Greetings to you!
Joyce and I want to thank all of you who have supported us in prayer and in other ways! You are such a blessing and we thank God for you partnering with us!
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| Exciting progress! Read on... |
I know many of us have been directing our attention and prayers towards Ukraine in this time and I strongly believe we need to continue to do so. As I have been praying for God's will in this warring conflict, my mind also goes to South Sudan and the peace of the gospel that is needed in men's hearts.
South Sudan(a little different situation from the Ukraine) went through fifty plus years of war against a larger and stronger Northern Sudan. Very shortly after they gained independence, the country was split asunder by tribalism and hatred amongst each other. Though things are much more stable in South Sudan now than they have been, there is still that violent anger that breaks out between tribes, as bitterness from years past still seeps to the surface.
My prayer is that Ukrainians, Russians, and South Sudanese alike will come to know the Love of God and learn to love others in the way Christ intended. I also pray that those who are causing harm and doing wrong would be stopped and convicted for their disregard of the lives of others.
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| Ajjugo(little boy) is happy to be in Loa with His Baba (Dad), Mama, and Abi (Grandfather) |
I wanted to give you an update on some of the exciting things happening in Loa. Right now Joyce's Father, Albert Kenyi, and her brother Agalla David, along with his wife and youngest child are staying in Loa. They are sleeping in the Loa health center, currently under renovation, until we can get a roof, windows, and doors on the house that is being constructed for Joyce's parents.
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| Making the Brick "Oven" with Joyce's Father supervising (2nd to Right). |
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| Agalla, with his son Ajjugo, pumping water |
The purpose of staying there is preparing for and supervising the next stages of construction. Under their supervision a group of men just made and burned 10,000 bricks! These bricks will be used for finishing touches on the house and other buildings that will be needed, such as a latrine, outdoor kitchen, and housing for other members of Joyce's family. Very thankful for our coordinating team that is working so hard to keep the work going, since we are unable to be there at this time.
One of the great praise reports was of the help received by a garrison of government soldiers. When the small contingency of Joyce's family arrived in Loa, they were contacted by the commander of a nearby barracks with the offer of some food stuffs to add to the supplies they had brought. Another concern that Joyce and I had was for my brother-in-law with his wife and young son since they had no vehicle in the case of an emergency. That same commander reached out later and said that if they need transport to Nimule for an emergency then he would give them a ride. Truly an unexpected blessing!
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| 1 of 2 dump truck loads of timber for the roof. |
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| Inspecting the finished roof frame. L to R: Albert Kenyi, Agalla |
The roofing work is now underway! Our engineer and his work crew are done building the timber framing of the roof. Albert Kenyi(my father-in-law), who worked his whole life as a master carpenter, has a lot of knowledge and was able to advise the engineers in setting the height of the roof! They will treat all the boards with motor oil (to protect from termites) and then put on the metal sheets starting next week.
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| Albert sits on the water holding tank, that will have a cover and a tap at the bottom. |
They are also in the process of building a closed water tank which will be attached to a rain water catchment system off the roof, using gutters. This rain harvesting will be a great blessing to the whole family when they return and save many trips to the borehole.
We are asking God for his provision for the coming phases of work so we can keep the momentum going and the work crew won't run out of work. The next steps are doors, windows, and plumbing, followed by plastering (the fine coating of cement over the brick walls on the exterior and interior).
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| Back in the Berkshires, Baba (Dad) and Patience go on a winter hike! |
Please Pray for:
~God to direct and guide us as we desire to return to serve long term in South Sudan.
~God's protection on the work crew and those of Joyce's family who are in Loa as part of the coordinating team. Also for Joyce's mother who is in the refugee camp, waiting to join her husband in Loa as soon as the house is inhabitable.
~Comfort for Joyce and her family, who just lost a very dear aunt from a chronic disease. Lucy was a widow and left behind 8 children, most of whom are young . She was buried in Loa at Joyce's family home. Please pray that God would raise up someone to love and raise these children.
~God's provision for the continuation of the work after the roofing: Windows, doors, plumbing, and cement plastering, etc..
~For Peace and God's will to be done in the Ukraine and that the mighty hand of God would be seen!
~That the anger and the tribalism in South Sudan and elsewhere would be conquered by the love of Christ.
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| Making a tortoise out of Legos for science class. Benaiah has his "angry tortoise" face on. |
Rubanga Kolu Nyito (God be with you)
~Jonathan and Joyce Lueken Phone #: 774-203-8308
PayPal jonlueken@gmail.com
Mail checks PAYABLE to Jonathan Lueken PO Box 1611 Stockbridge, MA, 01262
Temporary GoFundMe link for those who don't have Paypal:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/jon-and-joyce-2021-trip-to-south-sudan?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1
