Meet Taban Francis, a PTC graduate and lead trainer

Growing up, Taban Francis, 28, has seen how the lack of gospel knowledge in South Sudan has led to war after war. 

“There’s a lot of tribalism. Tribes fight against tribes, so where I am, there are challenges. Most of the people practice witchcraft and they are typically in tradition,” said Francis, who is Madi by tribe.

In 2011, South Sudan gained its freedom from northern Sudan after nearly 22 years of war. This was a war between the Muslim North and Christian and animist South. (Animism is the belief that everything in the natural world has a spirit or soul.) Francis was about 14 years old when South Sudan became independent, but it didn’t take long for another war to break out within the newly established country again.

Two years later, in 2013, political conflict between the vice president, Riek Machar Teny, and the president, Salva Kiir Mayardit, led to civil war and forced many South Sudanese, including Francis, to flee to Uganda. As the fighting began to subside, Francis and his family returned to South Sudan only to flee to Uganda again in 2016 when another war broke out. 

“It’s the grace of God that got me here, because I was living in the city where the fighting started, but I took some leave to come to check on the village nearby the Uganda border. When I came, then the fighting started back there. A lot of people lost their life during the war,” Francis said.

When he got word about the fighting, he decided to cross into Uganda for safety. The United Nations welcomed the South Sudanese and directed them to refugee camps. Francis went to Adjumani not knowing where the rest of his family was. He was able to avoid the conflict, but he lost all of his possessions and property. 

“I just came as I am, but God was with us,” he said.

The UN provided temporary shelters, food rations, and other supplies for the refugees, but it was not enough. Life in the camp was not easy and there was little to no medical care or education. Many families were separated when they escaped South Sudan, including Francis, but with the help of the Red Cross, he reconnected with his family who were in another refugee camp.

“I feel so thankful for God because it’s not easy to survive from war,” Francis said.

The Adjumani Refugee Camp was filled with people from over 40 different tribes who each speak their own language. While these refugees were safe from the fighting, they did not escape the mindset of tribalism. Within the camp, Francis said tribes blamed one another for starting the war and there was much hatred.

Francis started following Jesus in 2012 after hearing a pastor preach about Jesus being the cornerstone from the book of Matthew. Two years later, Francis realized his desire to learn more about God’s Word. He saw the need for his people to know the gospel. He and other members from his church in the refugee camp began proclaiming the gospel to others and started a discipleship class to bring unity to the tribes.

“From 2014, that’s the moment I realized the war that broke out in 2013, it happened for a purpose so that South Sudanese will know who God is. When we come to Uganda, we really have access to God,” Francis said. “We have freedom in serving. We have access to churches. We have access to theology. It makes me think that God wanted to reconcile the people of South Sudan.”

In the refugee camp, Francis had the opportunity to attend school up to senior 4, which is when he met with Four Corners Ministries (FCM). He was considering advancing to another school, but he also had his heart set on serving the Lord. In 2019, FCM came to his refugee camp to share about the Living Stones Pastor Training Center (PTC). Francis’s interest grew and his parents supported his decision to attend the PTC.

“My motive of coming for the PTC is to change my people,” he said. “One thing I look back to the nation and I realize people don’t know who God is. That’s why people are fighting among themselves. Learning from God’s Word will give me access to speak to them. Secondly, is to save the lost soul. There are a lot of people still struggling from their sin. The other thing is to change some of the doctrine because a lot of churches their doctrines are not the gospel or Christ centered.”

Since graduating from the PTC in 2022, Francis has courage to preach the gospel, and he’s now leading a church in the Boroli Refugee Camp and teaching other PTC students at Abaana’s Hope. He was asked to return as a PTC lead trainer for the following cohort, which included 81 men from 18 tribes and 3 countries. He saw these men gain gospel knowledge and graduate in September 2025.

“This is God’s grace. It is an opportunity that He granted to serve Him. I feel joyous to serve Him,” Francis said. “When I see more South Sudanese students coming to this training, I feel there will be change in South Sudan. There will be a reliable people to change the nation. They will be the reliable people to take the truth to the people, so it gives me courage. I’m praying that God would continue bringing more so that the nation will know who He is. Pray for South Sudan. South Sudan needs the gospel; the people need the truth to be spoken to them. Pray for the refugees, the elderly, the women, the widows, and the orphans. Pray for the PTC, that this training will continue and that it will spread to the nations. Pray that people will change through the gospel and that pastors who do not know the truth will also know the truth. Pray that the tribalism that they have in their heart may change, so that they will see unity and love one another.”