LATEST NEWS

This leader of the Lemon Gaba group shares how you’ve impacted her community through your support of Lazarus. …

Mary was orphaned when she was 10…

Her siblings could go to school, but because of a disability, she could not. Now in her twenties, she recently fell and broke her arm. …

The sports outreach to South Sudanese gang members operated by ITMI’s Lazarus Yezinai continues to yield exciting fruit. …

South Sudan, Lazarus

From a Leader of the Lemon Gaba Bible Study in South Sudan! (Video)

This leader of the Lemon Gaba group shares how you’ve impacted her community through your support of Lazarus. …

Sin Hurts and Jesus Cares: Examples from Around the World

Mary was orphaned when she was 10…

Her siblings could go to school, but because of a disability, she could not. Now in her twenties, she recently fell and broke her arm. …

south sudan, lazarus

Gang Members and Moms Study the Bible Together

The sports outreach to South Sudanese gang members operated by ITMI’s Lazarus Yezinai continues to yield exciting fruit. …

It was the morning of April 15, when residents of Khartoum, Sudan awoke to the pandemonium that would eventually kill thousands and displace over 2 million. …

“This Project Joseph food distribution has given us a great opportunity to make disciples.” …

“My life is different,” she said, her dark, wide-spaced eyes reflecting her happiness, despite being an orphan in one of the worst places on earth to be orphaned. …

south sudan, lazarus

Reaching Gang Members with the Gospel in South Sudan

It was the morning of April 15, when residents of Khartoum, Sudan awoke to the pandemonium that would eventually kill thousands and displace over 2 million. …

Lazarus, South Sudan

Project Joseph: A Great Opportunity to Make Disciples

“This Project Joseph food distribution has given us a great opportunity to make disciples.” …

south sudan, orphan, lazarus yezinai

How ITMI Supporters Made a Resounding Impact in the Life of a South Sudanese Orphan

“My life is different,” she said, her dark, wide-spaced eyes reflecting her happiness, despite being an orphan in one of the worst places on earth to be orphaned. …

THE CONTEXT

After decades of civil war with what is now Sudan, South Sudan gained independence from the north in 2011. Shortly after gaining independence, the country erupted into political unrest along tribal lines in 2013.

This instability and the general lack of infrastructure has isolated many churches, creating the opportunity for overdependence on one person who enjoys the title of pastor or leader.

It's not uncommon for churches to exist for the benefit of one pastor, who promises his followers prosperity and good fortune that he doesn't have the authority or means to provide.

Revival and Fire Church

When Steve Evers visited South Sudan in 2009, ITMI partner, Vicky Waraka traveled with a group of other believers, including Lazarus, to Mundri, South Sudan, to meet with Steve.

South Sudan, Vicky Waraka, Steve Evers, Tim Keller, Jahim Buli, Justin

Left to Right: Timothy Keller, Lazarus, Vicky, Steve Evers, Justin, Jahim Buli.

Vicky and the group she traveled with ended up stranded for the night in Mundri, where the ITMI team was teaching the Seven Areas of Life Training (SALT) material, a Biblical discipleship tool developed by Victorious Christian Living.

With nothing else to do, Vicky and her group stayed for the teaching.

When Steve returned to South Sudan in 2012, he discovered that the SALT material he'd presented two years before had taken such root that Vicky, Lazarus and two others had planted a church based on the principles!

Revival and Fire Ministry took what they'd learned from the Biblical teaching and implemented these counter-cultural principles:

Shared leadership - not one leader with a title.

No titles.

No head pastor.

Humbly responsive to the Spirit.

This model was so starkly different from the standard African church, that people were drawn to this church by droves.

They had already funded a church building, which is unheard of for such a young church in a war-torn, impoverished, African country, but quickly grew out of it in 2 months time!

Vicky Waraka, Steve Evers, South Sudan, Church Planting

Lazarus, Vicky and Steve Evers with other leaders from the Revival and Fire Ministry.(2016)

South Sudan, Revival and Fire Ministries, Vicky Waraka

Revival and Fire church gathering on Easter Sunday in South Sudan.

 

Discipleship Training

Since co-teaching SALT with Steve in 2009 and helping Steve demonstrate that any one of the seminar attendees could turn around and teach someone else what they were learning, Lazarus has continued to teach the SALT material in South Sudan.

The Lord has opened up many opportunities for Lazarus to teach people with Biblical truth, including a large gang of marginalized young men from an area particularly hard-hit with tribal violence.

Steve Evers, Lazarus,South Sudan, SALT training, Vicky Waraka

Lazarus co-teaches SALT with Steve in 2009.

Bweyale Uganda, Lazarus Yezinai, Vicky Waraka

Lazarus continues to use the SALT material as a discipleship tool wherever he is invited and has the funds to go. 

lazarus, south sudan

Lazarus praying with an attendee after teaching a discipleship seminar. 

 

What Pastors in South Sudan are Saying about Lazarus' Teaching

Widows and Orphans

Lazarus ministers in his community by visiting widows and orphans, listening to them share about their struggles and praying for them.

With help from his church or ITMI donors, he is often able to provide gifts of basic necessities.

lazarus yezinai, south sudan, widow

Lazarus visits an elderly widow. 

 

Meet Dorca, a South Sudanese Widow

Home and Family

Lazarus and his wife have opened their home and their resources to 17 relatives and people in need.

As part of Lazarus' household, they take turns leading daily devotions, and even going to neighbors' homes to teach them how to have a family devotion time!

Lazarus Yezinai, South Sudan

Lazarus has had about 17 people living with him for several years now. 

Lazarus and his wife, Mary.

WHAT YOUR SUPPORT DOES

Provides a Biblical Leader

Your support enables Lazarus to share the Gospel and disciple many with Biblical truth, offering the only lasting source of healing to the many traumatized and hurting people in South Sudan.

Reaches South Sudan with the Gospel

Your support enables Lazarus to reach many with the Gospel - from his outreaches to widows, orphans and gangs, to his seminars teaching Biblical truths.

Equips Believers to Multiply

Lazarus' outreaches always include church members and other believers he is raising up and equipping to follow his lead in reaching people with the Gospel.

HISTORY

ITMI partner, Vicky Waraka introduced ITMI Director, Steve Evers, to Lazarus in 2009.

As the relationship continued, we observed Lazarus' faithfulness to lead the church in a humble manner, care for widows and orphans and depend on God.

For years, he fed his wife and children on a regular income of $23 a month. But God provided for them to live and even share that with the needy around them.

Lazarus originally refused partnership with ITMI because he didn't want to change anything about his relationship with God. It was important to Lazarus to depend on God.

He changed his mind, however, when he understood that a partnership with ITMI would allow others to be used by God to provide for the needy in South Sudan.

 

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