Sudan (MNN) – There’s a saying in Sudan: “Even if a woman is like an axe, she cannot break anything.”

In other words, even if a woman has the ability to make a difference, she’s still seen as incapable simply because she’s a woman. It’s a mindset that’s kept Sudanese women on the sidelines for generations, even within the Church.

South Sudan

(Photo courtesy of Wadi Lissa/Unsplash)

Suha, a Gospel worker in Sudan, says, “When it comes to…leadership, [women] are shy because of this mindset that the women, they are second class. They don’t deserve. They don’t know. They have this idea that we can’t do this because they’re taught since childhood that you cannot do anything.”

But as Sudan’s civil war uproots families, God is using women to break through those expectations.

Despite devastating losses, Christian women are stepping up to serve others and share the Gospel. Some have lost husbands or children. Yet their perseverance is challenging long-held assumptions about women’s roles in ministry.

“This is my passion: to work among the women to tell them that your identity is in Christ – not what the world says about you – and encourage them on how they can improve themselves and have skills to help other women.”

Suha’s discipleship ministry helps Sudanese women understand their identity in Christ. Through Bible studies about women like Mary Magdalene and the woman Jesus healed after 12 years of bleeding, she shares how Jesus values and cares for women.

The response is often emotional and freeing.

“Some of them, they are crying,” says Suha. “‘This is the first time we hear that we have value. We have something to do. I’m not just a number in the church or in homes.’”

Refugee camp in Sudan. (Photo courtesy of Ahmed 222222/Wikimedia Commons – CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=174134354)

Women who once felt overlooked are discovering they have something meaningful to contribute.

Amidst wartime, Suha sees more Christian women stepping into ministry in displacement camps, providing food, clothing, and practical help.

And in predominantly Muslim Sudan, those simple acts of compassion are opening doors for evangelism.

Suha says, “There is no good in war. But this is a good side of war in that it’s an open door, especially for the Muslim. They ask now. They want to know about Jesus, and really they’re ready.”

As Sudanese women navigate unimaginable losses, Suha hopes the Church will recognize their potential and equip them for ministry.

Pray for God’s provision, protection, and strength for Sudanese women. Ask Him to equip more women to share the hope of Jesus with their neighbors.

 

Header photo courtesy of DFID – UK Department for International Development/Wikimedia Commons.