June 29, 2015

June 29, 2015

This is Madalena. Madalena has been one of the regular members/leaders in the Lalonga church for a while now. She leads most of the singing and handles all of the offerings, and a few times when the pastor was out of town, she even told the Bible story. Madalena also comes with us to another village, Lacharok, every week because she wants to participate in the Bible study there and sometimes brings some grain to sell.

One Tuesday I went to Lalonga to meet with Paul. I found his house empty, he had gone to Kapoeta to sell his bamboo. Since Paul wasn’t around I walked up to Madalena’s house to visit and ask if she knew about Paul’s plans for returning. Nobody had heard from Paul but they told me that Madalena’s husband was sick. Madalena’s husband was living in Torit and working for the fire brigade. He had three wives (and one who died from a snake bite) and took great care of all three of them. I had only met him a few times when he came to thank me for helping his wife get out to sell her grain.

The symptoms seemed like malaria, he had a fever and was sweating and dizzy, but it seemed advanced, like he’d been sick for a long time. I gave him some malaria medicine that I had in my bag and I took him to Lohutok to visit the clinic. After they had been at the clinic for two days, Madalena came to my house at 10:00pm on a Wednesday night and told me that her husband had died. I drove them back to Lalonga with the body in the back of the pickup and they buried him that night.

I’m writing this newsletter four days after the husband’s death. Today we went to Lalonga for worship but Paul was still gone. I thought that meant we wouldn’t meet since there was no preacher who spoke Lopit, but I was wrong. We went to Madalena’s house where the funeral was still in full effect. There were at least fifty people sitting around her house mourning. Madalena called everyone over to sit around her, led some singing, and told the story of Genesis 1-3. Then she preached the gospel. At her own husband’s funeral.

Pray for Madalena and her children as they adjust to life without the husband to provide for them.

Pray that God would provide godly examples for their children and that they would have the food and things they need to live.

Thanks!

Justin, Amy and Ezekiel

May 28, 2015

May 28, 2015

Meet Paul and Issaye. Eight years ago, Paul was forced to marry Issaye by his family even though he didn’t want to. A few years later it became apparent that the two of them couldn’t conceive a child. In this culture, children are a big deal and not being able to conceive is an even bigger deal. Both Paul and Issaye faced pressure from their families to divorce and remarry, or in Paul’s case to take additional wives to add children to the family.  At some point in Paul’s life, he said that a Catholic priest told him that despite their problems, he should love his wife, never divorce, and never take additional wives. Paul says they continued trying various “traditional” methods to cure sterility, but none of those worked.  About 3 years ago Paul met Chuck. Through Chuck’s counsel and guidance,

Paul decided to renounce the local traditions and magic and to make a public statement that he was trusting God to provide him with a child. There were plans to take Paul and Issaye to Kijabe hospital in Kenya to explore the medical cause of this problem, but a week before that trip was scheduled Paul told us that Issaye was late for her monthly cycle. The next day she took a pregnancy test which read positive.

On April 24, Issaye gave birth to Joseph Malis, strong and healthy. They chose the name “Joseph”
after Paul and I listened to Genesis in the car. He heard about Rachel’s inability to deliver, and when God finally gave her a child they called him Joseph. The word “Malis” is typically used for “I’m sorry” but it really means “There is nothing bad.” Paul chose that name to say that their bad condition has finally ended. Will you pray that Joseph grows up to be a healthy man who loves Jesus, and that he can have many brothers and sisters?

Thanks!

April 29, 2015

April 29, 2015

In just a few weeks we will have been back in South Sudan for a year and a half. It seems like most of our time back so far has been spent learning: Learning language (Amy is making huge strides, me not so much), learning how to fix the car, build a house, cook/bake meals in a completely new way, Learning how to drive again on roads that aren’t really roads, Learning how to free a car that is hopelessly stuck in the mud, Learning how to treat a sick little boy with malaria, learning how to
get to new places, learning how to get along with other missionaries, learning how to build a drain and trap for the kitchen sink, learning how NOT to install a shower, learning about who we are as a bunch of sinners trying to live in the same house together…lots and lots of learning.  Since we arrived here, Amy has been begging me to teach her to drive a car with a manual transmission, that’s
something she never learned. Finally, a few months ago, I started letting her drive so she could learn (I had to get a new clutch first!) and she caught on quickly. I turned her loose to drive out and visit people, and she was really excited.

Well, learning to drive here is more than just a stick-shift, it’s also learning to dodge constant potholes and mud pits, knowing when to speed up and slow down, and how to avoid getting stuck. When Amy came home the first day, the shock absorber on the pickup was broken. I immediately knew which spot in the road she had hit…it’s impossible to see that large pothole until you’re almost on top of it, and the road is smooth there so it’s tempting to go fast. You just have to know it’s there.
I’m sure there’s a great spiritual application to that story and maybe someday on furlough you’ll hear me use it as a sermon illustration, but I want to finish the story. I called a company in Nairobi to order new shock absorbers.

They told me that they would take a credit card, but at the last minute said they couldn’t over the phone. So, I arranged for $1200 to be wired from my US bank account to their account to pay for the shocks. They then delivered the parts to the airport, where they were flown to another part of Kenya to be delivered to us. The flight comes through twice a month so we knew it would be only a week or so before we got the box, but then that flight was cancelled because there wasn’t enough volume to justify the flight…then the next one got cancelled too! I was making plans to take a bus to Kenya and get the parts, but that didn’t happen. The busses weren’t going that way because people were shooting at cars on part of that road.

I tried to make a plan to fly to Kenya and get them, but the only flight out I could have taken was full. By this time the shocks on the other car were completely worn out and it was becoming an emergency, but there wasn’t much I could do! Finally, after a week of emails and phone calls, we were able to get the shocks on a flight to Torit. I drove to Torit (the 3 hour trip took 5 because of the shocks) and when I got there, I found an email from the pilot saying that they were going to deliver the shocks to Lohutok after all! I spent another night on the phone getting it changed to Torit, got my shocks the next day and put the new ones on the LandCruiser…six weeks later! Never
ask a missionary in the bush, “What do you do with all of your time?

Please continue to pray for us as we are learning language and culture and sharing the gospel with these villages. Pray that we would  be quick, humble learners and pray that the cars would hold up.

Thanks!

April 1, 2015

April 1, 2015

This month I’ve been working with men and women in Loming, Lalonga and Lacharok to try and teach them Bible stories from memory. Since all of these guys have heard the gospel numerous times from Chuck and me, we’re able to commit a “no-no” in normal storying settings, we connect each story to the story of Christ and the gospel. Last week I taught the story of Cain and Abel to Paul. Paul Learns the stories quickly, there are many Old Testament stories that he’s just never heard or read, so he’s excited to hear them. As we were discussing the Cain and Abel story, Paul started asking me questions like, “What application do we make from this story?” He wanted to know how to teach the story to the people in his church and in the other villages where he is leading most of the teaching.

After discussing the story for a while, I asked Paul, “What was the cause of Cain’s anger?” Many animist people who hear this story for the first time immediately assume that God was displeased with Cain’s offering because it did not involve blood, and I wanted Paul to see the sin in Cain’s heart. Finally I asked him, “Imagine you are standing in front of Jesus right now, and giving Him the best of everything you have: children, crops, livestock, money, whatever it might be. Now, imagine that Jesus looks at your offering with disgust and walks away. What is your response? Do you get angry because you are expecting something different? Do you get bitter because you think your offering deserves a better response? Or is your heart broken because you realize there is something wrong with your relationship? Your answer will tell you a lot about your soul, and your motivation for serving Jesus.”

Please pray for the men and women in these three villages. Pray that they will serve and follow Jesus out of love for Him and not because of some material expectation (from God, from the missionaries, etc.).

Thanks!

Justin and Amy Culp

February 28, 2015

February 28, 2015

February has been a month of waiting and trusting God. Usually I try to start off my newsletters with a cool story, but this month I just don’t have one! Back in December we went to Uganda for a few weeks to get some work done on the car and have a little rest. The day that we were supposed to leave for home Ezekiel came down with Pneumonia and Croup and had to be admitted to the hospital. We spent two extra weeks in Uganda and then, by the time we got home we had two weeks before we had to go to a Risk Assessment and Contingency Planning training back in Uganda. What are we supposed to do in two weeks?!

I spent the first week going out to the villages and letting people know I was back, and then on Thursday I got an email. There is a family who wants to come to Lohutok to translate the Bible, and the only time that worked for them to come have a visit was in four days! So, we hosted Ryan and Kim Puterbaugh and one of their co-workers, Leah, for a week and then the day after they left we went to Uganda.

I’m as task-oriented as they come and all of this traveling around and being off-task is frustrating at the start, but the security training was a huge blessing and definitely needed. We learned some new tools for dealing with everything from traffic stops to terrorism, and we feel way more confident about being here and staying out of trouble. We also got to meet some great people living in Northern Uganda who are basically doing the same thing that we’re doing among the Lopit!

I’m writing this newsletter from Kitgum (in Uganda) and we’re headed home tomorrow. When we go back it will be my introduction into doing this discipleship ministry without having Chuck around to help! Please pray that we make it home safely, and that God gives us a good transition back into discipleship and language learning.

Thanks!

Justin, Amy and Ezekiel

January 31, 2015

January 31, 2015

“The Lord is near to all who call on Him; to all who call on Him in truth.” -Psalm 145:18

As you all know, we came to Uganda for Christmas and planned to remain here for a few weeks in January. The car needed repairs, we had shopping to do that can’t be done in South Sudan, and we really needed a break (most missions organizations recommend you leave every few months to do all of these things, especially to avoid burnout). While here we had some trouble meeting people and building relationships – it’s hard to get out of the house with a 2 year-old and a car in the shop! So at the end of those 3 weeks, I (Amy) was still feeling pretty lonely! I prayed that God would bring some godly women into my life who lived close, and who speak the same language!

Justin planned a really sweet birthday celebration for me on the 12th, and that evening Ezekiel came down with a pretty bad case of croup. The next morning we went to the ER as he was showing signs of labored breathing and we spent that night in the hospital. Exactly two weeks later Ezekiel was declared “healthy” and ok to travel. But during the past two weeks we’ve moved to a different part of town – closer to the friends we have made, Ezekiel has spent a LOT more time with a new friend as he recovered, we’ve had some much needed quality couple time and I feel restored and prepared to return to South Sudan! We even got to meet some people who are thinking of coming to Lohutok to translate the Bible!

In the midst of all of this, we had a follow up appointment with the doctor for Ezekiel 1 week ago. We brought his favorite toy, Elroy (the ONLY toy that he's ever really gotten attached to). The doctor would listen to Elroy's lungs, then Ezekiel's. Ezekiel feels comfortable with him. Thirty minutes later Elroy was nowhere to be found. I thought maybe some boys in the waiting room had taken it, one of them had tried to take another one of Ezekiel’s toys (which became quite a scene) and later kept bursting into the exam room while we were talking with the doctor. We went home with no Elroy. Every time we put him to bed, Ezekiel asked for Elroy. So every night we prayed that God would bring him back. Today we went back for another follow up, and WE FOUND ELROY!!! I am so thankful for sweet mommy moments, to teach my son about God's faithfulness and tender care for the things that are important to us - even his night-night toy. Tonight as I put him to bed, he said "Thank you, God... God loves you! Loves you!"

January 1, 2015

January 1, 2015

With the new year coming, we’ve taken some time to evaluate what we have been doing with our disciples and how things could be done better. Before we came to Uganda I was able to meet with all of our disciples in four different villages and was struck by the difference in “where they are” in discipleship.

I went to Loming and met with Matthew Aphore. Aphore has had a tough year. He was forced into a second marriage by his family, and was discouraged in thinking that he couldn’t be a Christian if he had two wives. This idea that Christians have to keep themselves perfect or else God won’t accept them is widespread here and causes lots of problems in the church. We have been able to use this opportunity to teach some clear things about the gospel, and our righteousness being found in Christ, so Aphore is starting to understand the gospel in this way.

Moses, who I am with more than any of our other disciples, is excited about the gospel and willing to do anything, and is growing in his understanding of the grace. Paul, our disciple in Lalonga, is showing clear signs of regeneration, scripture being illuminated by the Holy Spirit, and is probably our most mature disciple. He’s pastoring a church faithfully, and even working toward baptizing some ladies who are believing and worshipping there.

We went to visit Lacharok before going to Uganda, and the guys who we usually do Bible Study with were all drunk. Not just a little drunk, they were drunk. We stayed with them for a few minutes and then left. This is the group we have been working with for the shortest time, and it’s hard to say that there are any believers there, but God is at work!

Pray for us as we go into a new year. We’re trying some new things with our disciples, and asking Paul to take more of a leadership role in discipling the Lopit believers and churches. We need direction about how to teach in each place so that people really understand the gospel so that they can believe.

Thanks!

Justin, Amy and Ezekiel