WHERE CHAPLAINS BECOME GENERALS
01 Where Chaplains Become Generals
2026
As soon as I arrived in South Sudan, I was informed that I was to travel to the capital to meet with the president, the vice president, and several top military generals.
Vicky and I were in South Sudan to welcome the 12th class of Far Reaching Ministries (FRM) chaplain cadets. This is now our largest class ever—150 men entering a year of extremely hard and demanding training. It is not easy to become an FRM chaplain. At least 25% of the class will drop out because the training is too difficult. The point is: weak men break, undisciplined men drift, and men without conviction do not last. The men who remain are forged by fire, hardship, discipline, and responsibility. To graduate, at the end of training, the men do a rigorous march from our base in Nimule to Juba, the capital. It is a 100-mile trek, and the men must reach their destination within 48 hours, or they do not become a chaplain. Folks, if we do not train them this way, then many more would perish in harsh combat conditions.
My senior chaplain, Michael, informed me that we now have 10 chaplains who have been promoted to brigadier general, which is a one-star general. Two chaplains have been promoted to major general, these are two-star generals. I was surprised when Michael told me about the recent promotions. I knew several of our chaplains had risen to colonel, but I had no idea how many of our men had now become generals.
I asked Michael how these promotions came about. He told me it was because our chaplains are so well-trained and disciplined. They carry a strong work ethic, honesty, and integrity, and have moved through the promotion boards in record numbers. It was a deep blessing for me to hear. Think about it: men trained in godliness, taught discipline, shaped to serve others, to endure hardship, to walk in truth, to refuse corruption, and God has honored that. In a nation where chaos, compromise, and violence are common, these men have stood apart. Their lives preach, and their character speaks long before they open their mouths. A life of godliness still carries weight, still rises, and still bears fruit.
A life of godliness still carries weight, still rises, and still bears fruit.
The men who remain are forged by fire, hardship, discipline, and responsibility.
When I prepared to go to the capital, I knew that the road would be dangerous, where rebel ambushes are common and often deadly. Because of this, I arranged for three vehicles to make the trip—our armored Land Cruiser, our Land Rover 110 Defender, and a Land Cruiser truck carrying about a dozen well-armed guards.
Before we moved out, I briefed the men. I told them plainly that if we were ambushed, they were not to panic or empty their magazines into the air. Fear makes men burn through ammo fast and hit nothing. Instead, I told them to aim, to stay steady, and to fire accurately. I reminded them that panic kills and discipline preserves life. On my person, I carried my AK-47 with ten 30-round magazines and my .40-caliber Glock.
I have seen what happens when men lose their heads under pressure, and in an extended firefight, it is easy to run out of ammunition quickly if you shoot wildly. Years ago, in 2012, we were traveling toward the city of Bor with 400 men when we were hit by an enemy ambush of roughly 1,500 militant fighters. It turned into a four-hour firefight, but our chaplains and the men with us kept their heads. They did not collapse in fear; they fought with discipline, and they beat back the rebels with limited losses on our side, while the enemy suffered very heavy losses.
One of the men wounded in that battle was Peter Akech, a graduate from our very first chaplain class in 1999. Shrapnel from an exploded rocket-propelled grenade tore into his stomach. Later, when I asked him how he was doing, he said he was concerned it may have damaged his “pipes”—he meant his intestines—which makes me laugh at how he tried to explain his wound. He would be fine. That is South Sudan, the world in which our chaplains live. They do not only learn classroom Christianity; the training they receive is not soft or padded. They are tested and trained to have faith under pressure, where the cost of courage can mean that men bleed, suffer, and still stand.
When I arrived in Juba, I stayed with General Mamur. He had recently been promoted to a four-star general. We spent a long time talking over dinner–then we prayed. His prayer was not polished. It was the kind of prayer that comes from deep places in a man’s life. During that prayer, he said, “Father, my brother, Wes, is the only person who has saved my life multiple times.” His prayer is not something I take lightly.
The next day, there were many meetings with other top-ranking generals. In the middle of this, Vicky was doing what she always does so faithfully, pouring herself into the women. She was delighted to be back with her ladies. Every day she spent hours preparing for each study, teaching, encouraging, listening, and seeing how much these women have grown and matured. That kind of ministry may not make headlines, but it matters greatly in the Kingdom of God.
Scripture is clear where we are commanded to care for widows and orphans in their distress.
In Odesa, Ukraine, the home for our 360 elderly persons has resumed construction. The long, cold winter shut the project down for several months, but it is moving again now. In the coming months, it will begin to take visible shape, and we should see real progress toward completion. Folks, we still need to raise at least another $1 million to finish this very important project.
I want to say something plainly. Ministry to the suffering elderly does not draw much attention. Newsletters about abandoned seniors are usually not read. People are drawn to war stories, danger, conflict, and dramatic frontline reports. They are not usually drawn to old men and old women who have been cast aside and left to suffer quietly. When we share their stories, there is no glory in it, or spotlight on it, and very little recognition comes from it. And truthfully, many people simply do not care, but we do it anyway. Why? Because it matters to the Lord. It moves His heart.
Scripture is clear where we are commanded to care for widows and orphans in their distress–it is pure and undefiled religion. It is not glamorous, nor celebrated–it is simply the right thing to do. So, we keep building.
In the Eastern European nation of Georgia, ministry is becoming more difficult. The government has been passing laws designed to make Christian believers feel unsafe and constrained. They are determined to weaken religious freedom. The people of Georgia love America and the West, but their government fears Russia. They fear Moscow’s shadow, and because of that fear, they are shaping laws that will empower and please Moscow.
Still, despite the pressure in Georgia, ministry on the ground is going very well. The Havertape family is doing a tremendous work. They are serving faithfully and making a real impact for Christ. We are planning to open a new Calvary Bible Institute there this coming year.
On the 3rd of May, Vicky and I leave for Ukraine again to work with and train the frontline chaplains.
The war continues to take a terrible toll. Estimates are that between 100 and 300 Ukrainians are being killed daily. The Russians are losing around 1,000 every day. Russia is suffering heavier losses, but it has a much larger population to draw from, so it keeps feeding more men into the meat grinder. In regions that Russia has taken from Ukraine, they are forcing local men to fight for them. It is the kind of grinding evil that keeps chewing up fathers, sons, and husbands day after day, but Ukraine has not folded.
Ukraine asked Elon Musk to turn off Starlink for the first time in over a year. Russia has not gained new ground, and Ukraine has begun taking back territory it had previously lost. Russia had used Starlink for precision bombing and ongoing drone attacks. The destruction of Iran’s drone-making factories will also help Ukraine keep its momentum.
Pray for all the chaplains who are being supported by FRM. These men are carrying heavy loads. They are ministering to the traumatized, the grieving, the exhausted, and the dying. They are pouring themselves out again and again. They need to be refreshed, strengthened, and reminded that they are not forgotten.
While much of the world talks, debates, and looks away, the Lord still calls His people to move toward the persecuted.
Wes Bentley
Far Reaching Ministries
Wes Bentley
Far Reaching Ministries
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