MAF flew a Chadian pastor and his team to Abéché where they train local pastors who then go to the refugee camps. There, many Sudanese refugees have come to faith, been baptised, and are now bringing other refugees to faith themselves.
Story by Annet Nabbanja
Having left Sudan painfully, Darfurian refugees in the east of Chad have found a new hope through the work of Pastor Beasnael Sem Miantoloum and his team. Surrounded by stories of loss, the gospel has offered them a sense of comfort.
Born in Moundou, southern Chad, Pastor Beasnael works with the Evangelical Church of Chad. He sees the suffering refugees and seeks to provide spiritual help.
Through MAF flights, Pastor Beasnael and his team were able to travel to Abéché, in the far east of Chad, where they train church leaders, provide Bibles and equip them to serve others, including Sudanese refugees who have fled the violence in Darfur.
“Especially in remote areas of the country and where it’s not easy to move by car, MAF is really our gold mine,” said Pastor Beasnael. “MAF does not only take us there but joins us in the ministry by doing that. So, we are very satisfied, and we thank God for that.”
Long and difficult journeys by road are transformed to as little as three hours by air.
“When we talked with the villagers, they said that it takes them one week to travel on the road,” said Pastor Beasnael. “And if it rained, then be assured that they will be there for at least two weeks because they cannot cross the rivers by car.”
Especially in remote areas of the country and where it’s not easy to move by car, MAF is really our gold mine.
Through sending out evangelists to the refugee camps, refugees who have responded to the message of Christ have been baptised and now meet together in prayer groups. Being able to reach these communities is an opportunity to show the love of Christ to people who have experienced unimaginable loss.
One of the most humbling stories is of the pastor in the church they went to, who told them that he had baptised at least 500 refugees, and then sent them to minister to others.
The need is enormous because churches are asking for more training and more Bibles. And there are still many communities that are difficult to reach. Whereas it is important to teach them the Word of God, they cannot survive without physical support like food and shelter.
“We are really touched that the people do not only need the Word, but they also need the body to be taken care of before they can receive the word,” said Pastor Beasnael. “And we do not have means to help them keep the body and soul together before giving them the Word. So that’s a really a very big challenge that we have here.”