God Grew Tired of Us

If you are into watching documentaries, God Grew Tired of Us is a really moving one that is worth watching.  It is a bit old (released in 2006), and the genocidal conflict between the north and the south of Sudan was declared finished with a treaty in 2005.  However, tension remains in Sudan (you may have heard of the recent war/genocide in Darfur).  In fact, according to a New York Times article linked from Genocide Watch, early in 2012 there was a massacre in South Sudan that left 3,000 killed.  To make a connection in our US minds, this is just about the exact same number as the count given for the death toll from the 9-11 attacks (2,996 including the 19 hijackers according to Wikipedia).  And this is just the most recent attack in Sudan in a conflict that dates back to at least the 1980s!

In addition to gaining some information about the conflict and the consequences for the people, it is amazing to watch pastoral Sudanese be introduced to what we take for granted: electricity, abundant food, and showers.  It also gave me a glimpse into how different our cultures are, and it made me feel like we could learn a lot from each other!

The story is not for the faint-of-heart: The images of refugees are heartbreaking.  However, I cried out of happiness, too, as there were happy endings for some of the individuals' stories.