Equipping National Missionaries and Pastors

In terms of evangelism, Eastern Equatoria is home to some of the country’s least reached and least engaged people. It is also one of the regions suffering from food insecurity due to recent catastrophic events: drought, floods, conflict, and locust invasion. The desperate conditions, both physical and spiritual, and the fact that foreigners cannot easily access these communities inspired Dan to partner with indigenous missionaries and pastors to brainstorm ideas for intervention.

The project to equip locals with skills needed by the communities they serve has been delayed due to coronavirus. Last year, Dr. Tammy Brodie and her husband, Rod, came all the way to South Sudan, only to be locked down at the start of the pandemic’s spread across East Africa. Now that people have adjusted to a new normal, the couple returned to South Sudan give it another try.

The threesome, Dan, Tammy, and Rod, conducted intensive training throughout the week. Topics covered include agriculture, tree grafting, animal health, and motorcycle maintenance and repair. “One of the biggest challenges was teaching people who have never gone to school how to calculate the proper dosage of medicine to be given to their livestock,” said Brodie. “We had to estimate the weight of the animal and then multiply the does to fit the situation.”