After delays caused by an untimely charter cancellation and several delays to transport Bibles up to our forward base, we were finally all set to begin our trip. The Nuba Mountains is a no-fly zone several hours flying time into Central Sudan. Both the Government of Sudan and the UN forbid flights to the Nuba. It was a tense flight in.
Our Sudan mission started with a research and preaching hike through the Nuba Mountains. In 2 weeks we walked roughly 250 km. We ministered to and encouraged 26 active congregations. We also returned to the place and people who, with us, had endured the ruthless government of Sudan helicopter gunship attack earlier this year. “We thought you'd never come back, you have encouraged us with your return” said one church member who had aided our team in escaping to safety.
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When I drove out of Frontline Fellowship’s driveway in Cape Town on my seventh overland trip to Sudan, there was one thing I knew for certain, and that was that anything could happen. It is impossible to ever anticipate what might happen on any given overland trip in Africa. Knowing this, we departed to the field completely relying on God. Relying on anything less would be a guaranteed letdown – or disaster. This became more evident as the trip went on.
Our long journey, with heavily loaded vehicle and trailer, began with a beautiful highway of clearly marked tarred roads with signs. This is wonderful, as the roads only get worse from here. This trip was rushed and we were aiming to get to Sudan as soon as possible in order to re-supply the mission base and to meet up with Peter who was to arrive by air in a couple of weeks. We did our best to make good time. The first two days of the trip, we drove as much as possible and slept maybe a couple of hours alongside the road. Upon arriving in Pretoria, we had to have our vehicle repaired. ![]() I was invited to attend a large youth gathering one Saturday in Ladingwa a village about 38 miles (61 km) from our mission base. Since my co-worker Hansie was away with the vehicle, I had only one means of travel, and that was by bicycle. Early in the morning, Bullen, one of my students, Ivans one of our chaplains, and myself started our long journey. The road was rough with lots of sand, rocks, grass and thorn bushes most of the way. The heat was intense, at least 110 F (43 C) in the sun. At about 22 miles into the journey, I thought I was finished. The heat had completely sapped my strength and the bike seat had given me blisters. I just had to put one foot in front of the other, and press on. Bullen kept asking me if I was all right, my response was always the same and that was "fine". I told him "if I stop moving then I’m not fine, but until then, I’m fine." They could see I was battling, but I didn’t want to discourage them so I restrained my complaints. ![]() Despite having been subjected to aerial bombardments 9 times in one year, the Christian Liberty High School was officially opened with most of the civil and church leaders in Moruland joining in the celebrations. The Christian Liberty High School (CLHS) is the first Christian high school in war afflicted Southern Sudan. It has been established by Frontline Fellowship amidst the ruins of the old Bishop Gwynne College (BGC) in Mundri. The college had first been built in 1947 by the Church Missionary Society. It was surrounded by Muslim government forces in 1965 and completely destroyed. The college was rebuilt in 1975, but attacked again and abandoned in 1987. ![]() American missionary nurse, Beth, reports back on her first three months at the Frontline Fellowship mission base in Sudan: My medical work at home was quite different to what I do here in Sudan. As an anesthetist I worked in a sterile environment. Accuracy was crucial in drug dosages. Supplies were basically unlimited. Now, armed with a stethoscope, thermometer and a bag of medicines, I sit outdoors and see children and adults with diarrhea, numerous unusual skin problems, malaria, sleeping sickness, and o.v. (river blindness) to name a few. I find myself cutting up tablets with my kitchen knife trying to create a pediatric dose from an adult tablet. A joint Frontline Fellowship (FF) and Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) mission team to the Nuba Mountains was attacked by Government of Sudan (GOS) helicopter gunships on 4 March.
FF had been invited to join VOM on its first trip to the Nuba Mountains. VOM chartered the DC-3 aircraft and organised the relief packages of medicines, food and agricultural tools. FF supplied 1 500 Arabic Bibles (of which 680 were delivered on the first flight). Within 45 minutes of the mission team landing behind enemy lines in the war torn Nuba Mountains, two MI-24 Hind helicopter gunships came roaring over the airstrip. ![]() There was great rejoicing throughout Moruland as the people received the very first complete Bible in the Moru language. The story of how the Moru received the Bible in their own language is an inspiring example of dedication and sacrifice. A Matter of Life and Death Dr. Kenneth Fraser, the pioneer missionary to the Moru people, translated the Gospels and Acts into the Moru language before his death in 1935. Canon Ezra Lawiri, once a principal of the Bishop Gwynne College, completed the translation of the whole Bible into Moru just before his death in 1991. While fleeing the fighting, Cannon Ezra was fatally wounded in an attack near Rokon in 1991. As he lay dying, Canon Ezra entrusted the completed manuscripts of the Bible translation to Archdeacon (now Bishop) Bullen Dolli: "My ministry is complete!" he declared. In the words of the Apostle Paul, Canon Ezra could rejoice: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the Faith." 2 Timothy 4:7 Frontline Fellowship has succeeded in delivering the largest shipments of Bibles and Christian books yet to the suffering Christians of Southern Sudan. Despite military offensives in the Nuba Mountains and in Western Equatoria, Frontline Fellowship mission teams delivered over 18 000 Bibles, Hymn books and other Christian books in 13 languages to churches in these areas. This was accomplished in defiance of the Islamic Government of Sudan's (GOS) flight bans, the no-fly zones and the prohibition against Bibles enforced by the United Nations (UN).
The Frontline Fellowship mission outreaches to Sudan from February to April were an appropriate way to celebrate the 15th anniversary of our mission. The logistics were complicated – involving 5 field workers, a truck, motorbikes, bicycles, several charter aircraft, boats and lots of walking in order to distribute over 18 000 Bibles and other Christian books, in 13 languages, to 6 different regions of Sudan. ![]() Terror bombings of civilian centres in Southern Sudan have intensified. Numerous churches have been bombed – including on Christmas Day. Worst hit in this bombing campaign was Moruland. Lui, Kotobi, Mundri, Jambo, Tali and Lanyi have all been repeatedly subjected to aerial bombardments by the Sudan Air Force. Churches, schools, the only hospital in Moruland and the few medical clinics appear to be the primary targets. y God's perfect timing, when I flew into Southern Sudan, I arrived just in time for the inauguration of the new bishop for Lui diocese in Western Equatoria. The largest Protestant denomination in Sudan is the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS). Originally established by Church of England missionaries, the ECS remains Reformed and Evangelical, mercifully spared from the devastating cancer of liberalism that has eroded most of the Anglican community world wide.
Since the war began, most ECS bishops have been appointed and installed outside the country in neighbouring Kenya or Uganda. So this instalment of the new bishop was a most significant and important social event – because it took place inside Sudan, in the newly liberated areas east of the Yei river. By God's grace, in the cargo I was smuggling into Western Equatoria were thousands of copies of the new (650 page) Moru Hymn book, prayer book and catechism. In 1996 I had brought in the first Moru catechisms and in 1997 the Moru Hymn books and prayer books. Now more were needed, so instead of three separate books we chose to combine them into one thick hard-bound book – with all the new Moru hymns. When the Christians in Moruland saw the new books there was much rejoicing and excitement. |
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