Anyang's Story
- Gwen Kim
- Jul 5
- 3 min read
Sep 10, 2024

Q. What is your name?
My name is Anyang Deng.
Q. Where are you from? And when did you move to Ogembo?
I am from South Sudan. When I moved to Ogembo, I was young–between 4 to 6 years old. 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. From there, I was reported and recommended to Pastor David because of my health condition.
Q. What language do you speak?
I speak Dinka [Dinka is the primary language of South Sudan].
Q. Do you think you can share more about the scar on your head?
At 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.
Q. 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.
Q. How was your life before moving to the Ogembo children’s home?
I do not remember much, but the only thing I remember was that the place [Referring to the Kakuma Refugee Camp] was not my favorite.
Q. When did you last see your family members?
Last year, when I went to Nairobi with Pastor David and Ms. Gillian.
Q. What does a day in your life look like?
I get up and prepare myself to go to school. After attending high school, I come home in the evening and I wash my uniform, do 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.
Q. 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.
Q. 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 are facing difficulties in the refugee center because they are living in a 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 upon 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 around 5 years, Anyang was brutally wounded from a gunshot to her head. Unable to receive immediate treatment, her wound became dangerously infected, but by the grace of our Lord, she miraculously survived, and we pray that God will continue to protect his dear daughter.
With her parents in South Sudan and her siblings staying 800 kilometers away at a Kakuma refugee camp, 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 recall the beautiful, bashful smile she greeted them with. is remembered fondly by our mission team members for her distinct bashful smile whenever they greeted her.
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 art, 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.
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