CABINA

Cabina is a mother of five children in the Nuba mountains of Sudan. She’s also the wife of a pastor— a very busy pastor. Pastor Morris shepherds his own congregation, and coordinates 100 others in a land on the perpetual edge of famine due to a government-imposed humanitarian blockade.

Persecution Project has worked with Morris since the war began in 2011. He coordinates the receipt and distribution of hundreds of tons of relief, shelter, and food items as well as other important outreaches.

But, honestly, as much as we love Morris, Cabina is extra special. There are no hotels in the Nuba mountains. When people travel, they stay with families. And Cabina’s hospitality is legend. You know this by how many locals are in her home everyday.

To say Cabina has a revolving door of hospitality is a dramatic understatement. A revolving door wouldn’t turn fast enough to allow in half the people Cabina feeds, disciples, laughs with, and blesses every day. Every. Single. Day.

When PPF’s team arrives, it’s nearly always unannounced. There’s no working cell network in the Nuba, and satellite internet connections are few and far between. So what typically happens is that the PPF team drives up with several people needing food, beds, fresh water for showers, and rest.

Cabina doesn’t miss a beat. She’s always joyful to see more company. Instantly, she commands her battalions to build the fires, pluck the chickens, slaughter the hogs and goats, fetch the water and make the beds (her own family’s beds for guests to use).

She knows we love the local drink made from the baobab tree, so she makes gallons to quench our thirst. In the evening, she organizes children, many of whom have lost parents to the war, to sing hymns of praise to welcome our arrival.

Cabina doesn’t live in a five bedroom house on 10 acres with all the latest gadgetry for hospitality. She has a small compound with a few small buildings. A total of four rooms. She has no plumbing. No electricity. No phone. The local well pump is overused due to a large population of internally displaced Nubans and routinely breaks, forcing the family to drink muddy water from hand-dug wells.

Life is hard.

But Cabina soldiers on with a smile and a song on her lips. Cabina is the single greatest testimony of joy we have found in Sudan. She and her husband are not only a keystone in their community, they are heroes. Undisputed heroes.

You may be wondering “Why don’t you help this woman more so she doesn’t have such a hard time?” Good question. The short answer is that we do help Morris and Cabina— but they pass it on. They give to everyone— including enemy prisoners of war detained close to their home.

We often joke that compared to Cabina, the Proverbs 31 woman was an under-achiever. We are so blessed to know her and serve with her. We wish you all could meet her. For now, please remember her in your prayers. She needs a super helping of grace to endure the strain of daily life. She’s human after all. She may not be a literal “superwoman,” but Cabina certainly gives a fair impression of one. She feels your love and begs us every time to send greetings to her American family when we visit.

She prays for you. Will you pray for her?

MEDINA

Medina is a young mother of three. Her husband serves in the Nuba army, an unpaid force which has acted as a shield to the Nuba people of Sudan for nearly seven years.

Medina is well educated and speaks excellent English. We first met her when she was pregnant with her third child. She joined us for several days of bumpy roads through the Nuba to conduct Dignity Kit outreaches for thousands of women.

When she’s not conducting these outreaches for Persecution Project, she teaches English at a local church school. When she’s paid, she makes very little. Moreover, she’s the only woman on staff and deals with the pressure which comes from normal challenges working in very much a man’s world.

On a recent visit to her community, Medina paid the PPF team a visit and brought her new daughter. She presented our team with a pot of homemade sesame seed spread which tasted much better than the best peanut butter we’ve ever tasted.

But our team ate very little because they knew this was Medina’s family’s food from their own meager pantry. That pot would have to feed a family of five for several days.

Medina distributes emergency relief packs, food and PPF audio Bibles. (click on image to advance the photos)

It sounds like one of those dramatic television appeals to say this, but it honestly takes very little to bless women like Medina and Cabina— provided we all work together. What is easy for us can make a huge difference to them. And your active compassion is making a difference.

EPILOGUE

Now that you have been introduced to Cabina and Medina, if you would like to send them letters of encouragement, please mail them to PPF’s main office, and we will compile them to send with our teams.