In October, Haitian officials declared that plans for 2026 general elections will have to be delayed due to expanding gang power. 

“It’s not a surprise that elections get delayed. It’s something that we’ve seen a number of times over the last couple of decades,” says Kate Michel with Radio-TV 4VEH, a ministry partner of Trans World Radio. 

Michel says that with more than 10% of Haiti’s 12 million people displaced, “just thinking of the logistics of how elections could be held, it’s hard to see how they could be run fairly and safely.” 

Meanwhile, life in Cap Haitien in northern Haiti is congested. Many people have fled there, away from gang violence. Michel says there’s an underlying fear that gangs in central Haiti will carry out their threats to come north. It’s one more factor that makes the gospel-centered broadcasts from 4VEH even more important for Haitians.

A Haitian woman sits in the tent encampment set up in Place Boyer, in Pétion-Ville, Haiti. (Photo courtesy of IMB)

The prayer support and biblical foundations of 4VEH’s programming remind listeners “that they have a solid foundation to stand on, and that is the Word of God and His promises, and those things that we can hold fast to,” says Michel.

Find your place in Haiti’s story

In all the turmoil, remember that Haiti is no different from other nations in its need for God’s mercy and grace to move forward.

Please pray for fair elections in Haiti next year that will build stability. Pray also for 4VEH, as it is dealing with some broken equipment and rising costs. 

“There are some people who would normally be connected to 4VEH who are not able to get those broadcasts. So we really would value the prayer to get those pieces of equipment fixed so that people can hear the programs again,” says Michel.

“We’ve seen inflation go up dramatically, and that has an impact on all of the day-to-day operations. Pray that the Lord will meet those needs so that we don’t have to cut any of the ministry that we offer.” 

Header photo courtesy of 4VEH.

On August 24, Ukraine marked 34 years of independence. These years have been a gradual rebuilding of national identity, language, and culture. Freedom came not only politically, but also spiritually, as the church — long persecuted under the USSR — was finally free. Vladimir Lenin’s famous line, “Religion is opium for the people,” had been the guiding philosophy behind decades of oppression.

When the Iron Curtain fell in 1991, the church could finally spread its wings.

Eric Mock from Slavic Gospel Association says, “Ukraine, for the most part, was the Bible Belt of all the former Soviet Union countries [after 1991]. So, they were not only growing in their own country, but they were sending missionaries all over the world. And so, the church was thriving.”

Ukrainian couple reunites during war (photo courtesy of Dmitry Zvolskiy via Pexels)

The Ukrainian church, like the nation itself, entered a season of transformation. The collective trauma of persecution took time to heal, but the spread of the Gospel and sound teaching brought freedom to individuals and communities alike.

When war struck — first in 2014, then in 2022 — the churches reshaped their ministry to meet the need. “They did not flee,” says Mock, “but actually pushed towards the battle lines because people were needing hope.”

Slavic Gospel Association stood alongside Ukrainian Baptist churches. “[SGA] helped equip them with resources so they could minister to the people who had all hope ripped away from them, refugees or internally displaced people,” adds Mock.

Through practical aid and immediate relief, churches also shared the news that overshadowed every piece of bad news people could hear that day: the Gospel.

“So in the midst of fighting for their independence, people were finding their independence in Christ,” he adds.

(Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

Mock recalls asking one pastor in Chernihiv why he stayed. The pastor replied, “My people are here, therefore I will not go.” This kind of courage reflects biblical “love to one’s neighbor”, that shaped the role of many Ukrainian churches both before and after acquiring independence. Visit the Slavic Gospel Association to learn more stories like this!

“As the Ukrainian people celebrate their Independence Day, Ukrainian believers — and all believers — can celebrate their independence from the shackles of this world, looking forward with hope and being united in the hardest of times by the hope we have in Jesus, knowing the best is yet to come,” he adds.

Pray for the churches to find their place in Ukraine’s modern history and to be a beacon of hope for those desperate for good news.

Photo courtesy of Anastasiia Krutota via Unsplash.

The organization currently oversees 11 different schools in an East African country, attended by 5,000 students, many of whom have been orphaned in some way.

Jason Taylor, the new director at Set Free Global, says, “We want to basically train the teachers and the staff on how to build a sustainable ministry.”

Working in the Kabakyala area, the new Kabakyala Farming Initiative will give teachers and students the skills to provide for themselves.

Set Free is sending two experts, Carl and Gene from Michigan and Colorado, to join two National experts, Martin and Julius, in leading a two-week conference for teachers.

Teachers in East Africa will learn about regenerative farming. Photo by M abnodey on Unsplash.

All four have decades of experience in regenerative farming and will teach from a biblical worldview.

The teachers will learn to grow plants and food, creating a year-round supply to keep ministry costs down. The main reason, however, is to empower students to provide for themselves.

“We’re training the teachers so that they can pass it down to the students that they are responsible for,” says Taylor. “That way, as our students go through our schools, say they graduate from our vocational high school, when they leave that school, they will at least have the basic training on how to live an independent life and feed themselves.”

“We’re building less dependency on the United States and organizations, ” says Taylor.

Though ministries will continue to support the work, they want people to be able to care for themselves.

“In this case,” says Taylor, “Teach them how to grow plants and food that will feed them and keep them physically healthy and ultimately spiritually healthy as they learn the biblical principles behind why we’re doing this.

Please pray for the four men leading this training for safe flights and that the Lord would use their words to teach clearly. Pray that this new initiative will be a blessing for school staff in the short term and will bless the children in the long term.

(Photo courtesy of Set Free)

The Druze are both an ethnic people group and a religious offshoot of Islam. There are also ethnically Druze Christians.

Reports say about 1,000 Druze were massacred recently. But Pierre Houssney with Horizons International says, according to his local Druze sources, “It was really more like 3,000 people that were killed in clashes between the extremist factions that claim to be government and the Arab Bedouins and the Druze.

“There’s a lot of ethnic tension right now, and definitely minorities throughout Syria are feeling very vulnerable.”

Why now? Houssney says a lot of the tension comes in the wake of the latest government transition after former President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster. In the chaos, extremist groups see an opportunity for power through violence.

A gathering of the people and residents of Daraa city in Al-Karama and Al-Hurriya Square after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. (Caption, photo courtesy of Mahmoud Sulaiman/Unsplash)

Houssney shares from Druze Christians, “They are not confident that this new leader of Syria is actually walking the walk that he’s talking. So he’s saying that Syria is for everyone [and] Syrian Christians should be protected and all of that, and all the minority groups will be just fine. But at the same time, he’s not protecting them.”

The Druze militia has taken a defensive stance against their attackers, and there are even talks of seeking independence.

Houssney says, “The Druze are currently arming themselves, organizing themselves, and bracing to repel any attack or encroachment. One Druze leader that I’m in touch with actually said that there’s no way that the Druze community is going to accept being part of the new Syria that emerges after all this.”

Please pray for an end to the violence, and for Druze and Syrian Christians to be faithful witnesses of the Gospel amidst unrest. Pray for believers to point the Druze people ultimately to spiritual freedom in Christ.

“My hope is to share those personal connections and what I’m hearing from Druze people on the ground, especially the believers, and just pass that on to the world, because news that you can trust these days is very difficult to find.” Houssney adds, “That’s part of why I appreciate Mission Network News.”

Header photo: Ein Al-Asad, a Druze locality on a hillside. (Photo courtesy of Levi Meir Clancy/Unsplash)

Pro-independence groups clashed with police this week, leaving at least ten people dead and dozens arrested.  As it happens with similar protest movements, what began as anti-racism protests evolved into a push for autonomy from the central government.

Mappi Regency, Papua, Indonesia (Photo courtesy Wikimedia/CC)

At the end of August, calling it a matter of ‘national security,’  the government shut off access to the internet.  Because of that, the details of the last few days have been harder to come by, even though the government partially lifted the blackout.   However,  Bruce Smith, president/CEO of Wycliffe Associates, explains,  the current situation is not new. “There’s been a percolating independence movement in that part of Indonesia, that goes back to post-World War Two decisions that were made by European powers and other things like that.”

Deep-seated mistrust

Nius Kogoya, Provincial Rep for Tolikara (Photo courtesy Dalos Wanena/Wikimedia/CC)

More specifically, he says, “Papuans were really never participants in their own self -determination of the political future of their island.  This independence movement has ebbed and flowed over the past 50 years, and it’s currently heating up again, for a variety of reasons.” The current tensions erupted on August 17, after the government took dozens of Papuan students into custody on Java,  following a pro-independence rally.  Smith says several incidents made Papuans feel marginalized by the rest of Indonesia. “They’re really appealing for justice, and they’re appealing for recognition,   in terms of their authority and self-determination.”

Recently, Smith tells us, the church leaders of Papua got together and released an ecumenical response to the crisis. “They are appealing for international attention and even International (potentially) intervention into the process that would help them be more self-determining in terms of the future of their province and their island nation.” The document outlined the concerns of the faith community but received no response from government, police, or military representatives.   Instead, the government deployed troops, violence increased, and goods and services saw disruption.

Mike Brown with church leaders working on the Sawi project, Papua, Indonesia (Photo courtesy Wycliffe Associates)

The Church responds

When asked if the movement on Papua compares to secession or breakaway republic, Smith said it depends on to whom you speak.  Some of the more radical protestors want complete autonomy, demanding an independence referendum. “Others would say, ‘No, that’s not what we want. What we want is to participate in government; what we want is to be part of a democratic process in which we have a voice’.  The church leaders are calling for that kind of a process today in Papua.”

Papua has also been a popular place for ministries.  Smith says while the unrest could shut down travel and complicate other forms of ministry, it’s unlikely to affect Bible translation work that  Wycliffe Associates supports. Instead, it could accelerate the pace. “We think that–in parallel to their self-determination about politics, and economics, and in all of these kinds of things that are coming to the fore now–that same self-determination is what’s driving their desire to have scripture in every one of their minority languages. It’s all part of the same dynamic.”

Praying for the outcome

Deeply entrenched are the issues threatening Papua.  It is a fight that’s been going on for decades already, and a complicated problem to resolve.  Because Indonesia doesn’t make the headlines very often, Smith encourages Christians to seize this opportunity to pray. “This is a call to engagement. It’s a call to awareness and to engage in prayer, in support financially, and to be supportive of the whole body of Christ as it faces challenges around the world.”

(Headline map courtesy Wikimedia/CC)

The uptick in conflict began on September 25 when the Kurdish people held a referendum vote for independence from Iraq.  The votes were overwhelmingly in support of independence.  The Iraqi government has called the vote illegal, and Iraqi forces began fighting to take back some of the land.

At the end of October, the two sides reportedly called a ceasefire and the Kurdish leader resigned.  However, disputes about who controls the borders are just one example of the tension threatening another outbreak of conflict.

The recent history of Christian displacement in Northern Iraq

(Photo courtesy of Open Doors USA)

But before the conflict calmed down, Christian Solidarity Worldwide raised some concerns about the town of Teleskuf where the Kurdish Peshmerga entered to hold off the Iraqi army. The news outlet said hundreds of Christians had had to flee to neighboring towns as the two armies fought and many of them were wounded.

So, even with ISIS mostly eradicated from Iraq and this most recent bout of fighting calmed down, the instability in the region continues. Open Doors USA’s Kristin Wright shares, “There’s certainly a very difficult and tense unfolding situation in Iraq right now, and unfortunately, Christians are caught in the middle of it.”

Going back home

This comes at a time when many Christians were ready to head back home and begin rebuilding their towns. Teleskuf was one of the first towns for Christians to return to and, with the help of Hungary and other international aid, they had already spent much time rebuilding before the fighting broke out.

Wright says that some Christians have decided to risk the insecurity anyway.  They are certainly familiar with instability and uncertainty. Before ISIS invaded Northern Iraq, the Nineveh plains had been viewed as a safe haven for Christians who had undergone attacks in the major cities.

(Photo courtesy of Open Doors USA)

Wright recalls the period of time soon after the ISIS began causing major displacements in Syria and Iraq in 2014. She visited some of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps and met with Christians there.

“I met Christians who were living several families crowded together in … a trailer that sometimes they called a caravan. And those were the primary living conditions for Christians for a long time until Christians have started to return but … in some instances because of the violence and because of the tension, they’ve had to flee once more and that’s made the situation increasingly difficult.”

Wright asks us to imagine having to flee our homes with nothing but the clothes we had on. This is the common story among the people who’ve been living displaced for the last few years.  They’ve lived in limbo, wondering when, and if, they could return home.

“This has been basically years of displacement that the Christian community has been facing. That’s one of the areas that Open Doors is working to address. In the midst of the complexity and the tension that’s unfolding right now, we actually have Christians that are going back to their homelands and back to their hometowns along the Nineveh plain, these newly liberated villages that were once occupied by ISIS.

“And so, in spite of that major security risk and in spite of the ongoing tensions with the Iraqi government and so on, we have Christians that are actually working to return.”

Open Doors has been helping them since the beginning of their displacement. Today, they’re supporting 1,500 families a month with food, shelter, basic necessities, and more.

“As this tide turns and Christians begin returning to their homes, we’re shifting to another model and that is to build and rebuild homes along the Nineveh plain and help Christians to once again feel at home in the area that they came from and the area that they’ve occupied for thousands of years.

“It’s not an easy task for these believers to be going back to areas where even in some instances their neighbors betrayed them to ISIS. They’re going through something that’s incredibly serious.”

That is why they are also addressing the needs on a spiritual and emotional level—they are helping with shelter and economical support, but also with counseling and education. But along with that, comes advocacy.

Prayer and Advocacy go hand-in-hand

Open Doors USA asked the Christians they work with in both Syria and Iraq what needs to happen for them to feel hopeful and secure at home again. From their responses, they developed the petition called A Million Voices of Hope for the Middle East.

“They asked for three things. They asked for, number one, the right to equal citizenship moving forward. Number two, dignified living conditions… and number three, involvement in reconciling and rebuilding their society.

“And so, what that says to us is that Christians in Iraq and Syria do want a seat at the table. They want an opportunity to influence the future of their countries and to be a part of the future of their countries.”

(Photo courtesy of Open Doors USA)

So while many Christians have decided to leave the region because of the instability, others have decided to stay.

“We’ve talked to many Christians who’ve said that they want to stay because they want to be a light in the darkness, and they want to be a part of the rebuilding of their nation.”

Open Doors will be gathering signatures through most of December when they will present the petition to the United Nations.

“That doesn’t just mean that these are action items for the United Nations, these are action items for governments around the world, including the US government. And I’m excited to see that we have some movement on that in the last few days. If you look at the remarks of Vice President Pence and the Administration’s stated commitment to Christians in Iraq, then I think it’s very encouraging moving forward, we’re hoping to see some great action come out of it.”

People are encouraged to sign the petition and to pass it along to their friends. They are over halfway to their goal number of signatures so far and people from over 140 countries have participated. It’s a chance not only to stand up for believers facing persecution but also a chance to stand with them.

Meanwhile, Wright says it’s important to keep praying for Christians and to remember their needs and find ways to get involved.  “Your prayers do matter. They are heard by God and they’re felt by Christians on the ground.”

“Wherever you’re at today, even if you’re driving in your car, I really encourage you to lift up our brothers and sisters in Christ that are living in Iraq and pray for them, pray for the situation to be resolved, and pray for the safe return and for security on the ground and for the addressing of their needs through local churches.”

Also be praying for their mental, spiritual, and physical health as they decide to return home or remain in difficult situations.

And, Wright says, “If you want to take it a step further, we are actively building homes and working to restore life for Christians on the Nineveh plane.”

You can help with this rebuilding; click here for more information.

To sign the petition, click here.

(Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

It arrives during an escalation in tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Slavic Gospel Association President Bob Provost says, “There are still people in leadership across the former Soviet Union who would like to see the Soviet Union reunited.”

There have been rumblings. Provost says they’re hearing there could be some opposition this time around.

“That faction doesn’t like the celebration of the 25^th anniversary because it’s showing strength for the separation from the Soviet Union. So, there can be some protesting, serious protesting, going on.”

Two years ago, on Ukraine’s Independence Day, August 24, Moscow-backed insurgents launched a comprehensive attack in the war in the country’s east.  This year, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Crimea, an area they annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

At the same time, fighting erupted in Eastern Ukraine, making observers wonder if the 2015 Minsk agreements are all but dead.  The conflict is between Russia-backed separatists and government troops, costing the lives of over 9,500 people in the last two years.

(Photo courtesy of SGA)

Despite 2015 peace accords signed in Minsk, Belarus, which initially helped to halt the fighting and then lower its intensity, international monitors have reported more clashes in the past weeks, some involving heavy weaponry.  Says Provost, “Russia has placed 40,000 new troops on the border with Ukraine, ready to go in. Some people were speculating that Russia wants to do something major to take more of Ukraine before our election.”

As the region becomes more unstable, SGA’s chief concern is for the evangelical churches they serve, the protection of the churches, and praying for God’s blessing as they share the love of Christ and the life-changing Gospel.  In the days ahead, a traditional approach to ‘missions’ may not be possible.

SGA is equipping the equippers. “Ukraine is hosting a missions forum next Thursday and Friday,” explains Provost, adding, “It’ll be a very large event with probably five or six thousand people there, motivating their churches to send people to other countries as missionaries.”

SGA Crisis Evangelism Fund

Here’s why: “Many of the countries that Ukrainians can go to are countries in the Middle East where Americans can’t go as missionaries.”  For example, Ukraine’s evangelical churches have sent workers to Egypt. “Ukrainians are able to get visas, and are able to go there.”

Urgency fills the days ahead.  As much as there is a physical battle coming, there is one on the spiritual front too.

“Pray for the Lord to continue to sustain the faith of the families; they’ve got their children at-risk.”  As you join SGA in lifting this matter before the Lord, also please prayerfully consider a gift to SGA’s Crisis Evangelism Fund to help refugees with urgent needs, and to minister to them in the name of Jesus.

Sudanese refugees recently celebrated Christmas in Egypt. (Photo courtesy of e3 Partners/8thirty8)

South Sudan (MNN) — Africa’s newest country and the world’s newest state is the site of extreme violence brought on by internal conflicts.

According to BBC News, at least 1000 people have been killed since mid-December. Many of these are civilians. More than 200,000 people have left their homes due to the fighting and mass killings.

e3 Partners shares on their Facebook page the reactions of two pastors in the midst of the violence. One pastor plans to get his family to a safe place along with the thousands of other South Sudanese fleeing the region. Then he wants to return to minister in South Sudan.

The other pastor says, “I am fully convinced that this is the best time for evangelism, missions, and discipleship here in South Sudan, regardless of the risks. God has already taken care of them. Now is the time to preach about the Sovereignty of God in suffering, God’s grace in our sufferings, and why God appoints suffering for His saints. HOPE…the best of things! Waiting for the morning, during the long night of weeping.”

Many Christians see the darkness of trials as the place where God’s light shines the brightest. They do not falter because they know the importance of God’s work, and they rely on His strength.

According to The Christian Post, Roman Catholic Priests and Protestant pastors in S. Sudan are doing their best to protect both the Dinka and Nuer ethnic groups. Some are opening their homes and risking their lives to save these people, ignoring the danger they are in. The division between the Dinka and Nuer is often credited with the heightened violence, including mass killings.

e3’s Facebook page, 8thirty8, is founded on Roman’s 8:38-39 — “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The hope is that Christians will pray at 8:38 pm each day before they go to bed. Many Christians are just getting ready to face a new day of trial and persecution while we in the West are preparing to lie down for a peaceful sleep.

As you watch other believers step up and do Kingdom work despite the risks, consider how you can be involved in a big way. e3’s mission for this region is to plant as many healthy churches in Sudan as they can, so that the discipleship can occur right in the country.

e3 encourages Christians to pray for their fellow believers in South Sudan, who on top of persecution by Muslims must now face this deadly war. Pray also for those remaining in South Sudan to reach many ears with the Gospel truths.

e3 recognizes that at this moment, Muslims around the world are more open to the Gospel than they ever have been. Don’t waste that opportunity. If you’d like to support e3 in a tangible way, check out their “Get Involved” page. 

South Sudan has big expectations to fill as its birth is the
culmination of a six-year peace process ending a brutal civil war. However, the new nation is wrestling with
extreme poverty, inadequate infrastructure, conflict and other economic
woes. 

On Monday, lawmakers formed a caretaker government and announced a new currency. Lorella Rouster with Every Child Ministries (ECM) says these
are all great steps forward, but there's an absence that's too glaring to
ignore. "I don't see the attention of the world to help them."

South Sudan's struggles are similar to those of Northern
Uganda. When Northern Uganda came to the
world's consciousness, they got help. But aid groups offering to help this
newest fledgling nation get on its feet have not been overloud. Despite the veneer of new, it's still a
rural Third World country that lacks basic health, education, and roads, not to
mention hotels, airports and internet access.  

Rouster says this is where they can be helpful. They're an agency dedicated to showing the love of Jesus through mercy ministries to homeless street children,
through seeking to release and retrain slave children, and through medical and
rehabilitation ministries to the sick and handicapped.

Foresight and planning allowed ECM to be strategically
placed. "I was there just a few days before Independence, training church and
orphanage workers in Southern Sudan in more effective ways of children's
ministry,"says Rouster.

Government reports show that those who fled North from the
South are now returning home in droves. Agencies and ministries in the South are bracing for an influx of people
who need their services and compassion. Rouster says, "The churches really need to reach out to the new
generation that is coming up if there is to be any hope of the future. To do
that, they need to make the training fun and exciting and not just sitting there
listening to another sermon. So we believe that it can have a very positive
impact."

Sudan ranks 154 out of 169 on the United Nation's Human
Development Index. South Sudan's
challenges will be converting its vast natural resources into support that keeps
its people alive.

Rouster explains that
while the oil is in the South, there is little else right now. "Prices are very high in Southern Sudan.
Living is very hard, and rain is needed too for the crops. If the rain does not
come, the prices will be way too high for the average person."

South Sudan, or "New Sudan" as it's sometimes referenced,
teeters on the edge of being the next failed state if the new government can't
keep social, economic and political pressures under control. As if to acknowledge the formidability of its
task, the ministers of the Southern Sudanese government–with hands on Bibles–were sworn in to their
caretaker role for the new Republic of South Sudan.

Rouster commented, "I think it's a question of whether they
can continue to develop the integrity in their new government in such a way
that God can bless their country. That's what we're praying for, and that's
what Christians are praying for in Sudan: not only that there'll be peace, but 
[also] that their new government will really seek the Lord."

ECM is celebrating South Sudan's "new beginning" by sharing
the Gospel with the next generation. Says Rouster, "We
would like people to pray that people would use the teaching that we have given
them and be effective in reaching the new generation. The techniques that we've given are good for
large groups, so I think that's good for the influx of new children."

"Pray that the leaders will remain strong," says Rouster. The days ahead will be taxing, but exhilarating.  As ECM's Sudan presence grows, keep
praying "that they'll be up to the
challenge, that they will have great vision. The churches in Southern Sudan
have been growing at a tremendous rate, but that also leaves a big leadership
gap, so pray that strong leaders will rise up."

However, the fact is that land, oil and tribes just don't
mix well, whatever the government promises. In the days preceding the secession, Lee DeYoung with Words of Hope says, "Ethnic clashes have been reported among
Southern Sudanese in States of Warrap, Jonglei 
and Lakes. In Lakes State,
fighting has erupted between two different tribes of Dinkas: Dinka-Gok of Cueibet, and Dinka Agar of Rumbek."

Humanitarian needs arising from fighting and other violence
remain dire in the transitional border regions. Tens of thousands have been displaced at the
same time thousands are returning home from the North.

In a step toward making a new start and stopping the cycle
of violence, communities have been
encouraging peaceful reconciliation with
the tribal youth. DeYoung says their
broadcasting partners have been doing the same thing. "Our programs for the last year and a half
have been striving to encourage peace and reconciliation among south Sudanese
Christians. That has certainly been the
consistent message of our denominational 
partners on the ground there as well."

Dinka-language production had been based at the Lokichoggio
Ministry Center at the Kenya-Sudan border, where Nuer-language production
continues. Since most Christian Dinkas are Anglican, Words of Hope has a Dinka
production team in consultation with Anglican partners in Uganda. Rumbek, a
town in the heart of Dinka territory, has been chosen for the Dinka production
base.

DeYoung says churches throughout the country have been
holding daily prayer vigils since last week. With church leaders demonstrating such unity, it seems clear they're
intent on leading by example."The
overwhelming majority of southern
Sudanese profess to be Christian. On the basis of our common brother and
sisterhood in Christ, we've been seeking to encourage a sense that would
counterbalance the ethnic rivalries."

The challenges facing this fledgling nation are huge. There are still border and trade issues to be
settled as well as the division of the natural resources.Developing an infrastructure is another huge
problem in a country that will be one of the poorest in the world. Conflict follows poverty, or in this case, it
might just share the ride.

Still, DeYoung says optimism and hope are carried in the
voices of their partners. The Gospel has
made a huge difference in the areas they cover. Pray that they'll continue to be part of the peace solution. "While
no one can be certain, our Sudanese colleagues are cautiously hopeful that the
violence that has flared up recently might subside after independence becomes
official and people are then fully governed by their own South Sudan
administration."