We have not been able to communicate with our South Sudan country director, Pastor James Nyika, at all today. We are hoping for the best case scenario that all cell towers have been temporarily switched off. We are praying against the worst case scenario.
In Juba, the capital city, things are changing by the hour. We are crying out to the Lord to bring stability and safety to the thousands of innocent civilians caught in the crossfire between the president’s and the vice president’s troops. In one circumstance, the fighting continued to escalate for hours and neither side was backing down. The Lord brought rain so heavy upon the capital city that it forced all sides to cease firing all night. This is a direct answer to your prayers.
The USA has deployed 45 marines to protect the US Embassy. Most embassies and missions organizations have been successful in evacuating their staff from Juba. Others are still on standby waiting for the airport and roads to open. There have been small windows where MAF (Missions Aviation Fellowship) and other flights have been able to land in the capital and evacuate people. Our American team spent a few days with some of these pilots and asked them if they were afraid of landing in these areas. They responded, “No not a bit – this is why God has is here! We are actually excited to do it.” Please pray for these pilots and their aircrafts to be untouchable.
Today the United Nations stated that the death toll from fighting in Juba is almost certain to climb above the 272 people reported by the government. The UN Peacekeeping chief told the Security Council that government forces are obstructing the movement of U.N. personnel “every step of the way” making it almost impossible to get a clear picture of the scope of this crisis. He said “I would believe that this is only the tip of the iceberg given alarming reports indicating over the last few days many civilians were barred from reaching safer ground.” Over 36,000 civilians are trapped and in urgent need of assistance. Please continue to pray for these innocent civilians to find safety and food soon.
We are doing everything we can to reach our missionary staff in South Sudan. Please continue to pray that communication will be reestablished. Pray that God will give our American and African missionaries wisdom about how to best manage this crisis at this crucial stage.
Yesterday we asked for prayer that God would totally heal our two missionaries struggling from food poisoning. Today we have seen some major improvements but continually asked for more prayer that they’re healing would be complete.
Two of our ladies had a wonderful time this afternoon doing evangelism in Kabira, one of Africa’s largest slums located in the heart of Nairobi Kenya. Tomorrow they will begin preparing to host a VBS for a few hundred children. They are truly redeeming the time.
Thank you for praying for our team… Teri Jackson Kelli Rose Pollin Becky Breznau – Rob Douglass
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