After sending out an emergency appeal for $25,000 to help PPF receive a large medical consignment valued at $2.2 MILLION, you gave– and gave generously. After only a couple of weeks, PPF raised $28,581.34. Praise the Lord!

And it gets better.

While awaiting the arrival of the shipment in question, one of our partners, Voice of the Martyrs, sent us an additional medical consignment valued at another $2 Million!

Because of your generosity, we were able to quickly put together a distribution plan. Tomorrow, those meds begin their transit! We will try to send you an update next week with more details. Because of security concerns, we will not yet disclose the destination. Be assured that the communities receiving these medicines desperately need them. So, God’s timing could not be better (as always!).

We continue to receive offers of medical consignments that allow us to stretch every penny of donations to the maximum. By God’s grace working through your generosity, we will reach more refugees and displaced families before the end of the rainy season.

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!

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.

As I write these lines from Nairobi, Kenya, I am envisioning what things must look like back home in the States.

Doubtlessly, small towns are putting out Christmas decorations. People are taking down the lighted reindeer lawn ornaments from their attics. Retailers are pulling out all the stops to lure consumers in to buy, buy, buy, so they can finish the year strong. Sunday school classes at many churches are rehearsing the Christmas plays and pageants that typically mark the season.

PPF medical supplies are driven from the airfield to villages affected by recent violence in Southern Sudan.

These are things that happen every year like clockwork. They are things we take for granted. But sometimes we need to stop and wonder, “Why do we do all these things?”

I think we do them because they give us the illusion of stability in an unstable world. No matter what happens — war, economic collapse, sickness, or loss of family members — we know that Mrs. Miller’s lawn will be all lit up for Christmas. We like consistency, becuase it makes us feel secure. But real security only comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Aaron Phillips helps distribute shoes in South Sudan in November.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow — and much more comforting than man-made holidays and traditions. His appearance more than 2,000 years ago was a declaration of “peace on earth and good will towards men” in a world that, like today, had little of either.

Our job, as Christians, is to spread Christ’s peace and good will throughout the world. Our God is not a static deity. He is all about expansion. Not expansion by sword or capitalism or democracy. Expansion by love and reconciliation. Jesus Christ did not come to promote revolution, but regeneration — and that is truly “revolutionary!”

PPF President, Brad Phillips, greets students in Torit.

PPF distributes New Testaments provided by The Voice of the Martyrs.

I need your help to spread this message of love and regeneration now more than ever to our persecuted brethren in Sudan.

The year 2010 is turning out to be the bloodiest of Sudan’s six year “interim peace”.

At press time, we are less than two months away from Southern Sudan’s scheduled vote on secession. Tension is mounting, and tragically, the whole year has been marred by violence and bloodshed in Darfur and in southern Sudan.

What has made matters worse is monsoon weather conditions. This rainy season has greatly hampered access to all ministries and NGOs attempting to bring help to this year’s victims of violence.

In August, dozens of women were raped and more than one hundred and thirty Darfur refugees were slaughtered at the River Kiir (just a day’s walk from a PPF compound) by forces of the National Congress Party as they hunted for rebels in the Kalama and Kiirkow refugee settlements.

And just days ago, the Sudanese Air Force bombed villages within the administrative area of Jaac, a Darfur refugee community served by PPF since 2005. More than 300 families were displaced and made homeless by this provocative act. The Government in Khartoum claimed to be pursuing Darfur rebels connected with the “Justice and Equity Movement” (JEM) and that the attack was “accidental,” but no one on the ground is buying this story.

Over in the east, where PPF has worked for a number of years, the area has become the site of this year’s worst violence in Southern Sudan, as fighting erupted following the April elections.

Tragically, the majority of casualties were innocent civilians. I recently visited this area* with my two sons to bring in desperately needed medicine, and the eyewitness reports I received were sickening. Multiple witnesses confirmed to me the widespread incidence of torture, mass rapes, and extra-judicial killings. Entire villages were razed to the ground, and the majority of survivors — and estimated 27,000 people — were forcibly displaced and remain homeless and suffering up to today.

But there is good news.

An amnesty was recently signed, meaning the fighting has stopped for now, and we have the opportunity to minister to the victims. In addition, our partners have made available approximately 22 tons of emergency relief supplies, including blankets, action packs, Bibles, and life-saving medicines.

The rainy season was particularly heavy this year, trapping many vehicles in mud.

Because of the terrible weather, most of the roads are washed out. We plan to send a truckload of relief supplies to Jaac, but most of the aid will have to be delivered by airplane and boat. The cost of providing relief to these two areas will easily run over $100,000. If God provides the funds, the relief missions will take place in early December. In fact, I have already reserved the planes.

This is a leap of faith, but we have no choice. Planes must be chartered in advance to guarantee availability. It also takes time to plan all the logistics and coordinating involved with this massive project involving two completely different areas of the country.

In early November, PPF chartered the Samaritan's Purse DC-3 to deliver two tons of medical aid to victims of persecution in Southern Sudan.

You’ve heard the saying that “when it rains, it pours.” Well, we are in the middle of a downpour right now, and I need your help. But God is good — all the time! He has never left us alone. He has given us you, our brothers and sisters in America, to be His hands and feet in these depressed areas of the world.

Please pray for our brethren in Southern Sudan and Darfur, and consider making a special gift to PPF, so we can minister to God’s people during this very difficult time.

PPF must raise $107,500 over the next several days to immediately fund desperately needed relief flights to persecuted communities in Southern Sudan. Your generous gifts have made such a difference in the past; please consider giving again to our brethren in Sudan.

*Some names and locations have been purposefully withheld due to ongoing security concerns.

This summer, PPF’s own truck, Mercy, was stuck for weeks on the wrong side of a river because of flooding. All work that depended on the truck had to wait for the water levels to drop.

We’ve found at PPF if anything is worth doing, it’s going to be hard work. This is especially the case with ministry work in Africa. There are weather problems, money problems, logistics problems, health problems, and last but not least… people problems!

Thankfully, we serve a God who is not intimidated by our problems. He is strong to save – and provide. And God provides for all our needs. He doesn’t work on our timetable, but there is nothing wrong with that! It keeps us humble, and constantly “in touch” with Him.

Mission work can be like the weather – always changing. Sometimes we go through dry seasons, and sometimes there are rainy days. Thank you for standing with us during all “weather conditions.” We pray we enjoy many opportunities in the future to serve God’s people together.

Brad Phillips with action packs being unloaded for distribution in Jaac.

Dear Friend of the Persecuted,

I have something very important to share with you.

I feel like I’m living in Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities because right now, it’s “the best of times and the worst of times.”

It is the “worst of times” because despite the assurances from several economists that the economy is improving, that is not being reflected in the cash donations coming into PPF – and basically every other non-profit. The traditional “summer slump” has been particularly hard for us this year.

But it’s also the “best of times,” because God is opening more avenues of ministry to the persecuted than I have ever seen.

Recently, I was contacted by one of our key ministry partners informing me of some great news! Once again God has answered prayer and provided PPF with a very large and valuable consignment of Mebendazole de-worming medicine, and immune system-boosting vitamin supplements.

The medical consignment (which is valued at more than $5.3 million) will provide life-saving treatment to 500,000 people in Southern Sudan and Darfur!

As you know, PPF has been involved for many years providing clean water for survivors of genocide and persecution. Dirty water accounts for more than 80 percent of the diseases in Africa.

Medicines like Mebendazole are a natural complement to our Safe Water and Medical programs by treating tens of thousands of people suffering from harmful parasites and worms that they acquire by drinking dirty water – nasty parasites that literally suck the life out of already malnourished victims.

We now have the opportunity to bless 500,000 people who have survived one of Africa’s cruelest genocidal wars.

That is the good news. But, the bad news is that even though this generous gift of medicines is free, the transportation, clearance, storage, distribution and coordination of medical outreaches with local health care workers are not free. We need cash to get this medicine to the precious souls that need it. So, as I have done many times before, I want to give you the opportunity to help in this difficult, but exciting challenge.

Would you consider making a special gift designated “where needed most” to PPF so we can take full advantage of this and other ministry opportunities God has provided?

Although we have seen a drop in our cash donations during the last two years, our ministry programs have seen incredible growth. Last year, PPF’s outreaches saw a growth of 257% and this year, we anticipate growth of 146% or more. In other words, we are doing more with less. God has taken the few loaves and fishes we have received and multiplied them beyond belief. It has been a wonderful, faith-building experience for all of us.

But we still need your help. There are still more clean water wells to drill, medicines and shoes to distribute, and pastors to train. The needs are great, but our Provider has always met our needs. And His delight is working through your generous heart.

Thank you for all you have done already to minister to the persecuted. I will keep you posted on how your gift is being used to help our brothers and sisters in Sudan.

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.

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!

One of the new wells.

I was somewhere between Gok Machar and Jaac with my team. It had already been a long day. What was supposed to be a three-hour journey had doubled. It was well past dark, and our vehicle was weaving in and out between trees and thorn bushes, trying to avoid the occasional stump protruding from the “road” that was really nothing more than a glorified cow path.

All of a sudden, PPF Director Matt Chancey yelled out, “Hey, stop the car! There’s our rig!” Off the road a ways, lit up like a Christmas tree, was one of our drilling rigs busily drilling another borehole to bring fresh water to the thousands of people in Jaac.

PPF's Matt Chancey washes a child's feet and presents the Gospel during a shoe distribution.

It was a beautiful sight. There was no moon, so the stars were very bright. It was a peaceful night, but not a quiet one, because the air was filled with the hammer-sound of the drilling rig as it pounded its way deeper and deeper through the dark red soil.

Although it was late, the noise of the rig had attracted a lot of attention, mostly from men and boys standing around watching the work.

I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and thankfulness at that moment. I remembered how difficult it had been to finish the first few wells in the community. Now I was witnessing the 41st well being drilled!

Residents of Jaac gather for a time of worship.

By the time I left Africa to return home for Christmas, the 45th well was completed. At the time of publication, the 52nd well was operational in Jaac. Our goal of reaching the half-way mark to 100 wells by Christmas was met. PRAISE THE LORD!

Of course, God uses means to achieve His ends, and that means I need to thank you, our ministry partners, for helping us achieve this aggressive goal in the middle of a world-wide recession. We know God is not worried about the economy, nor should we be. The year 2009 was filled with incredible challenges, but none were greater than God, and He provided for all our needs and many thousands of lives were impacted by the work you have chosen to support.

29 students graduated from our pastor-training program.

In addition to the water project in Jaac, we also witnessed the fruit of our other ministries to the community. It was my pleasure to be joined by my good friend and PPF ministry partner, Larry Warren of African Leadership. Larry and I were privileged to attend a graduation ceremony of 29 pastors in Jaac who had completed more than 500 hours of training sponsored by African Leadership. It had been two years since Larry had last been with me in Jaac, and he summed up the changes in one word: “health.”

Darfur refugees in Jaac eagerly await a PPF shoe distribution.

PPF’s medical clinic in Jaac was very busy, as we received the first of hopefully many shipments of shoes and medicine using our new truck, “Mercy,” to save us thousands of dollars normally spent on expensive relief flights.

It was a wonderful trip, and I felt so privileged to have been chosen to be a part of this vital work in a barren land forgotten by the rest of the world. It reminded me that the same God Who watches over the sparrows has remembered His suffering people in Jaac.

Medical ministry at the PPF clinic in Jaac.

I know most of you reading these pages will never have an opportunity to see this miracle for yourselves, but I hope my words and these pictures convey at least a hint of the magnitude your prayers and testimony of giving have made in the lives of the people in Jaac and other communities in Sudan.

As I write these words at the close of 2009, the words of a powerful hymn keep entering my mind – and I trust they will carry us all through a new and exciting year:

A village celebrates with PPF staff over the completion of a new well.

“To God be the Glory, Great Things He Hath Done!”

With the relative peace in Southern Sudan, more roads have begun opening up and more and more truck traffic can be seen crisscrossing the country — especially during the dry season when most roads are passable. But the roads are still very bad, so special trucks must be used. Trucks like the one pictured here. This is a Mercedes 911. It is a four-wheel drive truck with a 10-ton capacity. And during the rainy season, it can go almost anywhere in Southern Sudan — and at a much cheaper cost than using airplanes.

PPF recently added this 911 to our vehicle fleet in the hope that it will cut our transportation costs significantly, so we can be better stewards of the funds our supporters entrust us with.

You can see this vehicle has a lot of character. She deserves a name, so we’d like you to help us name our new truck. On our website, you may send us your name suggestion through our contact page. We’ll announce the winner in the November Africa Messenger.