Will you pray right now, wherever you are?

Heavenly Father, please fill my heart with your love for those who are, with me, the bride and body of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Help me to truly encounter persecuted Christians:

That encountering them, I might understand them;

Understanding them, I might better pray for them;

Praying for them, I might experience their needs as if they were my own;

Experiencing their needs, I might love them deeply as my eternal family;

Loving them, I might be moved to serve them;

And serving them, I might be inspired by their examples of faith. Amen.

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On April 15, 2023, two Sudanese generals who had previously been accused of war crime began fighting for control of Sudan.  Islamists within the two armies, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), often target Christians while fighting one another.  "You have advantage being taken of the chaos in order to perpetrate direct persecution on the Church and on believers," a front line worker said. 

As fighting intensified in the nation's capital, Khartoum, during the first few days of the war, Church leaders quickly arranged for the evacuation of Church members by bus.  They were evacuated to the relative safety of the Nuba Mountains in the southern part of Sudan. "The attackers were raping girls and taking boys to go and train them as fighters" Nyandenga, (a Sudanese woman who received aid from the global body of Christ),  said about why she felt she must leave for the mountains.

Village Chief Arduv

While fighting continues between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the SAF has also begun bombing in the Nuba Mountains, home to people they have long considered enemies.  In March, 2024, they bombed a school filled with children, killing 12 students and 2 teachers.  Chief Arduv's 16 year old daughter was killed and his 10 year old son was seriously injured in the legs by shrapnel.  As a leader, he had to gather and bury the dead.  The Chief requested  prayer for his community.  " Let the people pray for them.......because most of the children are traumatized," he said, "They are full of despair, and they don't want to go back to school again."

The civil war has resulted in a massive displacement of people, with an estimated 1 million mostly Christians seeking refuge in the Nuba Mountains.  The lack of food and medicine has led to widespread disease and illness. Education has also been severely impacted,  In essence, the Nuba Mountains region, historically a haven for Christians facing persecution, is now grappling with the combined effects of ongoing religious persecution, a brutal civil war, and a severe humanitarian crisis. Christians in the region are particularly vulnerable, facing both direct targeting by warring factions and the devastating consequences of displacement, food shortages, and limited access to essential services. 

Our persecuted Christian family members in Sudan continue to trust in God, even when their circumstances seem bleak.  A displaced Christian, who has been separated from his wife and children and is unable to find work said this "I are in complete confidence that one day God will find a way out for me, I don't know when and how but I believe that God will do this and has not forsaken us."

Amid great suffering, the body of Christ remains hopeful and active in Sudan's Nuba Mountains.  God is using the vibrant witness of Sudanese Christians to help transform the lives of Muslims who have taken refuge there and in other predominantly Christian areas.  "There's a massive loss of faith in Islam right now," a front-line worker said.  "The difference is clear between how these Muslim army groups are treating them and how believers are treating them, and it's opening up doors to share the gospel.  They aren't just hearing the gospel; they are also experiencing the love in that context."  Pastor Matta, a senior Church leader in the Nuba Mountains, declared, "One day Satan will regret starting this war, because it has made so many Opportunities for the gospel.  

Voice of the Martyrs

Trying to understand what it is like for our precious Christian Sisters to give birth and raise their children in a refugee camp is  real work for us.  As Fathers it is impossible for us to imagine our daughters being raped and our sons being taken off to fight in this civil war.  We need the love of Christ  to compel us to love the Sudanese Christians enough to overcome the differences and distances that separate us.  As we do so, we will come to understand that within God's great family, our significant differences are insignificant when compared to our unity.  One Lord, one gospel, one faith, one baptism, and one Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts.  God be praised!

Our Persecuted Christian Family in Sudan

Not far from a camp of more than 45,000 displaced people, a Christian -run hospital treats civilians as well as an occasional wounded soldier.  Before the clinic opens each morning, chaplains and staff pray for those waiting for care.  Dr. Zachariah, the sole doctor in the remote hospital, regularly removes shrapnel from victims of the bombings.  He, too, is a survivor of a bombing by the Sudanese Armed Forces.  When he was in the 4th grade, government planes bombed his school, killing 15 students and a teacher.  His childhood experiences inspired him to study medicine.  And today, he begins every surgical procedure by praying that God will guide his hands and heal the patient.  

The Nuba Mountains region has been isolated by decades of struggle with the Islamist government of Sudan.  Because the area is blockaded by the Sudanese government, it has no airport or river port and can be traversed only by dirt roads.  There is not a mile of paved road in the entire region, which is about the size of the U.S. state of Georgia.

Despite the logistical challenges and current civil ware, front-line workers find a way to deliver aid to Christians there.  Life-saving supplies are loaded onto rugged vehicles, which travel hundreds of miles over rough dirt tracks to reach towns almost completely isolated from the outside world.  Medical supplies, basic necessities, such as tarps, kitchen tools and Bibles, help Christians survive and let them know they are remembered by the global body of Christ. Still, resources in the region are limited, and life is a struggle.  "We don't have food," said a woman with children.  "We don't have anything; we are eating the leaves from the tree."

Pastors and other ministry workers in the predominantly Christian area have requested Bibles for those living in the camps.  Often their Bible were lost when they had to flee the violence.  Halima, a woman who received a bag of supplies and an audio Bible from a local caring Christian, said this "The Bible will help me to leave the bad thoughts and put the Word of God in my heart."