SOUTHERN SUDAN MISSION532 Raleigh Dr.

Conroe, Texas 77302

SHINING THE “LIGHT” INTO SOUTH SUDAN

October 28, 2015

Dear Friends and Supporters of the Southern Sudan Mission,

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I pray you are lavishing in His marvelous grace and want to express my thanksgiving to each of you for your continued prayers, love, words of encouragement and financial support of the Southern Sudan Mission. The Lord continues to bless the mission in unbelievable ways.

Evangelism outreach takes place several different ways through our mission. Sudanese Refugees have an opportunity to attend a five day, four hours a day Bible Study at one or both universities in Gambella, receiving a completion certificate upon finishing. Generally, 10-20 men complete the

Bible Study from each posting. Rauch Bol, a devout Seven Day Adventist, with a thirst to learn more about God’s Word, accepted the Bible Study challenge in early 2014, and after completion of the course, he was converted to Christ. Hearing of our upcoming School of Biblical Studies in Gambella, June – September, 2014, he requested to attend. Rauch was an excellent student and, as one would imagine, he questioned Sabbath (Saturday) worship verses first day of the week worship. After completing Level One of Bible School and his

college school year, he continued studying the things taught in the School of Biblical Studies. Rauch finished his senior year in the university in June, and again requested admittance into the Second Level Class of Biblical Studies; he was accepted. Further studying his Bible, he continued to question the “First Day” of the week worship. However, completion of classes in Ezekiel, Daniel & Revelation led him to his answers. He was finally able to say, “I got it”. Although he recently received a degree in teaching, he said, “I don’t want to teach in the public sector, I want to teach my Adventist relatives, friends and others about Jesus.”

James Puot, the Sudanese Brother in charge of all the South Sudanese Work in Gambella and South Sudan and the Director of the School of Biblical Studies, and I visited with Rauch about seeding a Church in Rauch’s hometown of Lare, Ethiopia. Lare is one of many cities in which we are working where the gospel has never been preached. It is located approximately 120 miles from Gambella near the South Sudan Border. Approximately eighty percent of the 45,000 people living in Lare are South Sudanese. Rauch accepted the challenge and began strongly proclaiming the gospel, refuting Adventism and other religious error, as he taught his Adventist friends and others the gospel and the reasoning behind “Sunday” being the Christian day of worship.

I visited with Rauch this past trip to Ethiopia and he was very excited about the work. He taught many of his Adventist relatives and friends in Lare and baptized twenty-one people into Christ

since graduating from the Level Two School seven weeks earlier. Last Sunday morning, October 25th, forty adults and thirty children attended the assembly in a rented facility. Currently, we are seeking a land grant from government officials in Lare to build a compound which will include a church building.

This story commonly repeats itself among the new and older converts and graduates of the School of Biblical Studies. I receive emails almost daily of students committed to furthering the gospel, teaching and baptizing people into Christ. Praise God for convicted brethren like Rauch and others who carry the banner for the Lord! Please pray for this great opportunity as we continue to grow.

Pictured above are the 47 preachers from South Sudan Refugee Camps, Abol Town, Paljay, the villages and Gambella, for a special meeting to wrap up 2015 and plan for 2016. The Refugee Preachers requested tee shirts for recognition in the refugee camps while trying to spread the word since denomination preachers wear robes, hats, etc. Agreeing it would help them stand out, I purchased bright red tee shirts with “Church of Christ Preacher” inscribed on the front and Mark 16:15-16 on the back.

Approximately two years ago we taught and baptized two young men, both were clinical nurses, into the Body of Christ. One has completed Level One and the other has completed Level Two of the School of Biblical Studies. For several months, we have prayed and planned seeking a permit to open a clinic on our compound in Gambella. The Lord blessed our request granting the permit in early October. The facility is near completion and hopefully the clinic will be operating in a few days. It will certainly be a blessing to the people of

Gambella and will open many doors to preach the gospel.

Plans for 2016 are underway and include the following: BLITZ, BLITZ is sending 8-10 preachers to a struggling congregation the first week of each month to encourage the brethren through contacting relatives, friends, and working in surrounding areas teaching the gospel to the lost; BIBLE STUDY CENTERS – renting or building a small room onto or by the college campus. Each room will be staffed with one or more College Christian(s) who assign a Bible Study to anyone interested. The participant is requested to study, complete the course work, and return it to the center to be graded and discussed. This process is repeated until the courses have been finished. A certificate will be awarded to those who complete the course work; Continue POP CORN FELLOWSHIPS. Believe it or not, popcorn fellowships are a great evangelistic tool for the mission. Approximately 98% of the Sudanese population have never tasted popcorn and are quickly hooked once they do! Many conversations about the gospel started while sharing popcorn and several people have obeyed the gospel since; Additional VACATION BIBLE SCHOOLS – We hope to add two smaller Vacation Bible Schools in two neighboring towns allowing us to teach more children; Addition of a six-week NEW CONVERT COURSE in the School of Biblical Studies. The graduates will also attend the twelve-week School of Biblical Studies Level One Class, June – September.

SPECIAL GARAGE SALE THANKS

I want to express my deepest appreciation to Karisa Holland along with Joanie Roberts and Lisa Holland for planning a garage sale to help support the mission. Many members of Woodland Oaks Church of Christ as well as others donated items to the sale and helped prep while I was away in Ethiopia. I refuse to mention any other names, as I am sure I will miss someone, but I would like to give a special “thanks” to everyone who helped in any way. Before I departing for my last trip to Ethiopia, Karisa gave me a personal check from the proceeds of the sale. As mentioned I will not try to list everyone, but I must tell you of one family. Sunday evening after I preached, while visiting with different people and I felt a tug at my leg. I looked down to see a young man (I didn’t know his name at the time) handing me an envelope while mumbling something I could not understand. I stooped down and asked if he wanted to sell me something for school. He said no and again tried to tell me something. Unfortunately, for the second time, I did not understand. Standing back up, I was greeted by Jennifer Tolbert, the young man’s mother. She said her children wanted

to have a lemonade sale for the mission and the proceeds were in envelope. I knelt and told the young man, how much I appreciated his love for the Lord and for other people. Once home, I noticed the envelope had SUDAN MISSION printed all over it. I called Alma as I opened the envelope, and was amazed as to what awaited inside – $44.00! I was overwhelmed with joy! The next day I called the Tolberts to find out who participated in the lemonade sale and was told, “Just the boys – Cy, Case, and their sister, Mallory.” WOW! What a touching experience, we will

never forget. A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE TOLBERTS!

Krisa Holland’s check from the Garage sale proceeds and the $44.00 cash from the Tolbert’s Lemonade Stand totaled $2,905.27. The funds could not have come at a more meaningful time as the work is growing tremendously and the need for additional financing grows as well.

If you wish to help with the mission, tax-deductible contributions may be made payable to Woodland Oaks Church of Christ, ear-marked Southern Sudan Mission, and mailed to Tyrone Mynhier, 532 Raleigh Drive, Conroe, Texas 77302 for posting and delivery to Woodland Oaks Church of Christ.

Again, a special thanks to everyone for your prayers, love, encouragement and trust,

Tyrone Mynhier