Divinity doctoral student tells harrowing tale of escape from war-ravaged Sudan

What was supposed to be a quick 48-hour stop in Sudan became a 13-day nightmare for Liberty University Doctor of Ministry student Parker Loy. On a scouting mission trip to the country with his church in April, the group became trapped as violence struck the city of Khartoum.

Loy, who currently serves as the co-pastor at First Assembly of God in North Little Rock, Ark., joined two church members on the trip to Rwanda and Sudan. On April 15, the second day of their stay in Sudan, the area around their hotel in Khartoum was targeted with gunfire and bombs on what was the start of the Sudan conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Over the course of the next eight days, the group faced constant threats of violence as well as continued disappointment when multiple efforts to leave the country proved unsuccessful. In one instance, the U.S. embassy sent a rescue team to extract embassy members who were staying at the hotel, but it left Loy’s group behind.

On their 10^th day in Sudan, Loy and his group fled to another hotel 30 minutes away through the assistance of Al Jazeera, a Muslim TV station. Although a relatively short trip, Loy said the drive was incredibly dangerous. His father, Rod Loy, recalled the intense stress and worry that he felt until he received the call that the team had arrived safe at the new hotel.

“The longest 30 minutes of my life is when Parker called me, and I knew that they were getting in the vehicle to take the drive through death and destruction where others had been killed. I wasn’t thinking about anything except wanting my son to be safe,” said Rod Loy, who currently serves as the lead pastor at First Assembly of God and is also a Doctor of Ministry student at Liberty.

After that, the team traveled 17 hours by bus through the desert before reaching the Red Sea, which they crossed to Saudi Arabia on a Saudi warship, finally escaping the violence.

Parker Loy said his group experienced miracle after miracle on the trip, from surviving a mortar strike that inexplicably did not explode and weathering unprecedented rain in the desert.

“I have a new expectation and belief of just how great and powerful the God we serve is now that I have firsthand felt and seen the depth of His power and ability and the way He can do things,” he said.

He said the trip increased his trust in God’s faithfulness; when every other avenue of escape had been exhausted, God continued to provide ways for the group to return home. Parker Loy added that the team kept a strong mindset throughout the trip by intentionally spending time reading the Bible, praying, and worshipping together.

The extended time in Sudan also provided Parker Loy and his group with additional opportunities to share the Gospel and develop relationships with various people in Sudan, including high-ranking members of the RSF.

Now safe at home in Arkansas, Parker Loy and his father are continuing their graduate studies together — a shared family tradition. Both father and son graduated with master’s degrees from Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in 2021 and began their doctorates at Liberty last fall. They said studying through Liberty University Online Programs has allowed them to receive sound biblical teaching while simultaneously serving their local church body in Arkansas.

“Liberty was willing to work with the uniqueness of our schedule and do it in such a way that we were able to pursue it and pursue it together,” Rod Loy said. “Our experience has been really good, and multiple administration and faculty members have been real encouraging the whole time. I don’t have anything but good to say at this stage of the journey.”

Parker Loy said his desire to fully serve God with his life was the motivation to earn a doctorate.

“I want to be able to be open and used by God to do whatever He calls me to do, and I don’t want anything to become a barrier to what God wants me to do and what God could use me to do in the future,” he said. “If something as easily as getting two degrees, like a master’s degree and a doctorate, could open the door for how God could use me in the future, then I wanted to be able to do that.”

While Rod Loy likewise hopes to utilize his education in ministry, he said he wanted to attend Liberty as way to encourage his son in his studies.

The Loys said the relationships they have built with professors and the practical application focus of the program have been highlights of their time with Liberty. Specifically, Rod Loy noted how he can apply his classwork through his work with Project Rescue, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ministering to women and children who are victims of sex trafficking; he currently serves as the foundation’s senior vice president of strategic initiatives.