Decades of brutal conflict and terrible suffering have plunged South Sudan into abject poverty. There seems to be no rest from violence and crisis for some of these poorest people on earth.
Lack of knowledge of God has contributed to the ongoing poverty in South Sudan, and many of its problems could be solved by practicing the teachings of the Bible. Many in this region are gripped by dark, demonic practices, including witchcraft and animistic worship. Only God’s light and truth will bring lasting change to South Sudan!
This country has more than 60 tribal languages, which makes it difficult for a foreigner to communicate. Because of this, one of the best ways to reach this dark part of the world with God’s Word is through followers of Jesus who are familiar with the culture and are able to speak the language. In recent years, God has opened doors for CAM staff to work alongside contacts to provide Bibles, New Testaments, and audio Bibles on a large scale. Our contacts distribute these precious gifts throughout the country, including very remote villages. The need for God’s Word is endless. The opportunities are enormous.
Illiteracy is an all-too-common problem in this region. Bibles and New Testaments are given to the small percentage of the population who are able to read. Audio Bibles and Bible story telling are critical for the many who are illiterate. When the people hear God’s Word in their mother tongue through audio Bibles, the impact is powerful!
As a central part of the work to spread God’s Word, our contacts organize training sessions for leaders and church members to share Bible stories to reach their own people with the Gospel. These trainings help attendees, many of whom are not able to read, to memorize Bible stories and learn how to present God’s Word to those who cannot read the Bible for themselves. One training attendee showed dedication by walking five days to attend!
Elizabeth, a training attendee and audio Bible recipient, shared her difficult, but all-too-normal story with a CAM staff member. Yet a gleam of hope shone from her eyes. After her wedding, Elizabeth toiled to build a house for her and her husband, using sticks, reeds, and mud. Her daily existence is fraught with hardship. She tills the ground, plants seeds, harvests sorghum, and cuts wood to make charcoal. She hauls the charcoal to town on her head with the baby on her back. She cooks food for her husband when he comes home from tending the cattle. If the food is not ready when he gets back, she suffers a severe beating. Elizabeth’s husband paid a sizable number of cows to her family for Elizabeth’s hand in marriage. As his herd grows, he plans to marry more women, each one requiring a bride price of 50-100 cows. Our prayer is that God’s Word through the audio Bible will bring hope to Elizabeth’s hard life and transform her family.
This year, we have a budget of $525,000 to provide Bibles, New Testaments, and audio Bibles for South Sudan. A small percentage of the funds are used to train local believers to tell stories from God’s Word to their own people. If you wish to bring spiritual relief to suffering people in South Sudan, we invite you to join us in shining the light of the Gospel into the darkness there.
“I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.” (John 12:46)
