This is a man who has seen way too much, and in the end (as of now, but his story still isn't over) his story brings him to Beijing, China to the Olympics; not only that, but he is the single American (only been a citizen for 13 months, by the way) representing our country in the Olympics opening ceremony by carrying our flag. I am proud to be an American, but I am first a citizen of God's Kingdom, before anything else; but I still understand the blessings I have simply being born in this country. And Lopez Lomong understands that all the more.
You see, he grew up in The Sudan, through conflict, war and genocide, and landed in Tully, New York, USA and on to graduate from the University of Arizona after a journey that I can't even imagine. Lopez Lomong was one of 3,800 of The Sudan's Lost Boys. These boys were seperated from their families and everything they had ever known because of the conflict and war they found themselves in the midst of. These boys wandered together throughout the region avoiding everything they could, scraping for food, and simply trying to survive. The older boys took care of the younger and they watched out for one another. For months they wandered and thousands died of hunger, disease or attacks by bandits or wild animals. It is not the childhood that they deserve at all to have.
Lomong is also a member of Team Darfur who are seeking to raise awareness of the violence and genocide in the Darfur region of western Sudan. He wants the world to know what he witnessed first hand.
Regarding the honor of being chosen from among his fellow American Olympians, he said through a USOC statement, "this is the most exciting day ever in my life, I'm here as an ambassador of my country and I will do everything I can to represent my country well."
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