I recently co-led a joint Sharing of Ministries Abroad (SOMA) and Church Mission Society (CMS) team to Southern Sudan. Seven diocesan bishops of the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS) invited SOMA to conduct seminars for pastors and church leaders. It was the first conference for the church in western Equatoria in over 10 years.

     When we arrived in Yei enroute to Maridi, our host showed us where a bomb had landed the previous night. The crater was 150 feet from the bishop's house. Part of the "tour" included the bomb shelter and foxholes. The next evening our host, the bishop of Maridi diocese, informed us that the hospital and town market were bombed two days earlier. The following morning, Saturday, February 27, during the opening of the first week-long seminar in Maridi, the team witnessed the suffering and fear inflicted upon Southern Sudanese by the National Islamic Front (NIF) government in Khartoum. An "Antonov" bomber attacked the hospital and market area, dropping six anti-personnel bombs. Several people were treated at the hospital for shrapnel wounds.

     On Wednesday morning March 3, the bomber returned, dropping no fewer than 16 bombs. The majority of the team and church leaders were together in an old school building on the edge of town for the seminar. The first two bombs landed on either side of the Episcopal cathedral, throwing shrapnel into the bishop's house and the tukels (mud huts with thatch roofs) of the cathedral staff. The next two bombs landed near the compound of the Roman Catholic church.

      One woman team member and the driver were in our vehicle near the cathedral on the way to get supplies when it became the target. The pilot presumably spotted the white roof of the vehicle and the dust trail as the driver attempted to find cover under some trees. Several bombs landed near the road as they crawled into the bush away from the vehicle.

      After nearly an hour of anxious prayer while the bomber circled overhead, the plane departed. "We give God thanks for our protection and the privilege of sharing this experience with the Sudanese Christians," said the Rev. Don Brewin, SOMA UK. However, the team later learned that a 5 year old girl, Marion, was killed. Some team members visited and prayed with her grieving parents.

      It was clear that there was no pretense of aiming at military targets. The cathedral in Maridi is the largest brick structure in the area, and sits on the top of a hill. Like most Anglican cathedrals, it is in the shape of a cross and it cannot possibly be mistaken for anything other than what it is--a church. The shrapnel that I dug out of the bomb craters indicates that the types of weapons and the fusing used in these attacks were meant to inflict maximum casualties on people. Targeting civilians, hospitals and churches is inexcusable.

      We heard the next day that a bombing raid had occurred on the town of Yei the night of March 3. On our way back to Uganda through Yei, we were able to see for ourselves the shrapnel damage to the exterior walls and roof of the Episcopal cathedral from the six bombs that landed within 100 feet. We also saw the bomb damage to the Yei hospital.

      As reported by the U.S. Committee on Refugees, in the 10 years of the NIF's rule, almost 1.9 million Sudanese people are dead, and another 2.5 million are currently at risk of starvation, kept alive only by the heroic efforts of international aid groups. Millions more are displaced both inside and outside the country.

      All of us on the team were outside of our "comfort zones" physically. Yet we sought the shelter of the Most High in our praise and worship. The Scriptures became more relevant and real in our time of distress. Where else could we turn but to God? As Psalm 91 says, "I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.' Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."

  Despite the persecution, the church grows. The Sunday services we attended were lively, and the Gospel was preached. When the Sudanese have no food, they pray for provision; no medicine, they pray for healing; no home or clothes, they pray for shelter. We prepared the teachings, entitled "Discerning the Spirit in the Midst of Chaos," especially for the needs of Southern Sudan. The teachings draw parallels between the exile of Israel to Babylon and the Sudanese experience. Several church leaders shared with us the sentiment, "I was born in war, I am growing old in war, I will most likely die in war." The chaos seems endless.

     The bishop of Yambio, the Rt. Rev. Peter Munde, shared with us a proverb from his people, the Zande tribe. He said, "A friend who visits you when you are suffering is your best friend. You are now our best friends." How similar these words are to Jesus' words recorded in Matthew 25:40, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

     Two young pastors from Ezo diocese, Elinama and Samuel, bicycled over 200 miles to Maridi for the first conference. As they absorbed the teaching, a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit was evident in their faces. I learned from them at a deeper level of understanding Jesus' admonition to the 72 disciples to "take no extra tunic." We came in vehicles with medical kits, water purifiers, and suitcases full of clothes. These young pastors came in faith on a 400 mile journey with a little plastic bag of clothes and toiletries. As we said good-bye in Yambio before they began the last 100 mile leg, their smiles confirmed the joy of the Spirit deep in their hearts.

     Edwina Thomas and I met with our congressman, Frank Wolf, before I left for Sudan. Congressman Wolf has traveled to Sudan three times, beginning in 1989. He continues to speak out boldly about the persecution of Christians in Sudan, and around the world. Others in Congress are now joining with him on this issue. After hearing about the team's experience in Sudan, he agreed to hold a joint press conference with us on March 31 outside the Capitol building.

     I believe we have a moral obligation to tell the story of our brothers and sisters suffering in Southern Sudan. I pray that the current administration will realize that without U.S. leadership, people will continue to die in Sudan, as they are dying in Kosovo. How much longer can we allow the killing and the deliberate starvation to continue?