Rev. Thon Moses Chol is a LIRS board member and pastor in Virginia who was resettled as a “lost boy” by LIRS. Chol recently shared his perspectives with the BBC on the civil war that is ravaging his country of birth, South Sudan.
Chol’s personal history of relentless courage and faith makes him hopeful that peace will prevail in South Sudan. He says:
What I see as a person, as a pastor, is to find ways to bring peace, to find ways to stop all the suffering, to find ways to bring individuals together…so that peace will prevail in South Sudan. At the end of the day, we are still optimistic.
Chol continues, saying how America stood by South Sudan and lost girls and boys like him in the past:
The history of America, they stand with those who are weak and those who need to find a voice…And I kind of felt many of us were in that search, the need to find a voice and freedom, and I think they were there for us to secure that freedom.
It is crucial that America continues to stand with those who are forced from their homes and need to find “a voice and freedom.”
We are appreciative of the BBC for lifting up this story on the South Sudanese crisis. You can read the BBC’s full story here and Chol’s testimony to the Human Rights Commission here. If this story moves you, urge your representative to support welcome for refugees through our Action Center.