It was the first rude awakening for the young African Christian when police at the airport confiscated his Bible and Prayer Book. Tolerance for his religious beliefs he quickly learned were nil in this strictly Muslim country.

At the airport they confiscated his Bible and Prayer Book, told him there were no Christian churches in Saudi Arabia and that he was not allowed to speak about Jesus, nor was he allowed to wish anyone a Merry Christmas and no bibles were allowed or permitted in the country.

The authorities made it clear to him that Saudi Arabia was under the Shari'a Law of Islam. No exceptions. No bibles, no public or private worship of his God would be tolerated or permitted. He could convert to Islam, but he would not be permitted to practice his Christian faith in a Muslim country.

Undeterred, the young African Christian soon discovered that there was a small army of Christians from all over the world including philippinos, Asians, Sri Lankans, Indians, Brits, Americans, Australians, Malaysians and Singaporeans that made up an underground church. He joined it, quickly becoming a leader in the underground church. "I never knew anything about a secret underground church, till I got to this country. I was amazed that such things existed."

Week by week they moved about Riyadh worshipping in the private homes of foreign workers, hoping and praying they would not be spotted by the Police. There numbers often reached over 200.

"After a year I was ordained to the leadership of the underground church at the same I became a target by the authorities."

Up until 2002 we met secretly worshipping any day of the week, it wasn't always on a Sunday. We were able to obtain some bibles from US army supplies. Late one Thursday night when about 17 believers from different nationalities had come together, the authorities broke into my home and took me prisoner. "We were all taken into custody but they knew I was the pastor. They released the other 16 but I was kept for interrogations."

For four months and ten days Yemba was kept in jail, he told VOL. "Usually when people are taken into custody for offending their religious laws they are immediately deported. But God gave me a vision that I would not be deported but released." In time that vision turned out to be true.

"I was supposed to go back to the Sudan, but my government was waiting for me. Sudan has very Islamic government officials, and they thought that because I was arrested for being a Christian pastor in Saudi Arabia I was betraying the Sudan. They would have immediately arrested me."

Michael Yemba's nightmare had just begun. He recounted his time in jail with VOL.

"I was physically and mentally tortured in jail throughout the four months I was incarcerated. They locked me in a dark room, threatening daily to take my life. They hit me; but then one day it seemed as though God stopped their hands. Instead they locked me in a room six feet by three feet, without light or windows. The room was very hot and I almost died. Their intention was to kill me with the heat. I could not appeal to anyone. But in that room God did a miracle. He released cold air from the ceiling. I was praying; I was so close to death. But suddenly it seemed cold air filled the room. I have no idea where it came from. My spirits revived, my prayers were answered."

When he was finally released, the U.S. ambassador in Saudi Arabia called him up and started talking to me about leaving Saudi Arabia and coming to the U.S. In December 2002 that became a reality and Yemba flew to New York.

Yemba became a student at the Episcopal Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania where he obtained a Master's degree and was re-ordained an Anglican priest by bishop Ezekiel Kondo, the Bishop of Khartoum in the Sudan.

Today, Yemba is married with a family and spends his waking hours working with Sudanese people living in North America, conducting revival conferences around the country. His goal is to network all the Sudanese living in North America and present the claims of Christ to them. He has become the chairman of the Sudan Council of Churches, USA and the founder of Jesus for Sudan which is based in Ambridge, Pa.

Many of the Sudanese refugees are from non-denominational background facing difficult challenges. Most of the refugees from Sudan coming to the US are Christians but with little support. We move them into churches where they can be spiritually fed and nourished, said Yemba.

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