When I think about the Sudanese refugees we are serving, I think first about what they have lost. Gorom is a refugee camp about 25 to 30 kilometers from Juba, where I live (18 miles.) There are between 45,000 and 50,000 people there. Most are Sudanese refugees, with the majority coming from Darfur. They came because of the war. There has been war in Sudan since 1955, leaving generations of people traumatized. But since the most recent civil war began 3 years ago, it has been stated that Sudan is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. 

Some of these people were doing very well before the war. They had businesses. They had houses, cars, jobs and families… then everything changed in a second. Their houses were destroyed. Their businesses and resources were lost. Families became separated as people ran in different directions to find safety from bullets and bombs. One person might arrive in the camp, and another family member would come six months later. Sometimes they would wait an entire year, but sometimes the news they were waiting for was very difficult.

They would hear, “It is confirmed. Your husband, child, sister… is dead.” Sometimes the children would arrive without their parents because their mother and father had been killed. And these are the people we meet.

So who Will Be Their Family Now?

Among the refugees are people who have come to faith in Christ from Muslim backgrounds. For some, following Christ has meant losing their families and facing persecution.

One woman had boiling water poured on her because of her faith. Another believer was shot nine times while praying in a shelter. One man returned to Darfur to visit his family, and because he had become a Christian, his relatives planned to kill him. While he was sitting with them, someone struck him in the head with an iron rod, and he died.

Because of experiences like these, some believers cannot safely return to their families in Sudan.

This is where the church has become so important.

The first step is trust. We meet people where they are, helping with practical needs and building relationships. Then we can say, “Come. This is our church. This is the women’s group. This is Sunday school. Your children can come too.”

Slowly, slowly, they become part of the community.

Then the situation changed again.

As more refugees arrived, resources became limited and security grew worse. Some of our gatherings had to pause. We could not continue doing things the same way.

We asked: “What do these people need now?”

For those facing the greatest danger, we moved them to Juba, where simple church housing provides a safe place to stay while they continue discipleship and trauma healing. Others remain in Gorom and continue meeting through the local church.

This is why Mohamed has become so important.

Mohamed is from Darfur and has been an African Leadership-trained teacher and pastor since 2017. He was born into a Muslim family and is the first ordained Christian pastor from Darfur in our network. He understands the language, the culture, but most importantly, what his people have experienced.

He is serving his own people.

For me, this is one of the most important things about leadership. Sometimes you have a plan, but then the situation changes. You cannot continue doing exactly what you were doing before.

Sometimes the answer is not another leadership class. Sometimes it is food, clothing, medicine, prayer, or helping someone find work.

These refugees did not lose their skills when they lost their homes. They are mechanics, carpenters, shopkeepers, hairdressers, cooks, phone repairers, and more. We help connect them with opportunities to use those skills again to earn money, feed their families, and send their children to school.

These may look like small things, but small things matter most in times like this.

Some people have had to leave South Sudan for their own safety. When they do, we connect them with African Leadership-trained pastors and leaders in other communities across borders who can receive them.

We can say, “Take care of this person. This person has this story. This person has experienced this.”

Then they become part of another family. We are still one body of Christ. When one part is aching, the whole body feels the pain.

There is always hope. Even in destruction, we see God making a way for people to grow again.

Before the war, I thought it might take us 100 years to reach people in places these refugees are running from. We tried to open classes there, but it was very difficult. Then the war brought destruction beyond what we could imagine, and suddenly, people from Khartoum and Darfur were sitting in front of us.

Today, we still meet. We pray together. Leaders continue to grow, and new people are beginning discipleship. They have experienced so much loss, but they are becoming connected to a new family.

When everything changes, community can become the way forward. We cannot control everything that happens, but we can remain faithful.

The work is hard and takes a lot of energy, but there are leaders who are saying “yes, I choose to serve.” African Leadership South Sudan cannot solve every single challenge in the midst of war … but we are meeting personal challenges and transforming lives day by day.

Thank you for being a part of this work, God bless you.