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"Contrary to my fears that we were going into a Muslim-dominated place, it was an awesome experience to find that it is a land of ‘Corneliuses,’ . . . religious but not yet having received Christ!"
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GINA WALDRON
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The Darfur conflict in Sudan, dating back to 2003, is a complex crisis that many have oversimplified as being a conflict between "Arabs" and "Africans." On one side are the Janjaweed militia, who are Arab camel-herders backed militarily by the Arab government of Sudan. The other side is comprised of the Sudanese black Africans who are largely farmers. Interestingly, both sides are primarily Muslim.
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Decades of drought and overpopulation have only added to the conflict. Nomadic Arabs from the north, searching for water and pastures for their animals, moved south into land occupied by non-Arab farmers. By the spring of 2004, several thousand of the farming people had been killed. Current estimates suggest that as many as 450,000 from both sides have died from either violence or disease.
Despite the danger, Sam Shewmaker awoke one morning with a heavy burden on his heart to minister to the refugees flooding south away from the conflict in the Darfur region. Sam, working with Jim Reppart, formerly on staff at MRN and now with the Caris Foundation, and Dr. Mike Smith with Body and Soul Ministries, to organize and plan the trip.
More than 20 volunteers from the United States and four African nations felt God’s call to join Sam in this ministry. The goal of the group was to serve Muslims with the love and compassion of Jesus. The power of God worked to bring the people, the funds, and the paperwork together so that this trip could occur. An early communication from the team stated, "It is so obvious that God planned this trip long before we even had the thought. All we had to do was show up."
In response to prayers that God would provide ‘people of peace’ to receive them, the County Commissioner, the police chief and the local bank manager were at the airstrip to meet the team. Local officials gave an impromptu welcome ceremony and offered ground transportation and a guarded compound where the team could camp. At the end of the meeting, Sam Shewmaker prayed over the Commissioner in the name of Jesus. In addition, the police chief said he wanted to study the Bible. Surely God was working in this place!
The first full week of their stay, this "band of brothers" set up their tents outside a refugee camp 63 miles from Raja. The team organized a medical clinic in a vacant building to treat the sick and hurting. The medical team saw about 500 patients, many with typhoid or tuberculosis. Women came with sick children, and many pregnant women sought help. Many of these were widows whose husbands had been killed in the conflict. Each situation tugged at the men’s hearts, driving them to their knees in prayer.
Perhaps the trip can be summed up best in the words of a Zambian church leader who was with the team in Sudan, "Contrary to my fears that we were going into a Muslim-dominated place, it was an awesome experience to find that it is a land of ‘Corneliuses,’ . . . religious but not yet having received Christ!"
Please continue to pray for the people and the situation in Sudan.
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