Southern Sudan Pleas for Help
“This is a very young nation. We need to develop,” said the provincial commissioner of Morobo County. “We invite you to set up an agricultural college and a church in any place that is suitable to you.”
His invitation reminds us of the vision recorded in Acts 16:9 when the angel appeared to Paul the apostle with the request: “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” The appeal to help in Southern Sudan seems even more emphatic. As we toured some of Sudan’s virgin and fertile land last week, the elders made a proposal. “We are ready to give you 1,000 acres,” they offered. “You can do any project you want to. All we ask is that you give local people jobs in your project. We also are in need of a school or home for the war orphans, a health center and fresh drinking water.”
Another reason to assist in Sudan became clear when Morobo businessman-driver-interpreter, who accompanied us, voiced these words: “We need a clear understanding of Christianity. We need to learn how to forgive.” This husband of two, whose first wife had attended an inner healing seminar taught by DOVE Nairobi members, went on to ask, “But must a man really have only one wife?”
Southern Sudan is indeed our next frontier in 2012 and beyond. The challenges are many but so are the opportunities for sharing the gospel among people who are just beginning to recover from the trauma and losses of more than twenty years of war. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring healing and lay a foundation of godliness and sustainable development in newborn nation. I, for one, do not want to miss it!
