For on other foundation can no man lay than on that which is laid, which is Yeshua

Shalom to you Co-laborers in the Great Commission,

Now as we approach the end of January 2018, my plan to travel to South Sudan in February has been put on hold since Hannah will be delivering our baby on March 19. It will take her a month to recover. We need your prayers for this our family. Winter season in New England is upon us and it is serious. I can't leave her here with children alone trying to keep the house warm and the drive way shoveled. So, I will wait and leave in the middle of April for two weeks and return in the first week of May 2018. Meantime, between now and before I travel, here are few projects I’m working on with our ground team. They can implement them without my presence on the ground.

Jonathan and Joyce Lueken from left with their family. They are in the States for medical training. They will return to South Sudan in November.

Isaac and Katherine are in South Sudan-Hoping to visit the USA in the Spring or early Summer.

Our Mission The primary Mission of Operation Nehemiah is to rebuild & restore the Biblical family and the Church in the republic of the South Sudan which is recovering from the ashes of war & Islamic persecution through the preaching of the Gospel, promoting sustainable & Biblical stewardship. As Nehemiah 2: 18 says, “Let us rise and build, so they joined their hands together for this good work."

Harvest of Grain in 2017

Our Values The compelling force driving our work is promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which brings people to repentance and eternal salvation. This serves as the criteria for the success of any of our efforts. We believe that a person’s dignity is enhanced through meaningful work, education and discipleship. The main focus of Operation Nehemiah Missions is to promote the Gospel of Yeshua that brings people to repentance and Eternal Salvation. We stand on this scripture "For on other foundations can no man lay than on that which is laid, which is Yeshua. We are ministering to the body, soul, and spirit. Jesus said “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matt. 4:4) We believe that the Bible is the only infallible and authoritative Word of God. We recognize its divine inspiration and accept its teachings as our final authority in all matters of faith and practice.

We are disciplining men, women and children in the South Sudan to have a loving relationship with Aba God, and Savior Yeshua the Messiah. This is our Eternal hope & destiny: we disciple new believers to “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” All these things integrate together: God, family, work, and ministry—and do everything as unto the Lord.

Our Distinctive We are primarily an indigenous mission. Our staff has a burning desire to take an active role in the rebuilding of their nation and to establish a “City on a Hill” in the New Sudan. We believe that self-reliance is best promoted through indigenous leadership. We trained and established skilled and transparent indigenous Field Management Team with a shared long term vision and commitment. Our vision is to equip and empower the indigenous Christians to manage and account for the investment which God has entrusted to them with and through the benevolent gifts of the fellow Christians in USA. Our goal is to build trust and faithfulness with the leadership on the ground to deal with UN incursion and the remaining element of Islamic encroachment. Nehemiah strives to archive genuinely sustainable indigenous operation. Our objective is to reduce the resources coming from outside by increasing the resources generated from within South Sudan.

Our Focus Our primary focus is to prepare Beth Israel, a village Pageri County, Eastern Equatoria State, South Sudan for the return of people who were displaced by the war. We are taking one village and one family at a time. We are intent upon establishing a community that will provide people with the opportunity to rebuild their communities, their families, and to grow in their faith and to build a Godly city upon the Hill that cannot be hidden. We train and disciple women to embrace God, family & motherhood. We train and disciple fathers to demonstrate the impact of a gospel-centered home. In Genesis 18:19, God approved of Abraham, because he commanded his children to keep the way of the Lord. God does not entrust the raising of children to the institutions of the state nor to the church, but to the family. Therefore it is incumbent upon us to disciple parents to teach and disciple their own children in the word of God. Homeschooling is the only means by which we can hope to do this.

Our Outreach We endeavor to implement our vision and mission through indigenous church planting, Pastoral discipleship training, medical relief clinics, gospel radio broadcast, agricultural development, micro business start-up, polytechnic training, and repatriation assistance to families returning from exile. Our goal is to reduce dependence upon imported food and U.N. feeding programs by encouraging the local farmers in entrepreneurial organic farming, producing both healthy food and a stable local economy, thus raising the overall standard of living.

Keeping Operation Nehemiah narrow and straight has been my goal out of obedient to the Lord. Over the years, we could have abandoned our core Biblical value, and taken our needs to Hollywood stars or even UN agencies have come to South Sudan for all kinds of reasons. But we say no, God forbid. God will raise his people. Lift up my eyes to the Mountain from whom my help comes. I will Lift Up My Eyes to the Hills up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.… Psalms 121:1 Therefore, here is the summary of the project we are, seeking God’s direction for in the first and second quarters of 2018: January – June 2018

1- The next project that we are working on to implement is the Nehemiah Hardware Store in Nimule. The ground leadership team chose it over the water project for the moment because it will deliver return in investment better than the water project where all the components must come from South Africa. Whereas the Hardware House store’s materials will come directly from Uganda within a week. We won’t incur taxes on these products coming into South Sudan since we are registered in side South Sudan as Christian entity. The local government is encouraging entrepreneurial venture so that in a long run, the ministry can support itself from within South Sudan, thanks to the body of Christ in the USA. We have a warehouse space in Nimule which we can use for this purpose.

2- The hardware store will be used for selling building materials (cements, roofing materials, construction tools, wheel barrows, hammers, hoes, shovels farm seeds, sickles, axes, saws, nuts, bolts), agricultural tools and products. They have direct application for the daily demands for the need of the population in Nimule. All these products can be obtained from Uganda in a whole sale then sold in Nimule at retail prices with profit. The profit will be used to perpetuate income generation and create revolving support for Operation Nehemiah and advance the great Commission. There. This will take pressure off the main office in the USA and enable to the ground team manage themselves, their families and ministry.

3- As we establish this initiative, we will be moving the block production machine back to Borongole where there is water and the type of soil necessary to make the block and begin to produce more blocks. Even if we don't have the market for the blocks for now, we can use it to build the ministry properties within the three compounds of Operation Nehemiah Missions. These are some of our past achievements involving these blocks

4- The blocks will be used for the construction of: NTC 97.3 FM Gospel Radio Broadcasting studio on Mountain Gordon. Nehemiah Light House Prayer Chapel on Mountain Gordon, short and long-term Mission’s staff quarters on Mountain Gordon.

So, in summary: Prayer need for the first - 2nd quarter quarters of 2018:

1- We are working on putting together entrepreneurial hardware store in Nimule for our staff to start generating income locally so that they can support their families and the ministry’s need general. $-$25, 000 2- I will be traveling to South Sudan with my son Nechemyah and at least with four other missionary’s friends beginning from Mid-April to the first week of May 2018. Mission budget for the trip stands at - $10,000 3- Next phase (1st Quarter 2018) preparation for 2018 agricultural initiative - Land preparation, clearance and expansion - $5000 4- The re - installation of the Hydra-form Block making Machine from Gordon Mountain to Borongole - $500.00 5- Restoring and stuffing of the Nehemiah field clinic medical facility Borongole - $5000.0 6- Nehemiah Trumpet Call 97.3 FM Studio construction on Mountain Gordon - $10,000.00 7- Church support toward evangelistic outreach- $13000.00

8- Total: $68,500

" Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15: 58

God bless His grace William Levi, Founder & Overseer, Operation Nehemiah Missions PO Box 563 Lanesborough MA 01237 USA 413-770-4711