Source: Mission to the World, June 14, 2022
Rebecca Deng pounded maize in a mortar to make her basic meal of posho, an African dish similar to grits as the African sun beat down on the vast array of tents and makeshift shelters in the Kakuma refugee camp. Eight years prior, Rebecca and thousands of other boys and girl fled their homes during Sudan’s long and terrible second civil war, walking hundreds or even a thousand miles to the safety of neighboring Ethiopia, Kenya, or Uganda. This life was especially difficult for Rebecca and the other “Lost Girls” of Sudan. The discrimination they experienced at home continued in refugee camps. They were seen as inferior to boys, and only fit to bear children and take care of the house.
As Rebecca ground her posho, she heard a commotion. A large crowd gathered at her school building as a man stood above the crowd with a piece of paper in his hand. “I have just received word,” he shouted, “that the UNHCR has selected 4,000 Lost Boys to be resettled in the United States. You are going home!”
Loud cheers erupted. As the pandemonium intensified, Rebecca pushed her way to the front of the building where a weathered bulletin board bore the list of those selected for resettlement. “Deng, Rebecca” was among them. Her heart leapt in her throat. Tears streamed down her face as she cried for joy, anticipation, and fear of the uncertainty of what lay ahead. She was finally going to find a home.
[The podcast] Refugees: What You Don’t Hear on the News highlights the stories of people whose lives God’s Church touched in a refugee crisis. Kay and Carolyn interview pastors, missionaries, doctors, lawyers, authors, and many others who have seen the Lord work powerfully to save marginalized and insecure refugees. They use their amazing gifts of interviewing and storytelling to find the stories of God’s glory and sovereignty that news outlets don’t talk about—stories like Rebecca’s.
Read full story and consider listening to and sharing the podcast with others. The episode about Rebecca was featured on World Refugee Day (June 20) in 2021. Rebecca also tells her story in a 2020 book, What They Meant for Evil: How a Lost Girl of Sudan Found Healing, Peace, and Purpose in the Midst of Suffering.