Biblical Trauma Healing Restores Hope for Pastor Yunda in Uganda
Our world is broken—full of broken people, environments, systems, and Creation. But there is hope that came in the form of Jesus Christ's resurrection many years ago. This is what Christians celebrate every Easter.
In countries around the world, refugees like Yunda from South Sudan have experienced the world’s brokenness in unimaginable ways. Yunda served as a pastor in South Sudan until his life changed in 2016.
“When the war broke out, the situation became very, very bad,” Yunda recalls. “The rebels came to my home, and I was shot at. I had to leave [everyone] behind and walk to the border. I was totally traumatized.”
Yunda fled to Bidibidi Refugee Settlement in Uganda, where he found the safety he sought. When people in Bidibidi heard Yunda was a pastor, they asked him to lead a church, but he no longer felt equipped to do so.
“I was too traumatized after leaving my home,” Yunda says. “It failed my heart. I had the belief that there was no God because if He was there, why was I suffering?”
Like Yunda, millions of refugees are forced to leave their homes due to natural disasters or humanitarian crises. The experience can cause pain, grief, anger, and confusion that make it difficult to move on.
Yet, thanks to your generosity, God is restoring hope to the lives of refugees like Yunda. While Water Mission strives to bring safe water to people in need, we also want to care for people’s spiritual health by strengthening and equipping the local church through our Living Water program.
In Northern Uganda, we tailor our Living Water program to minister to refugees, conducting biblical trauma healing training. Using a curriculum called “From the Heart” by Michael Jessup, our Ugandan Living Water staff train pastors and church leaders to understand the effects of the trauma they and those in their communities have experienced.
During a three-day session, we walk attendees through nine topics, such as compassion, justice, and forgiveness, studying how the topics relate to trauma and what the Bible says about them. For Pastor Yunda, these trainings were restorative.
Water Mission’s work in Ugandan refugee camps focuses on spiritual restoration through the Living Water message of Jesus Christ.
“Water Mission brought in the trauma healing and that training restored me back,” Yunda says. “They trained us to forgive.”
After attending Water Mission's trauma healing trainings, Pastor Yunda felt equipped to pastor a church again.
Once the trainings are over, we encourage pastors to return to their churches and model sermons after these topics. Many of them also form small groups to check up on community members experiencing trauma-induced grief. A few months later, our team assesses how the pastors are using the trauma healing material in their churches.
Yunda knew he had to heal before he could help others in his community do the same. After attending Water Mission’s training, he felt called to lead a church again. When he first started pastoring a church in Bidibidi, it had 200 members.
“We have grown and planted churches,” Yunda says. “I oversee 97 churches, and we now have 6,900 members and a Baptist school.”
When pastors have the resources to understand trauma and are equipped to minister to those who are suffering, people’s lives are transformed. This Easter season, we celebrate the transformation and healing God’s love can bring to refugees like those in Bidibidi.
“At Water Mission, you see Christianity at work,” Yunda says. “Their staff knows Christ. Throughout the camp, people know this—they know that Water Mission can help restore lives, [and] people feel comfortable asking them for prayer.”
There are still millions of refugees around the world who are traumatized from being forced to leave their homes. Many of them lack both safe and Living Water.
By giving today, you can help us continue to equip churches to reach the people in their communities. Will you partner with us this Easter to help transform lives around the world through God’s healing love?
Give Safe and Living Water Today!
Will you partner with us this Easter to bring healing to refugees and others in need of safe and Living Water?
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