Mission to Joudo:Responding to God’s Call

After an eight-hour ride on a motorcycle (boda-boda) from Wau, together with my brother Awad Nyangwa and Pastor Peter Kek, our church planting director, we arrived in the village of Joudo. We came in response to God’s clear calling—an invitation to intentionally, deliberately, and consciously partner with Him to bring hope, healing, compassion, and help to this forgotten village.

The Lord has seen their suffering, He has heard their cries, and He has come down to deliver them from the darkness.

Joudo is home to 492 families. It has no access to clean water, no school, no clinic, and no church. The average family has six children, and polygamy is widely practiced—an average of three wives per husband. One of the most striking moments came when the village chief, who himself has four wives and twenty children, told us that not a single one of his children has ever attended school.

It reminded us of the vision Paul had of the man from Macedonia pleading, “Come over and help us.” This time, the cry came not in a vision, but through the heartfelt words of a desperate father and leader.

Our hearts were broken.

We responded by asking them to build a simple bamboo shade. We will provide a plastic cover to protect it from the rain, offering the first steps toward a place of learning and worship. In addition, we committed to buying them a donkey or a bicycle to help bring water from the neighboring village for the school children.

The joy and gratitude that filled the chief and the elders upon hearing this was beyond words. Truly, the words of the old song came alive before our eyes:

“Little is much when God is in it;

Labor not for wealth or fame.

There’s a crown and you can win it

If you go in Jesus’ name.”