Victims of Violence

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Dear Swift Messengers,”Go swift messengers, to a people tall and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers” Isaiah 18:2.

Since mid-December, the worlds newest nation, South Sudan, is experiencing a tremendous increase in violence against civilians. A military attempt to over throw the current government sparked tribal clashes. A distribution of arms and ammunition to civilian young men has led to increased cattle raids and revenge killings between rival clans and sub clans. Lakes State, home of Akot Christian Ministries, has recorded 95 people killed in the last week. This is according to deputy Governor Santo Dumic Koric, in an interview recorded by The Sudan Tribune today, March 27th.

A recent inter-clan fight in Akot led to the displacement of the entire neighboring community of Mayom. Everyone living in the area fled with only what they could carry in their hands to an area called Paloc, home of their ancestors. It is a full day’s journey into the bush on foot. Now, the once lively church, named “The Widows’s and Orphans’s Church of Mayom, is completely vacated.

Last Saturday, two of ACM leaders, Pastors Isaac Bol and John Poth went looking for the displaced church members and their families in the Paloc area. They found them in desperate conditions. The families are living in the bush without any shelters. They are drinking from the puddles made by big trucks in the road, as there is no water source in the area.

Pastor John told me, “Mama, they are all going to die soon from water-born diseases”. John reminded me of the closure of the hospital in Akot just three weeks prior, due to the insecurity. Isaac and John spent the day with our people praying and making plans to begin two new churches in Paloc. Two of our pastors are among the displaced. The people from Mayom were very encouraged and grateful for the visit.

ACM’s Director of Women’s Ministry, Rose Paul, has begun planning the newest chapter of “Women of Hope” for the Paloc community. A weekly gathering of women for prayer, learning Bible stories, and health lessons, will begin immediately.

I am reminded of how Our Lord allowed the early church to be persecuted, in order to spread the Word out from Jerusalem. “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went” Acts 8:4.

Our families living in the bush need “The Living Water”, but they also need physical water. We must provide a well for these people now. This was not a planned LWCT budgeted capital expense for 2014, but we cannot ignore this urgent need. The rainy season is quickly approaching. This will turn airstrips and roads into swamps, making these people even more isolated from food, supplies and medical care. However, the rainy season is the only time a deep bore hole well can be dug. We need to begin making preparations for digging the well in Paloc immediately.

Can you help us provide this life saving need? The well will be located at the church, and will be known as “The Jesus Well”, like the other wells we have provided in South Sudan.

You can make your donation by check or online by going to our website. See below for addresses.

Yin ca leec (Dinka for thank you)
Nhialic abi thiei (Dinka for God bless you),
Mama Ayen