March 2007
Report of trip to Sudan in December 2006 by Pastor Neville and Jackie Hollands
Back in the December of last year Pastor Neville Hollands and his wife Jackie from LifeSpring Church in Reading visited Manny at his base in Yei. Neville has very kindly offered to tell us about his visit there:
Report of trip to Sudan in December 2006 by Pastor Neville and Jackie Hollands
Back in the December of last year Pastor Neville Hollands and his wife Jackie from LifeSpring Church in Reading visited Manny at his base in Yei. Neville has very kindly offered to tell us about his visit there:
“We arrived in Uganda late on the 4th and the following day travelled to see Manny at Yei in Sudan on a small MAF aeroplane with only us and the pilot on board. Manny was waiting for us at the airport which was just as well as the pilot would not have left us there if he wasn’t! The ‘airport’ was an air strip and a hut for customs. We paid $100 to get in and were given no receipt (he had just run out!) and no stamps in our passports, but then this is Sudan! Thirty minutes later we were in the compound Manny stays in on the edge of the centre of Yei.
Yei is not a prosperous town, and is still suffering from the affects of the recent civil war, and even Manny has to be in his compound by 7.00 pm at night for safety reasons. There are many armed soldiers around which can be a bit intimidating, but I guess should also make it much safer too.
Manny is one of a number of ‘missionaries’ living in small ‘chalets’ and working under the umbrella of Across. They all eat together every evening and in the mornings most also meet for a devotional time together, then they all go their separate ways – there being maybe 4 or 5 different ministries represented. Manny is mainly involved in visiting schools and football training with youth in the town and tells us that thousands of youth, particularly in the schools, have responded to the gospel and are born again through his ministry.
Yei is not a prosperous town, and is still suffering from the affects of the recent civil war, and even Manny has to be in his compound by 7.00 pm at night for safety reasons. There are many armed soldiers around which can be a bit intimidating, but I guess should also make it much safer too.
Manny is one of a number of ‘missionaries’ living in small ‘chalets’ and working under the umbrella of Across. They all eat together every evening and in the mornings most also meet for a devotional time together, then they all go their separate ways – there being maybe 4 or 5 different ministries represented. Manny is mainly involved in visiting schools and football training with youth in the town and tells us that thousands of youth, particularly in the schools, have responded to the gospel and are born again through his ministry.
Our two days with Manny were very good. We went with him to a couple of schools and also saw some of the lads he is coaching in football and saw them in action too. He hopes to get married soon - as soon as he can pay the dowry that is – including 2 men’s suits, 2 pairs of men’s shoes, 30 goats and $5000!
Before we left we talked to Manny. We were concerned that without any effective discipleship, Manny’s good work will not come to much. This was evidently the point his mission director was also making a few weeks earlier when visiting Manny. We talked about some possibilities as a way forward, including bringing the ministry under the covering of a local church and & letting them disciple & grow these new converts, but Manny’s preferred option was to find up to 12 young people and begin to equip and disciple them to do the same. In this way, without planting church as such, many, many new converts could be won and discipled, not just in Yei, but Manny’s vision is across South Sudan!
We left Manny 2 days later to continue our ministry trip in Uganda with Pastor Fred of Harvest Christian Church. It was great to see Manny. We noticed how popular Manchester United was among so many young people in Yei, and have therefore written to see if they may be able to sponsor Fly Sports (Manny’s sports ministry) in anyway”.
With thanks to Neville and Jackie Hollands
Before we left we talked to Manny. We were concerned that without any effective discipleship, Manny’s good work will not come to much. This was evidently the point his mission director was also making a few weeks earlier when visiting Manny. We talked about some possibilities as a way forward, including bringing the ministry under the covering of a local church and & letting them disciple & grow these new converts, but Manny’s preferred option was to find up to 12 young people and begin to equip and disciple them to do the same. In this way, without planting church as such, many, many new converts could be won and discipled, not just in Yei, but Manny’s vision is across South Sudan!
We left Manny 2 days later to continue our ministry trip in Uganda with Pastor Fred of Harvest Christian Church. It was great to see Manny. We noticed how popular Manchester United was among so many young people in Yei, and have therefore written to see if they may be able to sponsor Fly Sports (Manny’s sports ministry) in anyway”.
With thanks to Neville and Jackie Hollands
