For many years, people prayed for a work of God among the Laarim people of South Sudan. Africa Inland Mission has been privileged to a part of that work, sending a team of men and women to live among them, learn their language and culture, and share the Good News of Jesus Christ. As you view the video and photographs here, rejoice with us that since AIM's outreach began, many Laarim have put their trust in Christ and have found new life in Him.
VIDEO FEATURE: A Laarim Chief shares about his people - their day-to-day lives, their understanding of who God is, and what it's meant to them to have believers from around the world come and live among them.
Phil and Linda recently retired after a 15-year missionary career in Africa. Phil, a medical doctor, assisted in a local clinic as part of their broader ministry among the Laarim. "The community and patients were very receptive to our compassionate care and frequent prayers over them," says Phil. "It also opened doors into homes and compounds as we followed up patients and shared Laarim songs and stories."
The Laarim live in wood huts with large conical roofs of woven thatch. As with any outreach among an unreached people group, learning the people's heart language is an essential first step in sharing the Good News. And stumbling through a new and difficult language sometimes means communicating with hand motions and gestures, as seen here.
Adventures in Moving
It's all hands on deck to move the top section of a Laarim hut to another part of the village.
Above: Massive rock mountains form an impressive backdrop to the thorn tree-laden dusty hills of South Sudan's Boya Hills region where the Laarim people make their home. Below: Team members and Laarim children gather around a well-worn sitting log for some Bible stories. The team has developed a set of 25 Chronological Bible stories spanning Creation to Christ. Storying is a powerful way of sharing Christ in orate cultures.
"God is working!" write Phil and Linda. "As the team began to do discipleship lessons on baptism, the response was an eagerness to obey. Believers have been baptized in seven locations. From one to eight at a time, one time three generations at a time. They have chosen a delightful variety of baptismals, from a flowing river, to natural pools of rain water collecting in the rocks, to the 'mora', an earthen dam rain collection otherwise used for bathing and watering animals."
"We're so thankful that the prayers of many have opened this window of opportunity [to work among the Laarim] and that we were privileged to be a part of it." Phil and Linda, retired team leaders. The work among the Laarim now continues with new team leaders and some new team members.
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Photographs by Jason Ransom
Jason, a Canadian photographer, accompained AIM's On-Field Media team on a trip to document AIM's work among the Laarim. We're grateful for men and women like Jason and our media team who use their gifts to help tell the story of all that God is doing to make Himself known among the nations.
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