september 2009

sabet and suzy kuj serving the people of south sudan

SUZY KUJ INTRODUCES HERSELF AND HER FAMILY:

xxxxxxSabet and I began our individual missionary work in Tonj during the famine of 1998, when more than one million people throughout Sudan were suffering the effects of starvation caused by 20 years of civil war.  Hundreds of thousands of them perished in the southern region alone. When we met, we knew God had put us together to serve Sabet's Dinka people with the Gospel.

xxxxxxWe were married in 2000.  Despite war, disease and famine, we have, with our two children, Hannah 8, and Jedidiah 5,  devoted our lives to serving our brothers and sisters in Sudan.  We desire to live among the people of Sudan as a family so that we can minister to the spiritual needs of the community and bring awareness and healing to the physical, daily suffering.

xxxxxxxSabet is native to Sudan and speaks four languages.  His desire is to preach the Word of God to his own people.  He not only oversees the entire ministry, but works with over 100 local pastors in training and discipleship programs.
xxxxxxxI, Suzy, originally from England, want to be used by God not only to make an eternal difference in Sudan but to meet some of the people’s immediate physical needs.  I home-school our children, oversee the primary health care unit we started in 2006 and logistically organize flights and supplies for our compound.
xxxxxx Quality medical care is a very great need.  Our free medical clinic and pharmacy serves over 30,000 people 24/7.  A teenage mother on the brink of despair told me, “I knew my baby had malaria and would soon die.  I can’t thank you enough for the medicine which saved my baby’s life.”
xxxxxxPresently, there is peace in South Sudan.  Many men are answering the call to become pastors and lead their community in this new season of freedom.  These men need basic, solid Bible teaching.  One pastor who had lost his whole family in the war, said, “I know now that God has not forgotten us, as He is sending Bible Teachers to show us how to understand the Scriptures.”

Tonj discipleship training center

xxxxxxNoted by R.K.: On July 13th, the long awaited opening of the Discipleship Training Center for Pastors was launched at the Kuj’s compound.  A few years ago, The Bridge sponsored John Riak, a Dinka pastor.  John was blind from his youth, yet he walked over twenty miles every week through terraine with wild animals and posonous snakes, while leaning on his staff with one arm , and the other on the shoulder of a teenage boy who served as his eyes and helped lead the way through the wilderness. xJohn's passion was to care for the more than twenty village churches in the region, to disciple the leaders and encourage the believers.   Although he was physically blind, John had clarity of sight ... the eyes of his heart were enlightened (Eph 1:18) — he knew the Bible by heart in the Dinka language, and he taught his people well from the Word! xJohn died from a heart disease a couple of years ago.  Since then, we have been sponsoring his widow, Christine and their five children. JOHN WAS ONE MY REAL HEROES!!!xTHE TRAINING CENTER IS A FULLFILMENT OF JOHNS' VISION AND DREAM FOR HIS PEOPLE! xxxxxx

xxxxxxOver 30 of the 100 pastors registered at the training center, are going through the foundation and BCTP (Bible Center for Training Pastors) courses translated into the Dinka language. English language tuition is provided in the afternoons. The pastors are very excited that a full time school has finally opened to replace the temporary workshops that were conducted, based on availability of teachers. It is very encouraging to see their hunger for God’s Word and desire to learn.            

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sabet gives an Update on the discipleship training center for Pastors

I Was Blind But Now I See!

xxxxxx"In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, 'I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight'.” Luke 10:21

xxxxxxWe are into our third month in our Bible School in Tonj. What a joy when we started … to know that our prayers for the last four years have been answered and that many of these pastors are beginning to have a regular, steady and deep encounters with the Word. What a blessing to see the hunger and desire in these pastors to want to know more about God and His Son Jesus and the life He has promised us!

xxxxxx"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent". John 17:3

xxxxxxMany Christians today take for granted the spiritual food that their pastors teach them every week. The Discipleship Training Center in Tonj is the only source of ‘spiritual food’ for these hungry pastors since the Gospel came to this place. Ooh, — I wish you were here to see the eyes opening wide as they receive the revelation of God’s Word...the Truth.

xxxxxx"But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night". Psalm 1:2

xxxxxxI am blessed to see the convictions of these pastors — what a joy to see how they are coming to the Word and aligning their convictions with the teaching of the Word of Truth, especially those who used to be men living and teaching not according to the Bible. Many did not know biblical baptism.  Many are reading the Old Testament and getting the chronological stories of Genesis correctly as we spend one hour daily in reading the book aloud and translating it into Dinka for the rest who do not know English. Some are amazed at how alive the Word of God is, even the Old Testament. God is doing something in the lives of these men. 

xxxxxWe have never experienced so much warfare as we have since the opening of the school! Please join us as I give our God all the Glory He deserves in the name of our Lord Jesus. We thank the Lord for what He is doing here, not just at the Bibleschool but at the medical clinic, via the Jesus film ministry, and in the fellowship (church) on Sunday morning which we started a few months ago. All of this is possible through the Holy Spirit Who works in and through us.

ONE STORY BY SUZY FROM HER WORK AT theIR Clinic

XXXXXXThis is William.  He's a very sick and frightened little five year old boy who knows he might soon die.  His father came to us desperately in need of help. William started getting sick in February.  In March, his mother left, and his father took him to a witch doctor.  This is a common battle we face here, with people turning to witchcraft and only seeking modern medicine as a last resort.  There was no other place for him to turn.  This is the very reason we started our medical clinic ministry here in Tonj, Sudan.  It is  not just about healing people, but showing them that Jesus sees them, loves them and cares what happens to them.  Though we don't have a lab to test William, we believe the Lord brought him to us for a purpose and we will love him, care for him, and help him any way we can, just as if it were our Lord Jesus himself asking. 
We have discussed his condition with various doctors in Kenya to see the best way forward in assisting him. There are a number of possible causes of his condition and therefore proper testing and diagnosis is essential.  This can be done either in Kenya or possibly somewhere else in Sudan.