by Brad Phillips

Due to decades of genocidal wars and persecutions, all of Sudan, but especially the Nuba mountains region, is comprised of communities where literally the entire population has undergone severe mental, emotional and physical trauma.

I remember sitting one day with Matt and Abulul in a marketplace called Abuleila taking our morning “bun” (coffee) and “zelabia” (Sudanese fried dough). A man in ragged clothes named Hassan appeared in front of us and began wailing and crying out something in Arabic. It was as if he had lost his mind. His pain and grief was palpable.

I asked Abulul to please tell us what he was saying. Abulul explained that the man had been the victim of the Murahaleen (an Islamist jihadist group like the Janjaweed). They had swept through his village two years before and destroyed everything he owned. They stole all his property, and they raped and abducted his wife and only daughter. Hassan had lost everything, including his peace.

We invited Hassan to sit with us. He seemed to regain his senses, and in a calmer tone retold his story as we took tea together. We prayed together and offered Hassan an audio Bible. Recently, I encountered Hassan again in that same market, and we sat for tea. He was still carrying his audio Bible, but I noticed he seemed to have regained some of his peace. Because of Hassan, I was reminded of 2 Corinthians 1, where we are exhorted to comfort others with the same comfort we have received. Trauma healing workshops are equipping believers with the necessary skills to do just that. Your faithful support makes this possible.