Persecution Blog

"They Still Have Their Faith"

It is rare to find an American in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan.

Especially today.

But there is one who chooses to stay. As a Christian, he cannot ignore years of indiscriminate bombing and genocide. In the context of the most extreme poverty in the world, this believer puts his faith into action every day.

He stays.

He serves.

Ryan Boyette has been featured in the media and befriended by celebrities and world leaders who care about Sudan. New York Times Op-Ed Columnist Nicholas Kristof has met with him several times to learn about his work and has written about Ryan since 2011.

Ryan, a Florida native, speaks Otoro and Sudanese Arabic and has served for 13 years alongside his Nuban neighbors in the bush of Sudan. As a first-hand witness to the atrocities there, Ryan has testified before Congress, met with White House officials and documented mass graves.

I met with Ryan in Sudan recently to hear first-hand about how God is at work in the midst of these tragedies.

In this video, Ryan shares that the Sudanese government has destroyed churches and villages. The people have been displaced, many of them hiding in the mountains and inside caves, but they are strong in their faith. 

Despite the fact that their buildings have been destroyed and their lives have been “swept out from under them,” he continues, “They are still praying inside the caves, they are still holding church under trees, they are still praying with each other and trying to encourage one another.”

 

Ryan’s conclusion? “They still have their faith. When you meet with people and you talk to them, they still know God is watching over them. There is no doubt in their mind that God is with them.”

The New York Times recently produced a video entitled, “The Worst Atrocity You’ve Never Heard Of” highlighting Ryan Boyette and Dr. Tom Catena, two incredibly brave workers who refuse to leave the Nubans behind. You can see my recent interview with Dr. Tom Catena here.

VOM, in partnership with Persecution Project Foundation, is standing with Christians in Sudan, providing medicine, humanitarian aid, and much-needed spiritual encouragement and equipping.

We will pray.

We will give.

We will not leave our Nuban sisters and brothers behind!

Listen to Dr. Jason Peters discussing his recent visit to Sudan on VOM Radio.

Dr. Jason Peters oversees Global Partnerships and travels frequently to meet with our persecuted sisters and brothers. He has ministered in 39 countries, as diverse as Cuba, India, Sudan, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Burma, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia and Nigeria. Jason ministered as a military chaplain for more than 18 years, with assignments at the Pentagon, the US Air Force Academy and as a faculty member of the Air Force Chaplain Corps College, where he directed Crisis and Trauma training. Jason and his wife Kimberly lived overseas for several years, where two of their five children were born.

SUDAN: The Shrapnel Pulpit

What does the pulpit look like at your church?

In many European cathedrals, pulpits are placed high above the floor. Other churches use a glass or metal pulpit. Some churches use a music stand, or may not use any pulpit at all.

In my office, I have a simple wooden pulpit from a church in England given to me as a gift years ago. I display it to remind me of the primacy of scripture and of the specific calling God has given me as a minister.

I have also seen a wide variety of pulpits in use around the world. In grass huts, simple concrete buildings, or even while worshiping outside, ministers often use pulpits as they proclaim the good news about Jesus.

But the most stunning pulpit that I have ever seen was in Sudan’s Nuba mountains a few weeks ago.

This pulpit was from a church that was bombed by the Khartoum government. The church was destroyed, and shrapnel shredded the pulpit.

When I interviewed the pastor of this church, he shared that when their church building was bombed, his people fled to the mountains. Now many of them live in caves.

But one thing that they couldn’t bear to leave behind was the pulpit from their church building. Now it stands as a reminder to them, and to us, that the Church will never be destroyed.

We may have scars, to be sure, but “the gates of hell will not prevail” against Christ’s Church!

Watch this short video and celebrate with the church that uses a shrapnel-ridden pulpit each week as they worship under a thatched roof.

 

Next time you gather at your church, please remember to pray for our Sudanese sisters and brothers. May the pulpit at your church remind you that we are part of the larger community of believers around the world.

Dr. Jason Peters oversees Global Partnerships and travels frequently to meet with our persecuted sisters and brothers. He has ministered in 39 countries, as diverse as Cuba, India, Sudan, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Burma, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia and Nigeria. Jason ministered as a military chaplain for more than 18 years, with assignments at the Pentagon, the US Air Force Academy and as a faculty member of the Air Force Chaplain Corps College, where he directed Crisis and Trauma training. Jason and his wife Kimberly lived overseas for several years, where two of their five children were born.

VOMRadio: Foxholes and Forgiveness in Sudan

Christians in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan are under attack from their own government. When a plane flies overhead, our Sudanese brothers and sisters dive into foxholes to escape falling bombs. Hospitals and even schools are specifically targeted by the Islamic government of Sudan.

Many Christians have fled their homes and are living in caves or in the mountains in hopes of finding safety. Yet even in the midst of attacks, some Christians are finding ways to reach out with Jesus' love. VOM's Dr. Jason Peters visited Christians in Sudan, and this week on VOM Radio he shares their inspiring and heartbreaking stories.

 

Dr. Peters also blogged about his time in Sudan, and shares video from some of the Christians he met there. You can read his posts about the trip to Sudan here, here, here and here.

Hospital Bombings in Nuba

“They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth” (Hebrews 11:37b-38).

While in Sudan recently, I noticed shrapnel everywhere.

It is not uncommon to see the devastation caused by bombs and artillery shells when working in war-ravaged areas, but there was something distinctly different this time.

The targets were different.

In fact, according to the Geneva Convention of 1949, the targets were illegal.

Hospitals are being actively targeted by the Khartoum government, under the influence of Omar al-Bashir.

I visited two former hospitals that were targeted by the government of Sudan this year and have since been abandoned by foreign medical aid organizations.

One hospital had been targeted for aerial bombardment twice in the last eight months. Following the most recent attack, when 12 bombs were dropped on the hospital, the NGO operating the hospital decided to pull out of the Nuba region.

The Voice of the Martyrs and Persecution Project Foundation are now the primary providers of medication in the region. I visited the bombed-out hospital and met with the site manager. He told us that many people survived by climbing into a foxhole just outside the ward while two bombs exploded inside the compound.

There were several occasions when I had to jump into foxholes myself, or hide in caves, because of bombers overhead. I’ll share a more detailed story about that soon.

In this short video, you will hear a hospital worker describe patients scrambling for their safety in foxholes surrounding the hospital. Near the end of the video, you will see children running for foxholes and hear the drone of a bomber overhead.

These are not reenactments. This is reality for our dear brothers and sisters who live in the Nuba Mountains. Will you remember them in your prayers today?

 

Dr. Jason Peters oversees Global Partnerships and travels frequently to meet with our persecuted sisters and brothers. He has ministered in 39 countries, as diverse as Cuba, India, Sudan, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Burma, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia and Nigeria. Jason ministered as a military chaplain for more than 18 years, with assignments at the Pentagon, the US Air Force Academy and as a faculty member of the Air Force Chaplain Corps College, where he directed Crisis and Trauma training. Jason and his wife Kimberly lived overseas for several years, where two of their five children were born.

Imprisoned Sudan Pastors Speak

We have been following the case of two pastors in Sudan who are currently on trial and could, if convicted, face the death penalty. Earlier this week VOM's Todd Nettleton did an interview with Mission Network News about the case.

Our friends at CBN news talked to the two pastors by phone at the jail where they are being held in Khartoum. CBN's Gary Lane filed this report:

Yat Michael and David Yein say they are unafraid even though they face possible execution in Sudan. The two Presbyterian pastors are accused of spying in Khartoum, and have been jailed since last December (Yein) and January (Michael).

On trial since May 19, they've been officially charged with "inciting organized groups" and "offending Islamic beliefs."  Sudanese law (sharia) requires them to be executed if they are convicted.

Both Christians--who are from South Sudan--say they had no hidden agenda while visiting Khartoum; they were only answering God's call to share the Word with the people of Sudan.

In an exclusive CBN News interview, Senior International Correspondent George Thomas talked to the two pastors via telephone from their Khartoum prison cell.

"We want you to pray that this test be for the glory of God." ~Sudanese pastor David Yein

Yat Michael told Thomas while he has not suffered physical beating during his imprisonment, he has experienced psychological intimidation. Also, he said it has been two months since he's been allowed to talk with his family.

Speaking mostly in Arabic, David Yein told Thomas he is "not afraid of anything" because "God chose me to suffer." He asks that Christians pray that his suffering will "be for the glory of God" in the prison.

You can read Gary's full report, including video from CBN News and a transcript of the jail-house interviews, HERE.

Following the court hearing on Monday, the case was reportedly recessed until June 15. Please pray for Pastor Yat Michael and Pastor David Yein.

VOM Work in Sudan Discussed on Moody Radio

Yesterday VOM's Todd Nettleton was a guest on In the Market with Janet Parshall, aired nationwide on the Moody Radio Network.

In the 30-minute interview with Parshall, Nettleton shared updates about the persecuted church, focussing particularly on the nation of Sudan, where two pastors are on trial and could face the death penalty, as well as a nation where VOM staff recently traveled to deliver aid.

Please click here to listen to this interview (a new window will open; Nettleton's interview begins about the 27:30 mark). We are thankful to our media friends who help VOM share the stories of our persecuted family.

A Swarm of Wild Bees

Working alongside believers who are actively serving God in some of the most dangerous places on earth is incredible! It is staggering to hear story after story of miraculous interventions in their lives.

It is also humbling.

We meet regularly with Christians who are willing to forsake all to follow Jesus.

As I chat with colleagues in my office following these visits, our conversation often leads into spirited discussions about the “living book of Acts” that we are honored to witness. The Acts of the Apostles has 28 chapters, but, many times, it seems like we are seeing Chapter 29 being written before our very eyes!

I will be sharing more stories from my recent visit to the Nuba Mountain region of Sudan in the weeks ahead. I have already shared three reasons it is so difficult to be a Christian there. I also told you about a heroic physician who is providing medical care in this war zone.

One of VOM’s longtime partners in this region is Persecution Project Foundation, led by Brad Phillips. Brad introduced me to an amazing leader in Sudan and I would like you to meet him too. His name is Pastor Morris. He is known throughout the region as a leader of leaders and we are joining PPF to equip him to take his ministry further.

In this one-minute video, you will hear him describe a miraculous intervention which encouraged him to press on in faith.

 

Pastor Morris shared that pastors have been targeted and kidnapped because they are rightly viewed as influential opponents of Islamic extremism. In one case, 20 pastors were detained by soldiers and faced imminent death.

But, that was not the end of the story. Pastor Morris says that suddenly a swarm of wild bees came and attacked the soldiers. The bees did not harm the pastors, but they attacked the soldiers and forced them to flee into the bush.

The pastors were able to untie themselves and to escape.

Pastor Morris said that the soldiers were unable to find them again!

As a former military officer, I wonder what the conversation was like back in the soldier’s camp that evening. I can only imagine the amazing ways that God’s absolute sovereignty and power have been demonstrated in situations like this. He is King of all creation—even the wild bees of Sudan!

We love these Front-line Workers who are seeing God at work in powerful ways.

Dr. Tom: Medical Ministry Under Fire

In the April 27, 2015, issue of TIME Magazine, Dr. Tom Catena was identified as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World." Dr. Tom is a family practice physician who has been in the Nuba region for seven years, as the only remaining physician at the hospital he helped found.

Dr. Tom took a short break from his seven days a week schedule to speak with me. After an extensive bombing campaign by the Khartoum government, his facility is the only referral hospital in the entire Nuba Mountain region of Sudan. He is very grateful for VOM’s support. He thanked us for the medication we provide, and even more importantly, for the prayers that are generated from people around the world.

While at the hospital, we also met with an 11 year-old boy, Mansour, a little over 48 hours after he was injured in an attack and prayed with him.

Mansour was wounded by shrapnel entering his left chest. He was carried for 11 hours to get to the hospital with a sucking chest wound. When he arrived, Dr. Tom put a drainage tube in his chest, then opened his chest and performed surgery, repairing two holes in his diaphragm, and saving Mansour’s life.

I asked Dr. Tom about the impact of prayer on his ministry. He responded, "Prayer means everything. The only way we go ahead here is the grace of God, and the grace of God is manifest by people praying for us here. We see miracles here every day, and it is not through our own strength or own doing, it is all through the grace of God."

Dr. Tom continued, "I would ask people that are in the U.S. to keep praying for us here, to keep praying for the Nuba, to pray for resolution of this conflict, to pray for our strength so that we can keep going ahead with the work here, and know that your prayers are much appreciated by everybody here."

Watch this one minute interview with Dr. Tom and listen as he describes how prayer is the foundation of everything they do.

 

Dr. Jason Peters oversees Global Partnerships and travels frequently to meet with our persecuted sisters and brothers. He has ministered in 39 countries, as diverse as Cuba, India, Sudan, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Burma, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia and Nigeria. Jason ministered as a military chaplain for more than 18 years, with assignments at the Pentagon, the US Air Force Academy and as a faculty member of the Air Force Chaplain Corps College, where he directed Crisis and Trauma training. Jason and his wife Kimberly lived overseas for several years, where two of their five children were born.

 

Under Fire in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains

I am traveling back from the Nuba mountains of Sudan, where I joined VOM workers for nearly a week traveling in the bush inside Sudan. It is impossible to adequately describe the devastation and suffering of Christians in this place. I will spend several blog posts sharing stories and insights from our family members there.

The best place to begin is by explaining that the Nuba mountain region of Sudan is one of the most difficult places to be a Christian anywhere on earth.

Why do I say this?

1. Nuban Christians face extreme poverty. Imagine daily life without power, water, employment, shelter, industry, fuel, communications, etc.

2. Nuban Christians experience daily aerial bombardment and rocket attacks by the Khartoum government. They are direct victims of an active genocide campaign designed to eliminate them.

3. There is almost no access to medical care and education. The government has bombed schools and hospitals since 2011, and almost all of them have ceased operations. One child was killed by a bomb that fell while we were there. I’ll share that story in an upcoming post.

While in Sudan, our team visited two former hospitals targeted by bombs and since abandoned by foreign aid organizations. One of those hospitals was targeted for aerial bombardment twice in the last eight months. When 12 bombs dropped on the hospital in the last attack, the NGO operating the hospital decided to pull out of the entire region. Now VOM, in partnership with Persecution Project Foundation, is the primary provider of medication in the area.

We visited the hospital and met with the site manager. He told us that 13 people were saved in that attack by climbing into a foxhole outside the ward when two bombs exploded inside the compound.

Aerial bombardment is a persistent threat that affects every aspect of daily life for Nubans.

It is always disruptive.

It is often tragic.

Honestly, I am still processing many of my own emotions from this shattering experience. Pray with me that we will continue to find creative ways to stand with these suffering family members.

Dr. Jason Peters oversees Global Partnerships and travels frequently to meet with our persecuted sisters and brothers. He has ministered in 39 countries, as diverse as Cuba, India, Sudan, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Burma, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia and Nigeria. Jason ministered as a military chaplain for more than 18 years, with assignments at the Pentagon, the US Air Force Academy and as a faculty member of the Air Force Chaplain Corps College, where he directed Crisis and Trauma training. Jason and his wife Kimberly lived overseas for several years, where two of their five children were born.

Most-Read Posts of 2014: #3

This week, as we celebrate the birth of Christ, we will be looking back on the most-read posts on the Persecution Blog this year. Today we look back on the #3 most-read post. We will continue to count down until we unveil number 1 on Friday. Come back each day this week to learn which posts drew the most attention, readers and shares over the course of 2014.

By Choosing Christ, Her Children Will Be Orphans (May 30)

“It’s a baby girl!”

Maya, the second child of Meriam Ibrahim and Daniel Wani was born earlier this week in a prison clinic, where her mother awaits execution for refusing to renounce Christianity. Maya and her 20-month-old brother, Martin, will remain in prison with their mother until she is weaned. Then, she and her brother will become orphans if Sudan’s government carries out Meriam’s death sentence.

The children’s father and Meriam’s husband Daniel, was finally able to visit his children on the day after Maya’s birth. When he spoke with his wife, she expressed no regrets. “If they want to execute me then they should go ahead and do it because I’m not going to change my faith.”

In court, the judge repeatedly gave her opportunity to recant her Christian faith. She stated openly that she had never practiced the religion of her father and that she was a Christian. The judge gave her three days to change her mind or be charged with apostasy. Meriam came back to court and told the judge she would not change her mind.

Meriam told her husband, “I refuse to change. I am not giving up Christianity just so that I can live. I know I could stay alive by becoming a Muslim and I would be able to look after our family, but I need to be true to myself.”

Meriam Ibrahim has already died to herself and lives in Christ. She is ready to die for her faith, but I cannot imagine the sorrow that she and her husband are enduring as their two young children are kept alongside her in chains, and as they imagine a future without Meriam.

I can only imagine the conditions she is living in at the prison, where guards are reportedly mistreating her and where Muslim prisoners are rallying around her. I can only imagine her pain as she tries to care for her two young children while trying to keep her hope alive and her faith vibrant. I can only imagine Daniel’s anguish at his inability to help his wife while separated from his children.

As members of the body of Christ, we are called to “Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.” (Hebrews 13:3). We are also called in Isaiah 58:6 to “loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free.”

Please pray for Meriam and her family. Pray for comfort for her in prison. Pray that her example will have an impact on those around her and on the whole nation of Sudan. Pray for her husband Daniel and the lawyers who are working to help her. Pray that Meriam and her children will be freed.

Post a prayer for Meriam at iCommitToPray and learn more at Persecution.com.

EDITOR'S NOTE: As many readers will know, our prayers and the prayers of so many around the world were answered when Meriam was released from prison and allowed to leave Sudan.

“Ann Kay” is a writer for VOM. She learned about VOM five years ago when she read Tortured for Christ and began receiving the newsletter. She is passionate about reaching the world for Christ and sharing stories of the persecuted church.