God hasn’t grown tired with us yet

 “…a person without a culture is like a human being without land.”–John Dau

The other day, Josh and I decided to watch this documentary called “God Grew Tired of Us.” At first, I was kind of turned off to watch for multiple reasons, but in the end, I’m more than glad I didn’t submit to my former emotions, seeing that the film was very inspiring.

The documentary was about the Lost Boys of Sudan. For those who don’t know who they are, back in the late 19th to early 20th century, much of Europe began colonizing different countries throughout Africa, Asia, and Pacific islands. This was called the age of Imperialism. As time moved on, either the natives overthrew the European power, or the foreign nation decided to leave. When Britain left northern Africa, they erroneously infused two nations into one: Sudan. Northern Sudan was comprised of Arab Muslims while southern Sudan consisted of African Christians.
Due to the cultural conflicts, civil war erupted. The central government of Sudan lied north so they created a mandate for the genocide of southern Sudanese.  Killing of men, raping of women, and sterilization of boys of all ages (through quite sickening methods [though, I guess sterilization doesn't go down pretty]).
So boys throughout all of Sudan whom lost their family began to travel east to Ethiopia. For a while the government provided shelter for these refugees, but due to their own political conflicts, the Lost Boys were forced to travel once again. Finally, after traveling for 5 years, suffering through starvation, wild animal attacks, and water deprivation, heading south to Kenya, where they found refuge.

The expectations for these Lost Boys were to go back to Sudan when the war ended in, where they predicted, in several months. However, they didn’t expect to be in Kenya for 10 years. Even though they were free from oppression, they felt as if they were prisoners; confined by the walls of war and fear.

After 10 years, several of Lost Boys were allowed to relocate to the US to try to live new lives and get jobs to sustain oneself. This is where the documentary got very fascinating. The camera-men focused on the lives of mainly three people: John Bul Dau (who was moved to Syracuse, NY), Panther Bior and Daniel Abul Pach (who was moved to Pittsburgh, PA). When they entered the airport at Belgium, they received a huge culture shock. The electricity, the food. One of them said that the food tasted like soap (oddly enough, he ate a bar of butter). Also they had no clue who Santa was. All they based Christmas on was the birth of Christ and advent. Just the differences in how they viewed life was different.

Beyond the fascination of the culture shock and humorous acts made by each of them, it was amazement to see such insight in these people.  These people who have less intelligence than us have their eyes more open than most of my classmates. These people who are supposed ignorant to western culture, who are supposed less evolved than the westerners, who are supposed “stupid” had seen more in their lives than any other their age. Daniel viewed the killing of his own father. John Dau had to bury his friends on the five year trek. However, rather than cracking, wisdom bloomed.

“I believe as a person people have different talents and all those talents are serving the community. God does not create me as very tall person for nothing. I have a role to play. I have a duty to do. I was not just born like that. I was born to do something.”–John Dau

Imagined if all those who thought that there is no purpose to life gained that mindset, imagine the change of deathtoll per year. The amount of willing workers. Then again, it goes down to is there a God? But it’s still insight many overlook.

Then I have to go back to change of culture aspect. It’s interesting how the Sudanese or Dinkans (a more broad culture) hang out as a community. If someone asks for directions, the fellow would start a conversation. But here in America, if you walk up to someone’s door, the “neighbor” will ask what the heck you’re doing on their front porch. Individualism versus community (no, I’m not necessarily sponsoring communism here).

Their lives have made me think in a different way. Every life has a story; theirs just as more juice. But it’s sad that many others haven’t been preached. Some of them shouldn’t be preached, but that’s for another day.

“It was as if the last day, as people say in the Bible, that there will be a last day that Jesus Christ will come and whatever on Earth will be judged. That was my imagination. I thought that God felt tired of people here; felt tired of… the bad thing that we are doing, yet God is watching on us. I thought God got tired of us and he wanted to finish us. When I think of it back… it was so bad anyway. Now I wonder, I’m not again wearing clothes feeling very happy, and so anyway everything has an end… even if there’s problem in Sudan still maybe one time, one day, one minute, it will come to an end”–John Dau

Everything on Earth comes to an end. 2008 marks the end of my highschool career.
Okay… now I’m getting lost.
It was a very inspiring documentary and I do recommend it. Changes the way one thinks. Makes me value the lives of each person and the story they tell. I know my family is chocked full of stories and Victor recommended a story-time for L7 (or maybe just my subgroup of L7).
Maybe it’s time for me to open my ears more.

“Imagine”–Panther