Connect with us

Published

on

Share Tweet By Billy Hallowell Editor
April 13, 2023

God works incredible miracles and wonders in our lives. That reality permeates Sudanese Pastor Bernard Suwa’s incredible story of overcoming the odds, pushing past suicidal thoughts, and finding Christ.

Listen to the latest episode of CBNs Quick Start podcast ?

Suwa was a “homeless orphan contemplating suicide” by the time he turned 16, according to Premier Christianity. But the outlet noted, “God had other plans.”

Now 66, Suwa has lived a fascinating and, at times, difficult life. He spent his early years in southern Sudan, but became a refugee of the Sudanese Civil War in 1964.

“The first Sudanese Civil War reached our village, so I fled to Uganda with my sisters family,” he told Premiere. “We began our 22-mile journey on foot, but because the main road was infested with soldiers, we had to access the border another way.”

Suwa continued, “When we crossed the river into Uganda, my brother-in-law put me behind his head, my baby niece was over his shoulder, and his right hand dragged my sister through the raging waters.”

During the journey, Suwa was separated from his parents and had to build a mud hut to survive.

Over time, he described the horrific and deadly conditions his family faced.

His father, Patricio, died from an asthma attack when Suwa was only 12, underscoring the horrific circumstances refugees so often encounter.

“The Ugandan authorities had decided that refugees living near the border should be moved to another designated refugee camp. The military went from door to door removing refugees,” he told Mission Aviation Fellowship of Canada. “My dad had severe asthma and was unable to leave, but soldiers still bundled him into a lorry to take him away. He died from an asthma attack.”

His mother, Antida, was later found dead after trying to return home after the war subsided. Her charred remains were found by the family under a bush.

“As she crossed the river from Uganda into Sudan, she fell into the remnants of the military hiding in the bush,” Suwa said. “They caught up with her and did whatever they wanted to do probably raped her and left her for dead so that she would not tell her story to the world.”

Suwa said the pain and trauma of it all weighed on him, causing depression, sadness, confusion, and other emotions to rage.

“I tried to pick up the pieces of my life,” he said. “I got a free place at secondary school, but with over 500 students, I felt lost in the crowd. With no proper home, I boarded at school during weekends and holidays.”

Suwa soon came to feel as though life wasn’t worth living. But everything changed one day when he was contemplating ending it all.

“One Sunday, when I was wondering how to take my life, I heard a song coming from the nearby chapel,” he said. “When I heard ‘What a friend we have in Jesus, I felt that I was being called, so I left my tree, walked in, and sang with the rest of the students.”

Rather than ending it all, Suwa said this was the start of his new life. He eventually got married, started a family, and moved to Australia.

Over time, he faced additional challenges and lost his marriage, but always came back to his faith.

Suwa returned to Sudan in 2005, after the second civil war concluded, where he founded Grace Community Church, a house of worship that helps equip missionaries to rebuild the war-tattered area.

Read more about his story here.

Suwa serves in South Sudan, a nation formed in 2011. It’s a country that has faced multiple crises over the years, according to watchdog Open Doors.

“South Sudan has endured crisis after crisis since 2013. Many had hoped that tolerance, democracy and human rights would flourish in the majority Christian nation,” Yonas Dembele, a World Watch Research analyst, said in a statement. “However, the clash between the two main ethnic groups (represented by the president and the vice president) led to a civil war that resulted in hatred, death and destruction.”

Continue to pray for South Sudan, Suwa, and all he serves.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwires daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

Continue Reading

Sports

Follow live: Kings look to take 3-0 series lead vs. Oilers

Published

on

By

null

Continue Reading

Sports

Hagel suspended for Game 3 due to hit on Barkov

Published

on

By

Hagel suspended for Game 3 due to hit on Barkov

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Brandon Hagel was suspended one game by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Friday night for what it labeled “an extremely forceful body check to an unsuspecting opponent” that injured Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov.

Hagel will miss Saturday’s Game 3 in Sunrise, Florida. The Panthers lead the series 2-0.

Around midway through the third period of Thursday’s Game 2, Tampa Bay was on the power play while trailing 1-0. Barkov pressured defenseman Ryan McDonagh deep in the Lightning zone. With the puck clearly past Barkov, Hagel lined him up for a huge hit that sent the Panthers captain to the ice and thumping off the end boards.

A penalty was whistled, and the officials conferred before calling a “five-minute penalty.” After review, Hagel was given a 5-minute major for interference. Barkov left the game with 10:09 remaining in regulation and did not return to the Panthers’ 2-0 win.

Lightning coach Jon Cooper said after the game that he didn’t expect Hagel to receive a major penalty for the hit.

“Refs make the call. I was a little surprised it was a five, but it was,” he said.

The NHL ruled that Hagel’s hit made “some head contact” on Barkov.

“It’s important to note that Barkov is never in possession of the puck on this play and is therefore not eligible to be checked in any manner,” the league said.

In the Friday hearing, held remotely, Hagel argued that he approached the play anticipating that Barkov would play the puck. But the Department of Player Safety said the onus was on Hagel to ensure that Barkov was eligible to be checked. It also determined that the hit had “sufficient force” for supplemental discipline.

It’s Hagel’s first suspension in 375 regular-season and 36 playoff games. He was fined for boarding Florida’s Eetu Luostarinen in May 2022.

The Panthers held an optional skate Friday. Coach Paul Maurice said Barkov “hasn’t been ruled out yet” but “hasn’t been cleared” for Game 3.

“He’s an irreplicable player,” Panthers defenseman Seth Jones said of Barkov. “One of the best centermen in the league. He’s super important to our team.”

The Lightning lose Hagel while they struggle to score in the series; they scored two goals in Game 1 and were shut out in Game 2. Tampa Bay was the highest-scoring team in the regular season (3.56), with Hagel contributing 35 goals and 55 assists in 82 games.

Continue Reading

Sports

Goalies Montembeault, Dobes leave Caps-Habs

Published

on

By

Goalies Montembeault, Dobes leave Caps-Habs

The Washington Capitals and Montreal Canadiens lost their starting goalies because of injuries in Game 3 of their first-round series Friday night.

Canadiens starter Sam Montembeault was replaced by rookie Jakub Dobes, who made his playoff debut, in the second period. Capitals starter Logan Thompson left late in the third period after a collision with teammate Dylan Strome.

The Canadiens won 6-3 to cut their series deficit to 2-1.

Montembeault left the crease with 8:21 remaining in the second period and the score tied 2-2. Replays showed him reaching for the back of his left leg after making a save on Capitals defenseman Alex Alexeyev. Montembeault had stopped 11 of 13 shots. For the series, he stopped 58 of 63 shots (.921 save percentage) with a 2.49 goals-against average.

Dobes, 23, was 7-4-3 in 16 games for the Canadiens in the regular season with a .909 save percentage. Dobes had a win over the Capitals on Jan. 10, stopping 15 shots in a 3-2 overtime win.

Thompson was helped from the ice by a trainer and teammates after Strome collided with him with 6:37 left in regulation right after Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky made it a 5-3 Montreal lead. Thompson attempted to skate off on his own but couldn’t put weight down on his left leg.

Backup goalie Charlie Lindgren replaced Thompson, who had been outstanding for the Capitals in the first two games of the series, winning both with a .951 save percentage and a 1.47 goals-against average. He made 30 saves on 35 shots in Game 3.

Continue Reading

Trending