Operation Nehemiah - Helping Rebuild the New Sudan

Dear Friend and co-laborer,

Shalom!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Lord for your prayers and financial support of my recent mission trip to the South Sudan. The mission was successful and a blessing from the Lord.

I am pleased to report that our 300ft Gospel radio tower has been completed and is now standing tall on Gordon Mountain in Nimule, in South Sudan! The Lord’s hand was truly upon this project. In spite of the many obstacles encountered during construction, we were strengthened by God’s grace to overcome. The Nehemiah Trumpet Call 97.3 FM has been officially registered with under the government of the South Sudan as a Christian Broadcasting station.

We are now waiting upon the Lord to provide the $35,000 needed to build an on site solar powered studio next to the tower.

Field Reports:

“Dear William and our fellow Brothers and Sisters in the USA ,

Thanks be to God for the great work he has done in our lives and in the ministry during the moments of hopelessness and helplessness. The Lord is the same today and tomorrow. His promises never fail. I thank God for the radio tower work on Mt. Gordon. It is hard to believe the work is complete!

I just returned from Juba, our Capitol City, with our certificate of registry as a Christian FM radio station. Hallelujah!”

-Joseph Levi, Field director, New Sudan.

Our five ton truck has now arrived in the South Sudan! It will be extensively used to aid refugee families in their return to their homeland. The truck will also serve as a roadside assistance vehicle, as road conditions in South Sudan continue to be extremely rugged. I thank God for blessing Operation Nehemiah with such a vital tool for development.

Beth Israel On the Nile Update

The church is progressing very well in Magwi county, in the same area where Operation Nehemiah is serving. The Congregation is growing weekly, and it is common to find over 300 believers together on Sunday mornings. A sister Church has been planted 24 miles south of the main one in the town of Nimule, and the Body of Christ there now worships the Lord under a large tree. We are praying for a building to be provided in the Lord’s perfect timing.

Churches, members are maturing spiritually and deepening in their knowledge of the Bible and holy living. Hurting families are beginning to grow together in the Lord. On my last visit, I was impressed by the number of men coming to church and the industrious spirit emerging from many who have spent years living in dependency and drunkenness. The wives and children are very encouraged to see their husbands and fathers joining them in worship and service to the Lord.

They even welcomed our team with a gift of a goat and 3 cans of peanut butter! This is a sign of increasing prosperity and restoration, and was very encouraging to us.

I would like to bless the Beth Israel this year with $50,000.00 to construct a multipurpose church building.

Michael and Katherine Levi, New Sudan.

Family Restoration:

The impact of family breakdown over the past 25 years of Islamic persecution runs deep in the social fabric of South Sudan. It cannot be underestimated. The real challenge now facing the church leaders is the ministry of reconciliation among the families they shepherd. Please pray for them to fulfill their calling to raise up a faithful generation of Christian families in the midst of a post war culture.

I would like to share the testimony of my own Brother, Michael Levi. Last July, Michael accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Prior to his conversion, he has a notorious drunkard in the refugee community. Miraculously, the Lord opened a door for him to attend a discipleship school in Uganda 3 months, and he returned a new man in Christ! Michael now serves as an elder at the Beth Israel Congregation and is the Leader of our agricultural department. God has restored his marriage and work ethic completely and now he and his wife Katherine spend their ‘spare” time encouraging younger couples to keep their marriages together. They have seven children and one grand son.

All three of my brothers are now working alongside Operation Nehemiah. Praise God! This is the kind of generational reconciliation that will truly transform South Sudan for Jesus Christ.

Widows of the Good News

Pictured at right, you can see the good fruit of our sewing program for the widows of our community. A dear Sister in the Lord from California recently partnered with her home church to bless this program with new sewing machines and the fabric needed to produce clothing for families in need. We hope to continue increasing the number of machines so that more widows will be given the precious opportunity to generate income for their families.

If you would like to donate a non- electric sewing machine or other materials, please contact our office for further information.

Micro Business Update

For almost 3 years our bee keeping department has been faithfully laboring with their bees to produce quality honey for sale to the community. All the hard work finally paid off this June, with a first harvest of over 120 pounds of pure, raw honey! The bee keeping staff then joyfully presented their first fruits to the Church, and the liquid gold was distributed among the attending families on a Sunday morning, much to their delight! The next harvest will be in November 2007. To date, there are 20 active bee hives. Would you consider encouraging this hard working team with a generous gift today? They need $1,000.00 to maintain equipment and increase production capacity.

Agricultural Development

Our agricultural project is coming along very well, praise God! The most recent project was the opening of another 40 acres for mangos, bananas, pineapples and many other tropical fruits. The community is now enjoying the food they have directly raised with their own hands, and the overall quality of life is improving. We hope to harvest enough produce in the next two to three years to begin exporting to other African Nations. The challenge to this goal is the constant need for quality equipment and ongoing repairs to the tractor!

This department currently needs $5,000.00 to complete repairs and purchase seeds and supplies.

Nehemiah Field Clinic:

Nehemiah field Clinic is still in the final stages of completion. We are determined to avoid incurring debt during this process, so the work only continues as the funds are provided. We had hoped to open our doors in late June, but experienced some delays that have pushed the completion to September. The clinic is critically needed to meet the medical needs of over 7,000 people now residing in Pageri district where Operation Nehemiah is working. We thank God for bringing us Dr. Luka Benson, a Christian young man who has committed to long term service in the clinic. Please help us raise the $10,000 needed to make his calling a reality.

Repatriation program:

I was able to visit a number of families who are enjoying their finished homes and gardens after receiving $1,000.00 in tools and building supplies from this program.

The waiting list for assistance is long and is growing every day. Over 137 families are waiting to be repatriated to Opari village. This is a big undertaking for our program director Taban James! Please pray for God’s leading and provision, as so many people are relying on Operation Nehemiah to help them rebuild their homeland.

A single donation of $1,000.00 enables an entire family to return the South Sudan and create thriving homes once again!

With the staggering amount of work to be done in this new born country, it is always a temptation to get overwhelmed and discouraged. The vision and hopes in our hearts for the Land and her people don’t always match the reality that we see. Please continue to pray for all of the dedicated men and women who have obeyed God’s call to “rebuild the wall” of New Sudan with Operation Nehemiah, and kindly continue to give of your resources as God enables you. May God bless you for standing with us during this historic time.For those of you who would prefer to receive our newsletters electronically, just send us your email address and we will update you accordingly. Also, our website is now equipped to accept online donations at www.operationsnehemiah.org

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Heb. 11:1