We South Sudanese are not good at examining ourselves to determine where we are in the faith. We must look deeply into ourselves in terms of our physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental health. We tend to throw ourselves into chaos and disunity.

We seek to empower leaders in East Africa through pastoral care and holistic living. We seek to restore communities by reconciling relationships. We work to empower the leadership of local communities with clear goals to establish a lasting impact on South Sudan.

Education is crucial to preparing the next generation of leaders for South Sudan, a country that received its independence just eleven years ago. It has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world. My vision is to build an elementary school at the Rising Hope Christian Center in Bor. But the wall must be finished first, or all our good work will be in vain!

However, the fruit of forgiveness in our community is the possibility for great prosperity for our people. If we work together, there is no limit to how we can rebuild and improve our people and our community.

Nehemiah could have used his current position as an excuse not to try to do anything about Jerusalem, but he did not do that. Instead, he went out, sent of God, and with the support of the king, to undertake the task of rebuilding his beloved city.

I feel my people can be a success in the places where they have scattered. I ask those of you who’ve settled in other places not to lose heart and not to give up praying, difficult though it might be.

Changing the world begins with changing ourselves. We need to change our minds about those who may have hurt us, change our hearts, and maybe even change our lifestyles. Just as Nehemiah turned straight to prayer and holiness as the cure for his nation’s state of collapse, we can impact our world today if we work on changing ourselves first.

Why do I choose the life of Nehemiah as a model for my life? Why do I like to share with our South Sudanese community worldwide? As Nehemiah did, I have a dream today that God will free his people from all forms of slavery one day!

When we were in the refugee camps, it was challenging to make a life. Settling in a place has no meaning if life is not aimed at achieving a reasonable level of quality: equity, equality, expectancy, education, and employment. An unpredictable life can cause a person to experience all the essential, measurable areas of disadvantage.

Restoration is the act of repairing or renewing the history of one’s life when something has been taken from us, especially something we find painful to lose. Restoration of what was lost helps us put the past to rest and move on toward the future.

I have three critical words in my life: empowerment, restoration, and reconciliation. We are empowered both by and for God. Our future is restoration and reconciliation.

My vision of Rising Hope in South Sudan came from the book of Nehemiah. So, my goal is to tell my story through Nehemiah's viewpoint, because I am in exile like Nehemiah, and my home country needs rebuilding. This is why I have invited Rt. Rev. Bishop Anyieth to bless my ministry work before its kick-off. This podcast will be in Dinka.

Regarding the rebuilding of the walls of restoration, the Bible says, "The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire."

My vision of Rising Hope in South Sudan came from the book of Nehemiah. So, my goal is to tell my story through Nehemiah's viewpoint. I am in exile like Nehemiah, and my home country needs rebuilding. And this is why I have invited Rt. Rev. Bishop Anyieth to bless my ministry work before its kick-off.

Thank you for helping us make a difference in Bor, South Sudan! The COVID-19 pandemic slowed everything, and it took us longer to finish our Perimeter Wall Project at Rising Hope Christian Center.

We are praising God that we’ve received enough money to begin construction on the final phase of the wall. Construction is resuming now and we have sufficient funds to complete nearly the entire wall. The only part lacking will be the gate. We are praying the remaining $6,000 will come in to finalize the project before the new year.

This past year has been a wild ride. For better or worse, I have tended to do a lot of sighing when thinking of you (as individuals or families) as I pray for you. That's in part, because I miss you, but it's also because so many of you are finding these days challenging.