because my friends laughed at me. In addition, I could not perform well in class.

When we began the booklets, I told myself this is the Word of God, and that God will help me to know him through His Word by teaching me how to read. God answered my prayer, and now I can read well. I am no longer afraid of my classmates. These books are simple and easy to read, and because of them, I can now read other books too. Thank You, Lord, for answering my prayers and sending me these booklets.”

God is at work in schools too.

This testimony is from Elvis, a teacher in one of the Kenyan schools:

“When we, as a school, decided to use these booklets, we have seen tremendous change in the lives of the students, even with their academic performances. Then, we agreed to make the lessons mandatory every Wednesday morning before classes would begin.

As a teacher, I am proud to say we that made the right decision. We are only in lesson 15, and we can see the Lord at work. The cases of indiscipline have reduced. Academically, the students are improving. The books have helped teaching even easier, especially in our Bible group as the lessons are directly from the Bible.

One of the parents told me that their sons have really changed even at home, and that they are grateful for how we are teaching nowadays. The secret is the Holy Spirit who is our helper with the lessons in the booklets, and who is at work in our school.

We are sure that by the time we reach the last lesson, lesson 68, that our school will be a small heaven on earth. We are collecting money for printing lessons 21-40, and we hope to order these lessons before the school opens next week so that we will not have a gap. These are wonderful nuggets for our students.”

From the Pastor of the Llogo PAG Church in Kenya:

“There is a ton of truth in all of the stories in the Old Testament. These stories are also easy to understand, and the people of today can readily identify with the people in the stories. This, I believe, is one of the keys to reaching people for God/Christ, that is, that people hear these Old Testament stories and realize that they are like these people, and that these people are like them, and that the God of these people is also their God!”

From Kenya:

“My name is Beatrice. My mother in-law never wanted me to get married to her son. She treated me like an outcast because I came from a poor family and they were rich. I love my husband, but his mother did all she could to separate us.

We were going to the same church. In the church, she was a very good lady, but coming home, you would not know she was a Christian. In her hands, I have been so mistreated.

One day, she framed me, lying and saying that I stole her money. I was arrested, and spent a week in a police cell. Later, her money was found in her bedroom.

Then, the worst happened. I was cooking food for the family when she came into the kitchen and chased me away so that she could cook herself. I obeyed and went to our room. At that time, my baby was only two years old and hungry. This is why I had gone to the kitchen to prepare food for her.

I took some of the food which she had prepared to give to my child, but after she had swallowed the food, she began to vomit. Thanks be to God, we rushed her to the hospital only to be told that the food was poisoned. Our daughter survived, but I knew that my life was in danger. I left, and went back to my parents’ home, yet I kept going to the same church.

We began to study Bible stories from booklets which our pastor told us from the mission. I couldn’t agree more with the Joseph story where his own brothers wanted to kill him. The pastor kept on talking about two tribes–the tribe of God and the tribe of Satan.

During this time, my mother in-law would sit with us and even pray with us as she was a leader in the church.

The pastor then taught us that Joseph forgave his brothers even though they did not even ask for forgiveness. I then told myself that I would speak with my mother in-law. My husband didn’t believe me and thought that I hated his mother.

As we continued with the study, I could feel my heart asking me about my relationship with my God. I decided to rededicate my life to Jesus. My daughter also went to church and thanked God for sparing her life.

Our pastor asked us to forgive those who had wronged us and in my heart, I prayed to forgive my husband and his mother. The following day, the pastor called me to his office. When I arrived, my husband and his mother were there in the office. They had come to ask me to forgive them.

I listened to my mother in-law as she confessed how she had poisoned our food, and that God had spoken to her heart. Just like Joseph forgave his brothers, I forgave both my husband and his mother.

Thanks to the lessons that we have read, I am now back in my marriage, and am now carrying our second child. Thank you for the booklets that we were given. We read them together and now, my husband who was a drunkard, has joined me in going to church. Thank you for the booklets and praise be to God!”

Pastor Peter is from Heiban which is among the Tira tribe in the Nuba mountains of South Sudan. He was a part of the chronological teachings in the camp last year, and came back to share what the Lord is doing in the Nuba mountains.

“I am from a Muslim family. My own father, who is a respected Muslim, has tried to kill me many times. This is because I have tried to teach him about the Lord Jesus, yet he is ashamed of me as his own son has disrespected him by leaving the Muslim religion.

I started ministry in 1988, but saw little fruit for years and years [over thirty years]. God has called me to reach out to the Muslims in my area of the Nuba mountains.

Since I came to the meetings of the chronological teachings, however, I have learned much.

First, we need to first learn about God, and then, that only God can save us. Religion cannot save us. Through the chronological teachings, many former Muslims have come to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Although many people keep asking me many questions, my answer is this: ‘I do not want to talk about your religion. I only want to teach the Word of God, and the Word of God says that all human being are sinners, that only God is holy, and that only God can save us!’”

This is a testimony from South Sudan:

“I am the wealthiest man in the entire camp, owning many shops. I believed in witchcraft, and I protected all of my shops with charms. I hated seeing missionaries. I looked at them as beggars, and I did not want to listen to their teachings. In fact, because of my wealth, I would give them money, and some of them ending up working for me!

I only knew one way, the way of voodoo, which I followed obediently. I feared nothing.

On the 19th of March, a plane carrying my goods worth hundreds of thousands of dollars totally burned up very early in the morning. This happened so suddenly, and not even my ‘medicine’ which I always place at my cabin to protect everything did not work. My juju charm failed to stop this. I was so shocked.

I never thought that such a thing could happen to me as I had some very strong charms. Wanting to know what had happened, I talked to many different people as well as many witches whom I know. They told me this: ‘Talk to the believers in Christ. Perhaps they have someone who could answer your questions?’

That is when I went to the missionary who has been buying goods in my shop. He would always talk to me about God, but I could not believe what he said, not even for a second. He would tell me that only God can save people from the power of sin, Satan, and death. He would also say that no charm, no voodoo, nor can any man save us, but God alone.

I began listening to the teachings of God. When we were listening to the story of Jonah, I finally understood that God wants to save us. He wants to save us the same way that He saved Noah, Isaac, Lot, and the children of Israel from Egypt. He wants to save us, and that is why He is sending His Word to us through missionaries.”

He requested to go with us to the place where the plane was burned to ashes. He then said that the charms can also be burned for he no longer needed them. He needed the One who saved the people of Nineveh. He said, “Kindly come and share these truths with my workers.” He surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ’s lordship.

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).