In 2007, The Ox-Plow Project And Mill Grinding Projects Begins

Women of Hope Mission (WHOM) projects of posho-mill and ox-plow kicked off in late 2007 and 2008. These projects are supported by ECSS friends at Trinity Baptist Church, Nashua, NH USA. The beneficiaries of the projects are very much excited and are grateful to God for His provision. The project of the grinding mill is located in Loming village where Jordan Anguramoi is pastor and the one of ox-plow is in Ilieu village, which has the most established congregation.

Trinity Baptist made it possible for the purchase 6 bulls and plows. Before this, the widows were using hand garden tools for growing their millet, ground nuts (peanuts), and sorghum. Having the ox-plow project, this provided the widows with a more sustainable harvest and income and improve their livelihood. The most vulnerable were the elderly, widows and orphans which made up a very large part of the village population. In Ilieu, out of over 500 homes there are about equal number of widows living there. Most of the adult men were killed during the civil war. This project was the beginning of the feeling of hope for the future, where the people were so downtrodden before.
The Women's Grinding Mill project will serve as a local resource providing assistance to widows and credit assistance to over 40.000 widows in seven villages. WHOM members, especially widows, have very low income potential. Most income generating projects are inaccessible to women both in urban and rural areas. Many of their families' basic needs, such as food, shelter, clothes. let alone medical care, school fees and materials, are not accessible to them. Severe malnutrition in these families is often prevalent among children. Too often, because of lack of resources, mothers unable to diversify their children's diets with vegetables and other vitamin-rich foods. Without a well-balanced diet, the risk of vitamin deficiency among young children rapidly increases. Women in Sudan work extremely hard, often much harder than their male counterparts. In Sudan, it is the traditional distinction between women's work and men's work that continues to place upon women's back many of the household duties such as cooking, fetching water, caring for children, cultivating and harvesting fields, pounding grain into flour, etc. One of the major tasks identified by women as the most difficult and time consuming is the pounding of grain into flour. This is a task that women undertake in preparing food for their own families.

The goal is to lighten the manual tasks of women in food preparation, and to provide an opportunity for increased income generation, thus raising women's ability to care for their families and improve their children's nutritional status.
Our initial objective are: 1) to provide one grinding mill each to two women's groups (congregations) in two rural areas of Sudan; 2) to assist women in increasing their household income through the establishment of rural savings and loan projects that will work from the revenue of the mill and provide small credit opportunities to women; 3) to facilitate the work of women in preparing food, and to provide additional free time for other care duties; 4) to improve the quality of food. However, we have seen that this will take time for us to realize these objectives because of the nature of the difficult situation in South Sudan. Importing materials from neighboring countries proved to be very expensive because of taxation and transportation.
In September of 2007, one posho mill was purchased and transported to Sudan from Kenya. With the expert help from an government official, this posho mill was installed in the village of Loming and has been providing income for the local widows. Also Pastor Solomon Ollum, who is in charge of ECSS Immanuel church in Ilieu village is already getting support from the posho mill micro-income. The business of the posho mill is going on well although high price of fuel is becoming a problem.
The ECSS Women of Hope (ECSS-WHOM) is still requesting all those good wishers to donate toward ox-plow project for widows in South Sudan. They need to begin the same project in other villages (Loming, Chalamini, Torit, Hiyala, Lobira and Lalanga). If interested, donations can be sent to the address in the Contact Information in this blog.

Arrival of New Baby in July 2009

On July 13, 2009, Dominic and Rejoice welcomed a new baby girl into their family. She was born by cesarean and mother and baby are doing well. They named her Tabitha Imita, (Tabitha from the Bible and Imita after a great great grandmother). She joins Loni, Joseph, Mercy and Donna in the family. All are excited and thankful for her safe arrival.

October 2008, Dominic celebrates 2 year anniversary

A prayer meeting was held to give praise to God, for the 2 year anniversary of Dominic's major surgery to remove serious diseased kidney which was affecting his other good one. He had a kidney infection while attending NEGST and the medical doctor told him to ignore it. They lacked financial resources to get a second opinion. He was forced to receive good medical attention in late spring of 2006 when he was experiencing severe pain and later in October had the bad kidney removed.
At the same time, he was in hospital, Rejoice delivered by cesarean their 4 child, a girl named Donna, at another hospital in Nairobi. Rejoice was only in hospital one day after delivery to save costs and because she had to take care of Dominic's hospital costs. His hospital stay was longer than originally planned and the hospital was demanding the cost be paid up front before he would receive any medical care. UNBELIEVABLE! They were going to have him arrested for lack of payment! He received no food or medicines and was checked upon frequently to make sure he had not skipped out of hospital. So Rejoice, carrying a newborn baby, had to go around Nairobi asking for a loan to take care of the hospital cost. Later TBC reimbursed them for the cost. So they were celebrating God's goodness during this difficult time.
His recovery was slow because he kept having to return to Sudan to take care of ECSS business. Many prayers were said for healing. November of 2008, he had just returned from Sudan when he got serious sick again and was hospitalized for another 5 days or so. However, this time he received excellent medical care and it was discovered that his only kidney was not affected. But he had a bacterial infection and this time he received good medication to minimize any future kidney infection. He takes it seriously because it is the only kidney which keeps him alive. He returns to Nairobi every 3 months now for medical checkups. God is so good! He thanks TBC for the many prayers for his health.

TBC is providing scholarship to train one ECSS pastor in Kenya

Let us introduce Jordan Anguramoi, ECSS pastor in Loming village in South Sudan.
Jordan has sent to us his brief history and testimony:

Family Background I come from the family who does not know God. My father was a polygamous person with three wives; my mother is a first wife. She had seven children, four died and we remain three, a sister who is married and a brother who is our last born. My father died in the year 1996. I have recently gotten married to Joyce who is with me while attending PACU. I have my own family with two adopted (orphan) grown up children.

My Childhood
During my childhood, I spent most of my time herding my father's cattle and little attention was paid to my school because most schools were closed during the civil war. I struggled by myself until I finished my secondary school and later I attended an advanced diploma course of South Africa (Timothy Training Institute).

My Education Background
I started my education in early age (compared to Sudan situation) when we took refuge in Uganda. Thereafter I cam back as returnees. I struggled to join secondary school in Sudan run by the Roman Catholic Church. I joined school and studied up to third year(high school) and sat for Sudan school certificate.
I am determined to study at Pan African Christian University (PACU), so that I can be more effective in my ministry. I learned about PACU from the Rejoice, and thankful for scholarship support from Trinity Baptist Church and several other generous families. I hope I will grow more and more in Christian faith as I study at PACU.

My Salvation
In June 1999, I attended a preaching of ECSS leaders at a deferral ceremony in Torit town. I came to know Jesus Christ to be my personal savior when I was finishing my secondary school (senior). This was the time when I started to read the Bible regularly. Through reading the Bible, I discovered that there was a very big difference between being a pagan and a Christian and I continued to serve the Lord and His people. I believe that Jesus Christ is perfect and sinless who paid my ransom by dying on the cross for us. I received Jesus Christ in my life and continue to make him known through our ministry of Evangelical Church of South Sudan (ECSS).

My Present Ministry
My present ministry is the Evangelical Church of South Sudan, which is an indigenous, a Baptist church by practice and procedures. I am currently a youth and mission leader of ECSS and pastor of ECSS Church of Light (Loming congregation) "Lopa" County. My village is located on the top of a mountain, not far from the Ilieu village congregation. During rainy times, the road to my village remains impassable.

My Future Plan
Currently I am in a theological school enrolling my BA degree in theology at Pan Africa Christian University in Nairobi, Kenya; God willing, right away after graduation, I will be going back to Sudan to men and women of God in the ECSS.
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Jordan just finished his 2nd year of studies at Pan African Christian University in Nairobi, Kenya. He was married only one week before he was to leave to enroll at PACU in Nairobi and his wife, Joyce, joined him several months later. He has done very well in school even though he has not had much schooling before, as most Sudanese. But Dominic has been mentoring him and given him the responsibility of many arrangements for the pastoral training sessions in Sudan. During vacations from school, Jordan has returned to his village in Sudan, encouraging the congregations and being involved the Pastoral Training seminars and several outreach ventures. He promises to become an important pastor in ECSS because he and his wife has the sincere commitment to return to South Sudan to minister in their rural community.

ECSS needs trained pastors to lead and manage the congregations to accomplish their mission and purpose. If pastors get trained we expect that ECSS pastors will work more effectively, able to work in team ministry and manage conflict in congregational life. There is an urgent need to provide financial support for the pastors. Congregations are unable to support their pastors. Some are forced to get government jobs in order to support their families, leaving the congregation confused and easily turn back to the world or traditional religions. Only the committed pastors still lead the congregations at a big sacrifice.

ECSS Pastoral Training

ECSS held a pastoral training last April. Two pastors/trainers from Kenya joined us. The training went very well, thank you.

We think that training and equipping local Church leaders and evangelists prepares ECSS Churches for a long-term growth and provides a solid base of significant Church outreach in the future. We are planning to train evangelists, and Church leaders in evangelism, pastoral work, entrepreneurship and the methodology of Church planting. We also plan to hold various youth camps, conferences and seminars in different parts of Eastern Equatoria State, South Sudan. We need your prayer and participation in this crucial project!

ECSS is seeing a large number of people come to Christ but not enough are trained to teach or disciple the new believers. Christian believers can be led into false doctrines. They need to have a greater impact on society. The church wants to get the best from those whose call is to preserve the Word and those whose call is to get the Word out. Your support can help ECSS to train more pastors.

In reality ECSS lacks trained pastors who are grounded in the Holy Scriptures, rooted in the Word, and able to apply the Word of God to the lives of people for their salvation and for their own, to the glory of God. Pastors will be able to teach and preach the truth of the faith in Christ with clarity and precision. They will be able to prepare to lead in worship centered in Word. ECSS lacks trained pastors who communicate effectively, reaching the heart and mind with the Word. Therefore ECSS needs support for training its pastors who will be competent preachers and teachers of the Gospel. Those pastors who will be trained from theological colleges need to be ready academically and have Biblical knowledge and understanding through prayers and a broad educational preparation.

ECSS needs trained pastors who are competent leaders in pastoral ministry. They will be able to integrate strong theology and pastoral practice. With a deep faith in God, a compassionate heart for people, and a gentle and peace loving spirit they are to serve the flocks and the lost by applying the Word of God to people they lead.

ECSS seeks for trained men and women whose faith is centered in Jesus Christ and is nourished regularly by the Word in public worship and by a disciplined devotional life both in and out. ECSS looks forward to its pastors to know the Holy Scriptures well, to be confidently Church leaders, and to apply the Word of God to contemporary contexts and culture. If trained, ECSS pastors will understand the culture and where it is headed, engaging societal issues theologically. These pastors will be prepared to give a defence to the truths of the Christian faith against competing spiritual claims and movements of world religions and secular beliefs. They will be sensitive to their culture and able effectively to serve peoples with a vast diversity of origins, education, family customs, social structures, and political values.

New believers expect pastors to encourage them, counsel them, mentor them, and teach them to live meaningful lives of service. Those who went to school need to explore their faith theologically to reflect on their service to church. They are in the mission field daily, and they to relate their faith to their daily service in family, church, work, and world. But due to lack of trained pastors, these sometimes do not work.

ECSS needs trained pastors to lead and manage the congregations to accomplish their mission and purpose. If pastors get trained we expect that ECSS pastors will work more effectively, able to work in team ministry and manage conflict in congregational life. They will be able to prepare, manage themselves personally, spiritually, and emotionally and be ready for the daily routines of the pastoral ministry. Working hand in hand with members who have skills and gifted in various areas, so that the congregations can be able to carry out their primary mission of saving souls. ECSS as a Church needs pastors to serve communities who do not have regular pastors. There is a growing demand for different approaches to pastoral work that offer adaptability, portability, and accessibility within our congregations in Southern Sudan. Your support can help ECSS to fulfill its dream by training its pastors.

ECSS Elementary Schools Report

Starting the Southern Sudanese's education system after years of war is an emergency. The Evangelical Church of South Sudan (ECSS) thinks that supporting education is one of the best ways to address the issue of Islamization of the country, accumulated illiteracy, war orphans, inter and intra tribal conflicts, poverty, cattle raiding and AIDS.

As the social infrastructure of Southern Sudan continues to disintegrate it remains insufficient to meet the basic needs of communities. Evangelical Church of South Sudan (ECSS) works to strengthen the country's education system through its ECSS Rural and Urban Development Outreach (ERUDO) ministry.

Southern Sudan's education system has been shattered by years of harsh economic difficulties and the devastation caused by the 45 year old war. The condition of under trees learning system has deteriorated to such an extent that they do not provide a safe learning and teaching environment specially during rain period. In addition, there is a severe shortage of school supplies, classroom furniture and textbooks. To make it worse, volunteered teachers lack salaries and have inadequate training.

Basically, providing access to quality education for war-affected children and youth is a key focus area in ECSS's ERUDO ministry in Eastern Equatoria State, Southern Sudan. The ERUDO ministry focuses on strengthening and supporting the Southern Sudan's educational system by instilling Christian values to the children, parents/guardians and volunteered teachers.

ECSS believes that education is the basic right of every child and the key to a brighter future for all children and youth, especially the orphans who constitute 40% of the three elementary schools ECSS is running.

Dominic begins a prison ministry in Torit

A weekly Bible Study was started in Torit prison, the first of its kind. During the first visit, 10 prisoners gave their lives to Jesus Christ. Prisoners ask for some Bibles and the Juba Arabic hymnals, each cost about $2.50. The hymnals are available in Torit but the Juba Arabic Bibles are out of stock at that time. They have the Otuho New Testaments Bibles. Trinity Baptist sent some funds to purchase the hymnals for the Prison and Hospital ministries and some for the Sunday services.

Forty Arabic/English humnal books at $2.50 each, were bought. Twenty books were given for the prison ministry and 20 to the ECSS congregation in Torit. More hymnals books are need for the other congegations and also Bibles in Otuho, Arabic and English. The prisoners love to sing and praise God as they continue to meet for the weekly Bible Studies.