The situation in southern Sudan remains difficult for believers which the Theisens hoped to serve before medical problems forced them to return home last fall.
Their push north from Uganda into the Sudan to begin a new work remains unfinished, and the situation calls for concerted prayer. The Theisens had returned to Africa in 2003 to assist the Ma’di Baptist Church planting effort around Kampala, Uganda in discipleship and community development. They now work in missions coaching.
Sudan’s problems draw considerable international media attention, U.N. and Africa Union peacekeeping forces, but much work remains undone, and there are signs the region may be returning to greater lawlessness.
Last month, two female aid workers (one Irish, one African) were kidnapped. Some news agencies report they may be released during Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, which began Aug. 22.
Earlier this year, the Hague-based International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for crimes against humanity. The Sudanese government-backed violence against those in Darfur has left some 300,000 dead and nearly 3 million displaced from their homes.
In the south, the Ugandan rebel group Lord’s Resistance Army has recently launched a wave of reprisal attacks against the southern Sudanese in response to a U.S.-backed attempt last December to bring LRA leader Joseph Kony to justice. Since late July more than 180 people have been killed. Some 25,000 of 230,000 displaced people from area wars have entered southern Sudan, seeking refuge. Food supplies remain a problem, affected by drought.
Dozens of rebel groups operate in the country and tribalism causes groups to engage in cattle rustling and to dispute water rights. Please pray for the church in Sudan and the Theisens as they transition to new work in Portland. (See http://sudanpartnership.org/wordpress/)
Ramadan Muslim prayer focus — The Guhayna people of Sudan
Nomads wandering Central Sudan, the Guhayna trace their heritage to Bedouins who trekked across the deserts of Saudi Arabia centuries ago. Numbering some 1.3 million, the Guhayna embrace rigid codes of honor, loyalty and hospitality; strong men’s roles, the value of children, subservient women and adherence to the five pillars of Islam. Confessing Christ as Lord has serious consequences. No one is actively reaching out to the Guhayna for Christ. (Taken from 30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus.)
Comments Off The world just got a whole lot smaller this week.
Last week I gave you a brief history about the church losing their first Pastor due to Visa problems. Well unknown to me at the writing of that email that the pastor was actually coming to Rio for a visit. Not really a gift of prophecy on my part but guess who he is? This is where the small world part comes in, especially for Rolly and Chuck. He knows you guys. He’s been a pastor with Calvary Chapel in Mobile, Alabama for the past four years. He’s also a graduate of Oregon State. Go Beavers! Still not connecting? Well he use to be with Campus Crusade in Corvallis and was a disciple of Alex Kettle and worked with Jeff Harris. His wife was a secretary at a church. Oh yeah, the church was First Baptist. His name is Jason Eisenweise. He spent the week here and preached on Sunday night. So the leak between First Baptist and Calvary Chapel in Corvallis with the church in Rio continues to grow even stronger. Amazing how God connects all the dots.
Okay the big ticket item for this week was that on Saturday we went to Xerem, but not for a bible study. This time we took large pickup truck loaded with donated clothing, shoes, toys and other stuff that the church had been collecting for the past 6-12 months. The purpose of the donations was to hold a giant yard sale to raise money to help support the school. But the extra neat twist was that last week we gave the kids, who attend the school, some Calvary Chapel monopoly-type of money which they could use to buy things. The kids took their purchasing power very seriously inspecting all the merchandise while weighing their decisions and were extremely thrifty with how they spent their money. The rest of the villagers had to use real currency to buy things.
All items were marked at bargain basement prices, with most things going for 25 centavos (cents) to 8 reals (dollars) and even at those low prices negotiating was the rule of the day. It started off a little slow but after about a half an hour, word of mouth spread throughout the village and we were swamped. Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s never saw such a crowd. We stayed until almost every item was sold or given away, raising over $400 for school supplies. But the overwhelming look of pure joy and appreciation on Euciene’s face was priceless.
The rest of my week consisted of basic repairs around the church. Painting the office area plus an accent wall in the sanctuary. I did hang a new microwave on the kitchen wall, which meant I needed to move and re-arrange several cupboards as well. Nothing is ever simple. Thank you Larry for bringing my hammer drill. My painting talents also went beyond the church walls as I helped a member of the church paint his new apartment.
But my real adventure came on Monday as Pastor Alex called and wanted me to take the bus from the church to his house, no problem. I have taken the bus a half dozen times from his house back to the church. I know his immediate neighborhood quite well so I didn’t think much about it. Alex lives about 15-20 minutes from the church and the way in which the bus drivers fly down the streets that equates to about 100 miles away. Maybe a slight exaggeration but only slight. When taking the bus to Alex’s there is a fork in the road and the bus goes up a one way street which parallels Alex’s street. A street I have never been on. So all the shops, I thought I would recognize weren’t there. When I got off the bus I ended up walking in the wrong direction. Lost in Rio. Obviously being a man I didn’t ask anyone for help. Finally, an hour later Alex had to come and pick me up. Not sure where I was or how far I had gone but I think I may have seen the Argentine border crossing.
The lady whom Alex and I prayed with a couple of weeks ago returned again last night to the services and brought two friends. She seemed to be in a far better mood than when she first crossed our doorway.
My Portuguese is slowly getting better but they still talk way too fast and they have a different word for everything. The Hostel is pretty loud at nights, the back-packing travelers seem to enjoy themselves in Rio. I would compare it to living above a college Frat house during pledge week. So l could use a good night sleep and a real shower. No I am not going to tell you about the ordeal of taking a shower.
This week looks to be even busier. I am heading to Sao Vicente on Friday to attend another wedding (oh boy) and I am looking forward to seeing another part of Brazil. It’s about 8 hours from Rio. Not sure if I am riding down with someone or taking a bus. The adventure continues.
Again thanks to all of you for your prayers, thoughts and support. Emails would also be appreciated.
Time is whizzing by fast but I am still looking up and giving God all the glory.
Dave
Comments Off Maputo, the capital of Mozambique is a beautiful city. Situated on the coast of the Indian Ocean, it has a feel as if on the Mediterranean. This is due to the influence of the Portuguese when Mozambique was a Portuguese colony.
During our visit to explore future ministry opportunities with Community Uplift Ministries (Circle of Light), I was amazed at the beauty of the country in the South. As we drove north from Maputo to Xia-Xia, about four hours, I could not believe how beautiful the coastline and ocean views were. As we drove past small villages and towns, I also noticed how different it appeared than other African countries I had traveled to…
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