People from Dinka Twic and Dinka Ngok tribes, which have been in conflict since 2017, now worship together in a church plant in Turalei, Warrap State, CMS-Africa reports.

Many had thought such a thing would never be possible. But now, the people groups are working together to build bridges across a longstanding divide.

Children from the two tribes now play together and adults are building community. In their own words, “God has done this.”

The conflict is related to a dispute over a piece of land which is being claimed by both communities. This led to the outbreak of violence. A particularly bad instance of this in 2022 led to the displacement of thousands of people and massive destruction of properties as well as the loss of several innocent lives.

Women take the lead for peace

CMS partners have been facilitating an ongoing peace process and in June 2025, women from these groups came together for a special event: the Twic and Ngok Joint Women Peace Dialogue Meeting.

The event brought together religious leaders, United Nations Mission in South Sudan, government officials, community representatives and more, and was facilitated by local partner Regina Lueth, who teaches theology at St John’s Theological College in Wau.

Women from both people groups committed to be ambassadors of peace in their homes and communities, to encourage forgiveness and respectful dialogue and to lead peacemaking efforts.

They made an impressive list of formal commitments to work for peace:

1. Act as peace ambassadors in our homes and communities by messages by sharing peace messages with husbands, sons, daughters, and neighbours.
2. Denounce hate speech and incitement, especially through cultural mediums such as music and storytelling.
3. Lead peace dissemination efforts through radio stations, churches, schools, health facilities, and local gatherings.
4. Engage in women-led exchange visits and trust-building dialogue between the Ngok and Twic communities.
5. Encourage forgiveness and respectful dialogue at the family and community levels. Engage youth to discourage violent practices such as cattle raiding and retaliation.
6. Counter misinformation and disinformation through verified messaging and strengthen the local peace network.

Pray together

Pray for the women in these communities to actively look for big and small opportunities to build bridges between the two groups, and encourage each other to keep working towards peace. Pray for their desire and drive for peace to spread to those around them.

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South Sudan: training courses

We give thanks with CMS-Africa and local partner Joseph Noel for the many opportunities to minister in different churches in South Sudan using CMS-Africa tools and resources. As people engage with Financial Freedom for Families (a budgeting and financial stewardship course), Discover, Develop, Deploy (a course which supports young people to unlock their potential and enter the workforce) and women’s empowerment training, pray for God to continue to build his church and equip his people for all good works (2 Timothy 3:17).

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South Sudan: conferences for church leaders

“Pray for the successful planning and execution of upcoming conferences focused on leadership and church planting. May the Holy Spirit equip leaders to grow the kingdom effectively,” writes Paul Lueth, a local partner in South Sudan engaged in church planting and teaching theology alongside training pastors and evangelists.

Please pray, too, for an end to cattle raiding and insecurity between Unity State and Warrap State; for peace along the borders and for hearts to be softened so that the violence can be brought to an end.

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Find out more about the stories mentioned in this month’s Hope from the Edges:

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Video transcript

Hello and welcome to Hope from the Edges. I’m Andy Roberts, CEO of CMS.

In the next few minutes, we’ll bring you inspiring news from three edges in our world – stories that you are making possible through your gifts and prayers.

First, we’ll go to Honduras and hear about a young woman who went from street life to full life. From there we’ll go to South Sudan where a former cattle rustler was steered towards a better path. Finally, we’ll turn the spotlight on a mission partner who has spent two decades in challenging work that has taken her across the globe.

But before we begin, I want to take some time to acknowledge an anniversary none of us would have wanted to commemorate.

By the time you receive this video, we will have crossed the four-year mark since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and I want to take a moment to ask for your prayers for our mission partner Alison Giblett, who has remained in Ukraine this whole time, faithfully sharing the light of Jesus – despite missile attacks, freezing winters and growing despair.

This is most definitely mission at the edges. Let’s go to God together and keep praying for peace to prevail.

And now, let’s hop over to Honduras for a story of hope nine years in the making.

The country of Honduras faces huge challenges including rampant gang warfare, poverty and corruption.

Many children in Honduras suffer from abuse or neglect and are drawn to life on the streets, which can be both cruel and dangerous.

In 2017, a young girl named Johanni was one of these at-risk children.

She recalls, “When I was eight years old, I spent most of my time out in the street. My parents didn’t send me to school. No one was looking out for me except myself.”

Johanni spent much of her time hanging out with other kids at a local park. She could see no real future for herself.

One day, she met some adults who were different – kind and interested. They listened to her struggles and told her Jesus loved her.

Over time, these people, CMS mission partners Lindsey and Steve Poulson, helped Johanni and 14 other children register for school. This was the beginning of a new life chapter for Johanni as well as the start of what would become a life-changing project for many children.

This group of 15 children were the beginning of Proyecto Alas, a programme that supports at-risk children to continue in education and make good choices for the future. A key part of this programme is that each child is assigned a mentor.

Johanni says, “My mentor listens to me, encourages me and helps me make positive decisions.”

Now 16 years old, Johanni is an aspiring nail artist. She says, “Most girls my age don’t make it to high school so I’m really proud of my achievement and growth.”

The Poulsons are grateful to have walked alongside Johanni these nine years and to have seen her and others reach their God-given potential.

We now journey to South Sudan.

In South Sudan livestock is highly prized. So, cattle raiding is big business.

In recent years, raids have become more intense, more violent and take place on a much larger scale. It’s a crime with a huge cost.

Makol was a cattle raider from Warrap State, South Sudan. He knew that stealing cattle was wrong and that people were getting hurt, but he was making too much money to stop. He also knew if he was caught, he could be executed.

One day Makol was caught in the act, arrested and put in a police car. He knew his fate was sealed.

What Makol didn’t know was this: that night a peace rally was scheduled to take place, led by Archbishop Moses Deng. Drawing on training he’d received from our colleagues in CMS-Africa, the Archbishop spoke to the community on the theme of love and forgiveness.

The governor of Warrap State, General Aleu Ayieny, attended this rally. Having heard about Makol’s crimes, he had planned for him to be publicly executed at the end of the peace rally.

Evening came and Makol found himself sitting in the back of the governor’s car, waiting for his punishment, while General Ayieny listened to Archbishop Moses’ message nearby.

When he had finished, the governor stood up and addressed him:

“Your Grace Moses, I have a living dead young man in the back of my car. I have brought him here to kill him in front of these crowds and multitudes by firing squad. We have spoken a lot against this practice of cattle raiding and today we could have been making an example out of this man…but because you have spoken of forgiveness and reconciliation command I have forgiven him.”

The governor went back to his car and instructed Makol to follow him. Makol followed slowly, walking to his death.

But standing there in front of his community, hanging his head, he heard the words, “You are forgiven.”

Makol was overwhelmed at this mercy and grace. It wasn’t long before he received Jesus and was baptised.

Four years later, his cattle raiding days are behind him. He and his family belong to a local church and Makol provides for his family by working as a prison warden.

Join us in giving thanks for this life that was changed and continue to pray for all CMS people in mission involved in making disciples in areas facing violent conflict.

Last but absolutely not least we want to congratulate a CMS mission partner who is marking 20 years since she first began responding to a huge call God placed on her life.

In 2005, while lamenting the suffering of millions of girls and women impacted by the practice of female genital mutilation (or FGM),

Ann-Marie Wilson asked God: “Who will help girls like this?” 

To her amazement, the answer came back as an audible voice: “You will.”

Two decades later, Ann-Marie is still answering that call. Through her international organisation, 28 Too Many, which merged with Orchid Project in 2022, she has gathered the stories of thousands of FGM survivors and built a global movement dedicated to ending FGM worldwide.

Ann-Marie and the Orchid Project team haven’t just changed individual lives; they’ve shifted global policy and fostered grassroots change across continents.

You can discover the remarkable story of Ann-Marie’s 20 years in this vital work by going to the Stories section of the CMS website.

Ann-Marie’s journey is a powerful testament to how a single person can spark profound global change.

And it all began with a simple, radical act of daring to ask, Who will help?

Thank you for joining me for these stories from the edges and for your prayerful support, which makes them possible.

Please share this video with your church, small group or anyone you think could use some fuel for their faith.

Until next time, we are so grateful for your gifts and prayers as together we go:

With Jesus
With each other
To the edges

ENDS

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South Sudan: ongoing peace dialogues

Please pray for ongoing peace dialogues between the Dinka Twic and Dinka Ngok tribes. Pray for open communication, forgiveness and a desire to move forward together, for God’s glory. Please also ask God to heal CMS-Africa’s country coordinator for South Sudan, Joseph Noel Sati, who recently fractured his right arm.

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South Sudan: peace dialogue

We give thanks with Joseph Noel, local partner and country coordinator in South Sudan, for a Twic and Abyei peace dialogue which took place this past week. Pray for forgiveness to be offered where it is needed and for these tribes to be moved to work together towards peace. Please pray for peace throughout the country.

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In Juba, South Sudan, many more families are taking home healthy babies following changes at a local hospital over the past 18 months.

When mission partner Nicci Maxwell arrived in Juba in mid-2024, the mortality rate on the neonatal ward at Al Sabbah Children’s Hospital was at 15 per cent, meaning up to 35 families each month were grieving the loss of a newborn baby.

A paediatrician with a particular interest in newborns, Nicci was determined to change this, and senior management at the hospital was committed to supporting any progress that could be made.

Nicci has been grateful to work with a core group of nursing staff dedicated to the mothers and babies they care for.

Together, during the 18 months since Nicci arrived, staff at the hospital have improved overall cleanliness and facilities, even adding a high dependency unit to better support the sickest babies.

As a result of their hard work, the mortality rate on the neonatal ward at Al Sabbah hospital has dropped to just below five per cent at the time of writing.

Where 18 months ago, on average 35 families a month were grieving the loss of a child, that number has now dropped to 12. And in Nicci’s words, “There is so much more to do!” 

Nicci supports and trains local staff alongside caring for babies and children at Al Sabbah Children’s Hospital and in the local refugee community.

Wanting to improve paediatric care more widely as well as locally, together with colleagues from Al Sabbah and representatives of the WHO, Nicci is involved in the production of a Paediatric Pocketbook.

This will be an accessible guide to the important basics of paediatric and newborn care for health workers across the whole of South Sudan. This exciting development will hopefully benefit children all over the country.

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In the hours before a peace rally was held in Makol’s town, Makol was out stealing cattle. He was caught in the act. He knew his fate was sealed: he would be publicly executed.

Yet, a speech delivered by Archbishop Moses Deng at the peace rally about forgiveness and reconciliation changed everything. When the Archbishop trained with CMS-Africa in 2010, he never imagined that his words could save a man’s life more than a decade later….

Where livestock is everything

In South Sudan livestock represents wealth, social status, income, food and dowries. Cattle raiding is big business for the perpetrators and hugely damaging for the victims.

Makol was a cattle raider from Warrap State, South Sudan. He knew that stealing cattle was wrong and that people were getting hurt, but he was making too much money to stop. He also knew he couldn’t afford to get caught – if he was caught, he could be executed by firing squad in front of his community.

In parts of South Sudan, cattle raiding has been practised among pastoral communities for as long as anyone can remember. But in recent years, the traditional spears and bows and arrows have been replaced by guns and heavy weapons. Raids have become more intense, more violent and take place on a much larger scale.

In addition to cattle raiding, many tribes in South Sudan are fighting with each other over land disputes and other matters. Most people struggle to remember a time when they weren’t in conflict. Very sadly, conflict between tribes leads to more cattle raiding, which feeds more conflict, pushing communities across the country into a downward spiral of violence, costing many lives.

Discipleship with a difference

CMS-Africa is working with local churches in South Sudan to disciple Christians and raise up “Abunas”. Abunas are men and women who find their identity in faith rather than in a tribe. They are recognised for their good character and will actively work to transform families and communities.

CMS-Africa also offers trauma healing, builds relationships between church leaders from different tribes and works with congregations through individual churches’ groups and activities.

Peace comes to town

In the Bahr el Ghazal region of South Sudan, an inter-church peace committee representing multiple denominations is also working to foster peace among warring communities. In early 2021, the committee organised a series of peace rallies and conferences in Makol’s home state, Warrap. Church leaders, senior government officials and Archbishop Moses Deng – Bishop of the Diocese of Wau – visited towns and villages, to speak to communities and traditional leaders about peace. Drawing on his training with CMS-Africa, Archbishop Moses Deng spoke to each community on the theme of love and forgiveness.

In the hours before a peace rally was held in Makol’s town, Makol was out stealing cattle. He was caught in the act, arrested and put in a police car. He knew his fate was sealed: he would be publicly executed.

The governor of Warrap State, General Aleu Ayieny, planned for Makol to be killed in front of the crowd at the end of the peace rally that same day. Evening came and Makol found himself sitting in the back of the governor’s car, waiting for his punishment, while General Ayieny listened to Archbishop Moses’ message nearby.

Expecting execution, receiving forgiveness

The Archbishop spoke about peace, forgiveness, reconciliation, repentance and peacebuilding – as he did in every community he visited. When he had finished, the governor stood up and addressed him: “Your Grace Moses, I have a living dead young man in the back of my car. I have brought him here to kill him in front of these crowds and multitudes by firing squad. We have spoken a lot against this practice of cattle raiding and today we could have been making an example out of this man…. But because you have spoken of forgiveness and reconciliation, I have forgiven him.”

The governor went back to his car and instructed Makol to follow him to the gathering. Makol followed slowly, walking to his death. But standing there in front of his community, hanging his head in shame, he heard the words, “You are forgiven.” Makol was overwhelmed. Could this really be true? A moment ago, he had been sentenced to death. Now he was being told he was forgiven, and the crowd who should have witnessed his execution were celebrating with him.

That day, Makol received Jesus and was baptised.

Four years later, his cattle raiding days are behind him. He and his family belong to a local church where they are being discipled and Makol provides for his family honestly by working as a prison warden.

One disciple at a time

Peace in South Sudan will not be achieved overnight, but CMS-Africa is committed to steady, long-term discipleship throughout the communities of Bahr el Ghazal in South Sudan.

As people are discipled and Abunas are raised up one at a time, CMS-Africa is seeing lives changed and in cases like Makol’s, even saved. Could these be the first green shoots of the peace God wants for this nation?

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South Sudan: peace

Local partner Paul Lueth asks for prayer for the people of Wau in the north west of the country following the bombing of some areas of the town. Pray for calm, stability, and a lasting peace in the region. Please pray for the Abyei and Twic women’s peace agreement to hold and even gain momentum in the face of recent instances of hate speech.

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South Sudan: Joseph Noel Sati

CMS-Africa ask for prayer for the new regions where they are launching activities such as women’s empowerment training, their stewardship course, Financial Freedom for Families (F4) and training to help young people discover their giftings and enter the workforce (3D or Discover, Develop, Deploy). May these new beginnings bear lasting fruit. Pray, too, for the ongoing peace dialogue initiative led by Twic County and Abyei church leaders, as they engage civil society and government officials in fostering peace and reconciliation.

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South Sudan: impactful training

We praise God with CMS-Africa for the steady progress made in the areas of discipleship, peace and reconciliation and economic empowerment. Joseph Noel, CMS-Africa’s country coordinator in South Sudan, asks for prayer for upcoming refresher courses for several leaders of CMS-Africa’s training programmes. Pray for course leaders to gain tools to make their teaching more powerful and to come away with a renewed vision for how God is working through these courses.

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South Sudan: church planting

Local partner Paul Lueth recently led training for church planters in Wau. Pray for the church planters to put into practice what they have learned. Ask God to strengthen and guide them to plant and nurture healthy, Christ-centred churches in Wau and Warrap states.

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