Mission Moroto Stories: We Wanted to Kiss the Ground

by Matt Bullen June 2, 2026

In July 2023, Papa Matthew, Rebekah, and two Ugandan pastors, one of which knew South Sudan and could speak Arabic, traveled to South Sudan to visit and encourage believers, and for Papa Matthew to preach in several churches in the Juba area. We knew it was a violent and troubled area, but we had felt compelled for years to go there. We crossed the border into South Sudan after much wrangling with the local officials, even though our paperwork and visas and everything were in order. Immediately, we realized we were in a different world. The roads were horribly potholed and for miles upon miles upon miles there were burned out greyhound style buses, and overturned semi-trucks and bombed out cars and bombed out buildings. For hours we drove through this and prayed. We finally made it to Juba and were able to share in some churches and encourage some people. We were blessed to join in a baptism service in the Nile River. We started to receive messages from Mama Lisa who was back at Mission Moroto that a sickness had spread through the camp and children were lying everywhere on the sidewalks and around the buildings too sick to rise. Mamma Lisa and the staff were treating them as best they could. We realized we had to get home so we started back toward Uganda. It was then that it got really crazy. Rebel groups and gangs had set up intermittent roadblocks to rob or extort money from passing vehicles at gunpoint. We would show them our papers and pay the “toll” and then move on to the next makeshift “checkpoint.” At one point the gangsters in second-hand ill-fitting military uniforms demanded the passports of our Ugandan pastors. Papa Matthew waited respectfully in the vehicle with Rebekah but soon it became apparent that they were threatening the pastors and refusing to return their documents. Then Papa Matthew heard the Holy Spirit say, “Ok, your turn.” He said, “Yes sir!” He stepped out of the vehicle, walked straight up to the largest man who was a head taller than Papa Matthew and said with authority, “Give me those passports” and the man immediately handed them to Papa Matthew. Then the man said, “Who are you?” Papa Matthew said, “I’m here working for God and you are disturbing my people.” The man said, “Oh, you’re a pastor, don’t you know you have to follow the laws of whatever country you are in?“ Papa Matthew said, “Of course, can I see your credentials? By what authority are you disturbing us?” At this point, the man blew up and began screaming and shouting. Papa Matthew turned to the pastors, handed them their passports, and said, “Get in the vehicle. We are done here. Let’s go.” The man screamed, “I will send the militia after you!” Papa Matthew said, “See this white Land Cruiser with Mission Moroto on the side? Send them, we won’t be hard to find.” And we drove away. Thankfully, we were not stopped again and when we reached the Uganda border, we wanted to get out of the vehicle and kiss the ground we were so grateful to be back in Uganda 😂 When we got back to the Mission, Rebekah knew the medicine needed, and bought it, and the children were fine shortly thereafter. Another thing Papa Matthew and Rebekah brought home from South Sudan other than the memories was Typhoid and we have been fighting it off and on ever since. 😂 We’ve never been back to South Sudan but we have paid the way for the Ugandan pastors to go back and evangelize multiple times. www.missionmoroto.org #missionmorotostories