“They too will listen to my voice, and they shall be with one shepherd.“
Mission Network News recently reported that while Bible translation work has not stopped in Sudan, which is undergoing a civil war, people who read the Bible are converted.
The situation in Sudan remains unstable. On the 12th, dozens of civilians were killed in clashes between the Sudanese military and the rebel group RSF. According to the United Nations, Sudan currently hosts the largest number of refugees in the world, and fighting continues. In particular, half of the refugee population is children.
Sudan’s two conflict factions have called on the United Nations to leave the country by March 1, eliminating important lifelines for its people. But hope remains. “The Sudanese are wandering like sheep without a shepherd,” said John, a partner at the Christian mission non-profit organization UnfoldingWord. “They are searching for safety, and many people are searching for safety in Jesus.”
Most ethnic communities in Sudan have lost access to the Bible in their own language due to 30 years of harsh Islamic rule. However, UnfoldingWord is changing this situation through church-centred Bible translation.
John said, “When they (translators) enter a village to test the translated Bible, all the villagers come out. Because they have never heard of God in their language.” He said, “I witnessed people accept the Lord through ‘Open Bible Story’, a concise version of the Bible.”
Meanwhile, Sudanese church pioneers are sharing Open Bible Story in minority languages in refugee camps, and Muslims are coming to Jesus. John said, “Many of these translators are guiding the study of the Bible with tribespeople who have welcomed Jesus. What a miracle! Four unreached tribe refugee new believers want to attend our group’s training.”
John asked to pray not only for ministers but for all who work to convey the truth of Christ to the people of Sudan and to pray for God to give them courage when ministers preach the gospel. (Source: Gospel Newspaper)
I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. (John 10:16)
Thank you, God, for opening the way to find hope and hear the gospel in Jesus for the Sudanese who have been suffering from civil war for months and wandering like sheep without a shepherd. May You help the workers of the Lord who translate the Bible and preach the gospel even in a difficult environment so that they may trust and be encouraged that the souls of Sudan will be reborn as the people of the Lord. Let the souls of those who hear the voice of the Lord come to life with hope in God, and pray that the civil war ends soon and peace comes in Sudan.
Prayer 24·365
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