A new TIMO team began ministry in South Sudan at the end of last year. They share about their location and their vision.
Torit is a cosmopolitan town where AIM’s partner church, the Africa Inland Church South Sudan, has a strong presence. Located on lands traditionally inhabited by the Lotukho people group, many different peoples now live there, with groups becoming increasingly intertwined. But in the hills surrounding the town live many distinct and unreached people groups.
The new TIMO team is made up of four North Americans, David, Tessa, Love and Melissa. Together with the team leaders, Troy and Bekah Sammons, they have a goal to ‘grow, partner, and go,’ a slogan that was created during their orientation week. The team hopes to grow in their relationship with Jesus and in their heart for and understanding of mission, bond and partner with the local church, and together go out to the unreached of South Sudan.
With this goal to ‘go’ in mind, the team live in basic mudbrick and steel houses with water catchment and small solar power units, similar to the housing they would encounter in the surrounding villages. They are living on the same site as a local family from the church to help assimilate them to life with minimal privacy and to have readily available language and culture teachers. As they grow in language and culture they will explore partnering with local ministry opportunities in the town as well as pray for opportunities to reach the nearby unreached communities with the gospel.