E109: What is God doing in South Sudan?

Why South Sudan?

An every village podcast where we share stories of transformation from the world's youngest

nation.

The question of the day is, what is God doing in South Sudan?

Hey everyone, this is Tiana Johnson, the host of this podcast called Why South Sudan.

And today we have something extra special because this is an extra special month and we

have a really good podcast ahead of us as we are going to be talking about testimonies

in South Sudan.

But we have a testimony here in Houston that we want to share with our listeners and

that is that we have a new major gift officer here in the house in the Houston office and

her name is Tanisha Burkett.

And so I have her on the podcast here today to join in the fun and celebrating what God

is doing.

And so Tanisha, welcome to the podcast.

Thank you so much.

So glad to be here.

It is so good.

Yeah, I was thinking through who could co-host this podcast with me and I said, you know what?

Who better than another person with a tea name here in the office.

And so Tanisha, I would love for you to introduce yourself.

I'm sure a little bit about yourself and even maybe add on at the end, you know, what

part of every village really drew you to the ministry?

Yes, so great to be here.

So my name is Tanisha Burkett.

I am brand new to Houston, Texas.

I just moved here from Augusta, Georgia, and I have worked in nonprofit my entire career.

So I've done everything from operations to fundraising, which I love.

And I'm so glad to be here.

It's been so great.

The team here is great.

I was drawn to every village months ago.

I started my job search as of my during my transition.

And there were a couple of things I was looking for before that search even started.

And one of them was being a faith-based nonprofit coming from another faith-based nonprofit.

That was my number one.

Number two was a family-oriented space.

And so that was another big, just, you know, area that I really want it for me and the kids.

And so I came across every village as I was just trying to, you know, pray and figure out what was next for us.

And community work has been something that's always been, you know, my passion everywhere I've lived.

So I've done a lot of community work.

And I came across the every village job and I just loved the work that you guys were doing in South Sudan.

Just the vision behind it and, you know, starting from scratch essentially and building a nation was just encouraging.

So it started there and I started to meet with some of the team, some of the leadership and I'm here.

Yeah, it's been so great having you here.

And I think today is going to be extra encouraging because testimonies are, you know, something,

one of our favorite things, just because it reminds us of our why or reminds us of what is God doing on the ground in South Sudan.

Okay, so also just a fun question.

Do you think you'll take a trip to South Sudan sometime?

Absolutely.

I really can't wait.

I've been here in all the stories and just everybody's experience and, you know, it's all slightly different.

And so I can't wait to fill it and see it and be in it myself.

So I'm really looking forward to that.

Yes. Oh, it's so good.

I'm so excited for you.

All right.

So I say, let's go ahead and dive in.

We are actually going to be starting with a water testimony.

And this is from Martha Alok, my or in Mavolo.

And she says, thank you for this wonderful day.

Every village is visit to the site of Pengeach will not be forgotten in our memory.

Since November of last year, we have been suffering from a shortage of water because the well was not functioning properly.

We were eating only once a day because of this hardship.

But today, every village has helped us by installing new pipes, rods and a new cylinder in our water well.

We will continue renewing this agreement year after year.

Thank you again.

Praise God.

Yeah.

I mean, as we've talked on the podcast before, that food and water go hand in hand in South Sudan.

And I'm just so thankful that now Martha has her well back.

Yeah.

Yeah. And imagine since last November, imagine how much time that's been.

So that's great.

I will jump in with the next one also about water from Regina.

I do door.

Good job.

As my pronouns, she's from a wheel.

And she said, I'm very happy for having the well repaired today.

It has been difficult for me to fetch water from far away places.

Imagine an old woman walking long distance to get water.

While our nearby well was broken.

Sometimes I missed a meal in a day because of the lack of water.

Sometimes it took me more than five hours to fetch water and return home.

Now that my nearby well is repaired, I'm joyful.

I feel like singing and dancing.

I want to see Jesus.

I am at the gate knocking.

Oh, come on.

That is.

Yeah, that's incredible.

Oh, man, I think a lot of parts jumped out to me.

But man, just to see that I want to see Jesus.

Yeah.

Yeah.

See, I'm telling you, this reminds us of why we're doing what we're doing.

Definitely.

I mean, imagine walking five hours for a basic need every day to feed your family.

I've heard to say, imagine an old woman.

So I mean, we don't even know how old this woman is.

But obviously she is on the elder years.

Yeah, having that well repaired is really life changing.

All right.

The next one is from Bakeda Adutgarang in a wheel.

And she says, we are very happy for having our well repaired once again.

We will now be fetching safe water from our nearby well and will no longer suffer

by collecting water from far away places.

Our children will no longer risk their lives by going to distant wells or getting

involved in quarrels with people from other villages.

Thank you for giving us solar radios.

We will have access to gospel messages, news and local broadcasting from where Bay FM

and we are grateful to every village for this support.

And so even, you know, as we mentioned before about quarrels at different water

wells, it is because imagine like this is your well.

This is where you get your water from for your family.

And then all of a sudden there's other people like masses of people coming

and trying to get water.

You see why there are quarrels that happen at the water wells.

And then even how she then asked about or thanked us for the solar radios.

It's because our water and our radio work hand in hand, they go together too.

That, you know, our water teams go out.

They share the message of Jesus and they also give radios.

So praise God that it all is working together.

Yes.

Great.

Thank you.

For sure.

And so even as we talk about radio, let's dive into some radio testimony.

Radio testimony.

Here we go.

So we just have the pastor conference.

So this one's from the pastor conference.

So during the 2026 pastor conference in Mavalo, Mama Vales, Amona said,

since the every village conference started, I have not missed the tending

because I have never experienced such a powerful and impactful training in our

church since I was ordained as a pastor.

I truly enjoy the preaching of Mr. Peter Biddi, Biddi, Biddi,

which has also led me to listening regularly to a coup F M.

His messages bring me great joy and continue to strengthen my faith.

Even though I have traveled 45 miles to attend the pastor conference, I do not feel

tired because the work being done by every village is meaningful and encouraged me.

I urge every village to bring more solar radios because the radio is what is

transforming lives every day.

The radio.

The radios are allowing many villages to hear the gospel even more consistently

than we pastors.

The radio can broadcast preaching from Monday to Saturday and the Jesus film is

also being shown while we pastors preach only once a week.

Thanks be to the Lord for reaching every village and saving our lives from the

power of the devil.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

So many things in there.

I mean, gosh, the radios traveling 45 miles to attend the pastor's conference,

that dedication, you know, to your community, your village, your, your people is,

that's so powerful.

I mean, you think of here in America, like we have access to podcasts and YouTube

and hearing many pastors to be poured into.

But I mean, in South Sudan, they don't have that.

What they have is our pastor trainings.

And so it is so, so important.

And then even radio is playing.

And then Jesus film is also being shown.

And just as the pastors, they preach once a week.

And so I'm so thankful that the people in Mavolo, that they get the radio from

a co FM.

And then they also get the Jesus film and the pastor trainings.

Yeah, yeah.

It's just a cool wrap around a little bit of everything.

That's great.

All right.

The next one is also from our pastor training, our pastor conference in

Tange from this year from Isaac Uchala.

He says, I am very happy with every village and the work the team is doing in

Tange and beyond wherever the radio reaches.

Door FM has brought real change in our community.

I had one radio and many people would come and listen together among those who

were listening to people accepted Christ as their savior, which brought great

joy to us as Christians.

We are now requesting more radios so that even more people can hear the message

and come to Christ.

That's what it's all about.

Yes.

It's so, so good.

So actually door FM, what door means is actually peace.

And so I'm so encouraged because this is a village I used to live in.

And to see people come together, one for this person, you know, Isaac, for

him to even want to share his radio for other people to listen.

And just as he says, what brought us as Christians, great joy is seeing people

come to Christ.

Yeah, I just reminded of scripture where all of heaven rejoices as one person.

Repents and comes to Christ.

So praise God for more believers in Tange.

That's amazing.

All right.

Let's jump on over to discipleship.

Okay.

And this one's also from the 2026 pastor conference in Tange.

And attendees said, this conference has been very helpful to me.

In the past, I was not able to read or understand the Bible.

But now I'm able to understand what God is saying through his word because of

this conference.

I'm very thankful to those who organized this conference each year.

May God bless you all.

Oh, that's so good.

That's amazing.

Yes.

The conferences are so needed because again, you know, it's one thing, even

for us to be able to hear or to read and to understand scripture in a

greater way, all the things.

But it's like, it's how so damn this, what they get to have at the pastor

conference is to it deepens their faith that deepens their understanding.

Definitely, definitely.

So good.

All right.

The next one is the wheeled discipleship team as they went out with the

water team to a village called kind of jock and shared a message at a

water well on loving one another from first Corinthians 13, one through seven.

A testimony was shared by a man named Mauya and a caught below who said,

I had never understood how love is taught in the Bible because I was keeping

the wrong things people did to me in my heart.

But when I heard that love is not easily angered and does not keep a

record of wrongs and that we are called to forgive one another in order to

have peace, I realized that this is the life we are looking for.

Even our grandparents did not teach us this kind of love.

We grew up with hatred and killing each other.

And that is why we have not been able to teach our children the love of

God. But today, I have heard it and also seen it from people who came from a

place we do not know to repair our broken well for us.

Nothing will hinder me from believing in Jesus and forgiving my enemies.

Now I surrender my life to Jesus.

Oh, so good.

That is so good.

Yes.

I mean, even just to one, I mean, one, first Corinthians 13, one through seven,

but also the heartbeat of Christianity of following Jesus is forgiveness.

And it's so easy, especially in a culture that is revenge and taking pride

and caring for your ancestors and relatives.

And you're going to take pride in that where the way of Jesus is humility,

the way of Jesus is forgiveness and seeking to know God through love and to

show and reflect other people, his love through that.

So I'm so proud of this, of this man named Maui and that he gets it.

He understands it in a greater way.

And it just makes me think about the generational change that's going to come from this.

You know, just, you know, changing, you know, the mindset, understanding what the

word says.

And now you're going to pass that down to others as well.

You're so right.

I mean, even for him, just to point that out, I've just like, this didn't happen for

us, but I want this to happen to for are the future.

Definitely.

So good.

All right.

So our next one is the a wheeled discipleship team posted on open air preaching

to teach about the salvation of sinful man from numbers 21 versus 4 through 9

and John 3 versus 14 through 15.

A test of money was shared by Rebecca.

And then go.

Gungung.

It's a hard one.

Rebecca Gungung, who said, I turned back to say, I turned back.

To have strong faith in Jesus after spending three years backsliding and not

attending church on Sundays.

But when I attended the open air preaching, I was convicted as I heard the

message about the salvation of sinful man that Jesus Christ loves sinners.

And is the reason he committed himself to die on the cross for the redemption

of sinners like me so that we may have new life in God.

I confess that I will never turn away from my faith in Christ, but we'll

continue to serve him for my whole life.

Oh, man, isn't that the beauty of the gospel that I mean, that's our prayer

for South Sudan for people to hear the truth and to have just a heart awareness

of God's true love and God's salvation that is through him.

Yeah, I mean, building the nation for Christ.

That's what we say.

That is a perfect example.

It's so good. Praise God for Rebecca having new life in Christ.

Amen. All right.

The next one, we are going to be heading over to Jesus film testimonies.

And this is from a Gung, a GOLD DANG.

And she said, I used to be so afraid of the devil.

I knew he was more powerful than me, but I found comfort in the fact that

Christ defeated him for me on the cross, watching the Jesus film has encouraged

me to cast away my fears and put my trust on Jesus Christ, my savior.

Okay, this is so, so true for a power based, fear based culture.

So with this, with the South Sudanese specifically, I mean, they do,

they deal with witchcraft and they see spirits and they, they see the spiritual

realm in a different way that we do.

You know, they fear the ancestors to come back and to basically curse them

or harm their children or anything like that.

And so this spiritual realm is so real in a different way than it is here in

America. And so for him or for her to even say, you know, that the enemy was

were, or the devil is more powerful than, than she is.

But for her to see that, no, Jesus is more powerful than the enemy.

And so I just am so thankful that she is aware of truth and that she can

say, but no, Jesus is more powerful and that she's going to turn to Christ,

especially when fear does come in, because yeah, he has overcome sat

Satan and we have nothing to fear.

Right. Yeah, absolutely.

So another Jesus film testimony from Sultan Grang Alu said, I'm,

I'm the chief of this village and I'm glad you brought the Jesus film to this

church. I know it has revived some people just as it has revived my faith.

I've been drinking lately, but this film has taught me to seek God with the

sober mind. I want to serve him in the way he wants.

This is huge. This is huge. So one, not only the fact that he's been walking

in alcoholism and drinking so much more lately, but also that this is a

chief of a village, like this is someone high ranking. Let's say it's a

mayor of a community, you know, here in Houston, that people look up to him

that there's honor, there's respect, there's pride for his position.

And for this person to have conviction and to see his sin, to see, oh,

this is what I'm turning to for whatever reason, if it's comfort, if it's

sheer pleasure, or if it's, you know, running away from whatever's

happening in life, that this person is saying, you know, he's seeing that he

wants to seek God with a sober mind is so huge. Yeah, for sure.

And then just how that's going to trickle down to the rest of the people in

the village. Yeah, you know, can be in a person of authority and making that

choice publicly, you know, other people will follow.

Yes, so, so good. All right, the next one in the last one that we have is

from Rebecca, a York pacock. She said, I have never really believed or

understood the Bible when it was being read, watching the Jesus film speak

and live in the world was so impactful to my understanding.

Now I believe in Jesus and his resurrection. It is so powerful because

imagine you know, you hear about like you're living in a village, you're

listening to the radio, you're hearing these stories, you're, you know,

hearing these stories of Jesus coming to heal the sick and to give

sight to the blind and to give hearing to the deaf and saying that, you

know, to follow Jesus is the way. And you're like, okay, I want to believe

this. I want to believe this. You're going to church, you're hearing it too.

But then when you get to see the Jesus, Jesus film and see it really

played out and you're like, wait, I get it. I understand it in a greater

way. And so I'm so thankful for Rebecca's testimony because it is true

that it's the film also just supports the radio and the church in a greater

way. Yeah, that's so good. Yeah, praise God. So how encouraging was it

for you to like hear these stories? Just, I mean, just to hear, you

know, from the South Sudanese, I love it. It just puts another

perspective on everything that I'm taking in, you know, in these last

couple of weeks and and just hearing the impact for them. I mean,

from the water to the radio, the discipleship, everything we do,

and they're just appreciation and their gratitude and just their

understanding and hearing about Jesus and that's amazing. I love, I love

that. I was actually recently talking to one of my friends and what I was

saying that I'm so thankful to work for every village because it reminds

me that this isn't our home. And that I think it's so easy in America

that we want the comforts. We want easy. And it's just like, look at this

South Sudanese at these, these people that have so little comfort

wise or even like material wise that they are so focused on the

eternal that they see what what scripture is all about in such a

greater way. And so I'm so thankful to work for every village because it

reminds me of that. So I love hearing these testimonies. We do

these once a quarter because it's just, man, it's so good to hear

and I'm just so thankful. So praise Jesus for lives that are being

transformed even today in South Sudan. Yeah, so thank you so much for

joining with me to need you. Thank you for having me. This was fun.

Is this your first ever podcast? Ever. First ever. I love it.

Feel free to share it with your friends back home. Let them all hear

it. Yes, of course. Well, we're so thankful that God has brought

you to every village. And I can't wait to hear your testimony from

your trip. So we'll have you back on after you go to South Sudan

for sure, for sure, for sure. I would love to. All right.

Thank you so much. All right. So we invite everyone back to the

next podcast as we answer the question as we dive into staff

stories, who is a church atheon? Take care.