August 2023
“Rescue those being taken off to death and save those stumbling toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we didn’t know about this,’ won’t he who weighs hearts consider it? Won’t he who protects your life know? Won’t he repay a person according to his work?” Proverbs 11-12 (CSB Version)
As the president of CRM, I want to thank every church, small group, and individual who has given generously to our ministry so that in conjunction with our Darfurian field partners, we could be used of the Lord to rescue many believers who were on the cusp of perishing amid atragic war. At the end of this newsletter, I will include several reports which have been sent by a few of those rescued.
However, first, I want to refer to the BBC produced map I have included above. It displays what is called the “Sahel Belt.” Here are some quick facts about the countries it crosses, or borders. Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger (this past week), Chad, Sudan, and Egypt are all currently ruled by military figures who took power by a coup. Libya remains a fractured country divided between two powerful militias. Northern Nigeria has been rated by Open Doors as the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian. The Russian mercenary group, Wagner, is active in 4 of the countries, and Islamic terrorist groups are active in all of them. Somalia remains a “hot mess,” and Yemen is as bad a shape as any country of the world due to the proxy war fought there between Saudi and Iran. The Gospel of Jesus is the answer the suffering people of those nations need. Who will take the gospel to them?
I believe the answer is citizens of those countries who have, by the grace of God, managed to hear and respond to the gospel message, and who out of love for Jesus take to heart His Great Commission.
Therefore, I am greatly encouraged by the response of CRM’s partners to the plight of our Sudanese brethren. I am confident those whom you have helped will be salt and light wherever they have been dispersed. Your prayers and giving have assured them they are indeed part of a worldwide family, and that they do not stand alone. As one brother said in his report “through your love we are coming to understand Christianity better.”
Recent, Current, and Upcoming CRM Supported Ministries
Pastor Raj of India is traveling to two different states to enable believers in those places to record the 42 stories of the first cloth into two Indian heart languages. CRM has already funded his recording of the stories into Telugu and Hindi languages, and their impact has been very positive.
The Central Baptist of Henderson NC team had a good bush evangelism experience in late June and early July with 850 people professing faith in Jesus. They worked with Emmanuel Lazier west of Arusha, Tanzania.
Another evangelism team connected to Sevier Heights of Knoxville and First Baptist of Andersonville, TN will leave for Tanzania on August 4. The leader is Steve Whitted. They will work with Michael Tatile north of Arusha.
Carl Smith and I will go to Handeni Tanzania Sept 14--23 and co-lead a 5 day story cloth training. Emmanuel Lazier and the 6 people he has trained will do half of the teaching. CRM will also pay to fly Alamadin from Entebbe, Uganda to Tanzania so he can teach on how to evangelize and disciple Muslims. The Handeni region is home to 2 people groups, Zigua and Nguu, which are primarily Muslim. We will train and take them resources which should empower them in evangelism and discipleship. The Maasai who moved there over the last decade have already started ministry among those two PGs. Lazaro is the local Maasai pastor who has spearheaded efforts among those two people groups. Please pray for Emmanuel Lazier and Lazaro as they make preparations.
Our partner in Zambia, Andrew Chapuma, will soon lead a 5 day Story Cloth training for people who have been caught up in a cult called the Sacred Heart. It is a mix of Catholicism and traditional religion. Their efforts have already led many to leave the cult and follow the Jesus of the Bible. He will train 100 people in 5 days.
John Rampei is overseeing the building of a tower for water tanks at the Oloika Children’s Home. CRM supplied approximately $2,300 to provide this final touch to the water system of the home.
Renee and I will lead a team to work with the children of the Oloika Chidren’s Home of Kenya. The event dates are Jan. 8-12, 2024. The Lord is currently pulling together a good team of volunteers, which may include a Nurse Practitioner and several nurses. Join us in praying the Lord will assemble the team of His choosing, possessed of the skills most needed by the kids and their caregivers.
Messages from Sudanese Evacuated by CRM Funding
Husain wrote Nabila’s appreciation for her evacuation by CRM.
Praise the Lord. My name is Nabawya. I grew up as a Muslim. All my family were Muslim before I came to know Christ. I came to know Jesus Christ in 2023, and I accepted him as my personal Lord and Saviour through Pastor Adam. Many of my relatives came to know him through me, but the fact remains that the majority are still Muslims.
I greet you by His grace, my dear brothers and sisters. Thank you very much for rescuing us from Z… to N... It is only God who knows how much that means to us. Although the war is between Muslims many unbelievers insulted saying that we who accepted our Lord Jesus Christ are the ones who brought war to them. We asked them questions about different places with intensive war like in Yemen, Syria, in Pakistan, and in Afghanistan. Are in these countries also Muslims turn to Christ and brought to them war or war is due to Islamic nature?
However, as most of our people are illiterate, they only kept oral information, and they cling to it. I am telling you the truth, the war is worse, but living together with loved ones who insult you day and night feels more painful. But my prayer is that may the Lord show himself to them to come to know him. Please pray for us that life is getting very hard even in N... We really lack food in Nyala. Please pray for God’s provision.
Salim brought Yusra to Nyala. She is among the group CRM evacuated from Khartoum to JabalMarra.
My beloved brothers and sisters. We made our journey to Jabal Marra. We are all safe and sound except Yousra, who got very sick. We thought she was going to die. But believers’ prayers saved her. We are here in Nyala hospital. I was afraid to write to our brothers Adam and Alam for any kind of help. So I asked believers in Nyala who really contributed from what they have even though they wished they could give more. They have saved this lady’s life. We are about to go back, and the situation is getting more complicated.
Please pray for Sudan. Our history is worse than any nation’s history we read. Your love and compassion are helping us to understand more deeply about Christianity.
Husein recorded Hiba’s testimony.
I am Hiba, a former Muslim who embraced the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour. I was born on 2/3 1995. I was raised in Aljinena. But it has become a very terrible place for us to live. What I have seen with my own eyes I will never forget. Men women were shot to death, and youth were slaughtered like bulls. I kept dreaming about the situation I saw with my own eyes in Aljinena. I don’t have words to express my thanks to the CRM people, who rescued me from Aljinena. Let God bless them.
My appeal is that please continue to have favour toward us. My two boys were slaughtered in front of me, and my husband was shot to death and burned. I had them providing for us food and our needs, but today, there is no one. We stayed as guests with our relatives in Nyala, and they are also suffering. Please pray for God’s provision. God bless you.
The picture to the right was sent by Adam. He said the boy is now healthy again after being evacuated to Arua, Uganda. However, he said if you ask him what things were like in Sudan, both with words and actions he will tell you how scared he was when bombs exploded, and how he hid for hours under a bed. He is one of 35 people CRM enabled to evacuate to Arua. They were assisted in various ways in June and July with funds provided by Send Relief.
The last group of people CRM agreed to evacuate numbered approximately 78 people. They were living in caves located near Z… to avoid the destruction happening in the city. The parents of our main leaders, Adam and Alamadin were among them. We learned on July 28 that they arrived safely in Jebel Marra. Today we have no other details to provide. However, this is a wonderful answer to prayer.
My name is Awad A.... I grew up as a Muslim in a very extreme Muslim family. In 2018 I have seen the light of Christ through Pastor Adam. My wife and I accepted the Lord as our personal Lord and saviour. From the time we live our Christian faith, we have seen great things that the Lord has done. Most of our extended family came to know Christ through us. They have found that the only solution for their many problems is Jesus Christ. My wife was a student at Z… University. She had a lot of friends from different areas. We shared the word of God with her colleagues who used to come at our home.
God has blessed us with a group of students from Saraf Umura with this group, God made miracles. God changed most of their families. That gave me an encouragement that Darfur will definitely change one day one time. We have lived a very happy life since the time we accepted the Lord. Though we faced terrible persecution.
I lost my brother because of his faith, and one was shot with Muslim gunmen they were killing him, but God spared his life. Many of our relatives excommunicated us. They do not come to our home when we have any occasion of happiness or sorrow. The worst part was the day the owner of the house I was renting knew that we had converted to Christianity. He immediately terminated my contract and brought my money back. It was in rain season. He came and told us we must leave his house immediately. We had no option but to move. I asked my wife to pray to God, our provider, and He is going to provide us with our needs.
We were praying, and as we finished, my brother came from nowhere. He asked, “What is happening? I could see you removed everything out.” I told him that the owner needs his house back. He said, “I think it’s God’s will that you will not continue to live here. I even came here to tell you that to find someone to leave him in my house, I am travelling to Khartoum, and it will take some time. I may not come back soon. So let me go and get Tutuk and take your things there.” So he went and brought Tuktuk, and we carried our things into his home. We were there until the war broke out in Z…. Then we have to leave the house again without carrying a single thing. We ran for our lives. RSF immediately moved in, and they stayed there up to today.
We moved back and forth to areas of Konjomia and Khamsadagaigue. It was terrible, we can see a hundred people a head of us but after a second we see no one is there and we wouldn’t know where they have gone. Bombs are falling everywhere, and shellings are crossing between people. On top of this, when we move to someone’s home. Early in the morning, he wakes us up to pray about Islamic prayers, and we tell them we are Christians. Now, in the morning, no one greets until we greet them.
We prayed to God we cried to Jesus, and he answered our prayers through CRM. By His grace, we moved from Z… to N…. I want to say that CRM people are an example of a good Christian. I have received 62 Bibles from CRM, I have also received some help in real time, and I thank God so much about CRM people. Their help changed many people’s lives, physically and spiritually. This is exactly what it means to live love out. My prayers for CRM people are that may they lack nothing as they continue serving the Lord through his people.
Please pray for us. The war in Nyala is still continued, and life is under real threat. We are hardly getting our daily bread. Medicine is a big issue. We are witnessing the death of young ones daily. Please pray for our brothers and sisters who are in N... Some of them we have not heard from them up to today.
Thanks for praying and giving for the above events, causes, and people. You are making a real difference for the kingdom. Please note that if you write a check to CRM on behalf of our ministry for Sudanese believers, do not write “for Sudan” on the check. Rather please place a note of designation in the envelope to explain your designation, or if you want to write the designation on the check, use “refugees.”
David Crane