SUDAN
WAR ON CHRISTIANS

Voice of the Martyrs
July 2017 Special Photo Issue

(I receive this periodical and wanted to share the story, but could not find it on line. So I’m typing it in for all to see. You can find Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) on line at: persecution.com).

The pastor’s voice cracked as he was overcome with emotion. Unable to continue the funeral service, he passed his Bible to the pastor next to him to continue. But that pastor, also fighting back tears, had to pass the Bible alone to another man.

The Sudanese Christians had gathered to mourn for five children, all killed as they ran for shelter during a government bombing. Although death and destruction were nothing new to these believers in the Nuba Mountains, the loss of the children was especially difficult.

Since 2012, the Sudanese military has dropped 4,000 bombs in the region, so the people living there have grown accustomed to daily bombings. The children recognize the sound of approaching government planes and can even tell, by changes in the sound of the engine, when a bomb has been loosed. When they hear the pitch of the engine suddenly change, they run for the shelter of a foxhole; every hospital, school, church and home has one nearby.

We asked the pastor, “How do you get used to this?”

“You don’t,” he said as his eyes filled with tears.

Pray that the hearts of Christians in the Nuba Mountains will be filled with the peace of Christ, as they understand that their suffering is not in vain.

Since the Sudanese government began bombing hospitals in South Kordofan in 2011, the region has become almost devoid of medical assistance. Non-governmental organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, the U.N. and the Red Cross, were forced to suspend medical activities after hospitals were repeatedly targeted. The Sudanese government has effectively banned medical and humanitarian aid to the region, revoking the licenses of organizations that had been working there.

The remaining medical assistance in the region is staggering inadequate: two doctors and three medical facilities (including a tent) for 1.1 million people.

Even if people weren’t being maimed by daily government bombing, medical aid would still be badly needed – for delivering babies, treating malaria and helping people injured in farming accidents, to name only a few examples. Without proper treatment, even a case of diarrhea can cause serious complications.

Last year, VOM delivered 44.5 tons of medicine to the South Kordofan region, and we continue to support the few medical workers who sacrificially serve there. We are currently helping a doctor build a clinic in western South Kordofan and are providing mosquito nets for patients.

A VOM-supported medical clinic recently provided care for a young man badly injured when a government rocket struck his thigh. He became the first patient to receive treatment from a new skin graft machine, and today he’s once again an active member of his church.

“Please tell the American church to pray for us,” he said. “And also, don’t forget us.”

“Even when the [Action Pack] kits are not enough, our people somehow manage to share what little they have,” Pastor Alferic said.

A special spirit exists in the Nuba Mountains. Though the people are poor, they share what they have with those around them and no one steals from his neighbor. This spirit of generosity even extends to non-Christians. When Pastor Alferic has something extra he can share, he invites his Muslim neighbors, too. “It’s not just about giving aid,” he explained. “It’s about building relationships and trust within communities.”

Aisha, pictures at right, is a Muslim who sought shelter at the Yida refugee camp (home to 50,000 people) after her husband was killed by a bomb. While there, a Christian offered hew a VOM Family Med Pack. She was thrilled with the gift of gauze, bandages, a comb and more, and Abdullah was thrilled to share the gospel with her. Aisha’s son also received an illustrated gospel track that will help him understand God’s love for him.

“The Muslims in the region are so open to the gospel right now,” said VOM’s African Regional Director Sean Paton. “All the support they receive is coming from Christians.”

Imagine sitting in your church listening to the pastor’s sermon and suddenly feeling a rush of adrenaline as you and those around you egin to recognize the familiar whine of a plane approaching. In an instant, everyone runs for cover, leaping into foxholes or seeking shelter behind rocks.

Four of the most dangerous places to be in the Nuba Mountains are church buildings, schools, hospitals and fields of crops. Sudanese government bombers target the shiny roofs of buildings and anything resembling a field of crops that might be used to help sustain those living nearby. They want them out of the region or dead.

Although their church buildings have been bombed and they face continual threat of attack, believers in the Nuba Mountains continue to gather faithfully for worship. In their ongoing difficulties, they have no one and nothing to depend on but God.

They pray day and night, knowing their lives might be taken at any moment. And Christians in the region have countless opportunities to share Christ with the Muslims who flee the bombings with them. Pastor Matta, who works in the Nuba Mountains, said, “Because of persecution, because of hatred, because of a lot to things against us, it made more Muslims … open to hear and listen to the gospel.”

So Christians continue to worship in the Nuba Mountains, encouraging one another and pointing Muslim neighbors to Christ.

“Where are the Christians from the outside?” Pastor Matta used to wonder after each bombing or raid by government soldiers. “Are we alone?”

Today, Pastor Matta knows he is not alone or forgotten. A visit from VOM workers and the gift of Action Packs provided by VOM readers have reminded him that his Christian brothers and sisters around the world are praying for him and other Sudanese Christians.

The people of the Nuba Mountains have always been poor, sustaining themselves with farming and livestock. They have very little in the way of material goods, so the gift of an Action Pack with a few items of clothing, sheets, sandals and other items is precious to them. And the most precious part is knowing that it was lovingly packed by a Christian in another country who cares for them. They know they are not forgotten.

Heavenly Father, we thank You for faithful men like Pastor Matta, Kuti, Pastor Alferic, Pastor Morris and others who choose to stay in South Kordofan to share the gospel and build up Your church. How amazing that amid what looks like pure evil, God, You are working all things together for good. We give You glory for that! Lord, Psalm 126:3 says that You have done great things for us, and we are glad. Certainly we are glad for all that You are doing in the Nuba Mountains. All praise and glory and honor be to Your name. Amen.