Operation Nehemiah Mission - 1st Quarter 2009, Missions Report

Operation Nehemiah Missions, PO Box 2 Cheshire, MA 01225, Phone: 888-774-1431/
413-354-5128. Email: levifamily1@verizon.net, http://www.operationsnehemiah.org/nehemiah.org/
Dear Friend,
Shalom! Hannah and I want to thank you for your love and prayers for us at the birth of our second son , Yehudah Azariah Robert Levi. We are truly enjoying getting to know him, as he is a sweet and contented little boy with an easy going disposition. His birth went very well and Hannah’s recovery is progressing as we had hoped. Yehudah’s siblings are always eager to hold him and rejoice at his every smile and coo! We are blessed and thankful to God, the author of all life, for gifting us with this precious new little one.

Mission Update: My father in law Robert Kirkman lef, returned from South Sudan along with his daughter Chavaleh at the end of February . They spent two weeks in the field bringing spiritual and medical support to the community there. Here is an encouraging report from them that was written while they were still on the ground:

Congregation youngsters in Opari, welcomes our missionary with song and danceIt is now 4:45 PM on Sunday. We had a beautiful 4 hour long church service here in Borongole. The outpouring of God's love was remarkable. Lots of singing, greetings and prayer.

Pastor Michael Levi (r) of the Beth Israel Messianic

Congregation gave a powerful message on God's love from 1 John 2. The joy was infectious. The church is really thriving here. The best part of the trip so far is that Pastor Michael is taking us to greet members of each of the satellite congregation each day. I have been able to greet each church and bring some encouragement from the word...so far God has given me the appropriate scriptures without me even knowing the specific spiritual condition of each church beforehand.
Figure 2 Robert Kirkman, visiting Operation Nehemiah Banana plantation

Figure 3 Chavaleh Rose Kirkman visits the family who named their daughter after herI am so happy that Chava is here. I think she found out what a blessing she is to the people here when one of the church leaders stood up this morning and said that he is naming his newborn daughter (born yesterday morning) "Chavaleh Rose"...you can imagine the tears in her eyes. We are going to visit the family tonight.
Next to the Church and food production, the clinic is the most important ministry for the day to day needs of the people here.

I think I have said what a good spiritual leader Pastor Michael Levi is...each day he proves that in a new way.. WHAT SABBATH DAY THIS IS! It is good to finally have email to communicate. Greet for me families back home and others at churches that support and Pray for Operation Nehemiah... We will see you soon...’’

Pastor Michael Levi, Left, planted seven new congregations in 2008.

Church renovation: The roof project has been completed. The doors, windows and upper wall portion of the supporting beams have also been completed. This renovation project was made possible through a generous grant from Samaritan’s Purse Ministries based in Boone, N.C. And other supports came from Hope Church in Lenox, MA and Grace Fellowship in Latham, NY.

The renovated building will house the rapidly growing congregation and provide a stable place to conduct church life and community outreach. The people (our brothers and sisters) are now worshipping inside the church. We are grateful to all of you for helping us fulfill Nehemiah 3 in restoring the church of Christ and the families in the South Sudan. We are actually witnessing the reminiscence of the historic restoration of Jerusalem’s walls mentioned in Nehemiah 3. In this case, like in the day of Nehemiah we are restoring the church and the family in the South Sudan.. Future needs: This church still lacks funds to complete the windows, doors and plastering from inside so you can pray about God’s provision for additional $3000. Despite of lack of windows and doors, the roof is on and that gives joy to all of our hearts. We will take one day at a time. We also have some church buildings that require renovation. So I ‘m putting all of these needs in prayers before God.

The final phase of the Nehemiah Trumpet Call Gospel radio
Figure 6 NTC 97.3 FM

The Nehemiah trumpet Call Gospel Radio Project is now entering its final stages. Last year VCY America helped Operation Nehemiah with $44,000 to complete the three remaining stages of the cosntruction of the Radio Tower project. The fund covers completion of a studio facility on to top of Gordon Gordon Mountain in Nimule, South Sudan to house the STL studio and a transmitter equipment.

Stage 1: Part of the fund, $8,239 is for the construction of the Fence around 40x40 m of the Tower on Gordon Mt, plus the repair of the white truck and gas money. Please see the BOQ for the Fence project on stage 1 of the construction for the breakdown.

Engineer David Firth has been assigined to carry out the construction of this project along with Joseph Levi, Operation Nehemiah's field director on the ground. WE sepent $8,839 for the fence project. This Fund is provided by Vic Eliason, of VCY America who has adopted Operation Nehemiah Missions. People who will be working on the project including Engineer David Firth and Joseph Levi. The fence project has been completed in March 2009 and now we have move to the second stage of the project.

Stage 2: $12,056 for the construction of the facility to house the equipment on Gordon Hill. Please see the BOQ of this project in stage 2 of the construction for the breakdown. - This Fund is provided by Vic Eliason, of VCY America who has adopted Operation Nehemiah Missions.

The building facility has just been finished this month

Stage 3: The fund for solar panels, inverters, charge controllers, solar obstruction lights and batteries in the amount of $20, 900 has been kept and used here in the USA to purchase these equipment. To date we have pruchased all the 3.63 KW solar panels, 4 ( 6v) 740 Amp hours batteries, (2) 5KVA inverters ( 6) 60 AMP Hours charge controllers, and 2 solar obstruction light obstruction lights with 3-5 years life time before we can replace the solar batteries on the tower. All of these asset have been shipped in the medical container leaving for Borongole South Sudan has finally arrived ready to be mounted.
Figure 8 22 solar modules- 165 w/panel
The final phase of the Nehemiah Trumpet Call 97.3 FM Gospel radio project. The security fence, studio, and solar power installation is currently underway.
We were able to obtain a total of 3630 watt solar panels from Canada with financial support from VCY America. The radio station is now 100% solar powered and we are free from dependence on expensive fuel. Praise the Lord!

Agricultural Development in Beth Israel Ako: Grant for Matchable gift. Operation Nehemiah’s agricultural program has received a $15,000 grant from an anonymous donor to open 100 acres of land for diverse planting. The $15,000 grant is Matchable dollar for dollar. Any one interest to help us match this money can call to let us know to you can send a donation for that purpose.

A gift of this size enables us to further realize our vision of creating a Christ centered traditional family approach to farming, with food production being once again a viable source of income for parents and children working together. Our hope is to see a stable and thriving community that is self sufficient and Creative for the Glory of God.

We have been meditating on the following scripture and ask that you pray for us with this in mind:
“Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers.

Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years; to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and revering him.” Deuteronomy 8

Operation Nehemiah is preparing to load another 40ft relief container bound for South Sudan. I would like to express my deep appreciation to Universal Aide Society of Canada for donating the funds to purchase the container, to Hope Church in Lenox, MA for providing the space to keep it over the next few weeks and donors who helped us transport the container from NJ to MA.
Donations of the following items will be received by appointment only beginning on 3/ 8/09. For the sake of keeping the church grounds neat, I request that there be no random dropping of goods in the church or by the container side without prior notification.


“Then they said, "Let us arise and build." (A)So they put their hands to the good work.” Nehemiah 2:18
All donations tax deductible. Thank you for your faithful and generous support.

In His service,

William Levi, President