Lost Boys of
By KIMBERLY HARRINGTON
Editor
The story sounds like a horrendous tale spun in the warped imagination of a sociopath.
Scary thing is, it’s not.
The adventures of the Lost Boys of Sudan are a real account of unthinkable incidents that befall upon an innocent group of children.
Although their stories have been told many times on TV, in documentaries and in countless publications, it never gets dull. And even still, there are some who have never heard of the tragedy.
James Loum is one of those Lost Boys of Sudan. He visited
In brief, the Lost Boys of Sudan is group of young orphaned
refugees who were forced out of their villages by anti-Christian militant
forces during a second Civil War in
Having no place to go, the surviving boys, as young as 6 and as old as only 11, started walking.
They walked for four years before arriving to
Kakuma became home. Beginning in 2001, the
Ninety names are posted on a board each day in Kakuma, where the refugees learn their American destinations.
For Loum, it was
When Usher heard about the
“We bought back a little more than 35,” Usher said. “We send money every month to the Persecution Project, which delivers food and medicines, and we know help James and the Lost Boys of Charlotte.”
Maranatha also helped Loum to visit his mother in
Loum’s life
Loum was 7 when he joined with other children fleeing
He fled to the woods, where he hid a few days before taking the journey — without clothes or shoes.
Along the way, many of the children were attacked and eaten by lions, hyenas, alligators and crocodiles. They were constantly fleeing enemy fire.
Loum went without water for 14 days. The temperature was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The boys ate wet mud and drank their own urine to survive.
Loum fell ill with diphtheria along the way. A good friend of his, Jacob, who was only 9, comforted and encouraged him. “He showed me true brotherhood.”
While the boys were crossing the River Nile, a python wrapped around Jacob’s arms and chest, constraining him. Loum watched him drown.
Watching the deaths of his uncle and Jacob were the most frightening experiences for him, he said.
He had nightmares until four years ago when he says God told him to sleep with a Bible under his pillow.
While at the refugee camp in Kakuma, food was limited. The boys only ate one meal a day, which consisted of ground meal and corn.
Loum spent nine years at the camp. In 1995, 500 boys died there from cholera, and he and the others were forced to bury their friends.
In 2000, the
Coming to
Today, Loum is a student at
Since coming to
When he first got an apartment with some other lost boys, they couldn’t figure out how to turn on the lights. Three days later, they had a visitor who brought her 3-year-old son, who flipped on the light switch, he said.
Not knowing about a can opener, the boys used a knife to puncture holes in their canned foods to eat.
When asked about his future plans, Loum said, “Whatever God will put on my path in the future.”
Standing six feet and five inches tall, Loum exhibits a
humble spirit, shunning self-promotion or discussing his academic achievements.
He does smile at the mention of his bride-to-be in
The persecuted church
The purpose of Loum’s visit to Maranatha was to bring attention to the persecuted church across the world.
Pastor Usher said “65,000 Christians are killed each year for their faith.” The program offered a special prayer and remembrance for Christians around the world who are suffering for their faith in Christ.
Loum spends his time sharing his story and delivering a message of forgiveness for the Muslims. In the past four years, he’s traveled 250,000 miles and gone through three cars.
“God is using me to tell people about the country of
“
To learn how you can help Loum or the lost boys living in
Reach Editor Kimberly Harrington at kharrington@thecherawchronicle.com