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We hope you enjoy the news we’re bringing you from Sudan this month.
| Building a Relationship with God |
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| Greetings from Harvesters, Dennis and I are counting the days before our return to Sudan. We’ve had successful speaking engagements while in the U.S. these past couple of months and have enjoyed spending time with family and friends, but we are always anxious to return home to Sudan. Whenever we come back to the U.S., we see how times are changing and how much closer we are to Christ’s return. I recently read an article from one of my favorite authors, Henry Blackaby. He talked about how the church is not leading people to a personal relationship with Christ, but how they are moving people towards religious activity. We are content to live without the manifest presence, power and activity of God in our lives. There is a huge emphasis put on evangelism, which is important, but not above our personal relationship and fellowship with our Savior. When I read Matthew 25 where it talks about the ten virgins and how five were foolish and five were wise, I think of our lives and how busy we have become. The ten virgins were all doing good things, but they lost their main focus which is our relationship with Christ. We need to keep our relationship with Christ fresh, committed and renewed daily so when Christ, the “Groom”, returns for His church, the “Bride”, we will hear these words, “well done my good and faithful servant; enter into eternity with me”. On a personal note, Dennis and I are proud to announce God has brought Lance, our youngest son, a beautiful Christian woman, Kim Borden, to be part of his life. When we continue to be faithful in serving God, He does give us the desires of our hearts. Who would have ever thought Lance would meet a Christian girl from New Jersey in Terakeka, Sudan on a medical mission trip, but he did. They are currently in the states preparing for their wedding which will take place in September 2009. They plan to return to Sudan in January 2010 to run the Terakeka compound, where they will celebrate a Sudanese wedding with our Sudan family and orphans. We will keep you posted in the upcoming newsletters. From our hearts, Mama Lilly and Pastor Dennis |
| God Has a Plan for Everything |
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by Eunice
Hello, my name is Eunice and I am originally from Kenya. In 2005, I was in Yei, Sudan looking for employment and heard about Harvesters through a friend who was working there. My friend introduced me to Mama Lilly and told me about the available job, which I accepted immediately. I just got the courage to say “yes” and prayed to God to give me the strength to do the work. In December of 2005, I began working as a housemother and was given the responsibility of taking care of two babies who were 4 and 6 months old. I had not taken care of a baby before and before I knew it, I was taking care of two little ones! It was amazing the way I began to care for these precious children as if I had done it before! I loved them like they were my own and they gave so much love back to me. I still remember the first night I spent with them. I did not sleep a wink as it seemed like they were crying in turns-when one would stop crying and get to sleep, then the other one would awaken and begin! Later, I continued to work as a housemother for only one baby and also began working as a housekeeper. My fellow workers were surprised how I managed both positions and did not feel I would be able to continue it, but I asked for God’s guidance and with His help and strength, I continued to be able to work both jobs. After one year, I began working in the position of the Missionary Cook. I held this position for two years. My job consisted of waking up very early to prepare the missionaries their breakfast and working throughout the day in the kitchen preparing lunch and dinner. With late hours and little sleep, it was tiresome work, but I again managed it as “with God everything is possible”. In December 2007, I was promoted to the position of Orphanage Supervisor. I oversee the children, housemothers, cleaners, and cooks. I find this to be the most challenging and rewarding work that I have experienced at Harvesters so far. Before I took the position, I prayed to God to go ahead of me and to show me the way. I also asked that He would give me wisdom and courage in all my decisions. He has been so faithful to me. I believe all of my time here at Harvesters has been part of God’s plan for me. I look back where I came from and I can’t believe the difficulties and challenges I have passed through. It has definitely brought me closer to God as I rely on Him more frequently and I can see that I have grown mentally and spiritually stronger through my experiences here at Harvesters. Before I solve any situation or problem, I go to the Lord with a quick prayer for courage, wisdom, and His guidance. If I respond to a situation incorrectly, I have learned to ask God for forgiveness and to rely upon His word in the Bible. I enjoy reading the book of Proverbs as it so often encourages me in my work. Here is one of my favorite passages: Proverbs 14:29, “He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding but he that is hasty of spirit exalts folly”. Despite the many challenges that come with a supervisory position, I really enjoy my work here at Harvesters, especially the time I spend with the children. I am thankful for God’s Word that sees me through the difficult situations and I rejoice in all the wonderful time He has given me. |
| Harvesters Blockbusting Blockbuilders! |
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by Grandma Shay
A marvelous growth has been taking place among our secondary school boys (which is equivalent to the U.S. high school grades). This growth is not only physical, but also spiritual as they desire to be a blessing to others and mature as young men. One of the evident signs of maturity is their desire to learn livelihood and trade skills. Often you will see them learning from Harvesters’ farmer, Mr. Lawrence, how to care for and till the fields and help with the planting. These are all skills greatly needed by each individual male in Sudan and for our young men as they one day have their own families to provide for. Another skill which our older boys have become quite proficient in is that of cinder block making. Pastor Dennis has passed on this skill to his workers at Harvesters and to our young men. During school break these boys have been hard at work honing in on this skill of block making and now they have become so proficient that they are producing 100 cinderblocks per day compared to the 80 blocks that Harvesters’ hired workers can make a day! Many of the blocks they made during last school break are now dried and being used to complete the work at the Gideon’s House, which is the future home of our older boys located just down the road from Harvesters’ compound. We praise God that as the young men of Harvesters are growing up so also is their desire to be a productive part of Harvesters and their community. Who knows, maybe even one day we will have a “Harvesters’ Cinderblock Company” as the boys have informed us that the going price for one block in the town of Yei is the equivalent of about $2.00. With their math skills they have quickly advised us that “Harvesters’ Cinderblock Company” would be quite profitable! |
| Terakeka Update |
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from Mama Lilly
As I mentioned in my welcome letter, Dennis and I are getting ready to return to Sudan. We will spend a few weeks in Yei getting supplies, then head to Terakeka. With Lance and Kim back in the states planning their wedding, Dennis and I will be spending a lot of time in Terakeka making preparations to welcome our new orphans in August. We will have a grand opening in January 2010 after Lance and Kim return. Things are moving along quite well. We have a local director, Laki David, who we have placed over the compound. He will work closely with Lance and Kim. The fence is up and we have about 50% of the building completed. In spite of the challenges with the start of the rainy season, the men are working very hard to meet our deadline. They have laid a new road from Juba to Terakeka which has helped a lot, but we still have the challenges of driving on the roads from the town of Terakeka to our compound which is about 4 miles. But God always seems to help make a way for us, especially when there seems to be no way possible with everything we do in Sudan. Please pray God will give us wisdom in taking in orphans and workers. |
| Secondary School- Off to a Great Start |
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by Grandma Shay
As you may recall, Harvesters has two high school students who are continuing their secondary education at boarding schools in Arua, Uganda. We also have two of our young women who have recently entered secondary school here in Southern Sudan, however, the school is far enough away that they are also boarding on campus. We now have nine of our young men who are in their first year of secondary school and three that are in their second year. These 12 young men have just begun a new semester at a Christian school called Nehemiah Secondary School. Although it is new, it has had an impressive beginning with qualified teachers and subject material that ranges from Physics /Chemistry /Math / English /History/ Political Science/Fine Arts /Christian Studies and several others. The students must arrive at 8:00 A.M. for morning chores and be ready for classes to begin at 8:30 A.M. They attend class instruction until lunch at 1:00 P.M. The students return to class at 2:00 P.M. then end their day at 4:30 P.M. Another benefit of the secondary school is its location which happens to be a few minutes walk from Harvesters’ Compound. At first we thought the students might be disappointed that they were not getting to go to boarding school like the others, but when they returned to the compound after their first day, they were all so excited to talk about their new school. Every boy expressed enthusiasm for being there and was so impressed with the teaching abilities and knowledge of their new teachers. These talented young men are looking forward to a great semester!! |
| Our Prayer Needs |
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- For our orphan, Martin Banga, who has painful rheumatoid arthritis, especially in his left hip and knees.
- For Brother Hillary and the cell leaders as they cover the home cell groups.
- Hillary’s leadership role in the church’s compound ministry and young people while Pastor Pooshani is on two months home leave to Malaysia beginning mid-June.
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| Help us Fulfill our Promise by Sponsoring an Orphan |
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Bosco Sandiga
Bosco can always be found in a pack of BOYS! He is running, jumping, sliding and in the middle of everything. He obeys well, does his own personal care well and complies with what he is asked to do. Art and music are favorites to Bosco. He is very colorful with the pictures, and he loves to help when there are tasks to be done. He is always willing to help, carry, move things or set up for events. Please pray that this precious child of God will continue to grow in faith and love of the Lord and into a servant for His kingdom. FOR JUST $30 EACH MONTH, YOU CAN MAKE AN IMPACT ON HIS LIFE. If you can help sponsor Bosco, please contact us at sponsor@hrtn.org or 214.440.1115 |
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Sudan Mission Team3 Reasons I Stay Stuck (Pastor Steven Furtick)
Merry Christmas from Harvesters (Orphanage in Yei, Sudan)
