Hurt … Home … Hope
Lost and Found
by Linda Macqueen and Ben McEachen
David Jock was one of around 26,000 Sudanese boys separated from their families and orphaned
during the brutal civil war. They became known as ‘the lost boys of Sudan’ and their story is one of
the great epics of this generation.
In 1988, as the militia of the
Islamic Government of Sudan (GoS)
moved in on the Nasir region of
southern Sudan, rumours spread
that young men and boys were
being specifically targeted. The
predominantly Christian Nuer
communities faced an awful
dilemma: watch their young men
and boys be slaughtered in their
own homes, or send them away in
the hope that they would find refuge
somewhere. Like hundreds of
others, David Jock’s parents made
the heartbreaking decision to send
him away. That day he became one
of Sudan’s thousands of ‘lost boys’.
He was nine.
was wonderful’, David says softly,
averting his eyes.
sick and all who were too weak to
continue were left behind.
Of that journey, Paula Bock of the
Seattle Times writes: ‘How those boys
sat on the ground and told you, “Leave
me here. This is going to be my end”,
and their bodies immediately sagged,
the whites of their eyes curdling like
sour milk. You covered them with twigs
and grass so they’d know you’d not
forget. You couldn’t wait for them to
die because if you did you might not
leave that place. Vultures and hyenas
For the next five months, David, his would soon come, leaving the desert
spotted with bones.’
mother, uncle (his mother’s brother,
who is younger than David) and two
As the tragic human convoy
little brothers barely existed in a
makeshift camp for internally displaced crossed the barren wilderness of
southern Sudan, approaching planes
people. They survived on the most
David and about 3000 other lost
could spell salvation or death. They
boys from his community set out for a basic of food rations and under the
would drop either food aid (usually in
constant threat of GoS militia attacks
refugee camp in nearby Ethiopia.
the form of biscuits) or bombs. David
and bombing raids. Homeless and
There they enjoyed relative safety,
although the conditions were spartan. heartbroken, they had no safe place to saw people die quickly from direct hits
or slowly from shrapnel wounds. David
go—except, perhaps, to the new
A year later David’s pregnant mother
and two-year-old brother Jal joined him Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, some himself bears a long wriggly scar on
his lower back, the result of shrapnel.
600 kilometres to the south. Most of
in the camp. His second brother,
the route crossed open Sudanese
Ngoany, was born in 1990.
terrain, so they would be sitting ducks
for GoS militia. But they had no option
In 1991, when the Ethiopian
but to try. To stay meant certain death.
government was overthrown, the
refugees were in danger again.
David’s family and the other refugees
… And so an exodus
were forced to return to Sudan,
despite the perilous situation they
of biblical proportions
would face there. And also on the way
there. The Gilo River, on the Ethiopiacommenced …
Sudan border, was swollen from
And so an exodus of biblical
recent heavy rain. Most Sudanese
people cannot swim. Thousands of the proportions commenced. Tens of
thousands of Sudanese refugees,
refugees drowned, were taken by
predominantly Christians, set off for
crocodiles or shot by Ethiopian militia
Kenya, taking with them nothing but
as they tried to cross the river.
the clothes on their backs and the
David’s best friend was one of those
most basic of provisions. The treacherwho drowned. But, two days after the
ous journey would take nine months.
crossing, David rejoiced to find his
Along the way David saw people killed
mother and two little brothers among
the throng of human suffering. Some- by lions and hyenas, and others die by
how they had survived the crossing. ‘It the slow torture of starvation, fatigue
and disease. The old, the young, the
On returning home, the family
discovered that their town had been
destroyed, their house burnt to the
ground. People and animals had been
mercilessly slaughtered. ‘They [the
GoS] were trying to wipe all us
Christians out’, says David. His father,
a Presbyterian evangelist, had
vanished. David never saw his father
again or ever learnt of his fate.
For further information contact
Email: [email protected]
Ph: 1300 763 407
Web: www.alws.org.au
Australian Lutheran World Service
Awareness Week
Hurt … Home … Hope
Focus on Burundi and Sudan
Dare to
Dream a
Different World
Hurt … Home … Hope
‘Often we had no food, and water only
when we were near lakes’, says David.
‘You can eat grass and bark. And
when there’s no water you can drink
urine.’ He relates his chilling survival
story matter-of-factly, as he does when
talking about escaping execution,
seeing death up close in all its ghastly
forms, or battling to feed his family.
There is no bitterness or anger in his
patient voice, just a burning spirit of
survival that he attributes to God’s
love. ‘It was very hard, but with God all
things are possible’, David says
simply. ‘We trusted God, and God
delivered us.’
In Kakuma
Exhausted and clinging to life, David
and his family arrived at the Kakuma
refugee camp in northern Kenya in
1992. David would spend eleven years
at the Lutheran World Federation
(LWF) camp, which grew over the
years to accommodate some 95,000
refugees, predominantly from southern
Sudan.
‘Kakuma was very hard for us’,
says David. ‘I had to take care of my
two little brothers. That was the hard
part for me.’
For all his suffering in the camp,
David rejected an offer to go to the
USA when that country opened its
doors to thousands of lost boys. He
would not leave Kakuma unless his
brothers were allowed to leave with
him, and they weren’t. David also
wanted to stay at Kakuma in order to
complete his high school studies. He
learnt to speak English and in 2002 he
became an interpreter for the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees and for
Australian Immigration.
In Australia
‘God took
In 2003 the Australian government
care of us
Life in Kakuma was indeed no
offered humanitarand we
picnic. Food shortages, disease,
ian visas to about
extreme weather conditions, raids from 170 lost boys,
came to
neighbouring villages and persistent
including David, his
Australia.’
poverty were everyday challenges at
brothers and uncle.
It was not an easy
Kakuma. But despite the ordeal of
living in such seemingly hopeless
decision for David to leave Kakuma.
conditions, David’s faith in God kept
The camp had been his home for
growing. He had been born into a
eleven years, and it was difficult to
Presbyterian family but, influenced by leave his friends who had suffered with
the kindness of LWF field-workers, he him and with whom he had shared so
became a Lutheran while at Kakuma. much of his life.
David sings God’s praises for
keeping his promise to protect him and
his family. ‘By this we survived … God
took care of us and we came to
Australia. You can’t say that it’s your
own power; it’s the power of God. It is
our will to be in Australia today; it’s
God’s will, too.’
David is one of about 100
Sudanese refugees who have been
helped with settlement support through
Lutheran Community Care’s (LCC)
New Arrivals Community Linking
program. Part of this support has
included securing housing for David,
his brothers and uncle through
Lutheran Community Housing.
David’s ongoing relationship with
LCC has been beneficial to the wider
Nuer community in Adelaide. David
introduced Galtuak Guandong (the
chairperson of the Nuer Association of
South Australia) to LCC’s Cathy
Lawson, who subsequently assisted
Galtuak to apply for and secure state
government funding. This funding has
enabled the Nuer people to employ
Galtuak to support his own community
David is adamant that it is only by
The decision to live in Adelaide was through project development and facerelying on God’s power and promises more easily made. David had read in a to-face settlement support.
that he survived. Half of his fellow lost brochure that the South Australian
boys did not. He continued to live what capital is known as the city of
Having been rescued from years of
the apostle Paul said: ‘Each time
churches. ‘Why should I not go to the
living hell, David is now taking every
Jesus said, “My gracious favour is all
city of churches? I thought that my
opportunity he can to serve his Lord. In
you need. My power works best in
Lord would live there.’ On 20 May
2004 he undertook studies at Austrayour weakness.” So now I am glad to
2003 David and his brothers and uncle lian Lutheran College and in 2005 he
boast about my weaknesses, so that
arrived in Adelaide to begin another
is studying two subjects (including two
the power of Christ may work through life in a strange new world.
youth ministry subjects) at Tabor
me’ (2 Cor 12:9).
College in order to become a church
youth worker/counsellor.
For further information contact
Email: [email protected]
Ph: 1300 763 407
Web: www.alws.org.au
Australian Lutheran World Service
Awareness Week
Hurt … Home … Hope
Focus on Burundi and Sudan
Dare to
Dream a
Different World
Hurt … Home … Hope
David and a number of other
African refugees made their spiritual
home at Good Shepherd Lutheran
Church at Para Vista. Former Good
Shepherd’s pastoral care and group
development leader, Barry Klaer, says
that the refugees ‘changed and
challenged’ the congregation. ‘They
are humble and shy people, who do
not readily relate their stories of
murders, rapes and other atrocities as
they fled from their war-torn villages.
people get into trouble for not
paying their rent.
‘We’ve never had any money;
we need to be taught what to do
with it, and how to buy things, how
to cook, all sorts of things that
people here take for granted.’
Back to Kakuma
David’s heart continues to ache for
his broken people. He wants to do
whatever he can to ease their pain and
to increase awareness of their plight.
‘They do not look back. Some of
Over many months David raised
the women are learning to sew and
money in order to purchase clothing
make clothes. Others are studying at
TAFE, university and other institutions, for the orphans of Kakuma. He was
supported by his friends from the LCA
or undertaking apprenticeships. They
national office, Australian Lutheran
have a great work ethic.’
College, the SA/NT district office,
Lutheran Community Care and TAFE
David works long hours at a
English Services in Adelaide, where
recycling centre and also works
David works as a bilingual tutor.
part-time as a bilingual tutor. At the
same time he is doing all he can to
In July 2005 David went back to
assist fellow lost boys in Adelaide as
Kenya, having saved the money for his
they struggle to adjust to a foreign
airfare. In Nairobi he used the donated
culture.
money to buy 3000 items of clothing,
which he distributed via the Kakuma
‘It’s been fairly easy for me to
churches to the neediest orphaned
adjust to Australian culture because I
children. ‘When I was in Kakuma
can speak English’, says David. ‘And
myself, we refugee children had only
I’m quite confident and outgoing.’ But
that is not the case with most refugees one set of clothes each. We would
wear our clothes in the day, wash
moving into a new culture. They can
feel lonely and isolated. David is help- them at night and wear them again the
ing other lost boys learn basic survival next day’, says David. ‘I wanted to give
the children something they would
skills for urban Australia. ‘A lot of our
people don’t ever learn to read’, David really treasure, and I knew they would
love some new clothes.’
says, ‘not even in our own language.
So it’s not helpful if new arrivals are
David’s return trip to Kakuma was
just given a booklet of instructions, in
organised by Australian Lutheran
English, and expected to understand
World Service, who made the
what to do.’
necessary arrangements with LWF
He says that there should be some Kakuma for David to be assisted while
basic training given to refugees before there. His visit was mixed with joy and
sadness: joy at his own opportunity to
they leave for a new country.
begin a new life, and sadness that
thousands of lost boys still languish in
‘Someone needs to explain that you
Kakuma awaiting resettlement. Many
need a licence to drive a car and that
of them want to come to Australia.
you are supposed to cross the road
only at certain places. Some young
While in Kakuma, David ran a workmen are getting into trouble with the
shop for some of the lost boys, in
law and they don’t know why.’ He
which he challenged them not to lose
explains that the notion of rent and
hope and to continue their education.
how to pay it needs to be better
‘We need to be educated’, he told
explained to many new arrivals. ‘You
them, ‘so that we can help our people
are told: “Here is your house, this is
to rebuild our country’. As well as
where you will live”, but nobody explains that you have to pay for it. Then meeting with groups of lost boys,
For further information contact
Email: [email protected]
Ph: 1300 763 407
Web: www.alws.org.au
David spoke with a group of ex-slave
boys who had managed to escape
from the slave-traders who regularly
raid Sudanese villages.
Over 80 per cent of the Sudanese
women in Kakuma are widows, their
husbands having been killed in the
war. For the children there is basic
schooling but there is very little for the
adults to do. ‘I was surprised to learn
that they don’t even have soccer balls’,
David laments.
Looking forwards
Back in his new home in Australia,
David continues to work hard at building a new life and serving God and his
people in a brand new culture. His
story of courage and faith in God in
spite of extreme suffering inspires all
who hear it. Peter Eckermann (Director
of Faith Incubators) has been a key
support person for David and other lost
boys. ‘The Bible is full of stories of
great walks’, he says. ‘David’s walk to
freedom from Sudan to Ethiopia and
back, and then to Kenya with the ‘lost
boys of Sudan’ is testimony to their
resilient faith and courage and their
unwavering trust in God’s faithfulness.
‘In regard to David’s relationship
with God, he and the other boys have
never been lost. David gives to me
great encouragement and provides
such perspective for my walk with
Jesus. Now, making a new life in
Adelaide, his great walk continues.’
And you can guess how David
approaches his new calling and the
task to embrace this new stage of his
life. ‘You can’t do it in your own
power, only in the power of God.’
At the time of writng (2005) Ben McEachen was
the film editor of Adelaide’s The Advertiser.
Linda Macqueen is editor of The Lutheran.
Article used with permission.
Australian Lutheran World Service
Awareness Week
Hurt … Home … Hope
Focus on Burundi and Sudan
Dare to
Dream a
Different World
Hurt … Home … Hope
Past and Future
I am the person who begins life already loved.
I am the one that God willed to be.
My past is characterised, defined by God’s election, God’s
patience.
Without God, my past is irrevocably behind me.
But I am not without God.
This means that I not only have a now but I also have a then.
My past is not lost. It has not escaped, or ceased to be:
He restores the years that the Lions have eaten.
My times are in his hands.
My whole life, past, present, and future is in his hands.
Even my past is not lost but restored. I don’t have to forget the past.
I can remember it. I can think of it in a new way.
I don’t have to regret my past.
I can embrace it.
I can be at peace, not live with vain regrets.
The God who does love me (now) and who has always loved me
(in the past) will always love me (in the future).
My hope. My hope.
David Jock Nhial
In 2007, for their 10th Anniversary Year, the Living Waters Lutheran College in Perth raised funds for a school
to be built in southern Sudan. This is part of the letter that David wrote to the school to show his appreciation:
Dear Parents and Students of Living Water Lutheran College (Warnbro and Halls Head),
We wish to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to the Living Waters Lutheran College, for all the kind support
you given us as we solemnly reflect upon this year’s tenth anniversary project event. We were able to achieve our
goals because of your support and thus, we would like to extend an overwhelming sense of love and gratitude to each
and every one of you who diligently stood by our community. In this time of crisis in Sudan we feel the strength and
spirit of the Australian community and feel less isolated as understand the community is there and cares for us. You
have shown your support for those in our community who are living locally as well as for those who are back in South
Sudan.
Together we can help people who are in need, and we hope to continue this joint effort. We pray that our community
will continue to be supported us we work together as partners and active members of this society, this will empower us
to achieve what we have established and that we strive for our purpose and effort is to rebuild the lives of South
Sudanese children and their families, who for many years have been living in pain and hardship, resulting from war and
the collapse of economic and social infrastructure in South Sudan.
We wish to thank the Living Waters Lutheran College in Warnbro
and Halls Head Campus – for joining us on our journey and supporting our children and making a difference in the lives and futures
of our Sudanese school children was very special and immensely
enjoyed by all- it was a great piece of work you who had a hand in
preparing and praying for the event….
Throughout the years Australia Lutheran World Service have began raising fund to rebuild a school in Upper Nile State in South
Sudan , Education provide the film base on which any
development begins, therefore the building of a school may
provide a stepping – stone for children and youth to build their
culture.
David Jock
For further information contact
Email: [email protected]
Ph: 1300 763 407
Web: www.alws.org.au
Australian Lutheran World Service
Awareness Week
Hurt … Home … Hope
Focus on Burundi and Sudan
Dare to
Dream a
Different World