Jacob, Africa Sunrise Communities’ Executive Director, has told this story before, but it is a good one to reflect upon again:

On January 22 I was walking along a road in the town of Bor, Jonglei State–my home state. I saw two boys selling water they had collected from the Nile River. I asked them how long they had been doing this business and if they went to school. They told me they didn’t go to school because they had no parents and nothing to eat. They were not working for money–just for food. When I asked how I can pray for them, they said, “Pray that the donkey doesn’t die. Pray that the owner of this donkey doesn’t fire us. If he does, we will have no food.”  I did pray, not just that they would keep their meager job, but that God would provide them and others like them the opportunity to live a full and happy life.

Prayer is an important part of our Christian faith, but God has given us the ability to make our own decisions and with His help we find solutions to our problems in prayer.  Mark (2:4 NIRV) tells us that one time some friends brought a crippled man to see Jesus, but so many people were there, “. . . they could not get him close to Jesus because of the crowd. So, they made a hole by digging through the roof above Jesus. Then they lowered the man through it on a mat.” The friends of the crippled man show us another way to not lose heart, and to know God through our creativity as well as our persistence. Consider the effort these men made for their crippled friend! They carried him to the meeting place. The lifted him to the roof. They dug through the straw and thatch on the roof.  Then they lowered their friend the floor of the building. What rejoicing there must have been among these men, when Jesus healed their friend?The boys with the donkey are working hard to make a life for themselves even though they really shouldbe in school.  They need some help finding other solutions to their life problems. We have prayed for them, but we can use your help to help them!You could say that Africa Sunrise Communities is like the cripple who needed friends to bring him to Jesus. We need friends to bring our mission to new generation of South Sudan. Help us with a prayer. But also help us by spreading the word of our work and making a donation to support our work._________________________________________________________Follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@africa_sunrise). 

This is Bior. He is 9 years old and lives in Bor, Jonglei State, South Sudan. He is a busy and active youngster who spends time with his cousin, Kuai, and enjoys playing card games.Five years ago he was injured during a rebel attack in South Sudan. His family had been struggling to provide good health care for Bior, and wishing they could afford to send him to school. For the last year, a supporter of Africa Sunrise Communities has been sponsoring Bior’s education with a monthly stipend for his school fees.“It is a great gift,” says Jacob Guot, Executive Director of Africa Sunrise. “This is the generosity and love we see so frequently from ASC supporters. I enjoyed visiting Bior this past January and am happy to report he is a positive young man and applying himself to his studies.” Jacob noted, however, that it is hard for Bior to fully understand why he is different from his classmates, and where his leg has gone.Jacob reports that Bior’s mother, too, is depressed and struggling to come to terms with her son’s injury and disability. The range of medical support, counseling, and occupational training in Bor is very limited at this time.  While the city is calm and day-to-day business occurs, South Sudan as a nation is still under threat from intertribal fighting and civil strife. And, it is a country where nobody has escaped the past twenty years of conflict without some injury or loss.Having Bior in school is a great first step, but he would benefit from better medical care and a more stable lifestyle in Uganda or Kenya. Until Africa Sunrise Communities can complete its school and offer professional support services to its students, raising funds to sponsor students in boarding schools outside of South Sudan is the next best option.Supporters looking for a special project to undertake, beyond the broader fundraising for our new school, please contact Jacob Guot to discuss how you can help Bior and a few other special needs children in Bor._________________________________________________________Follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@africa_sunrise).

This is one of three blogs in a series, sharing highlights of my trip to South Sudan in January 2018, Part 1: Fortune, Part 2: Family, and Part 3: Future. Thank you for sharing this journey with me!  ~JacobThe third group who received me, perhaps the most important, were the children.On January 13, I was in Juba, the capital city of South Sudan. In the evening, I went with my cousins to a street coffee shop. As we were waiting to order our coffee, a little boy came and asked me very gently, “I shine your shoes?” I asked him how much he wanted us to pay. He said, 25 South Sudanese pounds for each of you. That’s about 25 cents US. I said, “OK.” My cousins and I, nine people in total, took off our shoes.While he was shining our shoes, I had a chance to ask about his life.  “Do you go to school?” I asked. “No,” he said, “my parents have no money for school fees.”I offered to give him and his sister (pictured behind him) a gift of $50.  He looked frightened and said, “Look, if I take this money it will be too dangerous for me.  Someone might rob me or beat me to death for the money. Besides, it will soon run out and I will be back in the same place I am now.”“So how can I help you?” I asked.“Give us a school,” he said.  “Collect all of us kids living in the street, begging for a living, and teach us how to make a living.”  My cousins and I all wept when we heard this boys request, but his message was clear to us.###On January 22 I was walking along a road in the town of Bor, Jonglei State–my home state. I saw two boys selling water they had collected from the Nile River. I asked them how long they had been doing this business and if they went to school. They told me they didn’t go to school because they had no parents and nothing to eat. They were not working for money–just for food. When I asked how I can pray for them, they said, “Pray that the owner of this donkey doesn’t fire us. If he does, we will have no food.”  I did pray, not just that they would keep their meager job, but that God would provide them and others like them the opportunity to live a full and happy life.These two experiences reaffirmed in me a belief that building a school in Bor is a critical need for our community’s future.  I hope these children’s stories underscore that need to you, as well.  Since my return to the United States, we are making progress in our plans to build a school for these children in Bor.  See early pictures of the land Africa Sunrise Communities has secured here. But we can use your help! To contribute to the building fund, make a donation here.Check back often for updates, and if you missed the beginning of this story, start with this blog post: January Trip Part 1: Fortune._________________________________________________________You can also follow these posts on Facebook and on Twitter (@africa_sunrise).

This is one of three blogs in a series, sharing highlights of my trip to South Sudan in January 2018. The series includes Part 1: Fortune, Part 2: Family, and Part 3: Future. Thank you for sharing this journey with me!  ~JacobThe second important group of people I met was my own family. When I was a small boy, I had shared with my brother and cousins a dream I had experienced.  I saw myself in a white collar, standing before my people as a spiritual leader. My cousins didn’t like my dream.  They thought I should join the military or go into politics. No one in our family has ever been a pastor, they said.  Even at my ordination, some were still objecting. So, how would they now receive me? (more…)

This is one of three blogs in a series, sharing highlights of my trip to South Sudan in January 2018. The series includes Part 1: Fortune; Part 2: Family; and Part 3: Future. Thank you for sharing this journey with me!  ~JacobLike Nehemiah in the Old Testament, the Lord placed a burning desire in my heart to help the country I left as a child.  In January, I returned to Bor, the main town in my home state, to conduct an assessment of the needs—just like Nehemiah did a secret survey of the broken-down walls of his beloved city, Jerusalem. (more…)

On the weekend of July 23-24, 2016, Jacob Guot visited the First United Methodist Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He was accompanied by his whole family – his wife, Rebecca, his son Biar (7), his daughter Angieth (6), and his son Ayiei (nearly 3). Pastor Joe DiPaolo and the congregation of the church welcomed the Guot family warmly and gave them the opportunity to tell their story.Jacob was privileged to preach in the three Sunday morning services and the church held a reception for the family after the services. Jacob also visited some individual members of the congregation and was invited to meet with the Missions Committee of the church.A reception was held for the Guot family after the services and Jacob presented a recognition certificate to Pastor Joe DiPaolo for the church. Pictured is Rev. Jacob Guot with FUMC Pastor Joe DiPaolo with the congregation during the reception.Jacob told the story of his being forced to flee for his life as a 7-year-old boy. Through God’s hand of protection upon him, he grew up in a refugee camp and then was brought to the United States as one of South Sudan’s “lost boys” in 2001. He subsequently became an American citizen, learned English, and obtained an education. With his recent graduation from Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, Jacob is now going to work to provide for his family.But his heart for South Sudan has led him to establish his non-profit organization, Africa Sunrise Communities, through which he is endeavoring to raise enough funds to take him and his family to Uganda to work inside a large South Sudanese refugee camp there. Jacob wants to give the children of the camp an education to give them hope for their own lives and to give his country of South Sudan a future.Will you help Jacob to bring hope and reconciliation to South Sudanese refugee children in Uganda? Please give generously to this effort. All gifts are tax-deductible. Yours truly,ASC Founder and President,Jacob Guot

As President of Africa Sunrise Communities, I thank you for your ongoing prayers and support for the crisis situation in South Sudan. We have been notified that hundreds of thousands of civilians are fleeing the cities of Jalle Payam and Maar as a result of another heavy attack from the rebels. Shortly after we released the first newsletter, we learned that rebels attacked a passenger bus on the Juba-Nimule road In the South Sudan. Many passengers fled for their lives and hid in the bush to escape further violence. According to South Sudan Times, “…at least five people were reportedly killed.” http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?iframe&page=imprimable&id_article=57091Those passengers that survived and were able to flee were fortunate, but now they have the tough choice to travel back to Juba or proceed to Uganda. Even though the rebel situation appears to be under control, there is no way to know when another attack will happen.These continued attacks serve as a painful reminder of the uncertain situation in South Sudan. As you will recall from a few weeks back, my mother-in-law was killed in a similar rebel attack and four of my nieces and nephews were displaced. We at Africa Sunrise Communities have been raising money to transport these children to safety in a Ugandan Refugee Camp and provide food and school for them going forward. So far, out of the $2900 needed to get them to safety, we have raised $1,093. I spoke with people in the area last night and the situation is still very dangerous for the children. We’re looking to get them out of the village as soon as possible.As I reflect on these latest events, the Lord spoke to me through the following Scripture: My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you… (Galatians 4:19) I want to share with you my motivation and encouragement for Africa Sunrise Communities, as I feel that God has given me the task and burden to bring this ministry to realization. I feel that it is my responsibility to open the world’s eyes to the situation in my home country, and the joys and pains of “birth” that are mine to bear as I see this ministry take off. God has seen me through many difficulties and I trust He will provide for this ministry. However, I cannot do this alone—I need your support through these challenges as well as praise to our Lord in times of rejoicing. During this time of pain and suffering, I know that the Lord is restoring and I look forward to its fruition.Thank you for your continued prayers and support,Rev. Jacob Thon GuotPresident and Founder