South Sudan February 2024

Flame International Mission to
Amadi Province, South Sudan:
17 February to 2 March 2024

Flame International took a team of 6 to Lui, Amadi Province, South Sudan, to run a 4-day conference and workshop for 50 Pastors and Leaders, and a 3-day conference for Chaplains, officers and soldiers from the Government Forces, One SSPDF Chaplain joined the team.

The Amadi team are grateful to God for His amazing grace, powerful love and compassion, wonderful healing and endless provision and protection.

We have been sustained by your prayers in high temperatures - day and night - that even the Lui people struggled with. The blessings of good health and energy for a busy programme of teaching and ministry have been amazing, and we have enjoyed a unity in the team as well as with the Pastors, and especially with the SSPDF. Your words and scriptures have been "spot on" and brought so much encouragement. Thank you.

We had 50 Pastors for four days during our first week and they were hungry for God's Word, loving the dramas, and were already worshipping as we arrived for the morning session.
This was our first visit, but they soon got into the teachings and the way we work. It was a joy to be with them and see them strengthened in their spirits. As the trauma lifted from them the joy surfaced and testimonies flowed.

• Rejoice "I want to thank God. When I was coming here, I was thinking too much of my problems. I am very poor. I felt something heavy on my head and many pains in my body. I have seen a change in my body. I am now free before God"

• Grace "I want to thank God. I had a problem in my leg, and I could not walk well. In our teaching people prayed for emotional healing and now I am walking well, not like before" 

• Janet "God has taken away my burdens. My body has been in pain for 6 months. My throat hurt so I couldn't sing and when worshipping tears would come from my eyes. Yesterday and today I have seen a change. My throat is better and no more tears, no more pain"

• Joseph "I thank God. When we arrived here, we had trauma in our minds from many problems. When we heard the teaching, our minds were cured. We now have fresh minds and hearts, like we have received medicine. We had never thought we could be healed" He also testified that the drama of Jesus being thrown out of the car had impacted him and he saw how Jesus can help us. He said, "We will stand firm in Jesus through the teaching and dramas we have received".

On Sunday, David, Elizabeth and Sarah joined the Bishop for a confirmation service in a town some distance away. Thirty-five of all ages were confirmed, 220 attended the service and David preached on forgiveness. Over 60 people came forward for prayer and we trust God for their healing.

Sharon, Val and Richard stayed back in the Lui Cathedral, preaching, and attending both services, English and Moru. Sharon preached on forgiveness in the 8am English service and around a third of the congregation of 76 came to the Cross to forgive. We took a 10-minute break then into the Moru service when Val preached to around 350 people including children. The youth of the church acted out the parable of the unmerciful servant and everyone loved the servants being thrown behind prison bars! Around half chose to forgive. We did not hear any testimonies but trust God for healings.

Monday, and by 9am only 5 SSPDF had arrived. We were expecting 50 but when it was clear no more were coming, we adjusted the programme and started the teaching. We received a message saying these were Gideon's mighty warriors and believed this was so. Day two and 3 more joined us then on day three one young soldier came. These were the mighty men of God, hungry for His word and healing power and it was a joy to spend precious time with them. There were wonderful testimonies, here is just a taste:

• Lual "Thank you for the good news you brought to us. I have seen a change in my life. I had a lot of bad dreams before but since being here I am sleeping well, and the bad thoughts have gone. When we put the stones at the foot of the cross, I put all my anger there. It was so helpful. The training has changed my heart. When I go from here, I will experience more change. When we go back, we will start bringing more soldiers one by one. Please don't leave us. Come back every year"

• James "My life has totally changed. You don't know my wife, but she sent her greetings to you all. She has been very sick for more than a year and not able to do anything. Today she was well and able to collect the firewood. I believe in my heart that God will do much more in the days ahead. There are many friends and colleagues who need this training. We are the light to bring it to the others."

Whilst enjoying a cup of tea at the end of the day, there erupted loud wailing and outpouring of grief. A young boy, probably no more than 10 years had fallen out of a huge mango tree from around 50 - 60 feet. It was thought he was dead, but he was unconscious. They carried him to the hospital on a mattress and we prayed for life to be restored - as he passed us, we saw movement in his arms and legs and knew he was OK. We later heard he had lost his voice. A young man who worked at the hospital who had met us in church on Sunday came to greet us and we instructed him how to pray off the trauma and restore his speech. Praise God that the next morning he was speaking and eating and had only minor bruises and scratches. It is a miracle he survived!

We conducted two sessions of cleansing. The first around the Cathedral with the pastors then under the tree where the slave trading took place, over 100 years ago before Christianity came to the town and preached the gospel of salvation under the same tree. Slavery to Salvation.
Within two hours of cleansing the Cathedral, rain came. It was quite heavy for a short time and enough to wet the ground. They had not had rain for months and were waiting for it to come. We knew it was God speaking his blessings both now and to come, and we rejoiced in His goodness, that he had heard the repentance of His people. We wait to hear about God's plan following the cleansing of slavery.

We left 80 SSPDF New Testament & Psalms and 500 Moru Bibles. Thank you once again for your prayerful support. We had lots of confirmation and wonderful faith building passages, some of which we shared with the Pastors and SSPDF.