Voice of Hope Newsletter of the Diocese of Kajo-Keji Issue #11 June 2015 Participants DAI leadership training May 2015 Editorial In times like these Rev. Jacob Haasnoot In times like these when violence seems to be spreading in our country and in other places in the world, we need the Psalms. They are like medicine for the soul and give strength to those who are weary. They give words to both our anxiety and our hope. Psalm 46 helps us in our fears because God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (verse 1). This psalm tells us they we don t need to be afraid of natural disasters or wars. It is God who makes wars cease (verse 9). But why doesn t he give us peace in South Sudan? Verse 10 reminds us to be still, and know that I am God. In this issue # 11 Editorial (In times like these) 1 Word from the Bishop 2 DAI Leadership training 3 Outreach with Nigerian team 3 Gladys Poni 4 Gosene Youth Mission 5 Youth training in Kenya 6 Kajo-Keji prays for peace 6 News in pictures 7 We are reminded of God s Kingdom purposes: I will be exalted among the nations (verse 10). The how and when are often hidden to us. In the mean time our assurance is that the Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress (verse 11). The Voice of Hope Issue 11, June 2015 Voice of Hope Issue # 11 June 2015 Page 1
Word from the Bishop Rt. Rev d. Anthony D. Poggo As I write this at the end of May 2015, we have not yet achieved peace in South Sudan. This is indeed is sad. This conflict which started on the 15 December 2013 has led to the death of thousands of people and displacement of over 1 million people. There has been many rounds of peace negotiations that have not yielded the long awaited peace that we have been yearning for. Please pray for the peace process. A recent statement from South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC) which was signed by the top leadership of South Sudanese Church rightly raised the concern about the deteriorating situation in South Sudan. The statement called for an end to this senseless conflict as well as a speedy end to the endless negotiations. This strongly worded statement called on our leaders to heed the cry of our people for peace. The impact of the war is now being felt across the whole nation and also in the region especially as the economic impact of the decrease in the oil revenue with the fall in the exchange rate of the South Sudanese pound against the US dollar has led to high prices and shortage of essential commodities and fuel. The ongoing humanitarian crises and looming famine is also a major cause of concern. This is coupled by the deteriorating security situation and armed robbery on some of our roads, this even affected a team from the Diocese of Kajo-Keji that was travelling from Kajo- Keji to Juba resulting to the loss of property and cash. This is the second time this year that our staff have been affected on this road. Please pray for South Sudan. Your prayers should include confession of our own sins, the sins of our leaders and of all the people of South Sudan. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Catholic Cardinal of Westminster Bishop Anthony Poggo Visits I have had two visits to the UK and the USA in May. While in England, I participated in the 2015 annual Leadership Conference organized by Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) in London. HTB is the church where the Alpha Course started. It was good to be part of 6,000 participants at this conference. The theme of the conference was unity. One of the highlights of the conference for me was when Rev Nicky Gumble, the vicar of HTB, interviewed the Roman Catholic Cardinal of Westminster who shared the podium together with the Archbishop of Canterbury. They both spoke of the importance of working together as churches. There were given a very long standing ovation after the interview. It was also inspiring to hear of what HTB is doing in planting churches or bringing life to many number of churches in London and other parts of the country. In the US, one of the conferences I spoke at is the 2015 Kuku Community of North America Annual Conference which took place in Kansas City. It was good to link up with a number of Kajo-Keji Diaspora in the USA and Canada. There were people that I had not met in over 20 years! It is encouraging to see that many of these people do think of their home of origin and some of them have made contributions to the welfare and development of Kajo-Keji and South Sudan. It was good to link up also with relatives and friends. Thank you all for your hospitality. Voice of Hope Issue # 11 June 2015 Page 2
Oh Lord, can I be a leader? By Maziina Fred DAI Participants receive certificates Three Bishops attended the training From the 20 th of May, we attended 10-day DAI training on leadership and management. We were challenged to change our leadership style using the word of God. On each day, we looked at a different topic but logically related. Oh Lord, can I be a leader? was among the topics. By the closing time, we had learnt that everybody can be a leader in whatever ministry we serve. Through servant leadership we can be good leaders and God can lead us His own way. I understand there are three major enemies for leaders known as the 3Gs; Gold (Money), Girls/Guys (sex) and Glory (Power); these are also called the Unholy trinity. But of the three, power is far the most slippery and dangerous, for two simple reasons, no one ever knows how much power they have, and no one ever has enough... (Andy Crouch). Power can destroy or create. DAI believes in the principal from Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend... There is mutual benefit in the rubbing of two iron blades together; the edges become sharper, making the knives more efficient in their task to cut and slice. Likewise, the Word of God is a double-edged sword (Heb 4:12), and it is with this that we are to sharpen one another in times of meeting, fellowship, and prayer. The training was empowering us as kingdom leaders to transform the world. This comes at the time when the church takes a lead in the call for peace and God guided leadership in South Sudan. We believe that this will have an impact and positive change in leading others and edify the spirit of good leadership in all our ministries and leaders. The training was facilitated by Development associates International (DAI) under the leadership of Mr. Nic Wafula and Mr. Jairus Matebe. Outreach with team from Nigeria By Simaya Anda Since Bishop Anthony Poggo visited Nigeria in 2012, our Nigerian partners help us in the area of the evangelism and discipleship training in the Diocese. From 2 th to 12 th May 2015, together with a team from Nigeria and our resident Nigerian mission partner, evangelist Chidi Moses, we did outreach in different places in our Diocese. We went to Bori archdeaconry, Kala archdeaconry, Leikor archdeaconry and Gaderu Archdeaconry. We preached the gospel to about 1400people; 76 people were prayed for and 12 people born again. Also 43 people received deliverance in their sickness and in family problems. The outreach had great impact on the people and other churches that we did not visit are asking the Nigerian team to return. The team has promised to come to Kajo- Keji every year. Through this outreach people have developed the spiritual strength they need to live in strong love, faith and forgiveness. The outreach team in action Voice of Hope Issue # 11 June 2015 Page 3
Gladys Poni Team prays for Gladys After we published the story of Gladys Poni who was attacked by evil spirits in our March newsletter, several people informed about her current situation. Below we give you two reports and a testimony of Gladys herself. [the editor] (1) Prayer for Gladys in Juba Rev. Chaplain Abu Waki, Liaison office, Juba I came to know the story of Gladys Poni through Bishop Anthony on 26 th March. He told me about the grasshopper which entered Gladys stomach and stayed there for long and through the prayers of the people of God the grasshopper was vomited out a live grasshopper and was burnt. It was clear that Gladys was disturbed by demonic powers. Bishop Anthony asked me to organize prayer warriors in Gosene Church in Juba for her. Gladys stayed with her uncle while in Juba. On Sunday 29 th March, Gladys went to pray in the English service at St. Luke Parish, where she was attacked by evil spirits from 9:30 am to2:45 pm. Although people prayed for her, there was no improvement and she even could not walk anymore. She was brought back to her uncle s house where the Gosene prayer team prayed for her. Gladys' uncle and neighbours receiving spiritual advice The Gosene prayer teams and a number of Christians from St. Luke Parish Church talked to Gladys and she explained what had happened to her. After her explanation, she was thrown down by the evil spirit and she rolled up just like a snake. Heavy prayer continued inside the room and then the evil spirit said that they were 9,000 and they had come to take Gladys. They went on to say there was a charm hidden in the ground in Gladys room and also in a place where lightning had come down in her home in Kajo-Keji. The spirits said that if that charm was removed, then they would leave Gladys. The prayer continued and when 1,000 spirits were left, then water was brought in to symbolize the blood of Jesus Christ. I gave her to drink and finally the evil spirits left Gladys and she became normal again with a sound mind and she was able to walk without a stick. Voice of Hope Issue # 11 June 2015 Page 4
(2) Continuing prayer in Kajo-Keji Very Rev. Pianilee Samuel Alibee, Dean of Emmanuel Cathedral A prayer team of four people came from Gosene Church in Juba to Kajo-Keji for a joint spiritual warfare against the evil spirits that were tormenting Gladys life. The demons claimed that they will not free Gladys because they have planted charms at the family home of Gladys. Unless those charms are uprooted they will not leave her. To counteract that, the joint prayer team, after a day of prayer and fasting, went to her family to conduct a deliverance prayer session. When the team reached the family, they found that almost all the family members and relatives were already gathered waiting for the prayer team so that they could join the prayer ministry. This is a sign that everybody was concerned for the life of their daughter. It took the prayer team about five hours to finish their mission. Let us continue to pray for Gladys full deliverance so that she could continue with her studies in secondary school. For Jesus never fails. Then on a Saturday morning, I went outside to do domestic work and when I came back to arrange my bed, suddenly I found a dead lizard on my bed. It wasn t there just a few minutes before. Then after a short time I opened my bag and I found the same lizard in my bag. I phoned evangelist Simon Lui from Gosene Parish and he told me not to be afraid of this. It is the last day for these spirits to go away in Jesus name. I am now fine because God has saved me and has given me the power to resist the devil. Thank you people of God for your prayers to strengthen my faith, so that I can resist the devil in all the corners of my life. The only weapon to defeat the devil is to be a close friend to Jesus through prayers and Bible study. I am once more requesting the people of God to stand behind me in prayer so that I may grow in the grace of God. Gosene Youth Mission to Kajo- Keji (3) Personal testimony Gladys Poni First I give thanks for the Lord has done great things to me. God has brought me from Kajo-Keji to Juba to save me from evil. I was a born again when I gave my life to Jesus Christ on 22 nd February 2015 and I want to honor Christ in every condition of life. One time, when I was coming from school to home, Satan wanted to test me because when I crossed the road, my leg stopped moving. I couldn t do even a single step ahead. All the vehicles stopped and many people came to see me. Then three drivers began to pull me out of the middle of the road, but they were not able. Now everybody was afraid of me. Finally I raised my voice to call upon the Name of the Lord Jesus! Then the Lord gave me power to overcome the serpent and immediately I could walk again. Youth Mission Team from Juba - Ready to go back after a completed mission Voice of Hope Issue # 11 June 2015 Page 5
Youth Training in Kenya Francis Candiga (Child Evangelism Fellowship in South Sudan) We are delighted that six South Sudanese students were able to attend the Dynamics of Teachers Training (DTT) course in Kenya in the month of May. We praise God for answering our prayers. The six students who applied for the DTT Course were all accepted and God provided the money for their fees and transportation. It s amazing how God has worked in the lives of these wonderful teenagers. I still remember when they prayed to receive Jesus in their hearts as Lord and Savior in one of our children camps. A few years later they enrolled into our Christian Youth in Action (CYIA) training and in the last four years, God has been using them to win boys and girls for Christ through the 5-Day Clubs. Now God is taking them to another level, preparing them to become trained people who will take the gospel to the lost souls in this nation. CYIA has not only been a good strategy to reach more boys and girls for Christ but it is also the best strategy to disciple and prepares young people as leaders. Our CYIA members have demonstrated leadership skills in their churches and communities in a way that has surprised many. Let me give you an example. I delegated Beatrice Kiden, one of the young people who were in Kenya, to plan and organize this year s CYIA conference. She did this perfectly and the conference was conducted successfully. I thought to myself: there is no need to worry about leaders for the Kingdom because God has made enough for himself. South Sudanese DTT students Kajo-Keji Prays for Peace, Three days of fasting and prayer (Pictorial) Photos: Maziina Fred Muslims & Christian join together to pray for peace Our only hope for our dying nation lies in the lives of these young people. Let us invest into them and we will have the kind of nation that we desire to have. Prayer Request Please pray for upcoming CEF national conference due on 20 22 July 2015. The Commissioner of KK praying together with the community Voice of Hope Issue # 11 June 2015 Page 6
Kajo-Keji Prays for Peace Cont. Training in Organic Farming Another prayer meeting in the Emmanuel Cathedral News in pictures Rev Elly Kajaminyo has joined our Diocese as Programme Coordinator Diocese of Kajo-Keji C/O The Episcopal Church of South Sudan & Sudan P.O. Box 110, Juba, Republic of South Sudan Email: newsletter@kajokeji.anglican.org Website: www.kajokeji.anglican.org To subscribe/unsubscribe: newsletter@kajokeji.anglican.org Voice of Hope Issue # 11 June 2015 Page 7