Journey of Faith: Review of BNP School, two years later- Thank you!!
Shalom to you co-laborers in the Great Commission, I pray and Hope that this missive finds you well in Yeshua. Today in our report you will find the current report on progress of Bethlehem Primary School in South Sudan. We start school by faith and gather the infrastructure to make it happen by faith.
Nevertheless, I want us to remember USA in our prayers:
Prayer for USA under the current spiritual warfare
God’s intervention in the efforts of the many of leaders (parents, teachers, governors, AGs, Congress, Justices, Pastors, Rabbis, media) to have faith and courage and confront evil and put a brake on Crisis created by the Biden administration in our Southern Border, confront the destructive and evil practices of child mutilation by surgically & permanently castration of children's God given biological identity as male or female. Put an end to puberty blocking of our nation’s youth perpetuated by Tran genderist diabolical movement of cancel and woke culture. Pray for the faithful in this country to remain faithful to God in Yeshua as the country has increasingly creating hostile environment for believers in America whose lives are treated no differently from those who live in Communist China, Islamic Iran etc. Pray for those whose lives are impacted by the pollution triggered by train derailment in New Palestin, OH. Ephesian 6: 10- 18.
Pray for those whose lives are impacted by the pollution triggered by train derailment in New Palestin, OH. Ephesian 6: 10- 18.
Israel membership in AU and Islamic terrorist attack in Jerusalem
Let us pray for the families in Israel killed by “Islamic Terror car ramming attack in Ramot, Jerusalem, at a bus stop injuring 5, killing a 20-year-old, an 8-year-old and a 5-year-old.”
Israel’s AU membership: Pray that this month, the African Union (AU) restores Israel’s Observer status and cement her ancient Biblical historical and contemporary relationship with continent of Africa naturally and permanently without the interferences from Islamic world. They must reject PA’s false narratives equating Israel with Apartheid state.
Church of Antioch, Antolia, Turkey. The oldest Church in Christendom 2000 years got damaged by earthquake in Turkey.
Pray for the families of 37k who have lost their lives in Turkey. Pray that the ancient 2000-year-old Antioch Church in Antolia, Turkey, damaged by the earthquake will be restored.
Cradle of early Christianity largely destroyed by earthquake. The city of Antioch, where the believers were first called Christians, has been all but wiped out by the recent earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria
Read more at: https://international.la-croix.com/news/religion/cradle-of-early-christianity-largely-destroyed-by-earthquake/17303
ONMI’s field report – Miracle of Bethlehem Primary School
Two years ago, around this time in 2021, you correlated around ONMI’s vision to open BPNS. ONMI opened BPNS to meet the academic needs of children of families returning to South Sudan from Ugandan refugees' camps to have quality education in the World newest country that got its independent in 2011 from Sudan’s Islamic regime to the north. Following two years of enthusiasm, joy and freedom, the country reverted back to war. This time, a war that went for at least 8 years from 2013 – 2020 erupted among South Sudanese, sending tens of thousands of people back into exile. It was at the backdrop of this occurrence of series of events leading to the massive displacement of a people, within and without that propelled ONMI to render services to those decided to remain in the country and those who felt it was imperative to return back from exile to rebuild their families and country five years later.
Western side of the Building in its fullest view. This is where students and teachers line up every morning to pray before they start classes.
Work is still going as you can see from the pile of sand in front of the entrance. Hidden to your left is the Nursery building under construction.
Western side of the building in its fullest view. This is where students and teachers line up every morning to pray before they start classes.
Work is still going as you can see from the pile of sand in front of the entrance. Hidden to your left is the Nursery building under construction.
To this day we couldn’t guarantee who will come home from exile or who will stay in exile, but we are dedicated to meet the needs of those who have taken the courage and the commitment to return home to join us in this expedition to return home and restore their lives. ONMI is using all available God given resources to render much needed services to the people who have returned and who need the help the most.
With your help, we are making the most out of the little. We are the lone voice crying out in the wilderness. The services ONMI is rendering to the people is just a drop in the bucket considering the immenseness of the need there but by the grace of God we are making a great difference and with your help, we can render much needed help to the returnees.
Nursery School building under construction
Northern side of the Nursery building under construction
The front (Southern) and full view of the Nursery school under construction straight ahead and the main building to the Right.
As we took a review of the Bethlehem Primary school, 2 years later, I believed what the Lord has done through your benevolence was nothing short of Miracle and it was stunning. We start school by faith and gather the infrastructure to make it happen by faith. There was nothing there. We all agreed at that moment, we can’t afford to encourage people who came back to return to exile for lack of services to meet their needs.
I remembered, when I was on the ground in March of 2021, I sat down with our administrative staff to discuss and pray over the initiative of starting the school. How were we going to count the cost of starting a private primary school education from Nursery – Primary 7 from scratch in a region considered by every account as a volatile and unpredictable place.? It was like Abraham Sacrificing His son Isaac in Faith, and the son asked his father, here is the wood on the altar where is the lamb? The only word Abraham had to say was that the Lord shall provide the lamb.
Pastor Timothy Levi, ONMI Country Director asked me this question at the meeting, where are we going to get the money for erecting the main building? Are you going back to the USA and setting up a Go Fund Page to raise the funding? He asked. I just reassured him and others in the meeting; I wouldn’t open the Go Fund page. This is not the option.
Boys and Girls Bathrooms under construction
However, I knew and reassured the ground staff that God will provide fund for this initiative as we have seen His provision over the years. Every time we envisioned, a challenging task, whether it was 300ft Gospel radio tower in 2007 or finding, drilling and pumping water 1500ft up the mountain to mission compound in 2017, or whether weathering down the storm of 5 years national insecurity and hunkering down under the wing of his protection while relentlessly serving his people, God came through and provided protection for us. Scripture says, without faith it is impossible to please God. Believers don’t walk by sight; we walk by faith.
In our case, BNPS was started in 2021 by faith without money. We only had 4 dilapidated and deserted secondary school buildings that were abandoned in 2016 amid Crisis in the country. Those buildings survived the ensuing looting and fire for 5 years. ONMI ‘s remaining staff managed to keep the property from this devastation that had engulfed the region. School started with 7 students and 3 teachers. Soon the school swelled to 300 students. Parents were dropping children off from unexpected places like Juba and military barracks including the children of those belonging to former soldiers (rebels) in Cantonment site.
Passersby were asking us, how are you going to address the needs of these children? Do you have food, dormitory, medicine, teachers, security, water in this village? What if there is an attack? We simply told them; those were the least of our worries. Our main concern was whether parents would actually muster the courage to bring their children to this maiden school in the village? To our surprise, and by the promises of God, they did.
BNPS Floor project under construction.
Therefore, we knew, God’s hand was on our decision to move forward. Before I left for the USA, I received a note from a benefactor that he sent $25,000 to ONMI account in the USA to start making blocks for the school. That was our seed money to start construction of the main building.
Two years later, as of December 2022, we raised $245,000 from 10 benefactors to bring the school construction to this level. This is the impact of your effort to date.
Teachers' quarters Under construction
