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.

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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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God has, for the past few years, placed a burden on our hearts (my husband’s and mine) to somehow teach our children to celebrate Christmas differently than everyone else does. The problem was that I thought this meant we just needed to spend less and that would teach our children that Jesus is the “reason for the season”.

This year, God led a Sunday school teacher at our church to choose the “Advent Conspiracy” curriculum to be a short-term adult class as a filler for the few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The following Sunday, we attended our first Advent Conspiracy Sunday school class entitled “Give More”, and I came home in tears. It was about giving more valuable things to those who mean so much to us; giving things like time, homemade or handmade gifts, or contributions to a cause that would mean something to that special person, instead of spending to excess on things those special people don’t really need. The emphasis of the segment was on getting away from the consumerism that permeates all of American society, especially at Christmas.

I realized this was the answer I had been looking for. I told my husband about the letter that we had recently received from Persecution Project Foundation, and asked him what he thought about the 100 Wells Campaign T-shirts and about the idea of doing Christmas differently this year. He asked me to give him the day to think about it. He watched video clips on Persecution Project’s website, and at the end of the day, he told me he believed we should order a shirt for everyone in his family.

Brad Phillips visits one of the newly completed wells in Jaac.

The shirts arrived in time for Christmas (thank you!), and we prepared a short presentation to explain to the family why we were doing something so different and “weird” this year for Christmas. We aren’t sure anyone else will follow along and do Christmas differently with us next year, but we are taking the Advent Conspiracy message (which we believe is a very Biblical message) to heart and from now on we are going to “Spend less. Give more. Worship fully.” with our celebration of Christmas.

God saved the best part for our family, however, and the story does not end with the shirts presented to my husband’s family. Before we left our home for the family Christmas gathering on Christmas Day, my husband was explaining to our four-year old what we were doing with the shirts. He explained that the money for the shirts was going to help the children in Sudan to have water to not only quench their physical thirst, but also to open the door for them to be told about Jesus who can quench their spiritual thirst and give them living water. My husband played some of the Persecution Project video clips about the 100 Wells Campaign, and explained to our four-year old that providing water will let these kids know that Jesus loves them, came to die and rise again to save them from their sins and that anyone who loves Jesus with their whole heart can go to Heaven to be with Him forever.

At this moment, without any prompting, our little boy looked at my husband and said, “Daddy, I love Jesus with all my heart.” It brought us both to our knees in tears of joy and thanksgiving. It’s the first time he has verbalized his love for, and faith in, Jesus.

We originally thought that God was bringing this all together to use us to make an impact on our extended family, while we were doing something small to help bring water to Sudan. What we now see is that God brought this all together at the right time to allow the 100 Wells Campaign to have a profound impact on us. It brought understanding of the love of Jesus to our oldest child, and changed our Christmas morning into one of the most precious and worshipful experiences we have ever had. It was the best Christmas ever, and we can only imagine what God has in store for us as we “do Christmas differently” next year and from now on.

Thank you for being part of God’s plan for us. We are so glad God has blessed us to be able to contribute a small portion to the bigger work you are doing in His name.

I have included a picture of my husband’s family. My husband and I are seated on the floor in front, and the three boys are ours. Caleb, our oldest, loves Jesus with all his heart!

Sincerely,

B.W., Zanesville, OH

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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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Chances are you’ve spoken with Teresa Hurlock, if you have ever called the PPF office in Virginia. Teresa is the “voice” of PPF. She is our “first impression” and has served the organization for nearly six years. As the first contact with the donor, she works with the realization that all PPF employees are the “hands and feet” of our supporters.

Teresa is a proud grandmother of six, and she brings those grandmotherly skills to the PPF office, where she takes care of many of the “small things” that are absolutely essential in a smooth-running organization — from making sure we have plenty of stationery in stock, to making plane reservations. But most importantly, Teresa is a prayer warrior. Teresa begins every day at PPF in prayer for the people she serves, whether here in the States or in the wilderness of Southern Sudan.

Our desire in introducing the people “behind the scenes” at PPF is not to give praise to man, but to show how God calls people from various backgrounds to His service. We are all a part of one Body. Every part of this Body is important, and we are grateful for the “parts” God has called to serve His people in Africa through Persecution Project Foundation.

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In a recent Africa Messenger, we included a picture of some of the students from Providence Christian School in Dothan, Alabama. The students at Providence have been wonderful partners in our clean water projects.

My mother is a Latin teacher at Providence and recently invited me to give the students an update from my latest trip to Sudan in December. Although I was still a little foggy from the trip and not feeling in much of a “presenting” mode, I went anyway.

When I arrived at the school, I was greeted by at least 200 third- and fourth-graders, who gathered around a big Christmas tree in the center of the school hallway and began singing Christmas carols to me – in Latin.

It was the most unique “welcome home” I had ever experienced. My mother then presented me with another donation from the school to PPF for our clean water project. This donation was raised through the gifts of hundreds of children, some of whom have only recently heard of a place called Darfur and the children there who need clean water.

The impact of children in missions cannot be underestimated. I think we make a mistake in the Church by under-valuing the contribution our children make to the Great Commission. We can also make a mistake in misunderstanding where children fit into the role of missions. Some Christians believe their children can be “missionaries” to a pagan culture, so they throw them in head-first and are shocked when 85% reject their faith by the time they head off to college. Other parents don’t involve children in “their ministry,” because it’s just too complicated, dangerous, or “over the heads” of their kids. Of course, both positions are wrong.

While working with PPF, I think we’ve been blessed to see where and how children can impact missions in a very positive way.

When Brad and I were in Jaac a couple of weeks ago, we were joined by our good friend Larry Warren from African Leadership. Larry brought along his wife, Mary, and sons Joshua and Johnny to join us in visiting some of the villages where our new wells are functioning. While visiting with the people, Larry delivered a very powerful message.

Brad Phillips (right) with African Leadership president, Larry Warren and family.

Larry told the refugees in Jaac that when his sons were very small, any time he would head toward the door, the boys would run up to him and ask, “Can I go with you?” And as the boys got a little older, they would first ask their dad, “Where are you going?” And still later, they would ask, “What will you be doing?”

Larry’s point was that when Jesus said we should have faith like a child, we need to be like his sons when they were little boys… just wanting to know “Can I go with you?” They didn’t have to know where Larry was going or what he was doing. All they knew was that they wanted to be with their father and do what he was doing.

I was reminded about this by visiting with the students at Providence Chrstian School. Most are still at that “Can I go with you?” stage. They don’t need a lot of details. They don’t have to have all the answers. All they know is that children in Sudan need clean water, and God is sending missionaries in there to help – and I want to be with my Father and do what He is doing.

Jesus Christ is the Son of God, Who came to do the will of His Father. When He was a little boy, He desired to follow His Father. And when He became a man, He continued following His Father, even to the cross.

I’m so thankful He did. May God make us all faithful sons like Jesus.

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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!

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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!”

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Kraig and Diana, married since 1998, have three wonderful children: Luke, Moriah and Joshua. By his own admission, Kraig “loves being Dad.”

Kraig works in the financial services field as an investment advisor and owns an insurance brokerage. He is the Vice President of American Financial Partners LLC and is part owner of a real estate development firm, Buckthorn Management LLC.

He has great respect for Christians who undergo persecution but who remain faithful to the Lord. PPF appreciates Kraig Swanger’s invaluable contribution to this ministry.

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