Brad Phillips with "Mercy," our Mercedes 911 truck.

PPF driver, David M., and Conductor, Peter B., had completed a delivery of shoes and medical supplies to the Darfur refugee community in Jaac and were headed back to Kenya before the Sudan elections when they were stopped by soldiers manning a roadblock. The rogue soldiers took everything of value the two men carried, including their identification, and forced them to drive troops through the bush to various villages and check points. While this was happening, Nashon waited in Kenya for the team to “check in” to report their progress for the day.

But no word came for three days.

PPF's driver, David M. (second from left) was kidnapped for three days.

Finally, the soldiers released our team, and they drove straight for the border, only to be arrested again by another group of soldiers because our men had no identification! Providentially, a group of Kenyan soldiers patrolling the border saw the truck stopped by the Sudanese soldiers and secured the release of our team.

The two men are now back in Kenya, safe but a little rattled, as you can imagine.

PPF is blessed with a dedicated staff willing to submit to the risks associated with working in a very volatile and even hostile environment. Our goal is to reach the lost with the message of the Gospel, and the persecuted Church with encouragement from the Body of Christ here in America.

God has used the continued support of our ministry partners to supply the materials needs of this ministry. But it is God alone who provides us with the protection to do our work. Please pray that God would continue to keep all of us safe as we seek to be an effective witness for Christ in Southern Sudan and Darfur.

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Every now and again, I like to rummage through some old pictures of PPF ministry activities and remember how good God has been to us through the years.

Pastor Morris preaching to his congregation in Jaac.

Recently, I ran across several early photos of refugees arriving in Southern Sudan from Darfur. They were on the run, severely discouraged, and starving. Most had no shelter. This was the community of Jaac in 2006.

One of the old pictures I found was of a man who looked very down-trodden. He was dressed in rags and huddled under a tree, holding a tarp over himself and a little baby trying to stay dry. At first glance, he looked like just another refugee from Darfur. But this guy was no ordinary refugee. His name was Morris Malual, and little did I know that within a couple of years, this man would be a leader of hundreds in Jaac.

In 2006, PPF found Morris Malual in Jaac huddled under a tarp trying to keep the rain off his baby (who is wrapped in a blanket on his knee).

Today, Morris is a pastor of the largest church in Jaac. He’s a major leader in the community. He leads a group of pastors representing 15 churches spread over 100 square kilometers. Morris also started the first school in Jaac, which initially met under a tree outside his church building. And he was one of the first graduates of a PPF-sponsored 500 hour Bible-training class for pastors.

Seeing Morris today and where he was just a few years ago is a good example of how man looks at the outward appearances, while God looks at the heart. If I was a betting man, I would have said in 2006 that Morris did not stand a chance.

But God, who is rich in mercy, decided “I’m making that guy one of My leaders.” And He did.

Morris’ story should encourage all of us. When we are frustrated with where we are in our lives, we can think of examples like Morris and realize that God can very quickly take seemingly hopeless people in a hopeless situation, and raise them up. With God, all things are possible. Because of God, we should never give up hope.

Pastor Morris' congregation gathers for worship.

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Photos courtesy of AIM AIR.

Persecution Project Foundation was contacted in early January by Pastor Francis Ayul of Faith Evangelical Baptist Association of Churches (FEBAC), one of the pastors we support in the Upper Nile region of South Sudan. He wrote to tell us about a violent attack that had occurred in the village of Atar in the early morning hours of December 31st, 2009.

Pastor Francis told us that a couple of churches in Atar were completely burned to the ground, including the FEBAC church. In addition, the ministry compound for Serving in Missions (SIM) was also destroyed. And Anglican pastor/evangelist Tuong Dau was killed in the raid.

But stories of God’s divine protection are now emerging from this tragedy. We’d like to share one of those with you.

Ruth and Ubandoma were among the first missionaries from Evangel Missionary Society in Nigeria to join the Serving in Missions (SIM) team working in Sudan. Below is an excerpt from their experience.

“In the afternoon of December 30th, I had been working in my garden. I stayed up late – till about 12:30 midnight working on some reports and pictures in my computer. We had just gotten to sleep at about 2:30 AM, when my wife started vomiting from some unknown sickness. I gave her medicine but for some reason, we could not sleep well. At about 4 AM, we awakened and heard some strangers behind our house. It sounded like they were cocking their guns. Not long after, the shooting started.

“When the bullets started flying, we don’t remember how we found ourselves under our bed. Our three children were crying in a nearby room, ‘Dad! Mom! What is happening?’ We called out to them to get under their beds.

“It was only then that we realized the thatched roof above us was on fire. Our roof had plastic under the thatch to keep out rain and bugs. this plastic was suddenly ablaze and the fire spread to all the rooms of our house in seconds. The house filled with smoke. My wife and I crawled to the next room where our children were. Bullets continued flying through our house. By God’s grace, none of us were hit.

“I took my wife and children into the kitchen, but we could not reach the front door because of the smoke. My computer and thuraya phone were lying on the kitchen table. I took the computer and put it on top of my head to protect me from melting plastic that was raining down on us. My wife got to our water supply and tried to spray the water onto the burning grass above us. She was trying to reduce the smoke so we could find the way to our door. Already she had picked up our passports in her hand.

“I went to the door with my computer on my head. The melted plastic dripped down on my left hand and arm, burning my skin. I grabbed our youngest daughter, Kezya, and was holding her close to my chest with my right hand. Shielding my little girl, I unlocked the door. My wife was right behind me pushing the children out the door. When they were all out, I came out last. The whole house was ablaze by now – even the door. As I closed the door and started to move away, it fell on me burning my back.

“We moved out into the open compound and ducked into a tent. In just a moment or two, that tent caught fire as well. We came out and saw our fellow missionaries rushing toward the [metal] toilet, so we followed them. I was the last one to reach the toilet as I was protecting them and wanted to make sure they had reached safety…. After an hour, the fighting had died down.

“Since 2006, when we first came to Sudan, I have kept reading Psalm 23, ‘The Lord is my shepherd.’ During this whole ordeal, this Scripture kept coming back to my mind. ‘Even though I should walk through the valley of death – You are close beside me.’ (NLT) ‘You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Your goodness will follow me all the days of my life.’ These words comforted and strengthened me.

“In retrospect, I see that what happened to us is not our power but is a miracle of God. We lost everything in the fire. This included my personal money, clothes, computer, camera, cook ware and all of our books, including those of our children and all my theological books. But even though we lost all these things, God gave us our lives. Their guns (they used large caliber shells) were aimed right at my bed where I had been sleeping. It is a miracle of God that we were not all killed. I believe this is because God has something for me to do before calling me home.”

We thank God for protecting Ruth, Ubandoma, and their children.

PPF has ministered in the Upper Nile region of Southern Sudan since 2000. This is an area where most churches were completely destroyed during the war between 1983-2005.

Burned hut.

Violence has been on the rise again as the terrorist-controlled government in Khartoum arms local militia groups and encourages conflict between tribes to destabilize the area.

Please pray that God would extend His protection to all the missionaries and organizations working to promote reconciliation and peace in a part of Sudan that has known little of either for the past 50+ years.

The increased violence has only strengthened PPF’s resolve to engage the people of God in this community with encouragement and the power of the Gospel. Only the healing power of Christ can change the hearts of people hardened by years of war and suffering.

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But we do occasionally have to share bad news. Last month, for instance, we had to report on the tragic loss of two missionary pilots and friends of PPF. This month, unfortunately, we have some more sad news to share.

Many of you may recall that the Upper Nile village of Khorflus was the scene of a church bombing in 2007. Several adults and children were killed and others badly wounded. PPF immediately flew in relief supplies and helped transport the wounded to the hospital in Malakal.

In late 2007, I flew to Khorflus with Brad Phillips to deliver emergency relief supplies and one of the boats PPF donated to help the churches along the Nile and Sobat rivers.

While there, we were introduced to two boys who were still suffering from the effects of their wounds. It was obvious they needed surgery that could not be acquired in Malakal. We decided to fly the two boys to Nairobi for treatment. One of the boys was named James Maguk. He had a painful leg wound that refused to heal due to shrapnel still present from the blast.

After several weeks of surgery and recovery in Nairobi, the boys flew home and were joyfully received by their families. And James could now walk again.

We had not heard any updates about James or the other boy until I received an e-mail from one of the pastors who had been with us in 2007. The e-mail informed me that James Maguk had been murdered while building a hut with his father. No motive could be determined. James was simply another victim in the escalating violence in the Upper Nile region of Southern Sudan.

This area of Southern Sudan is increasingly unstable. It was largely occupied by Northern troops during the recent civil war, and tribal prejudices against each other were exploited by the invaders to solidify their control and influence. The war officially ended in 2005, but the animosity between the tribes has remained and is still exploited by the ruling government in Khartoum to destabilize their rivals in Southern Sudan.

That’s the political reality. But the reality to us at PPF is that God is sovereign, and he knows what’s best for his people. We don’t know why God ordained so much work and expense to be invested into James, only for him to be killed a short time later by a nameless thug.

But we know one thing: we would do it all over again if we could.

None of us knows how long we have to live. Our concern is not with the dead but with the living. Our mission statement is “Active Compassion for the Persecuted.” That’s the call of the Christian. That’s why giving a cup of cold water to a dying man is viewed by us as an act of heroism — not waste.

We know James was a part of the community of faith in Khorflus. We know God singled him out for a purpose. He is a witness and reminder to us of why we’re doing what we’re doing. We’re not working in this ministry to rack up numbers on some big wall chart. We’re working to serve God’s persecuted people — where they are; whoever they are; and however long God chooses.

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Click here to download Kidnapped Article

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When the master asked Deng Deng to perform a job that was too difficult for him to physically accomplish, Deng Deng refused and the master flew into a rage. He attacked Deng Deng with a machete, chopping off his hands. As a result, the young child was left a multiple amputee.

Persecution Project Foundation brought in Dr. Richard Bransford of Kenya’s Bethany Crippled Children’s Centre to examine Deng Deng. PPF also provided the young boy with various relief items, including a solar-powered radio that would enable him to tune in to our daily Christian broadcasts on Radio PEACE.

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He was brought there by the United Nation’s International Organization for Migration along with several thousand other refugees. He was left to fend for himself, with no family to watch out for him.

He sat helpless under a tree in this wilderness area until Pastor Marco came to his rescue. Pastor Marco is one of the men being trained and supported by Persecution Project Foundation to bring Christian teaching to the refugees of Jaac.

Amet fled Nyala in southern Darfur after many years of hardship and persecution which included the murder of his wife, children and grandchildren by Janjaweed forces. He was away from his village when the Janjaweed militia forced everyone to board a train for relocation purposes. The train doors were locked, and the train was set ablaze.

When Pastor Marco took him into his own already crowded and humble home, Persecution Project Foundation provided him with the funds to build the elderly man a tukel of his own to protect him from the severe weather conditions in Jaac. PPF also gave Amet some food. Amet responded to this outpouring of love by saying that he would share his food with anyone who was hungry.

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In 2004, when PPF saw her once again, Leah was 17 years old. She was accompanied by her 7 year old daughter, the child she bore as a result of the assault by the government forces. Her daughter serves as Leah’s eyes, thus showing once again how God can turn something that was meant for evil into something that is good.

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Santino was given an Arab name to replace his Dinka name, but his master (Ibrahim) only referred to him by the pejorative “Abid,” which means “black slave.” For ten years, Joseph languished under the cruel whip of his master.

During his enslavement, Joseph lived in conditions unfit for a dog — surviving on garbage and leftover scraps from his master’s table. He was often beaten, tortured, and abused by his Arab master. African slaves, especially Christians, are viewed as lower than animals.

Joseph was raised Christian. His desire to worship was mocked by his master, who told him every day for10 years that he had no business worshiping, since he was of no more value than a donkey. Joseph was charged with fetching water and tending his master’s camels. He performed his daily tasks honestly, in spite of his master’s cruelty. One Sunday morning, he heard singing. The singing of hymns and worship were food for his lonely soul. His heart got the best of him. He followed the melodies to their source and sat in the Christian service — a church service like those he remembered as a boy.

His comfort and joy were to be short lived. When he returned home to his master, several camels had escaped and were unaccounted for. Joseph searched frantically for the camels. But before he could find them, his master flew into a fit of rage and swore he would kill Joseph and do to him what had been done to Jesus…he would CRUCIFY HIM.

After brutally beating Joseph on the head and all over his body, Ibrahim laid him out on a wooden plank. He then nailed Joseph to the plank by driving nine-inch nails through his hands, knees and feet. He then poured acid on Joseph’s legs to inflict even greater pain and finally left him for dead. Joseph lay crucified to a wooden board for seven days.

How did he survive?

The master’s young son heard Joseph moaning and crying for help and had pity on him. Risking his father’s wrath, he secretly brought Joseph food and water for the next week. Joseph slipped in and out of consciousness and delirium. Finally, the slave owner’s son pulled out the nails and carried him to a medical clinic. Frankly, it is a miracle he survived.

In case you are wondering, no criminal charges were brought against Joseph’s master, because he acted within his “rights” under currently-practiced “sharia” law. To say that Christians are second class citizens in much of the Islamic world (not just the Sudan) is a cruel understatement.

After his return from the “hospital,” Ibrahim saw little value in Joseph’s life; he was crippled from the nails being driven through his knees. Joseph was “redeemed” by Christian slave redeemers who arranged his return to Bahr el Gazal.

When he arrived back in the village from which he was kidnapped ten years previous, he was warmly welcomed. The village elders decided he must have a new name in order to mark the beginning of a new life. He was given the biblical name Joseph, because, like Joseph in the Old Testament, he had been sold into slavery.

Joseph is one of a small number of people in the 21st Century who know what it means to be crucified because of his Christian faith. But the reality is that hundreds of thousands of our fellow Christians in the Sudan have been enslaved, driven from their homes, hunted, and murdered by devoted followers of Islam. This war of Islamic cruelty has raged for centuries in the Sudan.

Epilogue

Less than a year after meeting Joseph, I returned again to his village. With me on the trip was Dr. Richard Bransford of Bethany Crippled Children Center in Kijabi, Kenya. I asked him to come and examine Joseph. Thanks be to God that after a thorough examination, Dr. Bransford determined that no surgery would be necessary to correct the injuries caused by Joseph’s crucifixion.

But far more important than his physical healing was the incredible emotional and spiritual healing that had taken place. Joseph’s entire countenance had changed. His head was lifted up. He made eye contact. He spoke and smiled and laughed.

Joseph told me that God had enabled him to completely forgive Ibrahim!

Those who knew Joseph before hardly recognize him today because of his contagious smile and the joy that is now his constant companion.

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