Genesis 2:17 “…but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Genesis 3:4 “You will not certainly die, the serpent said to the woman.”
I recently read an article about the 18-month siege and eventual fall of El Fasher, North Darfur State’s largest city, into the cruel hands of the rebel Rapid Support Force (RSF). As a result of the fall, hundreds of thousands of Sudanese fled to refugee camps near Tawila, approximately 50 miles from El Fasher.
The author of the article noted that the road between Tawila and El Fasher became known as the “road of death” because so many survivors of the siege died along the way.
This month’s scriptures from Genesis reveal that Satan and all who join him in rebellion against God deal in death, both physical and spiritual. Jesus referred to them in John 10:10 as “the thief [who] only comes to kill, steal, and destroy…” Satan and his followers create roads of death.
How then can Christians outside of Sudan turn the Tawila “road of death” into the Tawila “road of eternal life?” CRM’s response to this critical question is providing God’s Word, training church leaders, and meeting human needs—which with your help, CRM has done, and with your further help, will continue to do.
So far, CRM has provided food and shelter to thousands of families living in the Tawila refugee camps. The gospel has been preached, small group Bible studies have been started, and two house churches have been planted—all amid a violent civil war. But the work thus far has only scratched the surface.
In March, two CRM-affiliated short-term mission teams will train Darfurian church leaders, male and female, in Uganda and South Sudan. The trainings will enable these Sudanese believers to grow in their effectiveness as evangelists and disciple-makers in preparation for their return to Darfur. The team members hope to deliver solar powered digital devices loaded with scripture and gospel films to the Sudanese church leaders to use in their ministries.
Soon, CRM hopes to purchase and transport as many as 6,000 hardcopy Arabic Bibles to Darfur. Thousands of new Sudanese believers, including many in Tawila who walked the “road of death,” have been waiting for months to hold their first Bible. The gospel will bring life and restore hope. God can still turn what men intend for evil into the power that saves lives.
But all these initiatives involve funding. Lots of it. And that’s where you, our CRM faith family member, can play an important role over the next month. Your generous gift and fervent prayers will enable CRM to purchase the scripture-laden digital devices, transport the Bibles, fund the training events—thereby leading many who have not heard God’s Word into His kingdom rest.
In His Name,
David Crane
President, Calvary Road Ministries