It’s an exciting thing to be seeing
some of the first fruits of the work that is being done with CHE.
People are starting to implement these teachings into their homes,
returned to churches, and some others have been brought to Christ
through these things! But you can imagine that these efforts have
certainly met with some resistance.
We know that our struggle here in earth
“is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against
the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against
the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms,” (Eph 6:12).
The reality of this was being manifested in many ways.
In March we completed our fourth and final
TOT (Training of Trainers) for our current group of CHE trainers from
the Tonj and Rumbek East County areas. On the first day of this training, we
had some time to catch up and hear reports from each community about
how things were going. During this time, it became evident how the
enemy was at work.
One of our Pastor David's house had recently burned down and he and his family lost
everything they had except the clothes they were wearing and a few
small items. One woman, Deborah, had been diagnosed with typhoid that
was not clearing up after her round of treatment, and another woman
named Deborah had been struggling with a worsening of chronic stomach
problems. At Athunta’s house, most of the food that she
had grown and harvested had been stolen while neighbors were helping
her to dig a pit latrine. Mary was having a lot of
problems with her left leg – numbness and pain. Augustino had numerous goats “go missing,” and has only 4 remaining. The other Pastor David had been having a lot of trouble with his
memory and clarity of thought. That same day, the wife of Pastor Jude had to be sent to a big hospital 2 hours away. She was
pregnant and having a lot of bleeding, and she miscarried that very
day.
Our hearts were quite heavy hearing all
the struggles that so many of our trainers were encountering. But
what glory to God that each person that shared was able to boldly
profess how they were putting their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus
Christ because they knew he was bigger than all these things! It
doesn’t make those problems any less real, but it does put them in
perspective. These trainers have demonstrated such perseverance in
the Lord’s strength, and I praise God for that. But the real work
is only just beginning as the programs move forward and more and more
people are impacted for Christ. We know the enemy is not going to
back down or give up as we strive to move forward.
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the
power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers,
stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the
work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not
in vain.” (1 Cor 15:55-58)
What a victory! What a promise! May
this be our prayer for one another always.
