Earlier this month my brother Samuel Phillips graduated from his home schooling. Somewhere in America there are still those uninformed (and sadly sometimes prejudiced) individuals who still believe that students should not be home educated through high school, but the ignorance of such a perspective is daily refuted through the tens of thousands of blessed success stories that bear witness to the fact that the ancient, biblical method of educational discipleship still works, and it works through high school. Yes, it was a great day for the Phillips family. Samuel is the sixth and last of the Phillips children and was born to my mother in her 48th year. (Mom went to her 25 year college reunion 8 months pregnant.)Like many home educators Samuel has enjoyed both the discipline and the flexibility that comes with vision, focus and a personalized education program in the ancient “Hebrew” style. As a home educator he assisted a director on a major feature film about the Civil War, traveled the country with his father, visited China, Rome and Europe — all this in addition to formal academic studies. So I was not surprised to learn that within 48 hours of his graduation he would be traveling to the killing fields of the Sudan to serve the impoverished families under persecution.

Samuel’s journey began taking a plane bound for Kenya with our missionary brother Brad for two weeks of glorious, but heartbreaking work within the persecuted church in the Sudan. I thank God for my brother Brad Phillips whose amazing work is called The Persecution Project and through whom tens of thousands of metric tons of supplies and Bibles are delivered to those people ravaged by Islam and the murderous Sudanese government. Below are some images and commentary from their trip.

Samuel with the children of one Sudanese village.

Through Persecution Project, Brad delivers tens of thousands of metric tons of Bibles and supplies to persecuted Christians

This teething toddler is so needy that she uses a bullet as a pacifier. Sights like these can be found in every village and are simply heartbreaking.

The six foot seven gentleman to the right is a former Harlem Globetrotter and member of Brad’s missionary team. He stands next to a 17 year old blind girl who was attacked by Muslims as a thirteen year old, conceived a child and now must care for her young child without support or even eye-sight. Brad brought her relief and cut a deal with the community leaders to make sure they would ensure provision reached her.

The children of another Sudanese village pose for an image with Samuel.

Samuel is given his crack at piloting the plane through Sudanese territory

Samuel passes the ball to the Sudanese children and then teaches them how to play soccer

At a regional rally with the anti-government forces.

Samuel teaches baseball. It’s the wind-up...

A Sudanese boy laughs for joy after missing the ball.

My brothers Samuel and Brad rest on the journey from Kenya into the Sudan

Here Samuel joins the team, including Gods and Generals actor Bo Brinkman (Lee’s adjutant) and his son (with Melissa Gilbert of Little House fame) Dakota at the Java Hut in Kenya. Java Hut is Kenya’s answer to Starbucks. Interestingly, Starbucks buys much of their coffee from Kenya.