Endurance The people of South Sudan have endured much pain, suffering, and loss of countless precious lives during civil wars coupled with widespread diseases, ongoing famines, and tribal conflicts, among others. Moreover, to this day, many South Sudanese are still enduring hardships, challenges, and difficulties as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) within South Sudan and refugees…

Dear family and friends of South Sudan, Happy South Sudan’s 10th Independence Anniversary! On this day, 10-years ago, South Sudan gained its independence from Sudan and became a sovereign nation. Unfortunately, soon after that, South Sudan plunged into two deadly wars, economy plummeted, educational index fell far behind the world, health conditions deteriorated, famine widespread,…

Dear family and friends, Before typing this update, I took the time to reflect on many of God’s blessings in my life. I am thankful for my beautiful and most amazing wife and our precious two children. Grateful for family, friends, and communities with whom my family is surrounded. Hopeful for many lives that will…

The Accelerating Moving Walkway My first encounter with the accelerating moving walkway was at the Amsterdam Schiphol airport. My friend Ericson and I were at the airport waiting for our next flight to the states. We enjoyed watching people walk on the airport’s accelerating moving walkway. We were ambivalent about the speed and wondering about…

A Story of Hope and Resiliencefrom my Childhood Shooting at Taab Market The social and political injustices which happened in Sudan revealed the intense cultural divide between armed Sudanese soldiers and innocent civilians. Sudan’s government deployed thousands of troops into southern Sudan to protect civilians. Sadly, when the government faced resistance in the south, these…

The Statue of Liberty in New York sheds light on my hopes and aspirations upon arriving on U.S. soil as a new refugee. On September 28, 1998, as my flight (the KLM plane) approached the landing runway at the JFK International Airport, I looked out the small window. Suddenly, through the clouds of my dreams of…

Animation + Update  Dear family and friends, With great joy and deepest admiration, I am sharing with you a few slides of an animation story created by my 13-years old son, Thomas-Dhel, as part of his tech class. It’s a basic animation but captured Thomas’ four years of personal experience in Africa. Thomas’ story includes crowded classrooms with…

Dear Friends and Family, A simple google search on South Sudan shows over two million precious lives lost during decades of Sudan civil war and a staggering number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees scattered worldwide, including in neighboring countries.  Worse yet, health facilities and schools were destroyed during the war, and teachers fled…

Dear family and friends, On behalf of my family and Undying Hope, I would like to take this opportunity to humbly express my deepest gratitude and thanksgiving for your continued prayers and support and to wish every one of you (from Annapolis, Maryland and the rest of the States to the nations) Merry Christmas! As…

As the weather turns colder here in the United States, the warmer season is just beginning in South Sudan. Due to economic hardship, many children in South Sudan do not have proper clothing or shoes. In the dry season, the temperature in South Sudan can easily reach 104 *F with peaks up to 113 *F.…