Another Mountain Summit Reached by God's Grace

Hello Everyone!

    I am back home! It is truly a pleasure to be writing today from our town of Lee, while Joyce does some cooking and my daughter Patience is crawling circuits around the kitchen, moving anything that can be moved. I thank God for bringing me through SOLO School's Wilderness EMT course (https://www.soloschools.com/) and back home to my family!

 

One word to describe the studying that I did in Conway, NH for the last month is: INTENSIVE! The amount of information covered was pretty remarkable in the four short weeks(19 days of classes) we had and could be likened to trying to drink water from the bottom of Niagara Falls. I am kind of surprised that I didn't have a Traumatic Brain Injury due to excessive information absorption with symptoms of Increased Cranial Pressure! :) We received excellent instruction and a lot of hands on practice to reinforce what we learned, including volunteering with local ambulance services, hospitals, and clinics.

Practicing Patient Transportation

"Lift on 3, 1.. 2.. 3!"

Exploring some of the tools of EMS and Fire Rescue

     I was definitely stretched to my limit and had to rely on the Lord for the strength, endurance, and mind capacity to be able to pass my Psychomotor (Practical) and Cognitive (Computer-based/written) exam. I praise God for passing both and I now am certified as a Basic EMT! I currently am looking for some local opportunities to practice the skills I learned and volunteer at a local ambulance and in a local clinical setting. This course was an excellent foundation for future medical training. Advanced EMT and Paramedic are some options I am considering in the next couple years.


     An additional blessing was seeing my cousins in Center Conway. During my course, their house became a laundry mat, restaurant, and "home away from home" on the weekends. Thank you Colin and Annette and Andrew!

Enjoying time with our dear cousins.

     I had written about another intensive course through SOLO on tropical medicine in developing countries called the Geo Medic. I was supposed to start this 10 day stretch of classes in Conway that would go to the 17th of August, but unfortunately the class was cancelled due to lack of minimum participants. It will start up sometime next year and I look forward to taking it then, Lord willing!

    The cancelling of the course was a blessing in disguise and for two reasons:

    1. I actually really need the time to rest and recover now with my family from the WEMT course.

    2. It has opened up the time/resources for the possibility of Joyce and I to take a course together in September. Some of you may remember the "Foundations for farming/Abundaculture" and "Medical Missionary Intensive" courses I took in 2014 and 2015 through Equip International (based in Marion, North Carolina). http://www.equipinternational.org
     They offer a course on "Community Health Evangelism", which would be very beneficial to the work in South Sudan and specifically our work in the medical department. To quote a description from the website:

    "CHE teaches local community leaders how to identify their own needs and how to mobilize the community to use local resources to achieve positive—sustainable—results. Lives and communities are transformed from the inside out as people come to Christ and work together to address local needs."

    We are really excited for the potential fruit that God might bring from this training. Please keep us in prayer for God's confirmation & provision of deposit, tuition, travel and housing costs for pursuing this course (Sept 23-28).

     Equip is still looking for attendants to fill the CHE(Community Health Evangelism) class, so if you are a missionary, ministry leader, or could benefit on a short term trip or regular missions outreach from this training, they are accepting registration right now. Feel free to inquire and they can answer any questions you may have. (http://www.equipinternational.org/community-health-evangelism).


      The nomadic tribe of Lueken may be travelling again in the month of September around the hopeful dates of the CHE (Community Health Evangelism) course. We will keep you posted as plans firm up and we may be in your area if you want to see us! Our target area is Pennsylvania, Virginia, N. Carolina, and Tennessee.

Swinging with Patience

     In the meanwhile, I am enjoying being together with my family, playing with Patience, working at a local CSA Farm weekly, and Joyce and I are continuing to study medical/health/nutrition at home.

Jonathan and Joyce celebrating their 2nd Anniversary

Please keep us in prayer for:

~Please pray for us and everyone in Operation Nehemiah, that God would draw us to Himself through the trials that we face.

~The Community Health Evangelism Course (September 23-28) in NC. The Tuition cost, accommodations, food, etc. for us and my parents (who will be watching Patience to enable Joyce to attend with me).

~God's will and guidance as Joyce, Patience and I hope to visit S. Sudan in November for a few months. We are asking the Lord to direct and provide in the next few months.

 Our more long term plans of living in South Sudan full time will have to wait until we can stabilize Joyce's immigration status here in the USA. Pray for wisdom to walk the tight rope of regulations and limitations that are present until citizenship is reached.

~Joyce Brother Lodu is still in a "see-saw" state of tottering between sometimes critical, sometimes not as bad, but with no marked improvement. Simple things like clean gloves and sterile gauze are hard to come by in the Adjumani Region of Uganda. Hospitals/clinics are often asking patients to buy their own wound dressing materials.

     Joyce's family need God's Grace and provision for this hard time since the family have to provide the nursing care. We continue to pray that everyone of the Kenyi family come to fully understand the love of Jesus Christ in a new way.

~Pray for the Peace of South Sudan as a tentative peace agreement has been signed. The transforming power of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Grace is needed for every leader, soldier, rebel, and citizen of South Sudan, inside and outside the country.

May God richly bless you this week and thank you for checking in!

Rubanga kolu nyito (God be with 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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