January 11, 2002

In one of the most amazing stories of the Sudan war, a group of young boys took a dangerous walk out of the country and years later, are finally finding a home. One of these so-called "lost boys" is in the state of Michigan.

In one of the most amazing stories of the Sudan war, a group of young boys took a dangerous walk out of the country and years later, are finally finding a home. One of these so-called "lost boys" is in the state of Michigan.

When you see Emmanuel's radiant smile…

Or hear his laughter…

It's hard to imagine that not so long ago, he was running for his life. And fighting to survive.

His story ends in a Michigan suburb. But his story began halfway around the world in the dusty plains of Sudan.

"In Sudan, really, we don't have freedom, so our people they were being killed by Muslims. They tell them they are bad people not to be Muslim because that one is the higher authority to government of Sudan, which is Muslim. They say they just kill all these Christians," said Emmanuel.

Approximately two million people have died in the civil war in Sudan. Muslims killed millions of Sudanese Christians. This war forced thousands of teens and children into exile; many were left orphaned. Emmanuel Makender is one of these "lost boys" of Sudan. He only remembers a little bit about the night he ran for his life. But what is forever etched in Emmanuel's mind is his journey of survival and God's miraculous provision.

"I was about six years old, something like that. It's very hard to leave your father and your mother and then to go out alone for yourself to find… the difficulties like to find your food and walk across from one country to another country," said Emmanuel.

Emmanuel joined thousands of Sudanese heading east to Ethiopia. The journey was hard, walking through scorched sands and unimaginable danger, but Emmanuel witnessed God's provision to help him survive.

"And you're thinking when the day of my life comes and I will die, I can die without worry because as a follower of God he clears my heart to give me his dream to pass all these difficulties. Actually during this struggle three people lost their lives because they didn't get water. We had almost about two days or about three days to cross that desert. But we didn't have water. And we were in the middle of the desert and actually I realized that was the end of our lives so that maybe we would die, all of us. And then God gave us the rain. But on the other side, really, it was dry, no water on the other side. It just rained on the road where people were walking," he said.

Emmanuel's faith was strengthened. The group continued traveling and made it to Ethiopia. They were hoping this could be a new home, but four years later political turmoil forced them out of the country. The journey brought the survivors to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. During this time, Emmanuel discovered that his mother, two brothers and his sister were alive. But he later found out is father and five brothers were killed. Last year the UN Refugee Agency and the U.S. State Department recommended resettlement of the refugees to the United States. At that time, Steve and Lois Croak heard about the Sudanese boys coming to Grand Rapids, Michigan. They felt God wanted them to be foster parents.

"We had been following the story in Sudan through World Magazine for a number of months and there weren't that many cities across America where the kids were going and so it was like God was bringing them right to our doorstep. So, yes, we decided, but it was more a sense that it had already been decided for us in some ways," said Steve Croak.

Added Lois Croak, "I don't know how long the foster process is supposed to take, but we thought well, let's just take the next step and see where it goes. And I think she called a week-and-a-half later and said, 'One of the boys coming wants to be a pastor. I think he belongs in your family.'"

The Croaks made many adjustments, but knew this was God's will for their family.

"The verse we held as our verse was that 'God has foreordained the good works that you should walk in them.' And this was just the next step," said Lois.

Emmanuel is still adjusting to life here in the U.S., but he is grateful to be alive and thankful for this country and wonderful foster parents.

"They are so wonderful to me, actually, to be with them. They are so glad, actually, and I am so glad to them also," said Emmanuel.

One day Emmanuel hopes to return to Sudan to be a pastor. He longs for his country to find the peace and freedom to worship Jesus Christ.

"Maybe they will make that peace in Sudan and I hope that God will do that to Sudan so that Sudan will have peace so that they can have freedom and they can worship God without fearing," Emmanuel said.

Emmanuel is thankful for the sovereign touch of God's hand in his life.
"It is not me who did all these things, these powerful things. It is God who is with me; it is God who guides me to give me wisdom and actually to save my life. And I trust God, really, because he is really doing a good thing for my life," said Emmanuel.