In recent weeks, South Sudan has been gripped by renewed violence, unthinkable, heartbreaking, and very real. The nation’s leadership, gripped by fear and tribal conflict, has turned its wrath against its people. Villages belonging to the Nuer tribe have been bombed, set ablaze by industrial chemicals dropped from the sky. Families have fled at night, escaping with little more than their lives. Over 35,000 people have crossed the border into Ethiopia, desperately seeking safety.
This is horrifying, and it feels far away. It is a tragedy we can place in the quiet corner of our minds. The category of “things we don’t like thinking about.”
But sometimes, God brings these moments out of the corners and into the center of our hearts. Sometimes, He places them right in front of us and whispers, Do something.
That’s precisely what He has done for us at King of Kings. And in His mercy, He has blessed us by doing so.
Our mission team had spent a year preparing to visit and partner with Trinity Seminary and the Lutheran Church of South Sudan (LCSS). But as violence surged and thousands fled, the mission considered an additional opportunity. The people didn’t just need prayer, they needed food, safety, and hope. When the flood of refugees stopped in the border town of Mattar, Ethiopia, international aid was slow to follow. But God’s provision is never slow. It’s the story of loaves and fishes, and we are watching it unfold.
Our mission team had spent a year preparing to visit
King of Kings and Christ the King purchased 100 bags of sorghum, each weighing 225 pounds. The food was trucked in, followed the next day by our mission team and leaders from the LCSS. When we arrived, nearly a thousand people formed a circle around us. We listened to the leaders, who told their stories of escape and hardship. Then, we spoke to them.
President Long spoke words of hope, not only through the gospel but with a promise:
The Church has come to help. When one member of the body hurts, the whole body hurts. The Church in America remembers you, and we bring this food in the name of Jesus.
The crowd broke out in song, praising God. Our gift is but a little now; however, it can still stir a song in the soul.
The crowd broke out in song, praising God.
King of Kings has now become the refugee community’s primary food source. U.N. Aid hasn’t yet arrived, and it may take weeks more. So, we are inviting others to join us. More is needed. There are a lot of people to feed! It will be only for a short season.
God has invited us to be His hands and feet. And now, we extend that invitation to you.
What’s front and center?
His mission.
Join us as we continue to walk alongside the Lutheran Church of South Sudan. Partner with us to provide food and proclaim the gospel. Let us not turn away from the things we’d rather not think about. Let’s run toward them, together, and bring the healing touch of Christ where it’s needed most.
Mission Team
Pastor Roger Theimer
Pastor Doyle Theimer
Kasey Harvey
Brandi Waugh
