New Year’s in a Refugee Camp
At the beginning of the year, Liep Thiyang, a young Jesus Film leader from Uganda, travelled to the northwestern part of Uganda, which is home to the largest refugee settlement in the country. It is a vast camp inhabited mainly by South Sudanese refugees. The journey took about nine hours by bus, followed by another 45 kilometres from a small city of Arua to Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement.
Because of limited time, resources and physical exhaustion from walking long distances between clusters of individuals, the team, made up of Nazarene pastors and other Jesus Film team members, was only able to visit a few clusters where local Nazarene Churches are located. Despite these challenges, by God’s grace the team carried out evangelism and Jesus Film screenings.
This mission became a truly transformational experience for Thiyang. “I thank God that I responded to the call on the 24th of December, when I heard a clear voice telling me to go to Rhino Camp and do evangelism,” stated Thiyang. “Many people believed in Jesus, and we revived a church that was almost collapsing.”
During previous trips to another refugee camp in 2025, a church was planted. This time, a church was revived in a very hostile area: an area where three young boys had been killed due to gang activity and communal violence.
“I believe that change will come to that cluster!” declared Thiyang. “It was there that I witnessed God’s work most powerfully.”
After the Jesus Film screening and as the team was preparing to leave, a young man came running to the team because there were many who were waiting along the roadside to be baptised. In total, 50 new converts were baptised along the side of the road outside the refugee camp.
“I praise God deeply, because this is where I spent my New Year, in the refugee camp, and it was such a blessing,” confirmed Thiyang. “Through this experience, I learned something profound about God: as we work for Him, He works with us, just as He promised that He would be with us to the end of time.”
Please keep the refugees in your prayers. They are in a very dire situation. The team was unable to bring clothes or shoes to them, but they believe that God is working and providing for them. Even now, more refugees are pouring into Uganda as there is renewed conflict in South Sudan, Liep Thiyang’s home country. God is working even in the most difficult places.
