But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and
in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
ACT 1:8
Sister Anyang's Story
Q) What is your name?
A) My name is Anyang Deng.
Where are you from? And when did you move to Ogembo?
I am from South Sudan. The country was in a state of tension due to the Sudan civil war. I was brought to the refugee center in Kakuma about 800 kilometers away from Ogembo with 3 more siblings. I had a wound that was infected because it was not treated early. Since the infection gets worse in hot weather. So I came in search of a cooler temperature environment to Ogembo which is the highlands.
What language do you speak?
I speak Dinka[Dinka is the primary language of South Sudan] and a little Swahili.
Do you think you can share more about the scar on your head?
During the South Sudanese Civil War, I got a wound from a gunshot when I was about 4-6 years old and it got infected. That infection ate up the scar. The climate and the environment prevented the scar from healing.
How did you meet Jesus?
I went to the church service and the sermon was about Jesus. It was then that I suddenly believed in him.
How was your life before moving to the Ogembo children’s home?
I do not remember much, but I only remember that the place[Referring to the Kakuma Refugee Camp] was not my favorite.
When did you last see your family members?
Last year, when I went to Nairobi with Pastor David and Ms. Gillian.
What does a day in your life look like?
I get up and prepare myself to go to school. After attending high school, I came home in the evening washed my uniform, did some homework, study, and sleep. On the weekends, I wake up early and have bible study with the other children, I then wash my clothes and bedding. In the late evening, I sing before going to bed.
What do you study at school? What is your favorite subject, and least favorite subject?
My favorite is biology and I don’t like math.
How are your siblings doing?
My younger siblings are still in the process of paperwork from the Sudan embassy to reside in Kenya legally, so they are currently staying in the refugee center in Kakuma. They are doing well but facing difficulties in the refugee center because they live in the tent. When the tent gets damaged it’s very hard to repair it.
Anyang Deng is an 18-year-old woman who currently resides at Pastor David’s children's home, the Mananasi Center for Children.
Underneath the beanie that she always wears on her head lies a heartbreaking scar that will remain with her as a painful memory for the rest of her life. During the tensions of the Sudan Civil War, at the young age of around 5 years, Anyang was brutally wounded by a gunshot to her head. Unable to receive immediate treatment, her wound became dangerously infected, and her wound’s infection dangerously festered in the hot temperatures of the Kakuma refugee camp in which Anyang initially stayed with her siblings. Thus, at the age of 14, Anyang traveled 800 km away from her siblings in the refugee camp and to the cooler environment of Ogembo to receive additional care from Pastor David and his wife, Gillian.
As for her parents, unfortunately, neither Anyang nor her siblings have seen or heard from them since the chaos and suffering that occurred in South Sudan. But by the grace of our Lord, she miraculously survived, and we pray that God will continue to protect His dear daughter. Her siblings are staying 800 kilometers away at a Kakuma refugee camp. It's been a long time since the last time Anyang's parents were contacted. She and her siblings never saw or heard from their parents until they escaped from the chaos and suffering of South Sudan. Anyang and her siblings don't know if their parents are still alive or in South Sudan. Anyang was separated from her family at a young age to receive additional care from Pastor David and his wife, Gillian.
Despite the calamities she has faced, our mission team members fondly recall Anyang for her beautiful, bashful smile. Anyang struggles to communicate with the residents of Ogembo who use Kisii as their primary language, as she can only speak Dinka and Swahili. Although she desires to pursue an education in culinary arts, she struggles to keep up with her studies due to her language barrier. Anyang’s yearning prayer request is for the reunion of her separated family and for her to be able to apply to college and further her education.