May 5, 2013
In my last update entitled, “Our Brother Is Alive,” I shared with you the inspiring story of how one of our native missionaries saved the life of a dying, unreached, Sudanese man and changed his tribe forever. I am delighted to tell you that Zachariah’s journey with Jesus is not over; in fact it has just begun.
Overwhelmed with joy, Zechariah sat and remembered that it was only a few months ago he had almost died of an illness. His new Lord and Savior Jesus Christ sent a missionary to his tribe to rescue him. He fondly remembered this missionary’s undeniable love. He thought about how love led him to open his heart and ears to listen to the missionary’s simple story of Jesus’ sacrificial death for his sins to provide him complete forgiveness and the assurance of eternal life. It did not take long before Zechariah’s pleasure was interrupted by the countless faces that flashed through his mind of family and friends that had no knowledge of Jesus. He desperately wanted to share this life-changing message with every one he knew. So with child like faith he began to pray, “Lord, my tribe has no written language and I will probably never learn to read or write. I want to learn about you but I don’t understand that book that the missionaries read. I want to tell everyone about your love, but I do not know how to. Help me Jesus!”
Not long after this, Zechariah asked James Nyika, an Ends Of The Earth native missionary, if it were even possible for him to learn more about Jesus and the Bible. Zechariah explained to James that God had given him a passion to evangelize. James responded, “Yes brother, God has answered your prayers! Next month we will teach you to memorize key Bible stories as you hear them being read aloud. You will also learn how to share these stories with your people in an oral Bible study.” Once again, Zechariah was in awe of God’s intimacy and miraculous answer to his prayers.
I had the privilege of watching God reveal Himself to Zechariah during this training. We broke up the class into small groups and assigned each group a Bible story that they were to memorize and retell in their own language and cultural reenactment. James and Zechariah’s group were given the story of the Good Samaritan. As James read the story out loud, Zechariah sat and listened intently, as this was his first time ever hearing it. When James was finished, he asked if anyone in the group had experienced something like this. James noticed Zechariah timidly raising his hand. Unaware of what he was about to share, James asked him to come forward and tell his story. Zechariah stood up and looked directly at James and declared, “I was the man left for dead on the road, and James, you were the good Samaritan.”
Zechariah was chosen by his small group to reenact the story of the good Samaritan in front of the entire class. Everyone sat in amazement, as we watched this illiterate man, that had just recently been introduced to the Bible, perfectly dramatize the story with deep passion. He captured the heart of the story better than anyone else, because he had personally experienced God’s loving touch in such a similar way.
Zechariah – James – Rob
Zechariah is presently a missionary-in-training under Ends of the Earth Ministries. He will be attending an oral Bible college with other illiterate tribal leaders to prepare them to reach their own people and the neighboring villages almost immediately. Please pray that God will use Zechariah to bring the message of eternal salvation to all the tribes in his area of Sudan. A handful of his fellow tribesmen have followed in his footsteps and have recently given their hearts to Jesus Christ.
Jesus said,
“Love one another: just as I have loved you… By this all people will know that you are my disciples.”
John 13:34-35
Get Involved And Make An Eternal Difference
On July 1 we opened a medical clinic in Zechariah’s region of South Sudan to show the love of Christ in an undeniable way. This clinic services five totally unreached tribes with an estimated population of 1 million people. Almost 50% of the children in this area die before their fifth birthday as a result of simple diseases that can be cured for less than one dollar. Please consider financially supporting the medical clinic.
We need to raise $2000 per month to supply the medicines and native missionary medical staff essential to show the tangible love of God that Zechariah experienced to these desperately lost and hurting people.
You can save a life by giving $0.50 per day.
By sponsoring for just $15 per month, you can come alongside those who are the hands and feet of Jesus and impact people that are hearing the Gospel for the first time.
- Please pray for Zechariah as he is making steps of faith to bring the Gospel to his people. He will encounter tremendous opposition from those still steeped in demonic worship.
- Please pray for those who are still waiting to hear that Jesus loves them. Pray their eyes will be opened, and that they will turn to the only God.
Isaiah 9:2 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.”
Acts 13:47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”
Apr 5, 2013
Eager faces crowded together in the late afternoon sun, the bright colors of their beads a stark contrast amidst the dark skin. Word had spread quickly through the surrounding villages that a film was going to be shown at sundown. Ends of the Earth native missionaries stood and addressed the sea of faces, “What you are about to watch is the story of God’s son Jesus Christ who came to earth to save us from our sins.” Last week our team of native evangelists in South Sudan presented the Jesus film to more then five thousand unreached Taposa during a 2 day outreach. I am filled with joy to report that 532 souls gave there lives to Christ and found forgiveness from sin.
Recently, while presenting the Jesus film to a neighboring tribe, native missionaries were forced to abruptly stop the film. The people had gathered with much excitement to watch a movie on a large screen for the first time. It did not take long for them to connect with Jesus’ love and compassion upon the sick and dying. Our missionaries noticed a stirring among the crowd as the Romans arrested Jesus and began to beat Him. The tribal people became so outraged at what was being done to Jesus that the men raised their AK-47 machine guns to fire at the screen to rescue Jesus from the evil Romans. Our missionary noticed what was happening and stopped the film just in time. He encouraged them to put their guns down and watch the entire story to see how the son of God was victorious in the end. Many tribal people, after seeing and hearing of God’s great love, responded with giving their lives to the Lord. Please pray for our national missionaries as they are now working on discipling and church planting in these areas.
By sponsoring for just $15 per month, you can come alongside those who are the hands and feet of Jesus and impact people that are hearing the Gospel for the first time.
Dec 21, 2012
Paul rises before dawn. Kneeling next to his mattress, he commits his works to the Lord, asking for the wisdom he will need to address the countless medical conditions he will face this day at the medical clinic in Loolim, South Sudan. Arriving at the clinic to unlock the doors, a cluster of patients have already begun to fill the porch of the small building. Eager faces look desperately to him and his nursing staff of four Kenyans, who have left their homeland to share God’s love through the vehicle of medical care to these remote South Sudanese tribes.
Earlier this year, Paul’s family, who live on the border of Kenya and Sudan, were attacked by the Taposa tribe that he was ministering to. After hearing of the attack on his village, he traveled to comfort his family. They had lost a large portion of their cattle due to the raiders. Paul returned to the medical clinic and continued to serve the Taposa people. The chief, knowing that Paul’s family had been attacked and that Paul had chosen to forgive and remain with his people was amazed. He approached Paul asking him “What kind of love is this, that you would serve my people when they have done your family wrong?” Paul’s grin widened as he went on to share with the chief about the love of God who would send even His own son for a people who would violently do Him wrong too.
By sponsoring for just $15 per month, you can come alongside those who are the hands and feet of Jesus and impact people that are hearing the Gospel for the first time.
Support Ends of the Earth
May 1, 2012
Imagine what it would be like to be raised in one of the poorest places on earth; to grow up in total spiritual darkness without education and absolutely no healthcare. My heart is overflowing with joy to tell you Zechariah’s story of how God has recently saved him from a life of spiritual and physical despair.
Zechariah lay on the floor of his mud hut trying to hold onto his life, as it slowly slipped away. The closest resemblance of a hospital was hundreds of miles from his small village in the desert foothills of South Sudan. Without a car or even a bicycle, and no money, he had lost all hope of survival. Zechariah’s tribe is so few in number the other larger tribes that dominate this region call them Tauso or “the forgotten people.”
Zechariah was surprised to hear the rare sound of a vehicle entering his village. As he strained with all his might to peer out the door, he saw a stranger step out of the well-worn Toyota and be greeted by the chief and elders. Through a translator, Ends Of The Earth native missionary, James Nyika, introduced himself as a pastor. He went on to ask if he could send Christian missionaries to live among the Tauso, to learn their language and introduce them to the God that sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay for their sins.
This tribe lives in an area of Africa that has seen decades of war, slave trade, and starvation. For a millennia they have been living in total spiritual darkness held under the destructive power of demonic spirits that speak to them through witches. James described them as, “The poorest people I have ever seen.” As a result of these seemingly impenetrable spiritual strongholds and life threatening conditions, missionaries have failed to reach these people.
The Elders opened their arms widely to native missionary, James Nyika, and responded, “Come, we want to know more about your God.” James was overwhelmed and filled with praise to God for answering years of prayer for an open door to reach these people. The elders showed him the dry mud hole that was their only source of drinkable water and narrated their failed attempts to grow food to feed their people. With a heavy heart, James began to say his goodbyes and return to the vehicle. In the distance he heard a desperate voice call out, “Please, Please help our brother. He is dying!” James was led to a small house made of mud and sticks. As he entered this humble shack, he was filled with compassion for the emaciated man that lay on the compacted mud floor. At first glance, it was obvious that this extremely sick man did not have long to live. James asked the elders for their permission to take Zechariah to a small village hospital, 200 miles away in the nearby country of Kenya. That day no one imagined how radically their lives were about to be changed by this new visitor and his message about the God who had not forgotten them.
It took many days of arduous travel to reach the small medical clinic in Kenya. Zachariah was admitted and James was told that he would need to be there for at least one month. James prayed for Zechariah and his mother that God would bring complete healing to this dying man. One month later, James returned to the hospital to find Zechariah sitting up in his bed completely whole. When Zechariah’s mother saw James enter the room, with uncontrolled emotion she repeated “thank you… you have saved my son’s life.” James informed them Zechariah was well enough to return to Sudan, and that James could take them back to their people. With deep anxiety in her voice, Zechariah’s mother stated, “We have no way to pay for all of this.” James grinned broadly and announced, “The Lord Jesus has provided for you and your son.” The man and his mother sat in stunned silence that a stranger would show such love.
A group of Tauso women, balancing huge bundles of firewood on their heads, were walking back to their village when they heard the rattling sound of the old Toyota coming down the road. As the vehicle passed they could see Zechariah in the window waving at them with joy in his eyes. Immediately the women threw down their huge bundles of wood and began running after the vehicle shouting, “Our brother is alive! Our brother is alive!” Within moments, the entire village had surrounded the vehicle with shouts of excitement and tears of joy. Weeks earlier, the tribe had held a funeral for their brother, assuming he had already died. No one in the past had ever left them in a sickly condition and returned alive. It had been impossible for James to communicate with them while he was in the hospital because this part of the world has no phones or mail services.
The story does not end here. After a few months, James returned to the Tauso village in hopes to share the gospel message with them in their language. He spoke to them about a God of love, that sent His only Son to be sacrificed for their sins. The people listened intently, as this was the first time the Gospel had reached their ears. He concluded the message and asked the group if any of them wanted to confess their sin and accept the free gift of forgiveness from Jesus Christ. Zechariah stood and said, “I want to know this loving God personally.” At that moment, Zechariah made the first step out of thousands of years of darkness and into a glorious future filled with light and the love of God.
Jesus said, “Love one another: just as I have loved you… By this all people will know that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35
- Please pray for Zechariah as he is making steps of faith to bring the Gospel to his people. He will encounter tremendous opposition from those still steeped in demonic worship.
- Please pray for those who are still waiting to hear that Jesus loves them. Pray their eyes will be opened, and that they will turn to the only God.
Isaiah 9:2 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.”
