At the beginning of the year, Liep Thiyang, a young JESUS Film leader from Uganda, travelled to the northwestern part of the country to visit the largest refugee settlement, inhabited mainly by South Sudanese refugees. The journey took about nine hours by bus, followed by another 45 kilometres from the small city of Arua to Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement.
Because of limited time, resources, and physical exhaustion from walking long distances, the team, composed of Nazarene pastors and other JESUS Film team members, visited only a few clusters of Nazarene churches. Despite these challenges, by God’s grace, the team carried out JESUS Film screenings.
This mission became a truly transformational experience for Thiyang.
“I thank God that I responded to the call on the 24th of December, when I heard a clear voice telling me to go to Rhino Camp and share the gospel,” stated Thiyang. “Many people professed their faith in Jesus, and we revived a church that was almost collapsing.”
The team helped to save an existing church in a hostile area where three young boys were once killed in an act of communal violence.
“I believe that change will come to that cluster,” declared Thiyang. “It was there that I witnessed God’s work most powerfully.”
After the JESUS Film screening and as the team was preparing to leave, a young man ran to them because many were waiting along the roadside to be baptised. In total, 50 new converts were baptised along the road outside the refugee camp.
“I praise God deeply, because this is where I spent my New Year, in the refugee camp, and it was such a blessing,” confirmed Thiyang. “Through this experience, I learned something profound about God: as we work for him, he works with us, just as he promised that he would be with us to the end of time.”
Please keep the refugees in your prayers. They are in a very dire situation. The team was unable to bring them clothes or shoes, but they believe God is working and providing for them. Even now, more refugees are pouring into Uganda as there is renewed conflict in South Sudan, Thiyang’s home country. God is working even in the most challenging places.