Rafat Samir of the Sudan Evangelical Alliance joined a recent episode of the All Things Reconciled podcast.
"It’s not easy being a Christian in Sudan. I’ve been detained many times since I was 15 because I was preaching in the streets," says Rafat Samir, secretary general of Sudan Evangelical Alliance in a recent interview on the All Things Reconciled podcast.
Samir and his family are victims of a decades-long civil war that has divided the country (South Sudan officially separated in 2011). It has displaced more than 11 million people, making it the largest human displacement in the world.
Yet, says Samir, "The world doesn’t know what’s going on. Even our neighbouring countries don’t know the seriousness of the war here."
11 million people have been displaced by the civil war in Sudan so far.
Sudanese churches tend to feel abandoned by the world. "Aid agencies focus their attention on the Middle East or the war in Ukraine, and so will not help the situation in Sudan," Samir says.
Yet the Church is still there, doing work in the community. "We opened [our churches] to people – we didn’t ask about their religion or background. We helped even though we had nothing to give, but gave our hearts, and attention and love."
In response, a high-ranking officer invited him to his office and accused, "We think you are a well-paid CIA agent because nothing on earth could train [your churches] to be so helpful and loving."
Samir’s response? "Jesus said, ‘Love your neighbour.’ "
"Before this [conversation], I didn’t truly believe this. That day I really understood. I told him, ‘Yes, nothing on earth can do this. Jesus is the only glue that keeps us together.’ "
Samir aims for the churches he’s involved with to be exemplary communities where people of different races, backgrounds and languages come to live together.
Listen to the full podcast episode at TheEFC.ca/All-Things.
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does its work through the generosity of donors. Connect with the PRN or donate. Invite Canadian director Joel Zantingh of Guelph, Ont., or global director Phil Wagler of Kelowna, B.C., as a speaker. Read more of these blog posts at FaithToday.ca/AllThingsReconciled.