Mary John clutched the arms of the forest green plastic chair she sat in.

In front of her were two more rows of chairs, occupied by twenty-nine others from her communities of Lemon Gabba and Joppa in Juba, South Sudan who'd been chosen to participate in a COVID-19 community outreach program.

The program was initiated by an evangelist named Lazarus Yezinai when the South Sudanese government closed churches to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among its citizens, who are generally more vulnerable than most due to poverty and the lack of infrastructure in their country.

Lazarus knew he couldn't wait until the pandemic was over to share the hope he has in Jesus, so he had volunteered to lead government-approved hand washing clinics.

The clinics were enhanced by Lazarus' partners, In Touch Mission International supporters who contributed financially to provide participants with Hand Washing Kits.

The kits included a long bar of soap and a yellow jerry can fitted with a tap at the bottom, so that South Sudanese families could have the running water necessary to employ the WHO hand washing techniques they were learning.

Mary John's soft brown eyes didn't leave the speaker as he shared about standing firm in the Lord during hard times.

The speaker, Reverend Beneth, was young man in plain colored clothing, sharing with them from the green-edged copy of God's Word, which he held in his slender hands.

Mary has been no stranger to hard times.

She is trying to raise 5 orphaned children in South Sudan, a country whose relatively short existence has been fraught with tribal violence and natural disasters.

An estimated 1.6 million South Sudanese have been displaced within the country and an additional 2.2 million have taken refuge in Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mary was displaced from her home in a community named Mundari when her village was attacked and raided for the cattle they raise. Mundari is about a 23 hour walk north of Juba, where she lives now.

In South Sudan, keeping 5 children alive is no easy job. The CIA Factbook says, "With famine spreading, 66% of the population in South Sudan is living on less than about $2 a day."

This month, Lazarus wrote,

"...people are falling like leaves from a tree in dry season. The situation of South Sudan is bad in many ways, people are starving to point of death, sickness is too much, no medicine, unknown gunmen are killing people around, tribal war going on in some states, no salary to government employees and so on."

The CIA Factbook echos Lazarus' observations about the economy,

"Continued fighting within the new nation is disrupting what remains of the economy. The vast majority of the population is dependent on subsistence agriculture and humanitarian assistance. ...South Sudan has little infrastructure – about 10,000 kilometers of roads, but just 2% of them paved.

Electricity is produced mostly by costly diesel generators, and indoor plumbing and potable water are scarce, so less than 2% of the population has access to electricity."

Looking around at the heartache, trauma and suffering of his people, Lazarus pleads,

Mary's community and another nearby community were chosen because Lemon Gabba and Joppa are two of the most vulnerable areas, being home to a high number of displaced people. Lazarus had coordinated with local leaders to reach the most vulnerable households with a handwashing clinic.

Reverend Beneth's encouragement to stand firm in the Lord and his invitation to begin a relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior penetrated Mary's heart.

The Holy Spirit cut through the numbness of having experienced heartache after heartache, daily struggle and suffering in this place that is far beyond difficult to live. On March 13, sheltered from the sun under a tin roof at a Handwashing Clinic, Mary surrendered her life to Jesus Christ.

She wasn't the only one. Many responded to the Gospel that day, surrendering their lives to Him as their Lord and Savior.

As for Mary, Lazarus says she has already become active in reaching her community with the hope she's found, being an instrument of peace and reconciliation.

John Lino is a community leader in the village of Lemon Gabba.

He told Lazarus that crime has been reduced in his community as a result of the constant teaching and preaching of the Gospel of Christ and discipleship of the people by Lazarus' team - regardless of their tribe or denomination.

He accepted Jesus as His Lord and Savior at the Hand Washing Clinic, and told Lazarus he wants to be a God-fearing leader and servant to his vulnerable community.

He is eager to become involved in these kinds of activities for the benefit of his community alongside ITMI, Lazarus and his team to build a peaceful and resilient community through God's power and for His glory!

Lazarus is laser-focused on preaching the Gospel and making disciples.

If you couldn't tell by the sheer joy on his face in the photo with the Hand Washing Clinic participants, Lazarus is happiest when sharing the hope he has in Jesus with those who are hopeless and hurting.

Earlier this month, he wrote,

We are so much committed to transforming lives of our people, evangelizing and discipling the vulnerable communities.

Since true “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world,” (James 1:27) it has become our point of concern as Revival and Fire Prayer Ministry to glorify God by serving the widows and orphans in South Sudan.

So, the great support that ITMI has given has indeed come at a right time in which most of our vulnerable people were in need. They are locked-up in their homes due to the Coronavirus. We are so grateful for your help and donation.

May this partnership continue as we focus to evangelize and disciple the people for Christ.

Your partnership with Lazarus has made a lasting impact among the vulnerable and hurting in South Sudan. Long after the bar of soap is gone and the jerry cans no longer hold water, the ones who welcomed Jesus into their lives will be blessed by His presence in and with them.

They will be bearers of Good News and beacons of faith, hope and love among the others in their community. This is the lasting impact our partners work for.  This is the lasting impact you are making as you partner with them!

https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/south-sudan/

https://reliefweb.int/report/south-sudan/united-nations-secretary-general-high-level-panel-internal-displacement#:~:text=Recent%20estimates%20indicate%201.60%20million,(UNHCR%2C%20January%202020).