The story of South Sudan has not yet been written, but it is already one of the more gripping histories in our modern times.

On January 1, 1956, the nation of Sudan officially became independent of British rule, and the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum immediately began a campaign of persecution in south Sudan, including the expulsion of most foreign missionaries.

South Sudan has always been treated as the ugly stepchild of the North. Ethnically, the people were not Arabs. Religiously, most were not Muslims. But south Sudan had many things of interest to the north. It was rich in natural resources. It controlled one of the main lifelines of Sudan and Egypt — the White Nile. Beneath the surface, vast oil reserves sat waiting to be exploited. South Sudan also contained an abundance of another kind of resource highly prized for centuries in the North: human slaves.

The Arabs established garrisons in the major towns and cities of the south: Malakal, Rumbek, Yei, Juba and Wau. Although the North kept a tight grip on these urban centers, there was one place they had never been able to control: the bush.

Resistance to "Islamization" sprouted in rural areas of South Sudan.

It was in the bush that Southerners chose to base their resistance, and from 1956 to 2005, with only a few years of peace sprinkled here and there, two wars of resistance were fought by the people of south Sudan. Marginalized and discriminated against by their countrymen in the north, most southerners had no desire to adopt the faith of their masters. And most Muslims from the south had no desire to be ruled by their spiritual cousins in Khartoum, who had treated their black brothers as second-class citizens at best.

The war was appalling, leaving an estimated 2 million southerners dead — mostly professing Christians. Millions more were internally displaced.

The south’s rejection of Islam was grounds for a holy Jihad against the “infidel” southerners. In 1983, a twin policy of “Arabization” and “Islamization” was pushed by the Central Government. Sharia law was to be forced upon the south.

In 1989, the United Nations began its “Operation Lifeline Sudan” to help stem the tide of mass famine and starvation among the southern Sudanese. But since the UN operates under the auspices of “official governments,” food shipments could only be delivered to areas approved by the National Islamic Front (NIF) government in Khartoum. This allowed the central government to use food as a weapon in its war of subjugation. For instance, southerners were told, “You can get access to this food, but first you must enroll your sons in our Koranic schools so they can be taught to be good Muslims.”

Food was used as a weapon against the southern Sudanese.

But if the government in Khartoum thought it could manipulate the UN into unknowingly assisting them in Jihad, it didn’t count on help for the south coming from another direction: Christians in the West.

In America, Christians from all walks of life heard about the plight of their brethren in south Sudan. A new crusade began, but not with swords and other implements of war. It was a crusade of love.

Organizations were founded, fundraisers were held. A massive outpouring of charity commenced. Food, medicine, mosquito nets, shelter items, and other life-saving supplies were flown in by mission organizations or private bush pilots from every corner of the globe willing to hazard the red “No Go” areas of south Sudan.

PPF was one of the many organizations founded during the bloodiest time of the fighting. Founder Brad Phillips organized planeload after planeload of relief supplies flying into the “No Go Zones” of southern Sudan. At one point during the war, Phillips organized so many flights that PPF became one of the biggest customers for one of the largest charter companies operating in southern Sudan — second only to the south Sudanese rebel army itself.

PPF flew in planes full of relief supplies during the height of the war.

In 2005, after years of negotiations and pressure from western governments, North and South signed a peace treaty officially ending the war and placed the south on the road to independence. In January, 2011, Southern Sudan voted overwhelmingly to secede and become an independent nation.

But today, it is apparent that the north is not willing to lose control of 75% of the oil revenues coming from the territory of the south. Using the disputed border region of Abyei as an excuse for massive troop build-ups and air attacks, the north has launched a military and economic campaign to destabilize and ruin the new southern nation.

Militarily, the north has launched airstrikes on the south and sent troops into the oil-rich Abyei region, displacing more than 100,000 people at last count, most of whom are Ngok Dinka. Rebellious leaders of small, disgruntled units of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) in the south have mutinied and begun terrorizing rival tribes with the support and funding of Khartoum.

Economically, the north has cut back fuel shipments to the south. Although most of the oil comes from the south, it is refined in the north. Diesel has shot up to over $3 per liter — more than $10 per gallon — driving up prices for food and everything else and creating shortages everywhere.

Whether the southern people can hold their fragile state together under all this pressure remains to be seen, but PPF is determined to continue doing all it can to help the persecuted church in South Sudan.

In spite of the bad news, the reality is that South Sudan has been liberated from an oppressive Islamic regime and has dealt a major blow to the forces of Jihad.

There is much celebrating going on in South Sudan. All southerners know that their freedom was a hard-fought victory. They also know that their long journey has only now brought them to the starting line.

Their long, hard-fought journey towards freedom and independence has brought them only to the beginning.

To all the supporters and ministry partners of PPF, we express our immense gratitude for being used of God to accomplish what few people even ten years ago would have imagined. After more than a dozen years of work bringing support, aid, and encouragement to the persecuted in South Sudan, we are now at the beginning. As we move forward, hand-in-hand with our brethren in Africa’s newest country, we invite you to continue walking and working with us.

The Bible says much about the poor, and our responsibilities towards them. One thing I have noticed is that there is a class of poor and destitute who simply need immediate, unconditional intervention.

Emergency medical relief is given without hesitation to those who need it.

Recall the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30). A man was beaten, robbed, and left for dead on the road. Two “pious” fellows passed by and did nothing. But the Samaritan acted. He did not investigate why the man was on the road in the first place. For all the Samaritan knew, the victim could have been a thief himself who was successfully repelled by a caravan he attempted to rob. The Samaritan simply saw that a man needed help, felt compassion, and acted.

Remember when Jesus and His disciples approached a blind man, and the Apostles wanted to know if the man was blind because of his sin or the sin of his parents? (John 9:2).  What did Jesus say in response? He said, “Neither.” The man was blind, so that in God’s Providence, His glory would be revealed through this man’s disability. Jesus then healed the man.

But there are also other ways of handling the poor in the Bible. Naomi and her daughter-in-law Ruth were impoverished. So they took advantage of the “welfare safety net” in Israel at the time. The poor were allowed by law to follow behind the harvesters in a field and glean what crops were not picked. Also, the corners of fields were not harvested specifically with the poor and hungry trailers in mind.

This was not unconditional charity. It required the poor to work for what they received.

Later in the story, the young widow Ruth approached her cousin, Boaz, and asked him to do his duty as a kinsman to marry her, which was a principle in the Law. Boaz agreed to “go to court” as it were, and fight for Ruth’s rights. When the nearest kinsman refused to marry Ruth, Boaz agreed to do the job himself. This is a beautiful story of love and sacrifice to help those in need. It is a picture of Christ redeeming His bride. In fact, Christ Himself descended from the lineage of Boaz and Ruth.

What all these examples show is that giving and dealing with the poor must be done with wisdom and sacrifice. In some cases, the poor need unconditional help. In other cases, the help is given with conditions.

PPF supports certified nurse Majzoub Abass (center) in further education so he can continue working with patients.

But in both cases, the presence of love, compassion, and advocacy is always present.

Persecution Project Foundation has several program categories that are modeled after what we believe are Biblical patterns for giving. We have funds that focus on “crisis relief” and medical needs. These are designed for the “Samaritan” type need where the victims are lying in the road needing immediate assistance.

Crisis relief items include food and shelter materials.

But we also have programs for clean water and discipleship and evangelism. These programs require participation from the people we are trying to help. The activities promoted in these programs seek to build people up, build relationships, and to help those in need eventually become givers themselves.

Safe Water Projects open the door for agricultural programs, which lead to discipleship and training opportunities and increase recipient self-sufficiency.

Clean water is not just about digging wells. Providing a dependable water source to a poor community opens the door for agricultural initiatives that lead to greater and cheaper food production. This brings self-sufficiency, wealth and greater health to a formerly impoverished community.

Discipleship and evangelism is not just about Bible studies. It opens the door for teaching and mentoring that go beyond the “lifeboat” salvation message that focuses on getting an initial profession of faith from a convert. It equips the new believer for the rest of his life.

Students who graduate from our pastor training program strive to bring the gospel to the people they serve.

PPF’s Transportation and Logistics fund is not just about paying for the transportation of relief items to get them from point A to point B. It opens the door for vocational training programs that help the poor and persecuted overcome three of their most difficult challenges: isolation, lack of infrastructure, and getting their products to market.

Our desire at PPF is to give — but to give wisely. That sometimes means giving like the Samaritan. At other times, it means giving like Boaz. As you pray for the ministry of PPF, please pray that God will continue to give us wisdom in how to give, so that His Name is glorified and people are changed — including us!

No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born. “And when I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ I made you flourish like a plant of the field.” – Ezekiel 16:5-7a

Sudan is a hard place.

Since its independence in 1956, the country has been at war about 90 percent of the time. War does things to people. It warps their perspective on reality. It distorts the definition of “normal.” Perpetual war leads to calloused emotions and hard hearts. Experiencing an unending string of violence makes you think that life has nothing else to offer. Depression here would be worse if people knew there was something better – but most don’t.

It’s in this environment that PPF has chosen to work. It’s the people living in these conditions whom we have chosen to serve. Depending on where they live, they may need food, or medicine, or clean water, or a tarp to cover a roof, or a net to keep away the malaria-carrying mosquitoes. But no matter the unique conditions in the communities PPF serves in Southern Sudan, there is one thing they all need: encouragement.

One of PPF's wells in Jaac.

Encouraging one another is a command in Scripture (1 Thessalonians 5:11). All of us can think of the people in our lives who have been a source of encouragement. Most often, God sends these people to help us when we are at an especially low point in our lives. When we feel we can go no further, God sends encouragement.

PPF President, Brad Phillips, with food, blankets and action packs just delivered on PPF's truck, Mercy.

This is why I can say that the greatest contribution you have made through your support of PPF has been to be a source of encouragement to the persecuted brethren in Sudan.

When we look into the heavens on a clear night and see a tiny portion of the gigantic universe God has created, we are struck by our own insignificance. Imagine how this is compounded if you are living in a barren wilderness, dressed in rags, and all of your worldly possessions could fit into one suitcase, leaving room left over. Then add to this the sorrow and fear of being hunted down like animals by a vicious enemy, whose sole purpose is to annihilate you because you worship a different God, or come from a different tribe or political faction. Pretty depressing, isn’t it?

These two boys are orphans.

Now imagine looking up into the same sky the following morning and seeing an airplane circling overhead, then landing. Then imagine seeing strange-looking people wearing funny clothes getting off the plane and walking up to you and embracing you. Imagine seeing a huge truck drive up at the same time and begin unloading food and medicine and clothes and blankets. It’s not much, but the fact that it’s happening breathes new life into your lungs.

Women receiving action packs and blankets during a recent PPF/VOM distribution in Jaac.

You realize you are not alone. You are known. Someone cares. Then the strange-looking people in the funny clothes tell you Who sent them… and it’s the same God you worship – only you never knew how big He is and the lengths to which He will go to show you His love for you.

A recent PPF/VOM distribution in Jaac.

You are encouraged.

This scene I am painting for you is not fiction. It just happened. Last month, I wrote to you about the horrendous conditions I witnessed in the Darfur refugee community of Jaac. The thousands of new refugees. The death and disease and malnutrition.

Refugees who recently arrived in Jaac hurry to meet Brad at the airstrip.

But there, in the midst of the suffering and violence, was something else. You. Your compassion. Your solidarity. Your encouragement.

You may not have been in Jaac personally, but your heart was. Your hands were. While the rest of the world either ignored the problem, denied it existed, or just wrung its hands in indecision, you responded. We sent out the call, and you responded.

What we brought from a material perspective was small. But what we brought, which could not be seen, was exactly what the refugees in Jaac needed more than food and shelter. Encouragement.

PPF President, Brad Phillips, gives VOM blankets and action packs to Aluet and her 12-month old brother, Garang, who were both orphaned in fighting near Jaac.

At press time, the Referendum for Self-Determination in Southern Sudan has just ended. Southern Sudan is set to officially become an independent nation. The future is both exciting and uncertain. But the people of Jaac know one thing for sure. No matter what the future holds, they know that God loves them and sends them regular reminders of this fact through your ministry with PPF.

Thank you for your gift of encouragement – to us and to the people you serve through us.

Brad's oldest son, Aaron, helps open a bundle of VOM action packs.

What I just witnessed never happened. You won’t read about it anywhere in the news. No one is talking about it. Yet I just returned from seeing the biggest humanitarian crisis going on in Africa today… and most of the world is doing nothing about it.

Several weeks ago, I wrote about the tragic airstrikes in the Darfur refugee area called Jaac. Jaac is an administrative district in Southern Sudan on the Darfur border and has been home to tens of thousands of refugees fleeing the violence in the world’s only ongoing genocide.

Jaac is also the scene of one of Persecution Project Foundation’s largest ongoing relief operations. We first visited Jaac in 2005, and we’re still there today. When we first arrived, we found a few hundred refugees sitting under the trees waiting to die. The nearest water supply was a two day walk. The only food was leaves picked from the trees and boiled into a mush. It was horrible.

Current refugees are forced to once again eat leaves.

We took action, and began pouring into Jaac whatever God placed in our hands through the generous contributions of Christians all over America.

We built a base camp and began using it as a makeshift clinic while we built a permanent structure. We brought in shipments of food, blankets, medicine, mosquito nets, clothing, and other crisis relief items.

In December, PPF distributed medicine, food, action packs, blankets and Bibles in Jaac.

We supported the founding of a school to teach children to read. And we gave them Bibles in their own language so they could learn about the Love that sought them out in a wilderness.

And most importantly for their physical needs, PPF began drilling wells to provide a clean source of water to the now swelling population in Jaac.

Wells in Jaac are being stressed by the influx of so many new refugees.

Jaac is an area largely neglected by the UN and the NGO community because of its proximity to danger and its extreme remoteness. The roads are nothing more than glorified cow trails, which washout for half the year, cutting Jaac off from the rest of the country.

Yet, Jaac is the only refuge to an estimated 200,000 people who have fled their native homes to find safety from their enemies. But recently, the drums of war have touched this “Oasis in Hell” as the Sudan Mirror described Jaac in 2009.

A new Jaac refugee sits near his makeshift hut.

The ruling government in Khartoum, the National Congress Party, is angered by Darfur rebel groups who it claims are finding support and sanctuary in border regions in Southern Sudan. Consequently, the Sudan Air Force bombed two villages in the Jaac area three times in November, killing and wounding many and causing widespread panic among the local population.

Tens of thousands fled… and they ran to the only safe zone they knew: the PPF mission station in Jaac.

New refugees in Jaac wait near the PPF mission station.

I recently flew to Jaac to personally see with my own eyes what I had been hearing through numerous pleas for help from my contacts in the community. We landed on a Thursday in early December, and what I saw shocked and disturbed me.

All around the Jaac airstrip, which PPF had constructed soon after our arrival in 2005, were thousands of makeshift grass huts. I estimate 18,000 people were living in just the vicinity of the airstrip. They knew the airstrip had welcomed relief to the community for years. Now, they pitched their tents, as it were, to the only lifeline they had.

A small section of the new "homes" in Jaac.

The scene was heartbreaking. I walked around from hut to hut, interviewing the refugees. While surveying the scene, I saw a little eight-year-old girl named Aluet just arriving in Jaac after a two day walk. She was carrying a little bottle of milk and her twelve-month-old brother, Garang. When I asked about her story, I was told her father died last year and her mother was recently killed in the November 24th airstrike.

Aluet with her twelve-month-old brother, Garang.

But Aluet’s story of suffering was sadly not unique. I was also informed by medical personnel that 200 women had died giving birth in the last three weeks because of severe malnutrition.

Thankfully, the night before I landed, PPF’s relief truck, Mercy, arrived. It brought blankets, medicine, and action packs that the Voice of the Martyrs donated. As soon as the truck was offloaded, I sent it to the closest town where we could buy food, and instructed the driver to purchase as much as I had funds on me to buy. But it was a drop in the bucket compared to teh tremendous need.

PPF's truck 'Mercy' delivers much need relief supplies to Jaac.

Tragically, all we could do was select from among the refugees, 500 families who seemed to us to need the most help, and give them what we had. It may last them two weeks.

I also discovered that the swelling population in Jaac had stretched the wells to the breaking point. Twenty five wells out of the 62 we have in the entire area of Jaac were broken because of the stress of constant use by the new refugees.

I met with the local Administrator, who I have known for years, to discuss what could be done. I could see the worry in his face. He told me his district was being largely ignored by the government because of the fear that too much attention to the area would distract and even endanger the referendum on secession that is scheduled for January 9th, 2011.

Brad meets with local Administrator in Jaac.

The Administrator said the fighting was much heavier than reported by the government or the press, as witnessed by the growing refugee population in Jaac. But no one was doing anything. Most western aid organizations have already sent their people home for the holidays. They will be gone until the referendum is over.

This means that the humanitarian crisis in Jaac is being overlooked and is taking a back seat to the political issues surrounding the referendum. Jaac is basically a news void – a vacuum.

But the people of Jaac don’t know this. Little Aluet and her brother Garang don’t know anything about referendums, or interim peace agreements, or politics. All they know is that their parents are dead, and they are orphans in a wilderness.

In the same manner, we at PPF seek not to be distracted by politics. All we know is that a community we have served for the last six years is now in a state of crisis and extreme need. And we must do something.

The refugees in Jaac are not just statistics. They're people. They're friends.

These victims are not statistics. These are people we have known for years. I have watched their children grow. I have worshipped in their churches and helped baptize new members. I have seen the miracle your compassion has created in a wilderness of death and despair. This is my family. This is your family. We must do something. We cannot abandon them now.

Last week, PPF sent out a press release reporting on the recent bombing of Darfur refugees in Southern Sudan. Although these incidents were far from the worst behavior we have witnessed from the National Congress Party in Khartoum (formerly known as the National Islamic Front), it especially hit home to us because Jaac Payam, where the attacks took place, is an area where PPF has worked for six years.

The airstrikes were the latest in a string of violent actions in the Darfur border area, which began in August. The result has been hundreds killed and thousands displaced from their homes. More than 15,000 people have fled the border and moved further south, straining the PPF-sponsored resources like wells and medical facilities.

PPF's Medical Clinic in Jaac.

There is an immediate need for clean water, food, and medical care to help in this new humanitarian crisis. PPF has 62 wells in the Jaac area, but many are currently broken due to overuse by the swelling population. Each well is designed for 500 people, but several thousand are currently using each well. When one breaks, people move to another well, straining the new well and eventually breaking it, starting a domino effect on other wells.

The good news is that roads are finally drying, making the affected area accessible for relief shipments.

The bad news is, because of security concerns and the upcoming referendum in January, there are no other organizations operating in the Jaac area to help the victims. It’s just us. Jaac is very remote, and PPF has been the only permanent NGO presence in Jaac since its establishment as a refugee settlement in 2004.

The Northern Government hopes to spread mayhem all along the border prior to January. And the Southern Government has chosen not to retaliate, because it believes it would threaten the scheduled referendum. To the Southern government, the referendum in January is all-important. Western governments, including the US, have promised to support the outcome of the vote, which everyone knows will mean Africa’s newest country is inaugurated. When this happens, Southern Sudan will officially be free from Northern oppression.

But what about the Jaac residents, who are being treated as little more than pawns in a massive game of diplomatic chess? They have us, their brothers and sisters in America, who have consistently stood with them from the beginning.

I am writing to you today to let you know that PPF’s response is not limited to a press statement. We are doing something about it.

This great need requires our quick response, and we would like your help to make this happen.

Our reliance during these unexpected challenges has always been on God’s provision through your compassion and generosity. I feel bad when I have to make an outright appeal for support, because I know so many of you have already given sacrificially. I don’t want to take that for granted. Thank you for all you have done.

PPF's truck, "Mercy", loaded with medical supplies for Jaac residents.

I simply lay this need before you and ask for your prayerful consideration. In addition to our budgeted needs, we need to raise another $161,000 by the end of the year to help the victims in Jaac. Any part you play in this will be gratefully appreciated. Our pledge is to do all we can with what God puts into our hands to help our persecuted brethren in Jaac.

I just finished reading Brian Kluth’s book, Experiencing God as Your Provider. In it, he writes, “God our Provider has a plan to allow us to glorify Him and bless others. He promises to meet our needs as we labor in those things to which He has called us.”

Pastors in Kenya receive Bibles from PPF.

Later, he reminds the reader of the story of the recently widowed woman who is in jeopardy of losing her two sons to the deceased husband’s creditor (2Ki 4:1-7). Elisha the prophet desires to help her and asks a poignant question, “What do you have in the house?”

The widow’s initial response is “nothing,” but then she remembers her little jar of oil, which was probably tucked away in a corner somewhere.

By stepping out in faith and borrowing multiple vessels from her neighbors, she sees God multiply what little she has. She is able to pay off her debt and care for her family.

PPF's Ed Lyons delivers medical supplies provided by a children's Sunday school class to the Revival Medical Center in the Kibera slum of Nairobi.

A few weeks ago, I visited Mt. Horeb United Methodist Church in Lexington, South Carolina. Pastor Jeff Kersey was preaching from John 6:5-11, where Jesus feeds over 5,000 people with a young boy’s lunch. In doing so, He has reminded us that a little is much when God is involved.

He can magnify the smallest amount to meet the needs of multitudes. He can take the smallest seed and grow it into a tree large enough for the birds to nest in its branches.

Imagine what He can do with our gifts, talents, time and energy!

Pastor Kersey went on to say that one of the most notable aspects of the story in John 6 was that the boy hadn’t already eaten his lunch. He hadn’t already devoured the fish and the bread, satisfying only himself. Instead, the provisions God blessed him with were available to bless others.

Miller Orthodontics from Culpeper, VA donated shirts which were distributed in the Gomongo slum in Kenya.

What are we doing with the provisions God has given to us?

In the past few months, Persecution Project Foundation has been blessed with nearly 12 metric tons of relief supplies. These supplies include Bibles, shoes, action packs, blankets and medicines.

Twelve metric tons may seem like a lot, but the current need in Southern Sudan is so great that we wonder at times how those relief supplies will be spread to so many. Then we remember that God is involved, and He will meet the needs of His people. And it’s His good pleasure to use us in the process.

He merely asks, “What do you have in your house?” 

Pastor Tito's ministry headquarters.

This building will soon be the home of PPF-supported pastor, Tito Abaha, and his family. Once completed, the home will function as a guest house and the headquarters for Pastor Tito’s ministry in Torit, Southern Sudan. This home is being built with bricks made by a machine provided by PPF. The machine was purchased mainly through the generosity of the late Joanne Wilson, whose life of selfless giving is still “building” God’s Kingdom on earth, even though Joanne is now with her Savior in heaven.

Joanne and Alan Wilson

As I write these lines, the world is rightly focused on the terrible tragedy in Haiti. Sudden calamities like earthquakes and hurricanes test the ministry “response time” of Christians and people of good will. And I have, like you, been blessed to see so much love and support given in such a short time. There is much debate about whether America is still a “Christian nation.” I know one thing for sure, American Christians set the standard for responding to world disasters. Of course, all glory goes to God, and not man. We love others because He first loved us.

The magnitude of destruction in Haiti was immense.

Recently my brother, Doug, led a team to Haiti in February to deliver aid and to rescue some of the thousands of new orphans in that struggling country. I was moved to read his accounts of the terrible scenes they witnessed day after day as their eyes were assaulted with images of complete destruction and despair. But where sin abounds, Grace abounds all the more, and Doug and his team were able to help make a positive impact on thousands of lives.

Orphan children help Doug with his computer posts.

I have observed that “natural disasters” are in some ways easier to handle than “man-made disasters.” The reason is because the cause is “clean.” An earthquake has no political agenda to promote or discriminating policy towards a particular minority faction.

“Man-made disasters” are another thing all together.

When people are dying because they are targeted for extinction by competing political or religious forces, the cause is not so “clean.” There is not the overwhelming sympathy from the world that we see in Haiti.

If help comes, it is often compromised by political or diplomatic restrictions. And if the problem tends to go on and on with no end in sight, the world begins to lose interest and to just forget.

Such has been my experience in places like Sudan, where the “man-made” earthquake has destroyed cities, wealth, health, peace, and especially people for decades. And as far as man’s eyes can see, there is no end in sight.

From 1983 to 2005, more than 2 million Christians were shot, starved, butchered, and burned to death in Southern Sudan. Millions more were enslaved or made homeless. And from 2003 to the present, as many as 400,000 people in Darfur, Sudan, have been killed.

Since Sudan’s troubles are purely man-made, then tend to go on and on. The reason is because the solution is mostly spiritual – not just physical. Sure the world can ship in tons of aid and medicine, build schools and hospitals, and put up cell towers. But until the hardened hearts of sinners are changed by the power of the Holy Spirit, Sudan will continue to be a “Haiti in slow motion.”

PPF has done its share of crisis relief. Up until 2005, crisis relief was most of what we did. But after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed, and things began to quiet down a little in Southern Sudan, we began investing more in people, discipleship, and rebuilding.

But this is long, slow work. People don’t change overnight. Doing this kind of slow, unglamorous work requires dedicated supporters who are looking for a “long-term return” on their “investment.” It’s what I call the difference between a short sprint ministry and a marathon.

Sometimes God uses His people for “short sprint ministries” like those in Haiti. There was a tragedy. There is an immediate need. Christians are responding to that need.

But Sudan is a spiritual marathon. It’s a race that will go on a long time before the runner gets a water break, much less reach the finish line. By supporting PPF, you have sometimes had to sprint, but mostly you’re in this race for the long-haul.

I want you to know how grateful I am for your example. When I browse the list of people who regularly contribute to our ministry, I see many names I have known for 10 years – or more. Some have sent literally hundreds of individual gifts. And I know the number of gifts pale in comparison to the number of prayers offered up for our persecuted brethren.

But running a marathon can be difficult. Every curve or hill seems to be replaced by another curve or hill, then another, then another. But God encourages us in Gal. 6:9 to “not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” The race we are running will come to an end. It might not be this year, or next. But we have the confidence and assurance to know that each day we continue “running” is one day closer to the day when Africa “shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Hab. 2:1)

Thank you for running with me. Let’s continually encourage one another as we run this race together.

PPF team in front of "Mercy," our new Mercedes 911 truck.

During PPF’s Christmas outreaches, a team traveled south of Southern Darfur to the river town of Nyamlel, to visit an orphanage supported by PPF ministry partner African Leadership. While in Nyamlel, our vehicle suffered a puncture in one of the tires (a normal occurrence). After putting on a spare, which looked like it was about to join its predecessor, the driver recommended we drive to his office in Aweil to pick up a better spare. This would take us two hours out of our way, but we didn’t want to risk sleeping with hyenas in the desolate bush between us and our base camp in Jaac.

Aweil is a large city in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, and while there, we did a little shopping to replace our depleted stores. On the dusty highway back towards Jaac, we noticed a grey truck on the side of the road.

After pulling over for a closer look, to our surprise, it was PPF’s truck, “Mercy”! Mercy had left Juba several days earlier loaded with 10 metric tons of medicine, medical supplies, and shoes for the refugees in Jaac and was now only 3 hours from her destination.

Mercy was added to PPF’s vehicle fleet in 2009 to save valuable ministry funds that are usually spent on expensive relief flights. As an illustration, the cost for delivering 10 metric tons of aid to Jaac by air could easily exceed $50,000. But by using Mercy, PPF saved tens of thousands of dollars – money that can now go towards evangelistic programs and relief projects like our 100 Wells Campaign. We are so thankful that your support enabled us to add this truck to further our work in Sudan. God is good!

We all know that the Church of Jesus Christ is not a building. If anything, we’ve learned in America the damage that can be done when we view the Church as existing within the four walls of a building.

But buildings are important. Buildings communicate a message. If I built a house of mud and straw, people would say that I did not intend to be in that particular area very long, because my investment in the building was small and very basic. But if I invest the time and energy to build with strong brick, I communicate permanency. I communicate that I’m “here to stay.”

That’s exactly what PPF has in mind for our new brick machine. During the war in Southern Sudan, most infrastructure was destroyed. But today, we have the opportunity to stand beside our brothers and sisters and help them rebuild their country.

For instance, we have an opportunity in the Darfur refugee community of Jaac to build a world class feeding center for severely wasted and malnourished children. There is also no permanent church building or school in Jaac. Both needs can be supplied with the brick machine.

These are just a few examples of the way the new brick machine enhances our ability to serve our family in Sudan.

We’re not just investing in buildings… we’re investing in lives. Strong buildings communicate to our persecuted brothers and sisters in Africa that we are serious about our work and serious about helping them.

Thanks to all of our supporters who gave so generously towards this important program. I look forward to updating you in the future on the progress of this project.

- Brad Phillips