William Levi was born into a 14 member family in South Sudan. Raised in a Messianic Jewish home, he was tortured for his Christian faith in the hands of Islamic jihadists at the age of 16. Sentenced to death for refusing to deny Christ, he was miraculously delivered from execution and fled the country in 1985 by way of Egypt, Turkey, and France, arriving in the United States in 1988. After earning a degree in manufacturing engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, William paused in the pursuit of the American dream to consider the plight of his people. His father had been martyred in 1987, and the rest of his family had fled into Ugandan exile, where his mother died.
In the midst of mourning and praying, God directed William to the book of Nehemiah as a blueprint to emulate. Nehemiah was a man of vision, and the plight of the persecuted church in Sudan was similar to what Israel had suffered under the Babylonian oppression. "You have seen the distress we are in; Jerusalem lies in destruction, its gates are burned with fire, we are reproached by our enemies. Let us arise and build. So they put their hands to this good work." Nehemiah 2:18
In June of 1993, William relinquished his engineering career to establish Operation Nehemiah Missions as a voice for the voiceless South Sudanese who were suffering at the hands of the Northern Islamic Regime.
Operation Nehemiah partnered with Messianic Congregations and Evangelical Churches all across America to launch relief operations in both the war-ravaged South Sudan and burgeoning refugee camps scattered throughout Northern Uganda, shipping millions of dollars worth of bibles, medicine, food, and other supplies for distribution in the camps. In November 1997, William testified before the Specter- Wolfe Senate Committee on the atrocities in Sudan and participated in U.S. policy changes for implementation of the Sudan Peace Act, raising awareness throughout America through speaking engagements and dozens of articles in newspapers and journals across the country.
Our mission in the Ugandan refugee camps in Uganda 1993-2003: By the year 2000, it was becoming apparent that Operation Nehemiah could not exist solely as a Christian humanitarian organization, only meeting the physical needs of the Sudanese refugees, for “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word which proceeds from the mouth of God” . Matthew 4: 4. From that point on we focused our efforts on the spiritual restoration of the Biblical family and Church in South Sudan, transitioning from relief to development in 2004, one year before the signing of the peace agreement. This vision restructuring led to the establishment of the Nile Beth Israel Messianic Congregation in July of 2000.
January 2004: We moved ONMI Headquarters from Uganda to South Sudan. The compelling force behind our work is promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which brings people to repentance and eternal salvation. This serves as the criteria for the success of any of our efforts. We believe that the Bible is the only infallible Word of God and accept its teachings as our sole authority in all matters of faith and life.
We are primarily an indigenous mission. 98% of our staff are South Sudanese Christian nationals. Our team has a burning desire to take an active role in the rebuilding of their nation and to establish a “City on a Hill” in the New Sudan. William and his wife Hannah travel to the Field annually with their six homeschooled children to equip and empower the indigenous Christians.
Our ministry headquarters is located in the village of Borongole, in Magwi County, Eastern Equatoria State, in the midst of thousands of former refugees who have returned home. Here we endeavor to implement our mission through indigenous church planting, Pastoral training, medical relief clinics, gospel radio broadcasting, solar-powered good drilling, agricultural development, micro-business start-up, and polytechnic training.
2004- present: William's eight siblings have all repatriated to South Sudan after 23 years in Ugandan exile. A pioneering exploration in 2004 led us to take up the vision of their late father Ajjugo Levi, once again turning their wilderness home into a radiant Messianic /Christian community. Now after 13 years, Beth Israel on the Nile Messianic Congregation has become a thriving congregation under the shepherding of Pastor Michael Levi, Pastor Peter Dominic, and several elders.
Bondage to alcohol, polygamy, prostitution, Islam, and witchcraft abounds throughout the community, placing the Church in a spiritually strategic location. Since planting the Beth Israel on the Nile 13 years ago, William's role has been developing the local church leadership, strengthening the families, and raising up godly men for leadership in the homes and the community. His focus has been on guiding the local church leaders in their doctrinal positions, helping them keep out worldly influences from the UN agenda and misguided teachers who promote heresies and creating sustainable living, health care, and the Nehemiah Gospel radio station.
In April 2013, over 700 believers gathered from all across South Sudan at the Nile Beth Israel Messianic Congregation in Borongole to witness William's ordination as the overseer of the Congregation. Many elderly pastors who ministered faithfully through over 50 years of war and brutal persecution. There was great rejoicing in the providence of God as testimonies of deliverance, preservation, and those in attendance recounted multi-generational faithfulness. The occasion also brought together families who had been separated by the conflict for decades. It was a day of dedicating our families after almost 40 years in captivity.
Although The political conflict has officially ended, the country is now facing a different kind of warfare: A battle for the hearts and minds of the next generation. South Sudan stands on the fault line between the rising Islamic Caliphate and the interior of Africa. She also teeters on the edge of the UN driven new world order, which is systematically destroying the very fabric of Judeo- Christian Civilization: the family and the church. These institutions are our foundation, the fulcrum of everything else we hope to gain. South Sudan's government must now decide either to lead its people in fear of God or to destroy itself from within. It is our fervent prayer that the people of South Sudan will honor God by dedicating their families and nation to Him. Please stand with us as we labor to rebuild the wall, one family, one church, and one village at a time.
Twenty- five years ago, the ministry of Operation Nehemiah was established to both alleviate the plight of Christians sufferings Islamic persecution, and to educate the Body of Yeshua in the USA of the false teachings and tactics of Islam. Today, our mission remains the same, with a sense of urgency as never before. By supporting Operation Nehemiah's work in South Sudan, you are playing a critical role in rolling back the encroachment of Islam into the interior of Africa and beyond.
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."