A Little One Gone Home & a Mother's Need

Ma'i a'nyira! (I welcome all of you)

    I wish I had a more upbeat and happy update to give you, but I am sober minded as I write. This world is full of sorrows and tragedies that would crush us, if it were not for the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Even death brings life to those who are in Christ. (John 11:25-27)

   (If you don't have time to read the whole post, please scroll down and pray for the specific prayer requests below. Please contact us if you would like us to come and share about how God is using all things for His purposes in the Republic of South Sudan.)

    Joyce and I are mourning for the loss that our brother, James Moga Kenyi and his wife Lillian experienced this past Wednesday.
They welcomed their fourth child (a girl) into the world on Saturday, February 17, at a rural health center in Northern Uganda. The baby was thought to be a month premature, but they were told that everything was normal, even though their daughter's soft spot(on the top of the head) was sunken in.
       Four days later it was time for the dedication and my brother-in-law asked Joyce and I to choose a name for the baby, though we could not be physically present. We felt led to give the name Elizabeth, the women that brought John the Baptist into the world (Luke 1:57-79), who would prepare the way for the Messiah. Our prayer was that this little girl would be used by the Lord to draw people to find their Salvation in the Lord Jesus.

Lillian with Elizabeth

That night/early morning, little Elizabeth had a high fever and was crying inconsolably. The near by health center did not have a doctor or the diagnostic tools and referred them to the largest hospital in the region, one and a half hours away(by vehicle). Before they reached the hospital, Jesus had taken Elizabeth's hand and lead her into eternity, the same day that Billy Graham also met his Creator face-to-face.

Big sister Abijiah with Mama and Elizabeth

Elizabeth Kenyi

    I can't blame the local clinic or an underdeveloped health system. I don't understand it, but can only believe that God, in His Wisdom, chose to spare this little girl the hardships of this mortal flesh and bring her directly into His Kingdom. Please pray for the whole family she left behind.

This situation has turned my mind to the great need for trained medical personnel in the areas of Midwifery and Obstetrics for those in S. Sudan. This has been a specific burden that my wife has had for a long time, as we have been working in the medical department and running Nehemiah Field Clinic in S. Sudan. She is often called upon to help in labor or delivery, though with no formal training. Joyce has had a desire to be better trained in this essential area of medicine and I also would benefit from some basic training.

    We are asking the Lord to provide the means to attend the 2018 Humanitarian Health Conference, April 12th-13th in Kansa City, MO. (https://inmedevents.org/event/2018hhc/)
The second day includes a one day certificate course on BLSO (Basic Life Support in Obstetrics), learning essential skills that will equip us to more effectively take care of specific needs of mothers and their babies through pregnancy, labor, and delivery. The registration deadline is March 13th and we are asking the Lord to provide so we could attend and take this course together.

    The Motto of Nehemiah Field clinic is "We Treat, God Heals" and we know that it is only God's hand that brings true physical and spiritual healing. We only ask that the Lord might equip the medical department in Operation Nehemiah to care for the South Sudanese physical needs and point them to their spiritual need of a Savior.

Join us in prayer for:
    -The grieving parents and three young siblings, as well as the extended Kenyi/Levi Family.

     -Lillian who is suffering from medical complications and sickness, on top of the grief over their child, so please uphold her in your prayers.

    -Provision for the registration, air travel, and food for the 2018 Humanitarian Health Conference by March 13th - Total: $2,500 - 3,000

Lodu's nickname is "Reggae" because he loves to dance. Pray for continued healing so he can once again help his aging father and mother with carrying water and helpful tasks that he so enjoys doing.

    -Joyce's brother, Lodu (Reggae), who was in critical condition from Malaria, Typhoid, a bacterial infection, and low blood pressure (at the same time that Elizabeth passed). Previously on oxygen, he now can breathe on his own and is slowly convalescing in the hospital, though still weak.

    -The tuition for the Wilderness EMT and Geo Medic courses - Total cost $6,090. Praise God for providing the initial deposit for my Wilderness EMT course($750 covered)!


    God is on the throne and though the trials of this world can overwhelm us, we are looking forward to our Real home in which we will join little Elizabeth and a host of others in praising our God and King for all eternity.

   Rubanga kolu anyito! (God be with all of you)

~Jonathan and Joyce Lueken 

New Phone #: 774-203-8308

Operation Nehemiah Missions www.operationsnehemiah.org Operation Nehemiah Rebuilding the Republic of South Sudan from Bottom up, One family,  and one village at a time, for Jesus

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