Lizzie's trip to South Sudan

Hi, I would love to ask your support, for my birthday this year, to help document a beautiful story....

As many of you know, I have worked on issues related to South Sudan - the newest country on Our Blessed Earth - for the last 15+ years. When I was living there in 2016, my friend Peter Adup decided to return to South Sudan for the first time since moving to America, and he came to stay with me.

A few years before, I had helped my friend Pastor David Lual to start a school in Awiel, a town to the north of Juba. I learned about Pastor David's heart to help street kids when he and I worked together with the Committee for National Healing, Peace and Reconciliation, to help end the war.

[Pastor David on the right, with me in the middle. We are standing - he is really this tall!]

I wanted to help him help kids living in the streets, and thus Fruits of Faith Academy was born.

[Fruits of Faith Academy, Awiel]

Peter Adup was coming to visit, and he wanted to visit Awiel, to learn if he could find anything out about his family history. And so, I asked my closest friend in Awiel, Pastor David, if he would meet Peter when he came, along with two American friends who had helped Peter on his American journey and who were joining him on his South Sudan journey - an awesome father/son duo named Major Stephen and Matthew Ball (of the Salvation Army). Pastor David offered to host them in Awiel.

[Stephen Ball, Peter Adup, Suzan Tingwa, and Matthew Ball, 2016 in Juba]

When Peter Adup was 4 years old, his village was attacked. He was the only one he knew to make it out alive. He joined other boys on a multi year arduous journey across the country, first to Ethiopia and then to a refugee camp in Kenya. Then he came to America.

Now, over 30 years after leaving his village at the age of 4, he was ready to visit again. And God opened every door. As Peter and Stephen and Matthew flew to South Sudan, Peter recognized a friend from the refugee camp in transit in Ethiopia. Max! "Max, it's me Peter, from Kakuma camp! Do you know anyone who would know anything about my family?" Max replied, "there's one guy in Awiel who might know - his name is Angelos". That was all we knew.

Peter and Stephen and Matthew arrived in Juba to stay with me, and I showed them around town and helped them settle in before their trip to Awiel. They boarded the plane in Juba to Awiel, and I called Pastor David to head to the airport to meet them.

When they got to Awiel, Pastor David was there to welcome them.

[Major Stephen Ball, Pastor David Lual, Matthew Ball, and Peter Adup, Awiel 2016]

They told him about Max and a mystery man named "Angelos" who might have some information about the Adup family. Miraculously, Pastor David said "I know Angelos! Let me call him!"

Angelos indeed knew Peter Adup, and he knew something else! While Peter thought his siblings hadn't survived, they had! They didn't think he had survived! It was a miracle. He had a sister and two brothers living there in Awiel.

Before sunset, Peter Adup had been reunited with his family.

[Peter reunited with his brother, 2016]

He was no longer an orphan - he was home. The Adup Family were together.

[The Adup Family, 2016]

This will be Peter's first trip back to South Sudan with Stephen and Matthew Ball, since 2016. I'd love to join them in early January 2023, and to record the trip in 360 Virtual Reality, and I'd love your help to get there.

In harmony and unity,

Lizzie

[Peter's story with the Salvation Army]