Outside a desert dust
storm is blowing, and inside here I don’t know what is raging in my heart:
anger, frustration, inability to forgive, desire to strike back or what?  I keep
hearing Jesus’ words: "Tear down this temple, and in three days I will build it
up again."   Because Thursday they destroyed our little grass church in Rokab,
Sudan.  Wednesday morning I got called in by the security police for the second
time.  They had interrogated me for a full hour last week. They told me that by
order of the Military Governor, the Town Council and the Ministry of the
Interior we had to tear down the church building Thursday as soon as possible,
and we are forbidden to announce the gospel in that place.

    Our very poor
miserable people were all weeping Wednesday evening when they learned the news,
but they came Thursday morning and helped me for three hours to undo all of our
work of the last three months. These government people here can only destroy,
never build up.  Now we have to start all over again from scratch and figure out
how to get around them in another way.  So, I understand a little better, and in
a personal and emotional way, why there is a civil war going on.  Luckily I have
a set of photos of the Rokab church, but that was before.  From 11:30 Thursday
morning that location is just an empty plot whose dusty soil retains no sign of
the former Eucharists, baptisms and praying community.  Clearly, anyone who
makes an "option for the poor" has to be ready to bear their sufferings
along with them.