Some pictures really do say more than words ever could.
A mission team from Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Greenville, Texas has just returned home from South Sudan, and we’re still rejoicing over all the Lord did during their several days of ministry, service, and Gospel-centered work alongside the Sudanese people. Ridgecrest lives by a simple calling — to Grow in Christ, Serve others faithfully, and Go wherever the Lord leads — and we at Empower One are deeply grateful to walk alongside them as they live out the Great Commission from Greenville to the nations.
A Welcome They Won’t Forget
When the team arrived in Mvolo, they were met with the kind of welcome that stays with you for the rest of your life — the joyful smiles, the laughter, and the sweet songs of children welcoming them into the village. It was a beautiful reminder that the Church is bigger than borders, bigger than languages, and bigger than cultures.
Mvolo is becoming one of Empower One’s next flagship locations, and you can already feel the spiritual hunger there. It’s been incredible to watch multiple worlds collide for the sake of the Gospel. In one of the photos, you’ll spot a TBM bucket filter — a simple but powerful picture of ministries partnering together to meet both physical and spiritual needs. We’re so grateful for what God is doing through both Empower One and The Bucket Ministry in this region, as lives are touched with clean water, encouragement, discipleship, and the hope of Jesus all at once.
Standing on Holy Ground
Just two years ago, members of the Ridgecrest team stood in an open field in South Sudan and prayed over what God might do in that place.
Today, that very same ground is home to the new church site for Gurei Baptist Church — a local body of believers who were already faithfully gathering, serving, and sharing the Gospel long before any new buildings were ever provided. Through Empower One and their generous financial support, Ridgecrest has been honored to partner with Gurei Baptist Church to help make this space a reality.
But the true story here was never about buildings. It’s about people. A church family. Local leaders. Faithful believers who continue to stand firm and minister daily in an incredibly difficult environment.
One of the photos shows the team from two years ago standing in that empty field — the very spot where this church building now stands. It’s a beautiful picture of how God continues to move through obedience, generosity, and partnership. Other photos capture Ridgecrest’s own Caleb King investing in and training local worship leaders, equipping them to lead others in worship and discipleship. And in another, you’ll see the team interacting with children during door-to-door evangelism.
This is what it looks like to Grow. Serve. Go.
Will You Pray With Us?
The work this team witnessed continues every single day, carried forward by the local believers who call South Sudan home — in a very difficult environment that needs to be covered in prayer. Would you join us in lifting up:
- Continued protection, strength, and encouragement for the Ridgecrest team as they return and share all the Lord did
- Boldness for local believers to keep sharing the Gospel, with wisdom in every conversation
- Open hearts among the people they reach
- Deep encouragement and unwavering faith for Gurei Baptist Church, their leaders, and the community they’re reaching
- Lasting Kingdom impact long after this trip is over
We are grateful beyond words for partners like Ridgecrest, and for what the Lord is doing through His people in South Sudan. Thank you for praying, giving, sending, and going with us.
We can’t wait to keep sharing the stories of how God is moving across South Sudan.
