There was great joy in Kimatong as Nacici was baptized by Jacob last month! It seems that others are now interested in taking this step of obedience as well. Pray for Nabalu, Love’s friend that she has been sharing the gospel with, to make public her faith in Jesus. As the Laarim witness these baptisms and hear the gospel preached, pray they will “be pierced to the heart” and cry out, “What shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). Pray for many to “repent…and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of [their] sins…and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (2:38).

The Lord is at work among the hearts of the Laarim. Although evil and violence have a strong grip on the culture, there are ‘outliers’ amongst the community that clearly have had their lives transformed and empowered by the good news of the gospel. The eagerness to grow in faith that these people demonstrate shows the Lord is at work in powerful ways. Please pray for the Laarim believers! It is hard living with entirely different values from the community around them. Pray that the Lord would strengthen and encourage them, and show the team how they can better support their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Please pray for Lotao, a Laarim student whom Jacob had worked with in the village and is currently supporting through secondary school in Kenya. He is in his final year of school (equivalent to grade 12) and is on track to graduate. Lotao stays with a Christian Kenyan family, and Livingston has become like a father to this young man. Thank God for the believers God has put in Lotao’s life – Jacob planted the seeds, Livingston has watered them, but God has made them grow (1 Corinthians 3:7)! Pray that the seeds planted and watered would bear much fruit, and that Lotao would be faithful and obedient to God’s calling on his life.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) Lucia and her son, both Laarim believers who have been in Torit for the last few years, will be going out to Kimatong for 10 days to visit family and members of the community she is from. They are both very excited for the opportunity to share their faith and testimony with the Laarim. Pray that the story of what God has done in their lives would deeply impact all who hear them, and that God would open hearts to receive his gift of grace.

The Word of the Lord is being shared among the Laarim! Two months ago, we started two new evening Bible studies. We are now seven weeks into a twenty-five-week Bible story set at the home of Lonyia and at the home of Pellegrino. It has been wonderful seeing kids start to take over leading the worship songs. People faithfully share praises and prayer requests. Wow, praise the Lord! Apart from these two homes, Love and I (Tessa) continue to share out in the village of Karamarok and at the home of Susanna, one of our believing friends. I also share at the home of Natiote in Chawa, while David continues to faithfully meet with Kalifa as they spend time in the Word together. Praise God! Pray for the Word to work in people’s hearts and for the Spirit to ‘convict them of sin, and righteousness and judgment’ John 16:8.

Recently, Marino’s wife (Mama Labong) has asked Love to come and share Bible stories with her. She and Marino lost a son earlier this year in a cattle raid, and it seems God is using that to help Mama Labong see her need for Jesus in her life and family. Love is now going weekly to Marino’s compound to share from God’s Word with four women, several teens and children, and Marino (already a believer). Pray for Mama Labong and the others – “Let [them] who walk in the dark, who have no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on God” (Isaiah 50:10).

Nachichi is the young woman who Love did her homestay with over a year ago. Love had not felt that Nachichi was interested in pursuing a friendship, so she was surprised when Nachichi came to her several weeks ago wanting to hear from the Word of God! Now they are planning to meet together each week for Bible study, as Nachichi has expressed a desire to trust in Jesus as her Savior and be baptized. Pray for Logwe (Nachichi’s husband and Jacob’s disciple) and Love as they disciple Nachichi. And pray the Lord will continue to draw more Laarim men and women to Himself!

We are thrilled that Noblesse is making plans to return to the Laarim in August for three months. He is coming with two other Rwandan men, Bienvenu and Perez, as part of their exposure to missions. Pray for these three men as they raise needed support from their churches in Rwanda. Pray the church will take their role to send seriously and give with joy. Pray the Lord will use Noblesse, Bienvenu and Perez to build up and strengthen His kingdom among the Laarim.

Nanguoko, Natiyote, and Lokolong are all Laarim believers. Pray that they will see the need to grow in their relationship with the Lord by joining with other believers for times of Bible study and prayer. Pray also for Khalifa as he disciples Loduko, to help this young man understand God’s love and salvation through faith. Pray for all the believers in Chawa to discern and understand that, “the ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them” (Hosea 14:9).

Love has been faithfully meeting with Nakai in the village of Karenge to share Bible stories. She is encouraged by this growing friendship and the opportunity to share God’s Word with her friend and any others who come to listen. Love is still visiting Tiringot, the village next to Karenge, but waiting for an invitation from someone in the community to ask for her to share Bible stories. Pray for Nakai to come to a saving faith in Jesus as she hears God’s Word; pray for a spiritual awakening in Tiringot and that people in that village would “seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6).

Pray that Love would know how to encourage Maria and Suzanna, women she is discipling in Kimatong, to be part of ministry and Bible studies with her in other villages. Pray that these ladies would have a desire to share their faith and hope with others who are still in darkness. Pray that their testimony and changed lives would speak to the Laarim’s need for Jesus.

Please pray for Jacob’s disciple and dear friend, Lokolong. A week ago he developed some pain in the hip area that gradually worsened to the point that his mobility has become greatly limited. It is very painful for him to stand up from a sitting position and walking is very difficult as well. Pray that Lokolong receives the right medical advice and treatment in Torit, and would be able to continue his work in the gardens. In the midst of this challenging time, Jacob has been grateful to spend more time with his friend, having some good times in the Word and prayer, often with other fellow believers. Pray God would use Lokolong’s struggles with illness and pain to learn to trust: “My (God’s) grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

David and Tessa are starting to lead Discovery Bible Studies (DBS) at various compounds. They have decided to start sharing at two different compounds in their neighborhood, and as time moves on, potentially adding more. They are excited to be sharing God’s Word at these families where they have built strong relationships. They go out together at dusk (since people are out in the gardens most of the day) and sit together as people start to gather. Then there is a lot of singing Laarim worship songs. They spend time sharing praises and prayer requests, followed by a story from the Bible which they then interact with by asking questions. It is encouraging to see that there are people with an interest in learning these stories. Pray that as people hear the Word of God, it would become more than just a story to them. Pray that people would truly desire to walk in the freedom and newness of life found in Christ.

On Tuesday evenings Jacob has a time in the Word and prayer together with a few of the believers from the area. It is a time where they read a passage in Laarim together and then talk about what it teaches them. Jacob often gives direction with the discussion, but loves how the others willingly participate and share their thoughts and questions that they then look to answer together. They also share their difficulties and pray for one another, along with other needs. Please pray for these Laarim youth to grow in zeal and knowledge!

With the Laarim, if a person dies from a cause other than old age, it is often believed that a sorcerer caused the death, and this is sometimes followed with people then identifying, accusing, and killing another person whom they believe caused the death through sorcery. This has been a problem for many years and the team would hear of the occasional lynching of a person which had followed the death an individual, but it was only occasional. This year, though, there has been an extraordinary number of lynching related deaths in these past months following deaths from sickness or killing by neighboring people groups. Please pray for an end to this wicked practice that only adds death upon death. Pray for wisdom and courage for the believers over what their role should be in addressing this. “The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble” (Proverbs 4:19).

There is just a handful of believers who meet regularly for church, so pray that all the believers would start gathering regularly and the church would be established. Pray for Laarim Christians to “rid [themselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it [they] may grow up in [their] salvation, now that [they] have tasted that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:1-3). Pray for a church that is led by the Holy Spirit, founded on the Word of God, and a light that reaches into the darkest parts of the community.

For several weeks Love has been going to a small village named Tiiringot, to share the Bible stories translated into Laarim in two compounds.
While there, she met a young man, Amos, who came and helped her share the Bible story in one of the compounds. It turns out that he knew the stories and had been discipled by previous team members some years back. Please pray that Amos would understand that the Lord is calling him. Pray that he would take this opportunity to grow in his walk with the Lord, and to share with his community the hope and new life he has in Christ.

Please pray for David’s weekly visit with Kalifa as they spend time in God’s Word and in prayer. Pray that this is a mutually edifying time for both David and Kalifa. Kalifa’s wife, Naji, is not a believer, so please pray that Kalifa’s life as a Christian would encourage and inspire Naji to commit her life to Jesus as well. Pray that the Lord would also use the time Tessa spends with her as a time of discipling her into the Kingdom of Light. Pray that Kalifa, Naji, and their children would be a family that follows Jesus, choosing to be set apart as children of the Light.

Pray for Love’s involvement at the local clinic in Kimatong. She tries to go there weekly to pray with the staff and patients, and to be an encouragement. Pray that the staff will welcome her involvement, and that this will open doors of opportunities to share hope in Jesus with the patients. Please pray for this clinic – staffing has been cutback recently due to decreased funding from the sponsoring NGO. Pray that those who remain will be faithful and given strength to manage the workload.

It is disappointing and challenging for everyone in Kimatong that the schools in the village are not functioning. This means the children are either leaving for Kakuma refugee camp in order to go to school, or not receiving any education at all. Some of the children and youth the team have built relationships with have moved to Kakuma. Pray for them.

Jacob has been working with a young man, Longiri, to teach him to read in Laarim. Despite the fact that Longiri has not been able to attend school, he is doing well at learning the alphabet and Jacob is hopeful that some time in the not-too-distant future, Longiri will be able to read. Pray that Longiri will persevere, and even be an encouragement to his unschooled friends that they too could learn to read. Pray they will be motivated to learn by a desire to read God’s Word for themselves.

Jacob asks prayer for Lokolong and Lokwar, two young men he has been discipling over the years. They have moved to the cattle camps for the dry season, and will remain there until the rains come in the next couple of months. Lokwar and Lokolong are in the same cattle camp, so pray that the Lord would lead them to spend time together in fellowship, prayer, and reaching out to others while they are there. Pray also that they will stand against temptation, and for their safety from cattle raids.

David and Tessa have been blessed by their times with Khalifa and Nateote, both strong believers who love Jesus! Pray for Nateote to grow in her understanding of the Word as Tessa does Discovery Bible Studies with her. And pray that as Nateote and Khalifa grow in their knowledge of the Word, they would “become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which [they] shine as stars in the universe as [they] hold out the Word of life” (Philippians 2:15-16), and for many more in Cauwa to become true followers of Jesus.

Pray for Regina, the third wife of Lukua. She has been a big help to Tessa in language learning because of their shared ability to speak Juba Arabic. Pray that as they spend time together, Regina would have a growing desire to follow the Lord. She has a knowledge of God but has yet to walk in the new life that is found in Him. Pray that the temptations of alcohol and tribal beliefs would not blind her to her need for a Savior, and she would be “redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to [her] from [her] forefathers” (1 Peter 1:18).

Pray for Lukua, who at one point made a confession of faith, to truly experience the newness of life in Christ.

Tessa gives thanks to God for the beginning of real friendships with several young ladies and women in the community. She has started to connect in particular with an older girl named Namalia who has been patient and willing to come alongside Tessa as she learns language and builds relationships among the Laarim. As she spends time with Namalia and the other young ladies on that compound, and shares the truth of God’s Word with these girls, pray they would desire to know Christ and the depth of His love, not just have fun socializing with a kawaja (foreigner).

Love and Tessa have been going out to Karamorok on Wednesdays to connect with young women who had previously been discipled by Angelo before he left for nursing training. The women are hungry for fellowship with other believers and for growth in their relationship with Jesus. Please pray for these relationships to grow over the next weeks and months as Love and Tessa eagerly work on learning language so they can communicate more truths from God’s Word with these ladies. And pray that “those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…will be filled!” (Matthew 5:6).

Pray for Lokolong, the young Laarim believer. He had a serious seizure back in May, and since then has continued to experience symptoms. With the help of a missionary doctor, they believe he has neural brucellosis – a disease common among cattle keeping people in South Sudan. IV treatment was started immediately and has since moved to oral antibiotics for another 9 weeks! We thank God for improvement and ask prayer that this young man will be completely healed. Pray that in all this, Lokolong’s faith will continue to deepen and that he will cling to the Lord. Pray he would understand that “a righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all” (Psalm 34:19).

David and Tessa have decided to walk twice a week to the village of Chawa to spend time with Khalifah, encourage him in his walk with the Lord, and help him grow as a leader for the church in that community. Pray that as they do Bible study and training with Khalifah, they will all “be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” (Romans 1:12). May the Lord build His church in Chawa through the faithful witness of this man!

Rosa seems to have an interest in Bible study and attending church, however I am not sure she has trusted in Jesus as Savior yet. Please pray that as I spend time with Rosa, I will “make known… what God has done…tell of all His wonderful acts,” and that Rosa will “glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice” (Psalm 105:1-3).

Recently I did a home stay for 5 nights with Suzanna, the former witch doctor who has given her life to Christ. I was also invited by the head wife of chief Ramijio to do a Bible study on their compound. Pray that as I interact with these influential women in the community, they would be used by God to encourage other girls and women to “seek [God] and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us” (Acts 17:27).

Maria, who had been injured in an attack some months ago, is back in Kimatong after taking a few months to heal and rest in Juba. (It was determined that she had suffered a concussion from the blow to her head and would not be able to rest properly unless she got away from her duties in the village.) Pray that the Lord’s care and provision for her throughout this ordeal will help to strengthen her faith and witness now that she is back in the village.

Please pray for Lokwar, Locom, and Nyao, three young men Jacob is meeting with in Kimatong. They have been showing an eagerness to learn more of God’s Word and have a desire to walk closer with him. Pray for these young men, that as they meet with Jacob for regular fellowship and prayer, the Lord will draw them closer to Himself, and that their love would abound more and more for Him and for one another.

Saturday morning Bible study in the village of Kerengea: We usually start off with prayer and then go into a time of worship. One of the young boys will often use an empty jerry can as a drum as we sing one of the 33 worship songs in the Laarim language. This is followed by prayer – first a prayer thanking God for the many blessings He’s given us and then we move on to prayer requests. After this, Lolimo, a young teenage boy, reads a Bible story and verse. We then proceed to talk about the story and the lessons we can learn from it. Then we close in prayer and sing the song that marks the end of a church meeting.” Pray for this Bible study to continue, for leaders to rise up from within, and for a church to be firmly established in this village.

For a few months now, Jacob has been going with Lolimo to do an oral discovery Bible study in the village of Karamarok. Lolimo attends the primary school with some of the boys from that village who are believers, and he wanted to invite his friends to meet together for Bible study. After their first visit with Jacob, they agreed to start meeting weekly at their home in Karamarok to continue doing DBS as Angelo had done in the past. Jacob is pleased with the participation from these boys and is praying that from among them leaders will emerge and be equipped to lead the Bible study themselves. Please join him in that prayer, and that many more people in Karamarok “will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord” (Psalm 40:3).

Cattle raiding has also been on the increase. Last month several tribes (including the Laarim) joined together to make raids on Toposa cattle. This has resulted in many deaths, possibly up to two hundred. Pray for an end to the cycle of revenge among these tribes! Pray that these cattle-keeping people would come to a knowledge of the Truth, and trust in Jesus for salvation, that they “may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:2-4), for “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 4:6) – far greater than all the cattle in the world!

We prayed for Maria (from Kimatong) a couple of months ago after she had received injuries to her head when she tried to break up a fight. There seems to be lingering effects from the blow to her head, and she has been experiencing bad headaches and problems with her vision. The team was able to send her to Juba where she is staying with a Laarim family while she gets checked by a doctor. Please pray for wisdom and good, effective treatment, and a quick return to her home in Kimatong.

Suzanna is a former Laarim witch doctor who has become a follower of Jesus! Praise God for calling her “out of darkness into His wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9)! Love and Lisa have been meeting at her compound every Saturday (at Suzanna’s request) for Bible study and prayer. Pray for Suzanna to grow in love and knowledge of God, and for the children and young women who gather on Saturdays to see the light of God shining through Suzanna’s transformed life.

On July 7th we prayed for Angelo caring for his ill brother Lobom. Lobom passed away a few days ago. Pray for Angelo and his family and our team as they grieve this loss.

Angelo has been working hard at his nursing program in Kenya, ever with the intent of returning to serve God among the Laarim. Recently his younger brother, Lobom, became terribly ill in South Sudan and was sent to a hospital in Kenya for evaluation and treatment. Angelo is now looking after his brother while busy with his studies. Please pray for these brothers: for healing for Lobom (physically and spiritually), and for strength for Angelo.