LifePoint family, please find below an update from Chad Veal, a member here in the church who went on a short-term trip to the Nuba Mountains of Sudan to visit with our missionary there, Nathan Miller. Chad and Nathan have been life-long friends.

"This past November, I spent about three weeks in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan visiting my friend Nathan. Nathan and I were both born into LifePoint in the fall of 1997, and we both still call LifePoint our church home, even if that’s only two Sundays out of the year for Nathan.

In high school, Nathan and I led a Bible study together. Many times Nathan would have to rephrase what I said in a more straightforward way, so that a chaotic group of boys would understand. Years later, I found Nathan translating my morning devotion into Arabic, so that his construction workers could follow along, too.

Nathan is the engineer for To Move Mountains (TMM)—an organization that trains teachers, develops K-8 curriculum, and builds schools for the Nuba people of Sudan. He’s been living in Africa since 2020 and in the Nuba Mountains for a little over two years. TMM provides long-term education reform by keeping it local, finding motivation through Christ Jesus, and choosing not to leave—even in times of war.

When I arrived in Nuba, Nathan was coming back after a few weeks of rest away. Everyone was so excited to see Nathan and hear about his journeys. Lots of greetings and hugs were shared, and the cooks demanded that we eat right away. I could tell what Nathan meant to this community. Multiple women in the village claim Nathan as their son. The men always smile and call to him as he walks past, holding hands with him when they walk together—the highest sign of male friendship in parts of Africa. One family is still waiting for Nathan to name their 4-month-old daughter. (I’m sure he’ll take suggestions if you have any.)

Nathan is loved by the Nuba people because he showed up—and continues to show up. He moved there, eats their food, and lives (mostly) as they do. He didn’t leave when war escalated or when famine started, and he spends the evenings visiting them in their homes and asking about their families.

One of the biggest ways TMM makes a difference is by providing structure to discipleship. Their village is already mostly Christian, but the local church often lacks proper teaching. The average sermon is basically just two random thoughts the preacher had that week wrapped in a bible verse that pertains to nothing he actually said. And without that gospel proclamation, many of the workers stopped attending Sunday service altogether.

That means Nathan's morning devotions are the primary way his crew of 20+ workers and cooks get to hear God’s word. They end this time by praying the Lord's Prayer in unison. Hearing “give us this day our daily bread” felt more real to me than ever, while surrounded by people who just survived a famine. An audible reminder of the daily need for reliance on the Lord.

It’s more practical to measure Nathan's work by the speed and quality of his engineering projects, but the real ministry is in the relationships he’s built. And while relationships are always messy, I think that’s the part that comes most naturally for Nathan. The part that doesn't feel like work. The Book of John tells us to love one another, and Nathan has always made that a foundational part of his life—something we all can do no matter our vocational circumstance.

The people of Nuba are very grateful for the work that Nathan and TMM have done. They consider Nathan one of their own and don’t understand why he hasn't married a Nuba woman yet. (Nathan and I know that’s because he’s awful at traditional dancing, which is a must in Nuba flirting.)

When I left, I gave TMM a hard drive full of photos and videos that I had taken while I was there. I hope these images can serve their fundraising efforts well, as they look to finish building the school and complete curriculum development.

LifePoint Church, thank you for helping raise two boys to love the Lord. Thank you for supporting Nathan and TMM’s work, and thank you for helping me go visit a brother."

Photos Include:

• The first school building completed, housing grades 4-8.
• A baby that Nathan has been charged with naming.
• A boy pretending to film me with their paper “cameras.”  
• The newly opened teacher training college
• Grandpa and Grandson waiting for dinner