Proverbs 19:17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.
September 5 is the “International Day of Charity,” a global observance dedicated to the promotion of charitable efforts aimed at alleviating poverty and suffering worldwide. Today we honor the work of charitable organizations and individuals who contribute selflessly to their communities and beyond.
Perhaps no group of people faces more challenges and danger to alleviate the suffering of people than the brave Darfurian Christians who, in partnership with CRM, deliver food, shelter materials, and Bibles all over war-torn Darfur. This week, they were saddened to learn that the village of Tarsin in central Darfur was wiped out by a mudslide. The New York Times and BBC reported that only one out of a thousand villagers survived.
Here is a video of Tarsin after the mudslide. As you can see, Tarsin is in an isolated mountainous area within the Jebel Marra region. This is the very region where CRM has concentrated its efforts over the last year.
Adam H, CRM’s boots-on-the-ground director, reported that Bibles had almost made it to Tarsin. Earlier this year, a brother named Yakob started a church a mere 15 kilometers away in another village, distributing Bibles supplied by CRM. But because Yakob’s supply of Bibles was exhausted before reaching Tarsin, it proved to be a valley too far.
And now the people of Tarsin are buried under a mudslide. They entered eternity without ever having an opportunity to hold and read the Word of God.
Charity can be displayed to suffering communities in a multitude of ways. But the most significant act of charity for time and eternity is to give so those who have no access to the Bible may receive one.
Millions of displaced Sudanese people living in Darfur, like the people of Tarsin, face eternity without ever having the chance to read or hear the Gospel. On this day when the spotlight is on charity, please give and support our God-given mandate to provide God’s Word to some of the world’s most isolated communities.
In His Name,
David Crane
President, Calvary Road Ministries