Because of the generosity of ITMI donors, ITMI was able to provide our South Sudanese partner, Lazarus Yezinai with funding so that he could implement a Project Joseph outreach.
Our Project Joseph initiative began during the Covid pandemic, when our partners reported that the people they ministered to were unable to get food when they were quarantined at home. Many of them earn money during the day which they use to purchase an evening meal. These people were quickly in dire situations.
ITMI wanted to empower our partners to stockpile and distribute food, like Joseph, for the preservation of God’s people.
These outreaches turned out to be an effective strategy for sharing the Gospel and making disciples.
Implementing a Project Joseph outreach is a big investment on the part of our partners.
First, our partners need to do some market research. They need to submit a proposal to our staff that includes estimates for how many people they will include and itemized costs of the items they plan to include. Each proposal includes the partner’s plan for including the Gospel and making disciples.
Once approved and funded, Lazarus and his team needed to identify and select who will receive the food items. They made home visits to potential recipients to determine this. Because our partners’ feet are on the ground and they know their communities well, they are able to avoid cultural missteps and go about this all in a way that avoids divisiveness.
Once the beneficiaries are identified, Lazarus and his team need to purchase food. This is where our partners’ firsthand knowledge of their communities is extremely beneficial. They are able to find the most cost-effective places to do this. This step involves organizing, transporting and storing the large amounts of food as well.
Lazarus doesn’t have a large vehicle, so this is something he has to organize and set up.
To organize these outreaches, a date needs to be set and a location determined. Sometimes, these are done with one on one deliveries of the food, and others there is one location where recipients gather. Our partners determine which is more beneficial and set it all up. They usually need to recruit volunteers to help them. They also need to plan an appropriate Gospel presentation.
Whether the food is distributed in one location or with one-on-one visits, Lazarus and his team discuss the Word of God and pray with the recipients. Many of them open up and discuss their challenges, which gives our partners the opportunity to speak truth and provide Gospel-centered counsel.
Lazarus and his team encourage each person to stand firm in Christ and remember to place their hope in Him no matter what challenges they face. This time, they used John 16:33 to remind each that they can have sustainable peace in Christ.
After the distribution is done, Lazarus meets with his team to evaluate the outreach’s effectiveness. This is also when information is gathered so that Lazarus can organize it and report back to our staff about how the outreach was done.
This step is different for various partners, but for our South Sudanese partners whose country lacks infrastructure, they often have to get to an internet cafe, pay for an internet connection while they type and assemble a document. South Sudan is difficult on electronic devices, so our partners often run into issues such as losing saved documents when a device fails, gets stolen, or is damaged.
When Lazarus initially ran his hand washing clinics and Project Joseph outreaches, he invited the recipients to return for a Bible study. Many were eager to do so, and continue to meet to study God’s Word!
Project Joseph outreaches are a lot of work, but our partners find them most worthwhile because of the impact made.
Lazarus writes,
“We have seen people’s lives being transformed and souls being won for Christ. Project Joseph has given us a great opportunity to make disciples…”
Yaba John lives in Lemon Gaba, one of the communities where Lazarus established a Bible study and regular engagement. (Lazarus also operates a soccer team made up of troubled youth and gang members from Lemon Gaba as part of his Sports outreach ministry.)
Yaba John is disabled, which makes working and affording food challenging. He received food through Lazarus’ most recent Project Joseph outreach and he says the follow-ups and the Bible studies have transformed his life and his family. He even asked to host the Bible study in his home!
Other beneficiaries included a single mother who had not been able to provide food for her children in 3 days and a traumatized mother who has been unable to walk for 2 months.
Thank you for continuing to support and empower our partners to make disciples through Project Joseph outreaches!
