“I was a Muslim,” he began quietly. “All my family were Muslim. But God invited us one by one. One by one.” His older brother was the first to follow Christ. Soon after, he was murdered — crucified publicly in Sudan as a warning to anyone who might dare do the same. That moment could have hardened his heart forever. Instead, it became the beginning of a transformation.
When war broke out, he fled to Egypt. “Life here is very tough if you don’t trust in God,” he told me. For many Sudanese refugees, life in Egypt is marked by discrimination, exploitation, and constant uncertainty. That’s why, as pastors and as a church, they visit each home to encourage believers who are struggling to survive. Among the people he pastors, fear still runs deep. Many are terrified to follow Jesus openly, knowing it could mean exile from their families or entire communities. They cannot even keep Bibles in their homes; discovery could cost them everything.
So, this pastor sends verses and devotionals through WhatsApp, where believers read them in secret and delete them afterward to stay safe. Some meet with him in a small office that doubles as their church, a hidden sanctuary of faith and courage. “Even though life is hard,” he said, “my behavior changed. Even my thoughts changed. I started to love people as Jesus loves me.” Today, he walks among the very communities that once persecuted his family, bringing compassion, prayer, and hope.” To connect people from darkness to light,” he said with conviction. “That’s what God called me to do. The Sudanese people need to know Jesus. Without Him, we will not live.”
At the heart of NEO is ordinary people transformed by grace, carrying His hope into the hardest places on earth. Because of your prayers and support, pastors like him are walking courageously among those who once stood against them, proving that God’s love is stronger than the fear of persecution.
