Missionaries Request Prayer for Sudan

Resonate missionaries in the Middle East* are asking for prayer for Sudan, where violence erupted more than a month ago.

“While we do not have a permanent presence in Sudan, Resonate has been serving through and beside Sudanese partners, and directly in Sudan, for several years,” shared Resonate’s regional mission leader for the Middle East.

Fighting in Sudan broke out on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces. Residents are experiencing bombing, shelling, and looting, and their supplies of food, water, medicine, and electricity are dwindling.

Resonate missionaries cannot be placed in Sudan due to security concerns, but several missionaries serving in the Middle East work closely with Sudanese immigrants and refugees. One missionary couple has close ties within the country, having visited Sudan many times to teach in a seminary. The area where they lived and worked has been bombed.

“This is so close to home for me,” shared one of the missionaries. “I know so many people there. Two of my students there have been killed in the fighting.”

The missionary added that photos from his friends show empty streets and the ruins of bombed buildings. While news outlets and international organizations are reporting the number of deaths so far at about 500, he said he’s hearing from friends on the ground that the number is likely closer to 5,000.

“Most of these deaths are from the relentless bombing and shelling,” he said.

A video he received from a friend showed the Evangelical Church in Bahri’s building after being hit by a bomb, he said. The building was burning.

The friend shared in the video: “There continues to be firing of heavy guns and bombs. . . . The church was on fire, and we called the fire department. But there was no one there to help, so the church continues to burn. . . . No help is coming. . . . Please pray. This is God's house.”

Tens of thousands of people within Sudan are displaced and seeking refuge. The needs are immense—both for those who are displaced and for the communities welcoming them.

“Most are living on the floors of churches in the area or simply along the side of the road,” said the missionary. “Most churches provide some kind of food to keep people alive, but things like clothes, medication, and nonfood supplies are not available anywhere, even if you have money.”

“Imagine a town of 5,000 suddenly having 50,000 people descending on them, having fled with nothing but a small bag and whatever they can carry. All the stores have been emptied, and anything incoming is limited because of the war cutting off supply chains.”

Resonate’s regional mission leader for the Middle East stated that Resonate missionaries are working on providing support and meeting needs.

First, they are sending people and supporting groups who are welcoming displaced people at Sudan’s borders. “This is an opportunity for them to encounter the love of Christ in very practical ways,” he said.

Second, Resonate missionaries have found a way to transfer money to people in Sudan, but supplies are scarce. They are working on shipping supplies via bus, but there’s a risk that buses will be raided before reaching the people in need.

“Basically we are relying on people we know who are Sudanese who are figuring out different ways to get help there. And we are relying on prayer,” shared one of the missionaries.

The missionaries ask everyone to join in prayer for the following:

• For supplies to reach the people in need. Ask God to provide food, clean water, medical supplies, and more to communities. Pray for generosity, asking that supplies reach communities without being raided.
• For people who are displaced from their homes. As refugees enter new countries, pray that they will be welcomed and able to meet people who identify as Christians and do what Jesus would do. Pray that hospitable people will “not reject them but serve them with love and remind them that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, despite all their poverty, pain, and trouble,” said Resonate’s regional mission leader for the Middle East.
• For leaders and organizations who have the power and ability to intercede.
• For comfort for all who are grieving the loss of loved ones.
• For peace and an end to the violence.

*Names withheld for security purposes