Land of the Free...?

The other day, Mike and I watched a documentary film about the Lost Boys of Sudan. When the different parts of Africa were merged together, a civil war erupted because of conflicts between the people. Most children were orphaned or separated from their families when government troops systematically attacked villages in southern Sudan killing many of the inhabitants, most of whom were civilians. The younger boys survived in large numbers because they were away tending herds or were able to escape into the nearby jungles. Orphaned and with no support, the made epic journeys lasting years across the borders to international relief camps in Ethiopia and Kenya evading thirst, starvation, wild animals, insects, disease, and one of the most bloody wars of the 20th century. Examiners say they are the most badly war-traumatized children that have ever been examined.
When villages were attacked, girls were raped, killed, taken as slaves to the north, or became servants or adopted children for other Sudanese families. As a result, relatively few girls made it to the refugee camps. As I was watching this film, my heart broke into a million pieces. Some of the Lost Boys were invited to come live in the United States if they agreed to be filmed on this documentary. The film showed their lives here in intervals of months to years. They all lived together closely in small apartments. They were given government assistance for three months, but then were expected to get jobs and support themselves. During the one-on-one interviews, the boys showed typical signs of loneliness from what they had gone through, missing their families, and wishing they were back home in Africa. All that I could think about was what could be wrong with the United States that could make a person prefer a war stricken country over our land of freedom? Then I realized, that freedom isn't free at all. We all "pay the price" for living here. Some people work so much to afford the luxuries here, that they don't see their families. Some sacrifice their dignity in low paying jobs because of their inability to produce paperwork that says they are "qualified". These boys missed their homeland and their own people. The American people they encountered were not friendly or helpful most of the time, unless they were interacting with officials specifically paid to help them. Over time, they adjusted to a new lifestyle here. In 2001, about 3800 Lost Boys arrived in the United States, where they are now scattered in about 38 cities, averaging about 100 per city. Halted after 9/11 for security reasons, the rescue program restarted in 2004, but peace talks were underway in Sudan, and so other refugee crises in other countries took priority to theirs. As of 2006, the largest population of Sudanese refugees in the United States is in Omaha, Nebraska which hosts about 7,000 people. The stories of the lives of these boys is an incredible journey full of heartache and victory. I strongly recommend watching it. It will open your heart and give you a new mission to pray for.