Hope That Multiplies in the Midst of War
After years of conflict, displacement, and uncertainty in Sudan, local believers continue serving their communities, making disciples, and sharing the hope of Christ. A recent visit marked an important milestone in a partnership that has endured through one of the world’s most devastating humanitarian crises.
When civil war erupted in Sudan in April 2023, it disrupted nearly every aspect of life across the country. Millions of people were forced from their homes, communities were scattered, and many families faced immense hardship. What has become one of the world’s largest displacement crises has received relatively little international attention, yet its impact on ordinary people has been profound.
Among those affected were many of the local church leaders and believers with whom Compel International had been walking alongside.
A Partnership Before the War
About a year before the conflict began, Compel started partnering with a network of church leaders in Sudan who were seeking to reach their communities with the gospel and develop healthy, reproducing disciples.
Together, we explored practical approaches to disciple-making, community transformation, health education, and sustainable livelihoods. The goal was never simply to conduct training events, but to equip local believers to serve their own communities and help others follow Christ.
Many of these leaders serve among communities where very few people know and follow Jesus. Through ongoing training, coaching, and encouragement, they have been developing practical ways to build relationships, meet needs, and share the hope of Christ in places where the gospel has little presence.
The War Changed the Landscape
When war made travel into Sudan impossible, the partnership did not end.
Although in-person visits were no longer feasible, relationships continued through regular communication, coaching, and training opportunities outside the country whenever leaders were able to travel. Over the following years, Sudanese leaders participated in gatherings and training events in neighboring nations, continuing to grow in their ability to serve and lead despite the challenges they faced at home.
Meanwhile, local churches remained active.
As families fled violence and instability, believers cared for displaced people, supported one another through difficult circumstances, and continued meeting together for encouragement, prayer, and discipleship. Though the conflict disrupted normal patterns of life and ministry, it did not stop the church from serving.
Distance made ministry more difficult, but it did not break the relationships God had already established.
Returning After Years Away
This spring, a Compel team member was able to return to Sudan for the first time since the outbreak of war.
The visit brought together 24 young leaders from several regions of the country for a time of encouragement, learning, and planning for the future.
The training focused on helping believers make disciples who make disciples. Participants explored biblical principles of community transformation, discussed practical ways to engage their communities, and learned how to facilitate simple Bible discovery groups that encourage people to encounter God’s Word for themselves and share it with others.
More importantly, the gathering provided an opportunity for leaders who have persevered through years of uncertainty to reconnect, pray together, and encourage one another.
For many, the visit was a reminder that they are not serving alone.
Signs of God’s Faithfulness
The most encouraging stories did not come from the training sessions themselves, but from what God has already been doing through local believers.
One ministry team shared that they are currently walking alongside nine Discovery Bible Study groups and have celebrated the baptism of ten new believers. As these new followers of Christ continue growing in their faith, local leaders are helping them take their next steps toward becoming disciple-makers themselves.
These are not large, well-funded ministries. They are ordinary believers faithfully investing in relationships, opening God’s Word with their neighbors, and trusting Him to work in people’s lives.
In a nation marked by conflict and uncertainty, God continues to raise up local men and women who are helping others discover the hope found in Jesus.
Looking Ahead
This recent visit was more than a training event. It was a reminder of God’s faithfulness through years of disruption and uncertainty.
The war changed how the partnership functioned, but it did not end it. Through phone calls, meetings across borders, prayer, encouragement, and continued investment in local leaders, the relationship endured. Now, with opportunities to reconnect in person once again, there is renewed hope for the future.
As these leaders return to their communities, they carry with them a vision for multiplication—disciples making disciples, new believers growing in faith, and local churches serving as witnesses to Christ in places where the gospel is still rarely known.
Their perseverance brings to mind the words of Paul:
“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
As Compel International continues walking alongside these leaders, we are grateful to witness God’s work through His people in Sudan and look forward with hope to what He will continue to do in the years ahead.