Yida Camp

DAY 27 – JULY 2nd, 2016

Yida Camp – Refugees as Messengers of Christ

In the Bible we find stories of people who have been driven out from their homelands and still today refugees are longing for safety and shelter. Hundreds of thousands of refugees have found a safer home in South Sudan, the youngest state in the world.

Dagig, Ashron, Lira, Moro, Shad and Tabanya are just a few of the Muslim ethnic people groups who have fled from the civil war in Sudan. They have lost their homes, family members and their livelihoods. Now they endure life in refugee camps such as the one in Yida, South Sudan, where they receive only the most essential supplies through various aid organizations.

Yet among these refugees, there are a few who follow Jesus. They have formed small fellowships within the camps and they aim to reach out with the gospel to their Muslim countrymen. The local church leaders have a goal to engage all of the 70 ethnic groups in Yida camp. One of the major challenges is that the majority of people in the camp speak languages that are not written. Only very few among the refugees are literate. Therefore they do not have translations of the Bible either.

But Jesus taught the people with stories and parables. Following his example, motivated believers are trained to tell Biblical content in exciting ways and to answer questions of their Muslim friends. And God is at work! Muslims are hearing about Jesus for the first time and becoming His followers. In this way the time spent at Yida camp turns into a unique opportunity for the gospel to be made known to these Muslim refugees. If eventually they have the opportunity to return to their ancestral lands, these young believers will take the Good News back to those who stayed there.

How to Pray

• For these new believers to grow in unity, encourage one another in fellowship and love, and be a light in the Yida Camp.
• For safety in the camps and for good stewardship of aid resources so that the needs of the refugees are met.
• For peace in the region so these refugees can return to their homes in the Nuba-Mountains and that the believers among them will take the Gospel there.