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congregations located in South Sudan and six congregations in Uganda. The churches in Uganda are located near the South Sudan border. These churches were planted by preachers who attended the training sessions taught by Isaya and Kennedy while they lived at the Kiryandongo Refugee Camp in Uganda. Some of the preachers and leaders of new congregations in South Sudan were unable to attend because this is the planting time for peanuts in their area. Another session will be held in November to accommodate those who couldn’t come to this one.
This is the shelter where the workshop was held. It is also the meeting place for the Obbo church. The Obbo congregation has about 70 members and almost all of them came from the churches that formerly met in the refugee camps in Uganda. The Obbo members provided accommodations for the men who attended the workshop. Isaya said this was the most difficult part of the conference. The Obbo members have only temporary huts for their own families, but somehow they managed to 
accomplished. Every day was started with a 30 minute devotional. All the men were asked to participate by presenting short messages, leading singing or leading in the prayer times. Pictured on the left is Bro. Richard Juma leading the devotional message. Richard has served as a preacher in the church for more than 5 years. God is using experienced men like Richard to build up the church in South Sudan.
Isaya is pictured here with two of the ladies who attending the workshop. It was interesting that both of them are named “Rose”. One is from the Obbo church and the other came from the new church in Torit. The Torit church was organized by Brother Kennedy and is made up of refugee members who returned to their home areas from Uganda and Kenya. Isaya has always recognized the need to prepare ladies to reach out to the members and to the communities where they live.
Printed materials for this kind of workshop must be translated and prepared ahead of time. On the left, lesson outlines are being distributed to all the participants. Isaya used leadership lesson materials from the “Truth for Today” courses that are mailed to missionaries all over the world free of charge. The Truth for Today lessons is a wonderful ministry led by Brother Eddie Cloer from Harding University and provides thousands of preachers and church leaders in foreign fields with the tools they need to build and strengthen churches. Brother Cloer is to be commended for the wonderful assistance he had been to so many of the Lord’s workers all over the world.
Isaya purchased needed food supplies in Juba. The ladies of the Obbo church prepared three meals a day. There was a wonderful time of fellowship that surrounded the meal times. The facilities were very limited as there are no kitchens, no tables, no electricity and no running water. Food was cooked out in the open. Isaya said it rained some every day and made it very difficult for the ladies to do their work.
These brethren came from the six congregations located along the Ugandan and Sudanese border. They all came on bicycles. The trip took 6 hours each way. This kind of commitment humbles me and causes me to appreciate so much what brethren like these are sacrificing to make sure they are prepared to do the Lord’s Work among their own people. I know all of you who read this report share this same feeling.
During the workshop, community health workers came to Obbo to advise all the people about how they needed to practice good hygiene because there was an outbreak of cholera in the area. Cholera is a common disease in Africa which is spread by contaminated water and food. Isaya expressed his appreciation to these men who did a good job communicating the information to all the people. 
leaders of these congregations have gone through a learning experience and have faced many problems. Relatives of the resettled members have their own religious groups and faith and expected their returning family members to become a part of their “family religion”. When that didn’t happen it created some difficult situations. So, it is time for all the preachers and leaders to come together for a time of study, sharing, learning and fellowship. Two of the trained preachers who will be attending the workshop are Brothers Watson Okee, left and Oken Peter. Both these men were preachers at congregations in the refugee camps in Uganda for several years before their return to South Sudan. 
This new government building is being constructed near the land in Magwii where the new Preacher Training School will be built. Kennedy sent this picture to us to illustrate the kind of construction that will be used when all the details are worked out. The training school will be an important tool in the gospel outreach as new churches are planted and the need for preachers and teachers grows. We had hoped construction would have already started, but delays have come because of the lack of security in the area. 
brethren are affected, Isaya will let us know. Cholera is a disease that is spread through water or food that has been contaminated with cholera bacteria. It is easily treated but because it usually occurs in places where the people’s living and physical conditions are poor, it generally kills many people, especially the very young and the elderly. Pray that this threat will soon pass. The picture on the right shows an open sewer right beside the road where people walk and were food supplies are stacked for sale. This kind of condition promotes the spread of diseases like cholera and many other life threatening illnesses and is a common sight in many third world countries.
Children in South Sudan love to gather and study God’s word. The Sudanese people have a strong faith in God and their families grow up with a faith that is active. None of them ever question who God is and what He means to them. These children are not subjected to things and activities that draw them away from a commitment to God. This is an important time to be preaching the gospel in Sudan. Thank you for being a part of this good work. May God continue to bless all of you.
The Juba congregation continues to grow. Last month 2 souls were baptized and added to the Juba church. Pictured here Brother Dominic Taban is teaching the Sunday morning bible class. Dominic is Isaya’s co-worker and serves well in the Juba church. Isaya indicates Dominic is a knowledgeable student of the word. He attended all of the workshops and training classes Isaya conducted at the Kiryandongo Church of Christ in Uganda before his relocation. 
This is the temporary meeting place of the Magwii congregation. This structure is located on the land where the Preacher Training School and Kindergarten will be constructed in the future. Some have asked about the security situation in Magwii at this time. Isaya reports it has improved greatly. The U.N. has lowered the alert status to a Level 1, which is the lowest. There is no security threat at this time in
Brother
Brother Andrew Ocheng is one of the few remaining gospel preachers left among the Sudanese congregations in Uganda. He has asked that his relocation back to South Sudan be delayed in order that one of his children might receive the complete medical treatment needed for tuberculosis that was discovered in 2007. The treatments should be over by mid-August. Brother Andrew has made several trips into South Sudan to help in the relocation process of others. He will be moving to Magwii where he will be working to help establish the Preacher Training School and the Kindergarten on the church land there. Brother Andrew and his wife are faithful members of the church. He has worked tirelessly along side of Isaya for almost 10 years in the Ugandan refugee churches. He will be an important addition to the Preacher Training program staff in Magwii as it begins in late 2009.
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