In the Bible we find stories of people who were driven from their homelands, and still today refugees are longing for safety and shelter. Hundreds of thousands of refugees have found a safer home in South Sudan, the youngest state in the world.
Dagig, Ashron, Lira, Moro, Shad and Tabanya are names of just a few of the Muslim ethnic people groups who have fled from the Nuba Mountains in Sudan.
Repeatedly bombed by the Sudanese military in an ongoing civil war, they have lost their homes, family members and livelihoods. Now they endure life in refugee camps such as the one in Yida, South Sudan, where they receive only the most essential supplies through various aid organizations.
Among these refugees, there are a few who follow Jesus. They have formed small fellowships within the camp and aim to reach out with the gospel to their Muslim countrymen.The local church leaders have set an ambitious goal to engage all of the more than 70 ethnic groups in the Yida camp. One of the major challenges to this is that the majority of people in the camp speak languages that are not written. Only very few among the refugees are literate. Therefore they do not have translations of the Bible either.
Jesus taught the people with stories and parables. Following his example, motivated believers are trained to tell biblical content in exciting ways and to answer questions from their Muslim compatriots. God is at work! Muslims are hearing about Jesus for the first time and becoming His followers. In this way the sojourn at Yida camp turns into a unique opportunity for the gospel to be made known to these Muslim refugees. If eventually they have the opportunity to return to their
ancestral lands, these young believers will take the good news back to those who stayed there.
LET’S PRAY
- For these new believers to grow in unity, encourage one another in fellowship and love, and be a light in the Yida camp.
- For safety in the camps and for good stewardship of aid resources so that the needs of the refugees are met.
- For peace in the region so that these refugees can return to their homes in the Nuba Mountains and the believers among them will take the gospel there.
Post credited to the editors
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