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Let me introduce you to three women: Akuol, Ayen and Aguer. Their names might be unfamiliar to us, yet these women are no different from you and me. They have cares and concerns for their families, just like we do. Their children are typical kids, just like yours and mine. Yet, their experiences are harsher than most of us will live through. Akuol and Ayen are two women in a sea of refugees in Uganda. Each day, Uganda is flooded with thousands of people fleeing South Sudan. We were able to transport, with your generous support, these women and their children, and other family members, to the safety of refugee camps inRead More →

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The purpose of sharing Yar’s story as a Lost Girl of Sudan wasn’t to make a good read. I wanted to help raise awareness of the suffering in South Sudan; to make a difference for the people in this neglected war-ravaged part of the world. The political, economic, and humanitarian problems in South Sudan are huge and overwhelming. Yet, with your help we have been able to make a small difference and save lives—more than we expected. The future is safer for the more than twenty-one men, women and children we rescued, but it is still bleak. For now, I want to share a follow-upRead More →

"The unexpected growth of my family brought me unanticipated strength."

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Yar and her brother lost all reason to believe their mother and sisters were alive, but they hung onto hope. Yar told her brother folk tales of their country, not just to pass the time, but because they were stories of hope. Then just when Yar received news of her mother’s whereabouts, it was quickly followed by the announcement she had died from a snake bite. It took until I was living in the United States for me to get news my mother and sisters were alive. I had a second younger sister whom I had never met. Joy was abundant but again temporary. Before weRead More →

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Yar’s move to America from the Kenyan refugee camp and placement in a foster home did not go smoothly. Instead, it was a harsh and difficult experience. You can read the previous installment to her story here: Finding A Place. However, an attentive and caring school teacher noticed Yar’s predicament and went into action on her behalf. My new foster family’s concern for the well being of my brother and myself was readily apparent. They took time to introduce my brother John, aka Matiop, and me to their friends, neighbors, and family as well as our teachers at school. They regularly grilled us about our progress inRead More →

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When Yar read a posting in the Katuma Refugee Camp about Sudanese refugees being admitted to the United States, she jumped at the opportunity to change her circumstances. She applied for and was granted a visa to enter the United States. Not long thereafter, Yar and her brother were placed with a foster family in Brockton, Massachusetts.  Survival quickly took on a very different meaning for Yar. If you missed the previous installment, you can read it here. A young man greeted us at Logan Airport with a huge smile. Exhausted and hungry, I warily listened as he explained that he was a social worker whoRead More →

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In less than a week, YOU raised $5,000 and with gift matching we have a total of $10,000. This time last week, I didn’t know if our plan would come together to raise $10,000 to rescue women and children from the fighting in South Sudan. Your generosity has blown my socks off. Last week I asked you to give quickly and big-heartedly. I had never organized a fundraiser before. I have no experience. I was in way over my head. This week I want to say thank you, thank you, and thank you again for your provision. I speak for Yar as well. She isRead More →

Help us raise funds to get Yar's family to safety.

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I have been sharing the bold story of Yar for a number of weeks. Now, it’s time to give you some background into how this came about and also share an opportunity for you to give a chance to women and children like Yar. I met Yar by accident, although with God there are no accidents. My friend, Danya Jordan, from Proverbs 31 Ministries came to visit me at my home in Massachusetts. I intended to take Danya to our women’s Bible study one evening. I thought Danya would like it, but also I had an announcement to make about a new ministry I wasRead More →

How does an 8-year-old prepare to leave her homeland?

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It has been a tough two weeks since the last installment of Yar’s story. Violence and fighting has escalated in current-day South Sudan. The country is in a dire situation. People are starving and being slaughtered by their neighbors. Yar’s fear is that this tribal war will turn her country into another Rwanda. She also fears for her family—her sister, uncle and cousins—who are in South Sudan. They are unable to leave the country and unlike Yar’s situation in the story below, where for the FIRST time we see hope since the violence occurred back in her village, there is little hope for Yar’s familyRead More →

Lost Girls: Silent and Suffering - Even in the short-lived peace, life in camp was more survival than living.

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So far, Yar journeyed hundreds of miles by foot to Ethiopia, back to Sudan, and then into Kenya, where she settled with thousands of other Sudanese in Kakuma refugee camp. For the first time in years, she received food, although only in scant quantities, on a regular basis. She slept with a ‘roof’ over her head. She even attended school, something she and many of the other children, particularly the girls, had never had the opportunity to do before. In time, we were provided with an education—even the girls. By American standards, the quality of schools was frightfully poor. Over 100 children shared one book.Read More →

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Yar’s reunion with her father and brother provided only momentary joy. Their arrival in Ethiopia brought short relief. Rebels overthrew the government in Ethiopia. These political changes led to attacks and violence in the refugee camps. This drove Yar, her father and brother, and many other refugees, back into Sudan.  At one point in this terrible trek, Yar had to cross the River Gilo. You can get a glimpse of this in the movie The Good Lie. Thousands of children drowned, were eaten by crocodiles, or shot by militia as they tried to cross the river. I remember the endless rains of that spring. Mother Nature cried for usRead More →