Pray for our teammate Luchino, a dedicated leader among the Toposa, who has embraced the vision to reach his people, taking on the mantle alongside others as our missionary team transitions to catalyze ministry in new areas. A windstorm blew the roof off his house. Luchino has endured many trials in his walk of faith, from the loss of his son to threats from his community and persecution. Yet, his commitment has not wavered, and he continues to serve as a light among his people. Pray for God’s provision for this family.

We had one day of prayer and fasting during our IDLF. Please pray with us: 1. For peace between Turkana and Toposa. Recently these old enemies have begun freely visiting one another. We believe it’s God initiative since no government or ngo has been involved in peace discussions only the people themselves and it has been great. 2. Healing- animals are dying and many people are also sick. 3. Witchcraft is a stronghold in new areas that need to be dealt with. 4. Famine- we planted but locusts have invaded our farms. We haven’t harvested for 3 yrs. We don’t know how people will live. 5. Pray for disciples’ businesses to grow. Economic instability is worse in South Sudan due to inflation of dollars vs pounds and for 11 months civil servants have not received their salaries.

Pray for the IDLF training that kicked off yesterday for the whole month. Pray for the trainers and the disciples and leaders from Jiye, Nyang’atom and Toposa. Pray that for this month they will be taken deeper with the word of God. Pray for the school which opens soon.

Pray for James Lokuuda, the pioneer of Toposa faith and who has been working tirelessly on the Toposa Bible translation that will be launched by 2025. Also, pray for a new Christian radio station – Nyakica 95.2 FM – which has been launched for greater Kapoeta to hear the gospel, courtesy of Salt and Light ministries.

What a great Joy. In the last two months, SLM sent 4 trained refugees to reach out to 4 refugee camps in South Sudan to reach out to Sudanese and Darfurians. It’s our joy that brother Attaib baptized 15 Muslims who came to Christ at Wid refugee camp in Aweil.

The Toposa community haven’t received any rains and this has adversely affected them. People are suffering and hungry especially in Kauto where they have not seen rain up to this time. Pray for rains.

Pray also for the church planters who are now starting their one month out to a new area looking for person of peace. Ask God to go before them and soften many hearts to the gospel.

Here’s an update from our School in Naliel. Today we have 205 students and the number keeps increasing daily. Pupils are arriving from different areas, some from far away. This started after WFP started supporting the feeding of students with 2 meals a day, and news spread all over that our school teachers are committed. What amazes us is seeing kids from Laarim, Didinga, and Jiye people, who are enemies to Toposa. Seeing their children sitting in one class, sharing a room and food is such a great picture of peace reconciliation that we want to see them become heralds of peace to their parents. Pray with us for that! Pray also for God’s provision for dormitories, mattresses and blankets to house all the students.

Pray for community transformation amongst the Toposa. We have seen revival again among the believers despite their hard time during this hunger season. (Some of the areas haven’t received rains and they have not planted.) We praise God for the training centre that is ongoing in Nawyapak region. Pray for the construction team and the ownership of the centre by believers.

Pray for peace between the Toposa and Murle. After a mass killing by some Murle, the Toposa have closed the road and no cars can go to Boma. Pray for peace.

Some of our leaders are going to the Toposa Church Planting Literacy Program in Kapoeta. In the morning they are learning to read and write in Turkana (a tribe in Kenya that has a written Bible and very similar to Toposa). In the afternoons they train in Church Planting. In the evening they go practice church planting. 25 persons attend each session. A session consists of 3- two week classes and then they go home for a month. At home they’re required to teach 5 people what they learned.
Prayer Requests:
1. Leaders who are to be there by God’s plan will attend.
2. Safety for the team. Many Toposa leaders coming from remote locations.
3. God knits their hearts together and provides a safe place for everyone to participate.
4. ‘Iron sharpening Iron’ will be encouraging and fruitful.
5. Women will be included.
6. God’s protection for health and safety as they meet together.
7. God’s guidance for leaders needing to establish small businesses.
8. The team will hear from God and receive His love and blessings and forgiveness.
9. Next steps will be clear and there will be unity on the team.

Since ⁠our school began in 2019, the World Food Program have been promising a feeding program for the students. We praise God that they have responded and now provide a meal for our children in school among the Toposa. Pray these children will also feast on the Bread of Life and share Him with their families.

⁠Pray for Eliah Korobe, one of our team, who is accessing new areas in Blue Nile. Pray that the Lord will give him a person of peace in this Muslim area and open the door for many to hear and believe the Gospel.

⁠Pray for revival in Toposa land. The fire seems to be going down and our team is getting discouraged. Pray that the Lord will raise them up again for deliverance of many TNJ (Toposa, Nyang’atom, and Jiye).

Pray for the team working among the Toposa. We feel the enemy is fighting against us reaching out to the Toposa, Nyangatom and Jiye.

Over the last months, conflict between the Toposa and the Laarim people has been worse than usual with multiple revenge killings and frequent cattle raids. Recently a chief in Loryok where Jacob had lived years ago was attacked and killed in his garden. Please pray for the Toposa and Laarim youth who carry out these acts to be struck with the fear of God in their hearts. Pray for the young believers to have the courage to stand against the peer pressure and represent righteousness, even when they are looked down upon and insulted for refusing to go on raids.

Pray for the team among the Toposa. We feel the enemy is fighting against us reaching out among the Toposa, Nyangatom and Jiye. Pray for our school ministry, teachers and their spritual life. Other places among the Toposa area are closed and the people are not welcoming the gospel. Pray for the existing churches, evangelist, and apostolic team that the Lord will give us breakthroughs in reaching out.

Pray for the IDLF (intensive discipleship and leadership formation) training that will go for one month in Sept. Fourth generation leaders from TNJ (Toposa, Nyang’atom, and Jiye) will come for deep teaching.
Pray for churches to stand firm and leaders in TNJ, who have experienced minimal persecution but many are discouraged. Pray for them.

Praise God for work being started in new Toposa areas. However, persecution has started as well. Pray for the Churches in Kauto- Namurpus region where I got a call from leaders on the field that people have started persecuting the disciples and burning their fellowship places. Pray for God’s intervention and protection.

Thank God for the trainings and vision casting Mark has done in Juba and Doro camp in Blue Nile area. Pray for fruit from the visits.
Thank God for the faithfulness of disciples.
Pray for rain in most areas.
Thank God for peace between neighbours.
Pray for provision for disciples in Toposa land.

Please pray for Troy as he heads up to Toposa land next week to do some veterinary work and training with Mark Keter and his disciples. Pray that God would use Troy’s visit to encourage, build-up, and empower the Toposa believers.

Thank God for the faithfulness of disciples, and for peace between neighbors and between denominations. Pray this will continue.
And pray for rain.

PRAY for the Intensive Discipleship and Leadership Formation training in Naliel starting this month. Ask God to speak to each one and to bless our time together.

Kaci has connected well with Rose, a Toposa woman who lives in the compound next-door. She shares the gospel with Rose and the other women as she does henna, weaving in Bible stories and Jesus’ parables into the designs. Rose asked Kaci to put the Audio Bible in Toposa on her phone. Pray for God to save her and her family through the hearing of His Word.

Please pray for several areas in Toposa Land that have strong believers but the evangelists reaching these places lack preaching tools, such as Bibles in the local language, radios to play audio Bibles, transport to reach far areas like Jiye, and teaching and training tools especially for those who don’t know how to read and write. Please pray for the Lord’s provision for the equipping of the saints and for outreach in Naliwatom, Nadapalait, Moruarengan, and Jiye areas. Pray that God will continue to expand His Kingdom in this vast area, and that He will make the believers “strong, firm and steadfast” (1 Peter 5: 10).

The Christians are doing well. Despite trials and opposition, they continue to trust the Lord, and are committed to doing the ministry around the villages with faithfulness and confidence. Please pray for the villages/areas that Elia has planted churches in: Lodapal, Lokochot, Nangorokopuk, Naminikituruno, and Lowoyapuru. Pray for the believers in these churches to “trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal” (Isaiah 26:4).

Pray for the disciples who completed the Intensive Discipleship and Leadership Formation that they will be obedient and apply what they’ve learned.
Pray for the beginning of dry season which is the best time for church planting.

Pray for Toposa believers in Kauto, South Sudan, there is severe persecution going on so that some have run for their lives 100 km. The persecution occurred after the baptism of 100 people and sharing the Lord’s table with 400 believers.

Pray for the Intensive Discipleship and Leadership Formation training that starts next week in Naliel:
Pray for the new leaders attending to be motivated to put training into practice.
Pray for the facilitators and the training to be fruitful for the Kingdom.

Pray for Toposa believers to grow in faith and remain faithful.
Pray for rain. It is so needed.

From Elai: It was on Wednesday night, when we were all in church singing and praising God and sharing Bible Stories. Angry youths came with whips, clubs and sticks and beat us. Everyone ran away and some, including me, were beaten mercilessly. I bear marks on my body because of my faith. Because we have said, “No” to evil practices, which are a normal routine in our society, and teach against those things, the youths are against us. After beating and chasing away all who were in church, they collected the church poles and cross and burned them to ashes. We didn’t get discouraged- we are used to persecutions, we can’t run away from our home, parents, and animals we take care of, this is our home. We started praying in our homes. But God is great. The elders in our village (who aren’t believers) were angry at the youths and told them, “You have persecuted our children and families. Now we are going into the bush and cut the poles ourselves and rebuild the church and if anyone comes and tampers with it again, we will curse them.” Now the church is rebuild!

Lucino called this morning and told me that Christians in Lomutar, Toposaland, have been beaten severely. This is the same place where persecutions started in 2020. Please pray the believers would stand firm in their faith and the Lord would rebuke the men who oppose Him.

Please continue to lift up Elia as he provides leadership for several Toposa churches. He asks for prayer for peace in the church and freedom from persecution, that he and his evangelists would be strong and faithful as leaders, for literacy and education for the children. He comments that illiteracy among the Toposa is very high, which contributes to the challenges in the church. Pray for Elia and the other Christian leaders, that their “bows remain steady, [their] strong arms stay limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel…who helps you” (Genesis 49:24-25).

Pray for the stalled Toposa Bible translation. Ask God to remove obstacles that keep Toposa from hearing His word in their language.

Pray for SLM team heading back to field. We thank God for good time he gave us during our home assignment. We will be traveling on Friday.
Pray for the Disciples in all villages as they engage in their second and third generation mentoring.
Pray for the March IDLF training in Kapoeta East
Pray for youth camp in Kapoeta South.
Thank God for loparinga as he graduates in February and joins his people to make disciples.

Pray for Bilton, our South Sudanese brother who is working in the Toposa village of Lolim. There are several challenges he faces that he asks prayer for: learning Toposa – he is finding this language difficult to learn; work in the clinic – Bilton is serving the community with his training as a clinical officer, but the needs and health challenges in the community are great; sharing the gospel – Bilton has discovered that the best time to meet with people is in the evenings, however by the time he is finished his work at the clinic he is very tired. He is also quite alone in the work. So, pray for language learning, his work in the clinic, opportunities to share the good news of Jesus, partners in ministry, and strength from the Lord. Pray for many in Lolim to be receptive to the gospel message.

Pray for disciples in all villages to share the Christmas message.
Pray for the gospel to reach the remote villages.
Pray for peace between all neighbours of Toposa.
Pray for provision of food as the rain failed this season.

Please pray for Elias, the young Toposa man who had been discipled by Lyn and Troy while he attended secondary school in Torit. He is currently in the Toposa village of Magos where he is looking after 7 churches and 5 prayer and fellowship centers in the area. This is too much for one man! I imagine he identifies well with Paul who wrote: “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28). Thank God for the strong disciples in each of the 7 churches – pray the Lord will equip them and other believers to participate more in the leadership of these churches and prayer centers.

Mark and Lorna Keter are Kenyan missionaries among the Toposa of South Sudan. Pray that Mark, Lorna, and their team will “make known among the nations what [the Lord] has done, and proclaim that His name is exalted” (Isaiah 12:4). May God keep drawing Toposa to Himself.

Thank God for the discipleship groups in Kauto plateau that have multiplied well.
Give thanks for the obedience in the lives of the disciples.
Pray for God’s provision as rains have failed this season.
Give thanks for peace between neighboring communities.
Pray for Shamans to know God.
Pray for a Bible translation project that is to start soon.

Audio Bibles with 55 Bible stories and 17 Bible songs in the Toposa language are ready to go out to the Toposa. Women are using these audio bibles to lead Bible storying groups and are making new disciples and disciple makers. Praise God! Pray for the distribution of these audio Bibles, that they will get in the hands of those who will be receptive to the Truth and will “acknowledge God…and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind” (1 Chronicles 28:9).