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Church bombed in Sudan: How 3 American missionaries miraculously escaped death

USAfricaonline.com Special and Exclusive eyewitness report
by ELISE GLADING, USAfricaonline.com contributing editor and religion columnist

Three American missionaries have just returned from a trip to the Sudan, where the church they attended on a Sunday morning was targeted and bombed by the Government of Sudan Air Force. They miraculously escaped death when eight bombs exploded around the church. The attack was the latest in an ongoing war between Khartoum's fundamentalist National Islamic Front government, and those who desire religious freedom in the Sudan.

The missionaries were presenting Evangelism leadership-training courses for local pastors, teachers and chaplains in Southern Sudan. One of the missionaries, Don Warren, from the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida said that it is hard to believe that a civilian church can be openly bombed in the year 2000. Warren said that he has "never been bombed out of the pulpit before!"

Haitian-born Jean Dony St. Germain of the El Shaddai Presbyterian Church in Miami said: "What they meant for evil, God turned to good. They tried to distract from the ministry, but the incident made the ministry more effective and brought us closer together. I will never forget this. It made me realize the brevity of life, and that I should live every day as if it is my last day".

Missionary Elise Glading, shares her eyewitness account of the bombing: "We were staying in huts in a village in Southern Sudan when all three of us woke up at 3 o'clock the morning of November 5, 2000 and decided to get up and pray. We somehow sensed that something might happen that day. Later that morning, as we walked towards the thatched-roof church, just out of town, we heard the droning sound of an Antonov aircraft. At first we thought that it was just on a reconnaissance flight, but then we heard bombs exploding in the distance. We later learned that it made 3 bombing runs, dropping 14 bombs, over another church in a community 12 miles away, where we were scheduled to conduct a worship service later that afternoon.

Before the church service started, we sat under a tree next to the church, and Pastor St. Germain read Psalm 91. We found comfort in the assurance that God would command His angels to protect those who trust in Him. A peace that surpasses all human understanding came over us.

Our church service started at 9 am. At 9:20 we realized that the aircraft was right above the church. A shout went up: "The Antonov is coming!" Everyone evacuated the church immediately. Some ran back towards the village, and others ran to the two dugout bomb shelters right next to the church. The three of us crouched down in a bomb shelter close to the church. We prayed fervently, as we heard the loud screaming sounds of the first bombs. Five bombs exploded in rapid succession. The ground shook and we saw pillars of black smoke around the church. The air was thick with acid-smelling smoke and debris. All five bombs landed within 300 feet of the church.

For a moment we thought that the bombing was over, but then, suddenly the aircraft was directly overhead again, at about 12 000 feet straight above us. This time the screaming sound was deafening. So loud that I knew it was coming right at as. All I could say was: "Thank You, Jesus!" The next moment the earth violently shook, and we were covered in ground and debris. A 500-pound bomb exploded only about 60 feet away from us, right through a big tree. It is a miracle that nobody was killed, or seriously injured. We found shrapnel all around the church, even in the road on the other side of the church, over 600 feet away. A commander from the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army inspected the scene and was absolutely amazed that nobody was injured.

It seems that the metal canister holding the bomb miraculously stayed intact. He concluded that if the bomb detonated on the tree it would have caused an airburst, which would have been fatal. We praised God for His divine protection. We continued with the church service later that morning. In spite of the possible danger of the return of the bomber, the church was packed with about 300 people as we joyfully celebrated the Lord's Supper. This was a powerful picture of the perseverance and resilience of the persecuted Christians in the Sudan.

The aircraft came back that afternoon, and for a moment I experienced fear like I have never felt it before as I looked at the women and children in the village running for cover. They were so vulnerable. A Sudanese lady came to me with tears in her eyes. She tightly held my hand as she said in broken English: 'Don't worry. Trust in God. He will protect us.' After circling, the aircraft headed away. It must be terrible living under such circumstances all the time. Something must be done to stop these cowardice acts of violence against innocent civilians.

Many of the participants in the seminar walked long distances, some even for 4 days, to attend the Evangelism Seminar. They successfully completed the course the next day. We stayed one more week in the Sudan, presenting another evangelism leadership training course in a village in the area. The following Sunday was the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, and fortunately there was a low cloud cover over the area. We were guests of local Sudanese Christians, and Frontline Fellowship, a Cape Town based ministry serving the persecuted church and working for reformation in Africa.

During the two week mission trip, almost 100 pastors, teachers and chaplains attended the inter-denominational Evangelism Seminars, we also distributed more than 800 copies of the new complete Bible in the Moru language, conducted church services in six different congregations, visited schools, presented Kids Evangelism workshops, Teacher Training courses, Sunday School classes and participated in film evangelism. We were overwhelmed by the kindness and hospitality of the local people. They have a unique hunger and thirst for knowledge, and unshakable faith in God.

The trip was a great success, as many Sudanese people came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, in spite of the bombing incident."
(Report filed on November 25, 2000)

This report will appear in the January 10, 2001 edition of USAfrica The Newspaper. For further information, photographs, video footage, or possible interviews with Don Warren, or Jean Dony St. Germain, contact EliseGlading@aol.com, or Tel/Fax: (954) 492-8877

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