Ismael

Persecution Project’s mission is “Active Compassion for the Persecuted.” But the “persecuted” are not faceless, nameless masses of people. They’re individuals, each with a family, a history, a vision, and a testimony.

It’s so very easy to get focused on the “big numbers” of our work: “20,000 displaced by fighting,” “1 million returnees needing shelter,” “thousands living in famine conditions,” etc.

We sometimes forget that numbers, by themselves, are meaningless. They’re only important in terms of what they describe. In the case of Persecution Project, many of the numbers describe real people with real needs and an important mission in our world.

This post features just three of those your active compassion is partnering with through Persecution Project. We hope learning more about these dear brothers and sisters will encourage you in your prayers for all those suffering for Jesus’ Name.

Ismael (name changed for security) serves as an evangelist in the area of Western Kadugli, a place with few Christians and a large Muslim population.

The area is also full of government spies who identify people like Ismael as enemies of the state. Kadugli city is controlled by government troops. In January, Kadugli was the scene of the massacre of Nuba Pastor (and American citizen) Ibrahim Kander and his nephews. Pastor Ibrahim was passing through Kadugli on his way to the rebel-controlled areas when he was executed — likely by members of Sudan’s secret Intelligence Service.

Persecution Project equipped Ismael with a backpack projector (for showing The JESUS Film) and many audio Bibles to use in his outreach to his Muslim neighbors. Please pray for his safety as he preaches the gospel in a very dangerous area.

Hussein

Hussein (name changed for security) is from Jabal Adiar in the northeastern part of the Nuba mountains of Sudan.

Like Ismael, Hussein is in a very large Muslim area. Although a Christian, Hussein serves “undercover” by dressing like a Muslim. He recently attended a Persecution Project-sponsored pastor and evangelist conference to share what he’s doing in his home area. He brought along several young people he has led to Christ through his distribution of audio and print Bibles and other evangelistic materials.

The social dynamic in mixed Nuba communities can be difficult to understand or navigate. Many of those in the older generation were raised in a very exclusive Islamic setting, and there is an expectation that they will retain the religion they were taught as a matter of loyalty.

Please pray for the safety of Hussein and all his young disciples as they continue to minister to their neighbors.

Midwives

Infant and maternal mortality rates are traditionally very high in places like Sudan. This is one of the main reasons why Persecution Project pushed very hard to complete a new Maternity Ward at the Gigaiba Referral Hospital in 2021. This important addition to the hospital also comes with several midwives, who, like their sisters in ancient Egypt, have done work worthy of praise in saving many lives of newborns and their moms by providing exceptional care in a safe, clean environment.

These midwives are the unsung heroes of growing a generation of young people who have a chance to live past the age of five years, and hear the gospel proclaimed to them. As they grow, they can live lives of comparative freedom, thanks to your “active compassion” working through these talented and powerful women.