Africa. South Sudan-Uganda
Because of the economical and territorial disputes which lead to military conflicts between Sudan and South Sudan, the situation in the country is unstable. South Sudan has one of the highest levels of the spread of HIV infections in the world. There are even a number of rare diseases that have not been discovered anywhere else other than in these regions. For example, there is a rare disease of unknown origin which is called the Nodding Syndrome. There is neither the known origin, nor the cure of this disease. It is secluded and dangerous places that the missionaries of First Slavic Baptist Church of Sacramento go to preach the Gospel.
In a conversation with Nicolay Kvach about his short-term missionary trips to Africa or Thailand, it is impossible to listen to his story without being moved. Here is what he told us:
"This February we visited our brother in Christ, Edward Dima in Uganda who is the founder and leader of Baptist Union of South Sudan. Over the past ten years, two hundred churches were planted by Edward with about three thousand brothers and sisters.
Unfortunately, military hostility and violence toward peaceful citizens which are prevalent in South Sudan for many years now, forced thousands of people to leave their houses and flee their country with only the things they could carry with them. These circumstances have significantly influenced the churches of South Sudan, many of which were forced to close down with the lack of people.
During this year alone, since January, about 400,000 people fled from Kojo-Kiji which is the southernmost region of South Sudan. Many of them ended up in refugee camps in the neighboring country—Uganda. In a deal with the U.N, this country offered these refugees a temporary place for residency without promising any kind of other rights to this land. The rations which the U.N. provides for the residents consist of 11kg of corn flour and 11 kg of dry beans per family per month. These supplies barely last for the first 2-3 weeks. It is unfortunate that after all that they have already endured, they are in danger of dying by famine. Furthermore, it has been months since the supplies arrived to some of the refugee camps. The U.N. has openly announced about a great crisis which they have not encountered since the day that their organization was founded. We became witnesses of the things that are taking place in this region, and it caused great sorrow and compassion for these people, as well as for the church of Christ who is in such a horrible situation. After returning home to Sacramento, CA, I could not remain quiet about the things that I witnessed. Since the church of Christ is one body, if one member is hurting, the whole body is hurting.
I am grateful to God that the Slavic churches of Sacramento were not indifferent to what our brothers and sisters endure in South Sudan and Uganda. Both small and great, the members of the local churches took an active part in helping our African brothers. It was hard to fight the tears when the Sunday School children of First Slavic Baptist Church raised about $100 themselves in order to help and feed the hungry children of South Sudan. With joint efforts, there were enough resources to feed the refugees in one of the camps. Uganda has over 50 of such camps.
Although there was a need to return to Africa right away, it was dangerous to return by oneself this time, and getting additional help was necessary. Denis and Anatoliy from Washington state were courageous and reliable men of God. Putting all things aside, they agreed to undertake this difficult trip right away.
After over twenty hours of flight time, we arrived to Uganda. Even though we were in a foreign country far from home, we were greeted by a family of brothers and sisters in Christ. Entebbe, early morning. Looking ahead through the customs point, I spotted a familiar face: it was him—Edward Dima, called an apostle of our time. He was a man who dedicated his entire life to turn his people to the Lord. A familial greeting, but time was of the essence—we began purchasing the supplies right away. Things are very complicated in Africa, and it is impossible to express all the concerns. From the currency exchange to purchasing, loading, and even transportation, someone constantly tries to trick us, but the Lord was in control of the situation. Twenty tons of supplies were loaded into a large truck; flour, beans, rice, butter, salt, and soap. A ten hour travel from south to north was ahead of us with the last few hours driving totally off-road. We had to cross the Nile River on a steamboat to reach the camps behind it. The rain which accompanied us the entire way soften the ground so much that our truck was stuck at the entrance to camp Moroby in Moyo region. This camp is only a few months old but it already has 65,000 people. Despite the conditions in which they are living, the church is growing. Within months, about 30 churches were organized with 80 to 130 people in each one.
Praise God that by our joint efforts we were able to pull our truck from the dirt and transport the load to our destination. For some reason, our heart was telling us that the people were waiting for us more than for the supplies. The joy of this encounter and the tears of gratitude are impossible to express in writing. Praise God and thanks to all who took an active role in making this project a reality! Brothers and sisters of other camps are waiting for our help. Your support will be significant for them, and will be impactful for the kingdom of God!"
To be continued...
Emilia Guseva
AFRICA
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