1,000 Miles Journey
In the south of Sudan, in the midst of the cruelty of the civil war, a teenager named Walter longed for an education. The war had devastated his region, making schooling impossible. In hopes of fulfilling his dream, Walter fled to the capital city of Khartoum, hundreds of miles from his home. Surely in Khartoum, along the riverbanks of the life-giving Nile, he could find a future.
One More Dreamer
But when Walter arrived he met a bitter reality. Many other refugees like him, fleeing the violence of war, had come to Khartoum with hopes of repairing their broken lives. Millions of people crowded into the metropolis, and slums spilled out from it, surrounding the city on all sides. Walter was just one more dreamer among the nameless masses. He had no way to fulfill his hope of getting an education. For several years, Walter struggled in Khartoum, barely able to exist within the makeshift community of refugees.
One day he happened to hear about the start of a program to translate Scripture into his language, Tennet. The program was seeking people who might be qualified to work on the translation, and an introductory course would be held in Arua, Uganda. Along with his friend, Ronald, Walter decided he had to attend the workshop. He sensed an intense call from God to be part of the translation.
One More Roadblock
The only problem was, the would-be translators had no vehicle and no money for plane tickets. They would also need to avoid the direct route to Uganda, because that would take them through a war zone. The only way to avoid the conflict was to travel through Ethiopia and Kenya, a journey of one thousand miles. Despite their lack of resources, the two friends believed God would somehow get them to their destination. They took what little money they had and paid for bus fare to a town near the Ethiopian border. When they got off the bus, they had no way of paying for any more transportation.
So they set out on foot, with no money, no camping gear, and no boots. After walking for four straight days, they crossed the Ethiopian border. Here they worked in sesame fields to earn a bit of money for transportation. The pair continued along, managing to get a ride on a passing vehicle or catch a bus when they could afford it. Throughout the trip they trusted in God, sometimes not knowing where they would sleep or how long it would be before they got something to eat. They survived on the hospitality of strangers they met and tried to get help from refugee authorities.
One Unplanned Connection
The officials sent them to an Ethiopian refugee camp of mud huts and tiny vegetable patches. At the camp, Ronald and Walter were able to contact a translation team that arranged for them to ride on a relief plane into Kenya. Here the translators met them and paid for their bus fare to Uganda.
The relentless pair finally reached Arua. It had taken them eight months to get there. Walter desperately hoped he would be qualified to work on the translation.
One Gospel Complete
After taking a training course, Walter was accepted to be part of the translation team, where his dedication and cheerful attitude are highly prized. He has already helped translate the Gospel of John, but he longs for the completion of the entire project so his people can have the Scriptures.
One Great Friend
Ronald never joined the translation team, but he did persevere with Walter for a thousand miles. His faithfulness helped Walter reach Arua, where God was waiting to introduce the determined young dreamer to his destiny.
NOTE: Some names of people, places or languages may have been changed to safeguard work in sensitive locations.