Background

Safe Harbor International has responded to the spiritual and physical needs of the West Nile people through church plants, a hospital, school, and other development initiatives throughout the past decade.  As a result of the love and commitment shown to the people of Midigo, a door for the gospel of Jesus Christ has been opened in a community consisting of approximately 90% Muslim followers.  As relief has transitioned to development, Safe Harbor has witnessed the fruit of long-term commitment to the people of Midigo.

Midigo Hospital in 2009

Operating Theater

In 2009, the Lord provided the hospital with an operating theater, which was a critical health service input for the people of Midigo.  Of particular note, several pregnant women, who would normally have died of obstetric complications, were offered life saving surgeries.

Maternal / Child Health

Due to the alarming rates of child and maternal mortality, Midigo Hospital adopted a strategy of channeling more funding to improve child and maternal survival.  Even when resources have been scarce to meet all of the needs of the sick, children and pregnant women have been offered access critical services for free.  Additionally, for the first time in history, Midigo Hospital was able to secure a constant supply of safe blood from the local blood bank, which contributes significantly to saving the lives of children under five.

Reflecting upon 2009, Safe Harbor recognizes God’s mighty hand demonstrated through Midigo Hospital’s successes during this past year (Year to December 1):

• 2,750 outpatients per month (average)
• 146 inpatients per month (average)
• 2,436 antenatal visits
• 954 admitted to the maternity ward
• 630 baby deliveries (Up from 88 per year in 2000)
• 34 emergency C Sections
• Over 100 children were transfused and survived (Typically, 50% of those referred for blood transfusion die before arriving to the next facility)
• 10,989 child immunizations (Still below the target population of 29,670 < 1 year old children)
• 32 blind people were able to see again from cataract surgeries
• 275 gynecological and general surgery emergency procedures
• 0 deaths from surgery complications

Calvary Chapel Midigo in 2009

The efforts of Calvary Chapel Midigo (CCM), through teaching, discipleship, and outreach, are yielding much fruit in a region of the world that has been characterized by rebel warfare and Muslim influence.  Throughout the past year, God has remained faithful to His children and continues to reach the hearts of Muslims living in every tribe in North West Uganda and beyond.  A few of the highlights of CCM this past year include:

• In 2009, CCM experienced 30% church growth, with many young people coming to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.
• Hundreds of high school youth received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in 2009 through discipleship camps and other outreaches.
• In 2009, Calvary Chapel Yumbe was planted and the gospel is being preached to many people who have never heard the message of Jesus Christ.  Currently, the church includes 30 to 40 disciples, most of whom are youth.
• Over 500 youth and 200 pastors were trained at CCM

Future Direction

During the latest leadership visit to Midigo in November of 2009, the community elders and district government authorities were particularly enthusiastic to receive President and CEO, Sandy Otsuji.  During these meetings, the continued support offered to Safe Harbor-Midigo was overwhelming.  Some of the poignant statements concerning Safe Harbor came from Yumbe district’s Vice Chairman (second in command), including: “[Safe Harbor is] the only NGO that has worked in Yumbe and is well-known by the people”, “Dr. [Emuku] has been influential to the people”, and “This transit has become your home for our people”.  Sandy Otsuji responded with, “We see that God has done wonderful things.  And we know that there is more to be done”.

In the midst of successes, we acknowledge that there is much work to be accomplished in both scale and scope of ministry and development.  In addressing gaps, several exciting opportunities for expansion have emerged, and are being considered for implementation during 2010 and beyond.  Please join us in prayer as we formulate strategies and continue to seek both operational and expansionary funding.

Over 40 church leaders met in a small room in Vietnam for a three day pastor’s conference in the wake of two devastating typhoons that destroyed all of their homes and crops.  God gave Safe Harbor the opportunity to minister through His Word to pastors who were suffering and who would be returning to congregations that had also lost most of their possessions.  By God’s grace, the time was filled with joy, worship, prayer and standing in awe of our sovereign Lord.  These pastors shared of the extreme persecution they faced over the last few years and prayed for each other and the persecuted church throughout the world.

Through God’s provision, Safe Harbor was able to deliver relief facilitated through the local church in Vietnam.  Our persecuted brothers and sisters were able to meet some of the needs of other Christians, unbelievers, and even those who persecuted the church severely for over a decade.  Bridges were built as the Lord used typhoon relief to soften the hearts of those persecuting the church.  Many of the pastors said that the relief enabled the Christians to meet with government leaders, for the first time, without being interrogated, beaten, or imprisoned.

However, less than one month after the pastor’s conference, Safe Harbor was notified by our Vietnamese contact that 10 church leaders had been arrested and thrown in jail for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ during an open air Christmas service.  Several of the church leaders arrested had recently attended Safe Harbor’s three-day pastor’s conference.  One of the church leaders, who was just released from prison after serving a 2 year sentence, shared how they would be forced to perform hard labor for 8-10 hours a day, 7 days a week.  If caught sharing about Christ, they were beaten and/or refused food and drink.

Prior to departing the conference, the pastors asked that we pray for them, knowing that they were to face severe persecution upon their return home.  The pastors performed the Christmas service in public knowing that there was a high risk of being arrested…

…400 hundred people attended the Christmas service.

Days later, after a call to prayer was sent out both in the United States and Vietnam, the church leaders were released from prison.

During the conference, the pastors asked us to pray for the church in Vietnam in the midst of looming persecution.  We have included some direct quotes describing their lives over the last few years.  Please hold our Vietnamese brethren up in prayer.

One Pastor said,

• God called me as a Christian and it changed my life…the people saw the change in my life and 140 people converted to Christianity…I began pastoring house churches…and the government arrested me.
• They beat me…they put a gun in my face…and said the beating was because I was following the American religion.
• Since 2008, there are over 75 people coming to church again…regardless of how they might be persecuted.
• …please pray for us because we are still meeting and we think we will be arrested when we go back home.

Another pastor said,

• In 2002, there were many people coming to know Christ…and they burned down our houses.  We moved to another province and started a church.
• We had ten people at the new church and they tore down the house and beat the believers.
• In 2005 they beat one of the Christians in our group so brutally that 15 days later he died.
• Authorities try to force the new converts to give up their faith and if they refuse…they are told that they will no longer receive any government aid.
• Please pray that God gives us wisdom in conducting ministry.

Another pastor said,

• Once, an entire communist family accepted Christ…the authorities arrested me and tortured me with electricity for 40 days…I couldn’t feel my fingers anymore.
• For many days they would not let him eat or drink anything
• Just recently I taught my 90 year old mother what it was to be saved by faith alone.
• She called me one night at 1:00am and asked me to baptize her immediately…she said that she didn’t need anything material…she was satisfied with Christ alone.  One month later she went home to be with the Lord.

Another pastor said,

• They have beat me with rods and hammers.
• They say, “Why don’t you cry and ask your God to help you.”
• They follow me everywhere I go to scare the families we evangelize.  They even have tied new converts to trees so that the ants will come and bite them…please pray for us.

Another pastor said,

• I was in prison from 2005 until  2007 for being a Christian
• They beat us in prison because we used the bible to answer their questions.

While Charity and Cindy have undergone considerable trials this past year, they continue to remain faithful to their call to serve the people of Nyinbuli, Sudan.  Due to the insecurities associated with their work in Nyinbuli, we are thankful to be transferring the care of Charity and Cindy into the hands of International Aid Services, who is strategically located to provide the necessary protective covering.  Safe Harbor remains faithful in prayer and will offer continued support as needs arise.  Please pray for Charity and Cindy as they transition into the care of IAS, and that their work would continue to bear much fruit in the face of persecution.

For more information on International Aid Services, go to: www.ias.nu.

Safe Harbor Medical Clinic: Uganda from Eddie Roman on Vimeo.

Click Here To Read This Update From Pastor Tony H on Uganda.

The Nyinbuli Staff learned that Nyingong was acting out of anger and “ran” off. She was hiding in a neighbor’s house, and put herself in serious danger being away so long without her insulin shot.

Please pray for the Team as they continue to work with Nyingong, and help her understand the seriousness of her behavior and illness.

{Nyingong was brought to the compound over 2 years ago, nearly dead, and she was diagnosed as diabetic.  Her family can not care for her, and so she has been “unofficially” adopted by the staff and lives with them.  She is currently enrolled in school, and has professed Jesus as her Savior.  Please continue to pray for her, as she has had so many life changes in the past few years. }

Charity and I are currently on holiday but I wanted to update you on the recent changes.  Our last week in the village was very intense with the local government officials as they were demanding quite a bit and once again trying to take more of the clinic land.  At one point they even tried to take the clinic well (which e let the community use) and the latrine we built. 

They finally gave us the four new corners to our property and demanded we fence it. However, when I started to put in the poles they threw a fit because they had not envisioned a straight line.  Due to time and meetings there was no way to settle it all before we had to leave.  Poor Charity was called into meetings even the morning we were packing to leave where she was told it would be done their way when she returned.

As I cried out to God He kept reminding me of Psalm 37.  This is the same Psalm He told me to memorize three years ago which has helped us through so much.  Since we have been out our local government officials have once again changed. 

We have had so many different officials in the time we have been here but this time they brought back ones we had in the past.  One of them had come and visited us recently and couldn’t believe we were still in the village since he had experienced a place where the people were much easier to work with. 

We are praying he will have learned and will be easier to work with. They were making progress on the airstrip when we left and have continued to work although at a slower pace than we had hoped.  We pray it will be finished when we return so that we can use the airplane we bring in to ferry the food from World Food Program to those who worked.

In the meantime we are enjoying our time away.  Currently, I am looking at the sun peaking through the rain clouds illuminating the beautiful Austrian Alps.  Pray for God to renew us in our time here.

UPDATE FROM MIDIGO, UGANDA…
 
The youth were so hungry for God’s word; the worship sessions were just awesome!  The theme was MORE PURE THAN GOLD taken from Psalm 19: 9-10 with Bible expositions from the life of Joseph in Genesis 37-41.

My wife Elizabeth talked about purity and we had a study on how Joseph was able to overcome temptation.  There was godly sorrow as many cried out to God in repentance and pledging allegiance to follow Christ by His strength. 

The counseling lines were long as many opened up. Praise be to God for the working of His Spirit!!!  We taught about having a quiet time and all 200 participants spent time on their own reading Gods word, meditating and praying. 

It was great seeing the whole church compound filled with people each talking to God in their own language.  The workshops were great and we showed movies at night, which were very enriching.

We had a former Muslim believer called Yusuf give his very moving testimony of surviving death several times from family members and the physical persecution he had to go through.  We had an altar call and 10 youth walked forward to be prayed over for their salvation.  The next morning as I completed the bible exposition another 20 came forward for prayer.

A total of 40 youth have acknowledged Christ as Lord and Savior for the first time.  I rejoice that so many lives have been touched and transformed.  The counseling sessions have been packed with mostly youth asking various questions and asking for prayer.

Please continue to pray that the new believers will be strengthened to grow in the grace of God and thank you for standing in the gap in prayer.

Hi everyone thank you for your prayers. I have had five days of temporary deafness as I had to take quinine for malaria. I feel much better now.

Despite my weak physical state last week, my friends from Arua continued with the eye camp. I had an opportunity to share with the patients who were mainly elderly a day before the surgery started about the love of Jesus Christ. “the eye surgeon can only open the physical eyes but they needed the spiritual surgeon, Jesus Christ to open the eyes of their hearts”. Some of them had been blind for years. In total 14 people received their sight back.

I met one old man this morning beeming with a huge smile walking by himself without the usual help by a family member. He was indeed excited to be able to see again after 4 years of blindness. “Safe harbor sponsored this camp”

Please continue to pray for their complete recovery from the surgery and their salvation.

Thank you,

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A month or so ago Dr./Pastor Emuku e-mailed me and said “Our projector has had a problem.”

Thinking it may just be a replacement lamp, I had it checked out.  Meanwhile the people who had come to see the Cinema in the Bush had to wait.

As it turned out the lamp was not the problem, rather the wiring and it was time for a new projector.

God provided through both Safe Harbor International Relief and Calvary Chapel Rancho Santa Margarita and as a result the new projector was purchased.

I worked with the missions elder at Calvary Chapel Rancho Santa Margarita, Tony D, to communicate the need.  Pastor John of CCRSM and Pastor Sandy of Safe Harbor approved funding for the new projector so I was able to get the funds over to Dr. Emuku last week.

We look forward to the continuance of the Gospel and the gathering of the people of Midigo to see what the Lord will do.
Thank you,

Support Divinah

Divinah’s Testimony

I was saved when I was in high school.  Before I joined high school I used to attend junior Church every Sunday and learned to memorize different scriptures from God’s word from my Sunday school teachers.  At that time I didn’t know the real meaning of the scriptures, but God helped me to understand when I received Him as my personal Savior.

Every verse that I memorize has ministered to me to this day. In the junior Church my teachers also used to share about the missionaries who are sent to different parts of the world to preach the Good News.  It was at that time I felt that I should be among them.  In 1996, when I completed high school, I attended a youth conference entitled, “Africa reaching Africa.”  The conference was based on Mathew 28: 19 and 20.  It also encouraged us to pray, go and give.  I felt that God was touching me to reach out to the people of Sudan since I had been hearing about their suffering.  I prayed that God would open doors.  Instead God wanted to prepare me and I had the chance to attend Bible College in 2001, four years later. 

In 2003 my second year in college I went to a mission school in western Kenya.  God taught me the reality of missions, since I had never gone on any mission trips before that.  I graduated in July 2004 when God opened the door for me to go back to western Kenya for my internship.  During the last year in college I had applied to Church leaders to give me a confirmation as a Sudanese missionary, but they were really wondering if they understood correctly what I was implying since it was not something simple to be released to a foreign country as a lady. But God answered my prayers in 2006 and brought me to Nyinbuli, Sudan.

I am now working as a pharmacist, something I didn’t know when I first came.  I praise God because He has taught me many different things.  My main mission for the people of Sudan is to know Christ.  I would like to reach them spiritually, physically, and socially.

Thank you and God bless you.

The clinic building is now finished!!  It looks really nice and is much fancier than we ever planned.  Isaac and Reuben from Kenya made nice finishing touches as they plastered and painted.  We dedicated the building to the Lord last Tuesday with the community and representatives from Safe Harbor California.  The plaque we put up states, “Testimony to God’s Faithfulness” and has Isaiah 58:11-12 written out on it.  

A three year task accomplished! 

So far we have not been affected by the arrest warrant for the President and we will keep serving until God leads us to take a break.

Ayak’s mother insisted on taking her daughter out and became violent at which point we released her letting her know we were not responsible if Ayak died.  We can rest in the fact that Ayak was able to experience love while she was with us and she realized God is stronger than witchcraft.  She would come to us and as us to pray as well as ask for the light to come to push the darkness away.  We spent many hours holding her and praying for her.

Hi Everyone!

Greetings from Midigo, Uganda.  The last two weeks have been very exciting for us and the whole community of Midigo.  The news that the operating theatre is working at last brought so many visitors both small and great. 

I have been overwhelmed by the number of people who had been chronically sick with surgical conditions yet had no place to turn to for care.  We started doing simple procedures three to four weeks ago as we tested the facility.  When our staff person, Annette, returned from orientation in anesthesia, we decided to open the facility for some surgical procedures and ALL Obstetric and Gynecological interventions. 

I walked over to see some patients yesterday, those we had performed surgery on Wednesday, and it was all joy for the family members and patients despite the pain.

One particular woman had moved all over seeking medical attention for three years and had given up hope.  She had a painful ovarian tumor and was not able to pay for the operation. 

She had her surgery last Wednesday and she is full of joy!  I was blessed to share the love of God with her; how God loves her and has given her the opportunity to receive this free surgery.  I reminded the family that the same Jesus who had provided funds for the free surgery wants to provide free eternal life for them.
So far over 40 patients have received treatment from the operating theatre.  The lines of people seeking care are endless.  However our main focus right now is on the pregnant women’s  health to reduce the death rate of mothers dying from obstetric complications.

Thank you for your prayers!  Continue to pray for the sustainability of this work.  That the Gospel will continue to be shared in this facility as people receive care and most importantly, that the community will see Jesus and NOT us as a ministry.  

Today, as I write, Cindy and my mom are boarding a plane to fly to Nyinbuli.  I am very much looking forward to having an entire month with my Mom here in Nyinbuli, for her first trip.  It will be nice to have Cindy return and the entire team be in-country together as well. 

Please pray for their travels and also for my mom’s adjustment to being in Sudan!

For the past two weeks we’ve been blessed to have 9 guests with us from an organization called Malaria Consortium as they distributed mosquito nets to every home.  In the two weeks they were here they distributed about 15,000 nets, which will hopefully decrease the impact of this life-robbing disease
during the next malaria season dramatically!

I write with a burdened heart for Peter Akol and ask once again for your continued prayers for his life.  Akol was re-admitted almost a week ago.  His mother came to us in the morning letting us know that he was in seizures and had been for the entire night.  Frustrated that she didn’t come to us sooner, Garang and I ran to the house and brought him back.  It took the whole day, but we were able to get the seizures under control. 

The effects of the seizures and what we believe to be more of a spiritual attack are very evident.  Akol shared with us after he stopped seizing, that his friend came to him to quietly inform him that the friend’s mom and another witch doctor (Hassan’s mother) were doing witch craft against him and his mom.  The friend informed him that they don’t want his mom to work for us and they want Akol dead as he’s been helping teach in the Sunday School.  His friend told him that they did witch craft under the tree that Akol fell from, before he fell, knowing that Akol liked climbing that tree for the fruits. 

They continue to find witch craft through-out the house, though his mother doesn’t know who’s behind it.  Akol insists that he’s never leaving our compound again, unless to be taken out of the area as he believes if he goes home again he’ll die.

Yesterday Akol took off running when our guard wasn’t looking.  He ran a good distance before we caught up with him and were able to bring him back. He was in hysterics crying that his dead step-mom was calling him to the jungle to slaughter a goat or she would kill him.  He was running to go and get the goat.

While we know that some of Akol’s mood swings could be from the head trauma, we do not believe this is all from the fall.  We have spent time through out the days he’s been with us in corporate prayer, and we continue to pray for him individually as well.  Last night as we prayed was the first time he said that maybe he’ll be okay if he goes home at some point.  Slowly he’s starting to have faith in God to protect him, but he’s still very scared and not in his right mind most of the day. 

Please pray for Akol’s mind, that the Lord would protect him, that evil will not be able to permeate his mind and heart, and that he’ll be able to call out to the Lord during the times he sees dreams and hears voices not of the Lord.  Pray for his mom and family as we believe that she’s still actively doing witch craft.  Pray for us for wisdom in how to help Akol, his family, and even the witch doctors that are coming against them.  Pray for God’s protection over all of us as we take a stand in the midst of darkness.  Pray also for his physical body as the seizures have left him weak and without coordination. 

Thanks for standing with us!

Dear Family and Friends,

If you read Cindy’s last update, then you would have learned that Abraham, Debbie, and I went to check on Akol at the witch doctors. We spent two days talking and praying through it as all of our hearts were to go and get him and at the same time we know that marching into a witch doctors house needs lots of prayer and clear direction. The entire team felt we were to go.

So, in the morning we informed his mother that we wanted to go and check on him. Before we could even get our bikes she sent two people ahead of us to give them forewarning. When we arrived the two that went ahead of us were there, but their bikes weren’t. They tried to give reason as to why, but couldn’t look us in the eyes as they answered. As we suspected, and later confirmed that the witch doctor in his “great power” was scared we were coming and took off with the bikes. As we prayed the night before we went, I felt we would get there and his cast would be off (he broke the right upper arm) and was praying against a re-break and loss of movement of his arm. When we got there we found that his cast was off. He could move, but not without pain. The bones are fused together, but with a slight deformity and the general condition of the arm is weak.

When we first arrived even Peter Akol wouldn’t look us in the eyes, his words were guarded, and though he tried to hide it you could tell he was scared. We first gave him a look over physically (finding out that he hadn’t been taking the seizure meds given to him (causing him to go into more seizures) and that the head still had a lot of pain. From the very beginning we could sense the Lord’s protection around him, knowing that though the many prayers being prayed around the world Akol has been covered through all the witch craft done to him.

After small talk Debbie felt she was to encourage the family to remember God saving Akol’s life. As she talked I prayed heavily. She said way more than she planned, but it was easy to see the Lord was speaking through her. We anointed Akol with oil, laid hands on him, and prayed for him. You could feel that there was darkness all around us, but that God was surrounding Akol and us. It was an amazing feeling!

After being prayed for, Akol instantly felt at peace with our being there, started smiling, looking us in the eyes, and telling us he wanted to leave with us right then.

However, his father refused and said that he would go the next day at the earliest. Akol and we all were greatly disappointed, but we knew that no powers of darkness would touch him. He kept saying again and again, Charity, I will see you tomorrow for Church! I am coming! We ended by asking him to recite a Bible verse he learned in discipleship. He struggled in the beginning, but after he finished the smile across his face was priceless. He knew to whom he belonged!!

The following day we were all pleasantly surprised when Akol came through the gate.

Read the rest of this entry »

Thank you so much for your prayers! Charity is sending out a longer version of what happened with Akol that will hopefully be on our website soon if you don’t get her updates, www.sudanproject.org. Anyway, God protected Akol and he is back home much stronger in the Lord knowing now the darkness of witchcraft.

They didn’t get to share with the witchdoctor as he ran away, but they are praying whether to go and share with him when it is just a visit.

Please be considering Charity, Abraham, and Debbie as they are going to retrieve Akol, the boy who fell out of the Mango tree in December, from a “traditional” doctor in a nearby village.  Despite the warnings about “traditional practices” and the promise his parents made they still took him earlier this week to a big “traditional” doctor to try to stop the seizures which we have heard are worse now.  The team has consulted Dad about it and feel led to go get him as one would go get a lost sheep. We are considering for the “doctor” to join our family and change his ways.  

The “traditional” doctors that formerly lived near us have moved because we were bad for their business.  It is their livelyhood so it is a big thing to leave as that is what feeds their families and gives them control.

Prayer Needed for Anei!
 
Three days ago we admitted Anei in the night time. He’s about 2 ½ years old and came in seizing. He stopped breathing and so we breathed for him for about ten minutes before he started breathing again. He was positive for malaria. He seized another time in the night, but thankfully didn’t stop breathing. The next day by evening he was sitting up and taking milk and water by mouth. This morning he was released to take the last dose of malaria med’s at home. 

At about 1pm today he was brought back again in a seizure. It was so intense that he again stopped breathing. This time we had to breath for him for 45 minutes before he started breathing again. 4 hours later, he has woken up, but is very weak. We will start him on anti-seizure meds, keep him for a few more days, and then hopefully be able to send him home. Please keep Anei in your prayers.

Praying that all is well where ever the Lord has you! Things here in Nyinbuli are moving forward with the clinic building and doing fine otherwise as well. 
 
As you can see from the picture the windows are in and now the inside walls of the building are almost finished being plastered, which is exciting. It’s fun to see the finishing stuff happening and the building taking shape more and more!

Thank you for praying for us!  It is a blessing to know that God’s people are praying as we seek to serve Him by serving His people here in Sudan.