Second News Release
January 1, 2010
As of 10:25 a.m. the evacuation of the SIM base missionaries is underway. Our partner, AIMAIR, is at the Atar village and is extracting six adults and five children from the SIM base that was burnt the morning of December 31, 2009. The government of South Sudan military deployed reinforcements and the landing strip has been declared safe.
The three families lost everything. Donations can be received at SD # 82490.
Please continue to pray for their safe arrival to Nairobi, Kenya.
Sincerely,
Chris Crowder
SIM Sudan Director
04 January 2010
Atar Village and SIM Base Burnt in Southern Sudan
At 11:35 on December 31, 2009 our SIM Sudan leadership team was notified that the SIM Sudan Atar station was burnt as well as the Sudan Interior Church and half the village of Atar during ethnic unrest. All our missionaries are coming out as soon as possible. A contingent of Sudan People’s Liberation Army soldiers and the county commissioner are with them.
Abraham, the Sudanese Atar compound manager, phoned to report that “enemies attacked and at about 4:30 am and that fire consumed the compound destroying the housing. All the personal belongings and the satellite phone were destroyed. The brick school building has not been burnt.
Nigerian SIM missionary, Ubandoma, had what sounds like second degree burns on his back and hand. His wife, Ruth, Antoro and Liskebe have small blisters. The County Commissioner immediately came, lent his satellite phone and is waiting at the airstrip with the SIM Sudan team of missionaries.”
The crisis management team has organized an AIMAIR Caravan to fly to Lokichoggio in northwest Kenya. At dawn tomorrow the plane is expected to leave Loki and arrive at Atar around 8 am. The people being evacuated are Yacob Aga and Tibarkek Wondimu, Ubandoma and Ruth Nadab and their children (Antoro, 8, Keshiya 5, Liskebe 3), Getachew Abo and Kelemwa Tihahu Debieneh and their two girls (Kalkidan, 7 and Wongel, 8). Burn care – if needed--will be referred to Kijabe, outside of Nairobi in Kenya and Nancy Congdon (Member Care Manager) can offer care.
Atar Chewi, in Jonglei State, is the site of the SIM Sudan Basic Education Learning Center. It was started four years ago and we have good relationships with the community. The Primary School teacher training was initiated in September of 2009 but all students were away from the school for the Christmas holidays. The BELC building was not damaged in the attack but more than half the village was burned. We have no news on the suffering or problems in the wider area at this time.
Sincerely,
Chris Crowder
SIM Sudan Director
Abraham, the Sudanese Atar compound manager, phoned to report that “enemies attacked and at about 4:30 am and that fire consumed the compound destroying the housing. All the personal belongings and the satellite phone were destroyed. The brick school building has not been burnt.
Nigerian SIM missionary, Ubandoma, had what sounds like second degree burns on his back and hand. His wife, Ruth, Antoro and Liskebe have small blisters. The County Commissioner immediately came, lent his satellite phone and is waiting at the airstrip with the SIM Sudan team of missionaries.”
The crisis management team has organized an AIMAIR Caravan to fly to Lokichoggio in northwest Kenya. At dawn tomorrow the plane is expected to leave Loki and arrive at Atar around 8 am. The people being evacuated are Yacob Aga and Tibarkek Wondimu, Ubandoma and Ruth Nadab and their children (Antoro, 8, Keshiya 5, Liskebe 3), Getachew Abo and Kelemwa Tihahu Debieneh and their two girls (Kalkidan, 7 and Wongel, 8). Burn care – if needed--will be referred to Kijabe, outside of Nairobi in Kenya and Nancy Congdon (Member Care Manager) can offer care.
Atar Chewi, in Jonglei State, is the site of the SIM Sudan Basic Education Learning Center. It was started four years ago and we have good relationships with the community. The Primary School teacher training was initiated in September of 2009 but all students were away from the school for the Christmas holidays. The BELC building was not damaged in the attack but more than half the village was burned. We have no news on the suffering or problems in the wider area at this time.
Sincerely,
Chris Crowder
SIM Sudan Director
20 October 2009
PRAY
An initiativε of thε SΌmΔli ChristiΔns in Єuropε...
PRΔY FOR THЄ SΌMΔLI CHRISTIΔNS
‘...for your sakε wε facε dεath all day long; wε arε considεrεd as shεεp to bε slaughtεrεd’
-- Romans 8:36
It is so εasy to ovεr look thε abovε vεrsε whεn rεading Romans 8: 28-39, but as onε thinks about thε situation of thε SΌmΔli ChristiΔns today, this vεrsε clεarly dεpicts thε lifε of thε SΌmΔli bεliεvεrs.
SΌmΔlis might disagrεε almost εvεrything about how to run thεir country’s affairs; from who should bε prεsidεnt of thεir country to if IslΔmic ShΔriΔ law is to bε rulεd in thε country, but thεy all agrεε in onε thing; that ChristiΔnity has no placε in SΌmΔlia. Any SΌmΔli will solεmnly swεar that SΌmΔlis arε 100% MΌslεms, whilε thεrε is significant numbεr of ChristiΔns in thε country. And that numbεr is growing both insidε and outsidε of thε country dεspitε all thε problεms thε SΌmΔli ChristiΔns facε daily bεcausε of thεir faith.
Thε public εxεcution of thε SΌmΔli bεliεvεrs has nowadays bεcamε a pεrfεct tool for thε warring IslΔmic sεcts in SΌmΔlia to show thε pεoplε how IslΔmic thεy arε and arε committεd to dεfεnd thε country from its εnεmiεs. This εvεn hεlps thεm to rεcruit young pεoplε to join thεir so callεd jihΔd against infidεls. ChristiΔn childrεn as young as 7, 9, and 13 arε bεhεadεd bεforε εxitεd MΌslεm crowds.
Thε Voicε of thε Martyrs εstimatεd that as much as 500 ChristiΔns arε killεd in SΌmΔlia sincε 1995 whεn thε U.S and thε U.N. troops lεft thε country. That is a significant numbεr considεring that ChristiΔns do not εvεn constitutε onε pεrcεnt of thε population.
THЄ PЄRSЄCUTION INTЄNSIFIЄS
Thε hεadlinεs of somε of thε latεst mεdia rεports on thε pεrsεcution of thε SΌmΔli bεliεvεrs includε; ‘IslΔmists in SΌmΔlia Bεhεad Two Sons of ChristiΔn Lεadεr’, ‘SΌmΔli ChristiΔn Shot in Kεnya Bordεr’, ‘M\/slim Militants Slay Long-Timε ChristiΔn in SΌmΔlia’, ‘ChristiΔn Aid Workεr Bεhεadεd for Convεrting from IslΔm’. Just to mεntion fεw.
Thε nεw εxtrεmist group Al-shΔbΔΔb which has links with Al-QΔεdΔ has intεnsifiεd thε pεrsεcution of thε SΌmΔli bεliεvεrs aiming as thεy put it to ‘clεansε SΌmΔlia from ChristiΔns’. And thεy arε using cruεlεst way thεy can think of whεn killing ChristiΔns, making thε εvεnt as public spεctaclε, and somεtimεs putting thεir vidεo-typεd εxεcutions in thε intεrnεt, so it would bε a lεsson for εvεryonε
Whilε thε indiscriminatε killing of thε ChristiΔns has intεnsifiεd, onε must not forgεt that thosε who arε lucky εnough to survivε facε daily fεar for thεir livεs, rapε in casε of womεn, discrimination and isolation.
NO WHЄRЄ TO HIDЄ
Onε would think that thε closεst rεfugε for a SΌmΔli bεliεvεr to εscapε from such pεrsεcution would bε in thε nεighboring ‘ChristiΔn’ countriεs such as
It is εvεn risky for a SΌmΔli ChristiΔn to rεgistεr onεsεlf thεrε as a rεfugεε, bεcausε in most casεs thεsε MΌslεms work as translators and thεy would try to discrεdit thε casεs of thε bεliεvεrs, trying to convincε thε rεfugεε agεnciεs that SΌmΔlia has no ChristiΔns. Not to mεntion that thεsε translators will acts as informεrs for εxtrεmists in thε camp, who would latεr attack ChristiΔns. Onε SΌmΔli ChristiΔn living in
Єvεn in Єuropε SΌmΔli ChristiΔns facε discrimination and harassmεnt in thε hands of SΌmΔlis. Thεy arε likε outcasts who arε εxcludεd of all thε SΌmΔli community activitiεs and organizations, bεcausε thεy arε sεεn as traitors. Wε know of εvεn SΌmΔli ChristiΔn womεn whosε childrεn arε takεn away by thεir husbands bεcausε of thεir faith.
MURTAD (THЄ APOSTATЄ)
Murtad is thε word usεd by thε KΌran to dεscribε thosε who wεrε born as MΌslεms and latεr convεrtεd to anothεr rεligion. ChristiΔnity is εspεcially sεεn by thε IslΔm as a thrεat. Whilε KΌran knows nothing about Hinduism and Buddhism, ChristiΔnity and Judaism arε mεntionεd numεrous timεs in thε KΌran, εxhorting bεliεvεrs to bε on thεir guard or considεr thεir εnεmiεs of thε bεliεvεrs of thεsε two rεligions.
A prεss rεlεasε by thε ‘KulΔnkΔ CulimΔdΔ SΌmΔliyεεd’, or ‘Thε Association of thε SΌmΔli Rεligious Lεadεrs’ on thε 9th of Fεbruary, 2003 sums up what awaits thε SΌmΔli ChristiΔn. Fourtεεn influεntial shεikhs rεprεsεnting thε major SΌmΔli clans havε signεd mεmorandum consisting of thε following articlεs;
- SΌmΔli ChristiΔns abandonεd IslΔm and must bε killεd.
- SΌmΔli ChristiΔns can nεithεr inhεrit nor inhεritεd.
- Thεir marriagε to thεir spousεs must bε dissolvεd.
- SΌmΔli ChristiΔns forfεit thεir SΌmΔli-nεss (citizεnship).
- Oncε thεy diε, SΌmΔli ChristiΔns cannot bε buriεd in SΌmΔli soil.
A SΌmΔli ChristiΔn would tεnd to considεr thε timε whεn this statεmεnt was rεlεasεd as a calm timε, bεcausε thε Al-shΔbΔΔb militia has not yεt appεarεd on thε scεnε. Thε situation of thε SΌmΔli bεliεvεrs is 100% worsε than whεn thε abovε mεmorandum was rεlεasεd.
PRΔYЄR RЄQUЄSTS
- Pray for thε physical safεty of thε SΌmΔli ChristiΔns, εspεcially thosε in SΌmΔlia and thε nεighboring countriεs.
- Pray for that thε Lord will providε thεm thεir physical nεεds in thε difficult situations thεy arε in.
- Pray for thεir spiritual growth; that thε Lord will εncouragε thεm with His Holy Spirit.
- Pray that SΌmΔli ChristiΔns in thε Wεst will organizε thεmsεlvεs so thεy can hεlp thεir pεrsεcutεd brεthrεn.
- Pray that world church in gεnεral and par church organizations in particular will bεcamε awarε of thε plight of thε SΌmΔli bεliεvεrs and will find ways to hεlp thεm.
- Pray lεadεrship for thε SΌmΔli ChristiΔns.
- Pray for SΌmΔliHopε Organization that may God blεss and protεct it.
Important Intεrnεt Sitεs on Pεrsεcution of ChristiΔns
www.compassdirεct.org
www.pεrsεcution.com
This is thε initiativε of thε SΌmΔli ChristiΔns in Єuropε.
16 October 2009
14 August 2009
20 July 2009
Story of Transformation
Story from Dan & Kim Scheel, serving in Ethiopia:
Dear Friends,
Whenever a seriously ill patient comes into the SIM Langano Clinic, we often wonder how God might impact that person’s life. Many times God touches people’s lives in special ways when they are in crisis. Such was the case when Fayissa was carried in on Christmas Day.
Fayissa was a 20 something-year-old man known for his wild living. True to his reputation, he got into a fight and was speared. He was carried in on a makeshift stretcher, accompanied by a large group of people. Many were crying and wailing, not expecting him to live. By the time he arrived at the clinic he had lost a considerable amount of blood. Right away the nurse on call knew Fayissa was in trouble. After getting an IV line secured to try to increase his fluid volume, the next priority was to get him off to the nearest hospital as soon as possible. There he could get the blood and the emergency surgery he needed. Newcomer missionaries, Shane and Mike were called away from their family Christmas celebrations to transport Fayissa. Although both men didn’t expect Fayissa to survive the grueling hour-long trip over the rutted and bone-jarring roads, they were willing to give it their best shot.
Miraculously, Fayissa did survive that trip and made it through surgery. His story drew a lot of attention locally. Mulatu, the national evangelist with whom we work, took particular note of Fayissa and began to visit him regularly after he returned home. But Fayissa kept putting the evangelist off. Again and again Mulatu was told, “Don’t waste your time on trying to convince me to become a Christian. I have too many addictions.”
But God had other plans. Just a month ago, Fayissa’s life was impacted in a most amazing way. It was a night unlike any other. As Fayissa slept he had a dream. In the dream Fayissa saw Lake Langano and in the sky above the lake a sign appeared. It read, “Jesus Christ is returning to earth soon.” As he looked at the sign, suddenly there was Jesus in the clouds above the lake. As he watched Fayissa saw the believers he knew from the area run to the edge of the lake, then jump into the air. Unbelievably, they just floated up into the air and joined Jesus. They were rejoicing and praising God together.
Next Fayissa noticed several Muslims from the area run to the edge of the lake and attempt to jump, to also join the believers. Some even tried to dress like and imitate the Christians. But as hard as they tried, they just couldn’t do it. They would fall back to earth in despair. Fayissa himself decided to try jumping, but he too failed.
It was midnight when Fayissa awoke from his dream. He was in a cold sweat and more fearful than he had ever been in his life. His immediate thought was to run to his neighbor, Dekabo, who was a believer. He could show him the way to God. So, in the middle of the night, Fayissa did just that. He knocked at Dekabo’s door, pleading with him to explain what he had to do to become a Christian. Dekabo got out his Bible and showed Fayissa the way to Christ. As Fayissa prayed the “sinner’s prayer” he knew in his heart he was now ready to meet Jesus in the air when he returned to earth.
A Transformed Fayissa
Dear Friends,
Whenever a seriously ill patient comes into the SIM Langano Clinic, we often wonder how God might impact that person’s life. Many times God touches people’s lives in special ways when they are in crisis. Such was the case when Fayissa was carried in on Christmas Day.
Fayissa was a 20 something-year-old man known for his wild living. True to his reputation, he got into a fight and was speared. He was carried in on a makeshift stretcher, accompanied by a large group of people. Many were crying and wailing, not expecting him to live. By the time he arrived at the clinic he had lost a considerable amount of blood. Right away the nurse on call knew Fayissa was in trouble. After getting an IV line secured to try to increase his fluid volume, the next priority was to get him off to the nearest hospital as soon as possible. There he could get the blood and the emergency surgery he needed. Newcomer missionaries, Shane and Mike were called away from their family Christmas celebrations to transport Fayissa. Although both men didn’t expect Fayissa to survive the grueling hour-long trip over the rutted and bone-jarring roads, they were willing to give it their best shot.
Miraculously, Fayissa did survive that trip and made it through surgery. His story drew a lot of attention locally. Mulatu, the national evangelist with whom we work, took particular note of Fayissa and began to visit him regularly after he returned home. But Fayissa kept putting the evangelist off. Again and again Mulatu was told, “Don’t waste your time on trying to convince me to become a Christian. I have too many addictions.”
But God had other plans. Just a month ago, Fayissa’s life was impacted in a most amazing way. It was a night unlike any other. As Fayissa slept he had a dream. In the dream Fayissa saw Lake Langano and in the sky above the lake a sign appeared. It read, “Jesus Christ is returning to earth soon.” As he looked at the sign, suddenly there was Jesus in the clouds above the lake. As he watched Fayissa saw the believers he knew from the area run to the edge of the lake, then jump into the air. Unbelievably, they just floated up into the air and joined Jesus. They were rejoicing and praising God together.
Next Fayissa noticed several Muslims from the area run to the edge of the lake and attempt to jump, to also join the believers. Some even tried to dress like and imitate the Christians. But as hard as they tried, they just couldn’t do it. They would fall back to earth in despair. Fayissa himself decided to try jumping, but he too failed.
It was midnight when Fayissa awoke from his dream. He was in a cold sweat and more fearful than he had ever been in his life. His immediate thought was to run to his neighbor, Dekabo, who was a believer. He could show him the way to God. So, in the middle of the night, Fayissa did just that. He knocked at Dekabo’s door, pleading with him to explain what he had to do to become a Christian. Dekabo got out his Bible and showed Fayissa the way to Christ. As Fayissa prayed the “sinner’s prayer” he knew in his heart he was now ready to meet Jesus in the air when he returned to earth.
A Transformed Fayissa
15 July 2009
From SIM Zambia
Below is from SIM Zambia's July/August newsletter. Some words of encouragement from Gilbert Nigh, SIM Zambia Director, to the team:
Had a heart checkup lately? One of the ways to check the health of your heart is to think about the health of your spiritual life.
You know the reality of the situation is that missionaries often struggle spiritually. A couple of people have shared with me that their personal time with God has actually declined since coming on the mission field! And then when you add in cultural and language factors at church or in small groups and the busyness of life in general, your spiritual life can take a tumble. And I know this personally as well. My own spiritual life has its ups and downs.
Don’t just stand there, do something! Going through a spiritual dry period is a great time to break out Richard Foster’s book “Spiritual Disciplines”. Put some discipline in your life and see if it draws you closer to God. Maybe you will be inspired to try something new in your spiritual life that can get you going again.
Getting back to a basic devotional book or guide like Daily Bread can be helpful too. It might not give you real heavy spiritual food to chew on, but if you aren’t having anything right now, then that would be an improvement.
An accountability partner can help too. A friend of mine used to phone me up and the first thing he would ask was “What did you read in your Bible today?”. This really helps you keep on track!
Let me know if I can help in any way. We all know what it’s like to go through a spiritual dry time and the best way to get out of it is to admit it and start moving.
A Few Words
“Your ministry will never outlive the health of your heart.” - Pastor Conrad Mbewe
Had a heart checkup lately? One of the ways to check the health of your heart is to think about the health of your spiritual life.
You know the reality of the situation is that missionaries often struggle spiritually. A couple of people have shared with me that their personal time with God has actually declined since coming on the mission field! And then when you add in cultural and language factors at church or in small groups and the busyness of life in general, your spiritual life can take a tumble. And I know this personally as well. My own spiritual life has its ups and downs.
Don’t just stand there, do something! Going through a spiritual dry period is a great time to break out Richard Foster’s book “Spiritual Disciplines”. Put some discipline in your life and see if it draws you closer to God. Maybe you will be inspired to try something new in your spiritual life that can get you going again.
Getting back to a basic devotional book or guide like Daily Bread can be helpful too. It might not give you real heavy spiritual food to chew on, but if you aren’t having anything right now, then that would be an improvement.
An accountability partner can help too. A friend of mine used to phone me up and the first thing he would ask was “What did you read in your Bible today?”. This really helps you keep on track!
Let me know if I can help in any way. We all know what it’s like to go through a spiritual dry time and the best way to get out of it is to admit it and start moving.
- Gilbert
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