Simon LaJu is not even 20 years old, but being raised in animistic, war scared, Southern Sudan has given him the experience that makes him seem much older. From his earliest years his memories are painful. His mother abandoned her children to marry another man before he began school. He has not seen her or talked to her since. Unfortunately shortly after this, his father was taken away for a few years because of severe illness.
He was shifted around and ended up staying in a relative’s home; the woman had her own children, and only fed Simon when there was something left after her family had eaten. She beat him regularly. Simon was frightened, angry and bitter. At the first opportunity he escaped from that environment to live here and there, where ever he could with friends.

The peace agreement was signed when Simon was just 14 years old. Soon after the fighting stopped people began looking for pleasure, and dance bars began springing up in almost every village of any size. Simon and his friends began drinking and going to bars when he was in his mid teens. There were no regulations to keep teenagers out of such places. They also started stealing and robbing in order to buy beer. At one point, earlier in his life, he had been sponsored for a couple years in a primary school in Kinyiba through the African Children’s Choir. But that seemed so long ago by the time he reached his late teens. Simon was out of control and headed toward the life of a criminal.

About 3 AM one morning, after a night of fighting and drinking, he staggered to his older brother’s home and fell asleep on the bed without even taking his shoes off. His brother who had become a Christian allowed him to stay in his home sometimes. Even though his brother was living for God, Simon had never once gone to church in his whole life. But shortly after falling asleep that morning he began to dream; in the dream something hard slammed into him and he was startled to attention. He heard a voice that began telling him that if he continued to live this way that he was going to die! It seemed so real that he became frightened. The dream suddenly changed and a man was preaching to him from John chapter 3 telling him that he needed to be born again. Then another voice told him to wake up and go read John chapter there. Because he was at his brother’s house he was able to find a Bible and as he began reading he realized that it was the same passage that the man in the dream had been preaching from.
It was Sunday morning, and for the first time in his life Simon got up early and went out to find a church. Safe Harbor had recently planted a church in his village of Limi that was meeting in a primary school. So he came there and Asili, our leader in that area was visiting that church and he choose Simon to interpret for him. As he was interpreting Simon was getting more and more convicted about his life and knew that as soon as he had the opportunity he needed to surrender control to Christ.

Somehow he did not get saved that morning but the next evening our team was having a crusade in the nearby village of Nyaco, still determined to act on the dream, he came there and gave his life to Christ. Since that time he has been living wholeheartedly for God and has felt a call to take the Gospel to others. Simon is now a member of our crusade team and an intern in our Leadership training program. Last Friday evening Simon gave his testimony at a crusade to over 800 people-quiet a change for the once angry, lonely young man whose life was on a collision course with disaster. You could see other young men in the crowd listening with rapt attention as Simon confidently shared. You can help us reach other young men like LeJu
Our goal by the grace and enabling of God, is to plant 1,000 churches and see 500,000 people make decisions for Christ by 2020.

Give now by scrolling to the top of this page, click on give, and then follow the directions.  You can use a visa or master-card credit or debit card. You can also send a check to Hope For The Future, PO Box 755, Anacortes WA 98221 

Our Core Ministries: 1. Church Planting 2. Jesus Film Outreaches  3. School Assemblies 
4. Leadership Development 5. Children’s Ministry  6. Meeting Basic Human Needs
7. HIV/AIDS Awareness 8. Women’s Justice Issues  9. Short Term Teams 10. Clean Water

If you would like a Hope for the Future representative to come to your church, small group or event, or if you would like to explore being on a short term team, contact Louise Short at 360-333-0371.    www.facebook.com/glshort, gsPrayForSudan@gmail.com, www.PrayForSudan.org