Thanks to the
prayers and generosity of many, God richly blessed CCU's Sons of Sudan project.
The financial support of many faithful donors has made possible an extraordinary
success story which has transformed the lives of the "lost boys" and will have
an extraordinary impact on the future of their tragic country.
The
Lost Boys of Sudan make up more than 27,000 of the Dinka ethnic group who were
displaced and/or orphaned during the Second Sudanese Civil War, in which
approximately two million were killed. Villages were attacked and girls were
raped, killed, taken as slaves to the north or became servants or adopted
children for other Sudanese families.
But some of the five to eight
year old boys escaped, fleeing to neighboring countries. Out of estimated
27,000-30,000 young refugees, only about 10,000 survived the hardships of
starvation, wild animals, disease and hostile soldiers. Some were resettled in
Kenya, others made their way to the United States where they were adopted by
churches and community service groups, and some managed to earn their high
school diplomas.
In the spring of 2004, CCU began working to provide
these young men a quality Christ-centered college education. After assessing
their readiness, CCU brought them through a process of preparation for college
and integration into various CCU degree programs. Generous friends of CCU
provided the financial resources to make the dream of a college education come
true for these lost boys.
Today, here is where they are:
Wal
Biet '08 (B.S. Biology)
Manwuour Dior '08 (B.A. Social Science)
Kuai
Kuai '08 (B.S. Business Administration)
Jor Jor '09 (B.S. Business
Administration)
Abraham Yol '09 (B.A. Global Studies)
Gabe Majok '09
(B.S. Accounting)
Yai Lyai is close to graduating with a degree in
accounting
One of these young men is now in Sudan where he has
started a ministry which will be drilling wells, providing health care, and
consulting on agricultural matters. Another has medical school in his future and
plans to go home to Sudan to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of his
troubled people.
Only God knows the final outcome, but we believe
these young men are destined to 'pay forward' what they have received here at
CCU. God will call them to be an incredible blessing to their home land that has
suffered so much. This would not have been possible without the financial
support which many have helped to provide.
As CCU sunsets the Sons
of Sudan Project, we are learning from the valuable cross-cultural contributions
the Sons of Sudans made to the CCU community, and we are embarking on a new
initiative that will serve international students and children of missions by
providing scholarships that will grant these students access to quality
Christ-centered education at Colorado Christian University.
In 2009,
we had 125 international students who applied to CCU and were accepted. However,
only 2 of those students actually enrolled. The financial costs of attending a
private, Christian college in the United States can be prohibitively high --
especially when travel costs over and above tuition, room, and board are
factored into the equation.
In order to empower high caliber foreign
students, Colorado Christian University has recently created the Great
Commission Scholarship Fund for international students and missionary children.
If you would like to learn more about the
Great Commission Scholarship Fund and
how you can impact students' lives through a financial gift or prayer support of
this effort, please contact CCU's Office of Development at 303-963-3330 or
ccudevelopment@ccu.edu. We'd be happy to share additional details of the need
and vision that will provide the critical support for these deserving
students.