In contrast to the turmoil and debate preceding the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the Opening Ceremonies brought stories of perseverance and hope. The games themselves brought stories of victory and defeat, of sportsmanship and the lack of it.
For people of faith, each and every one of these stories gave testament to God’s power to work in the lives of His people.
One of these stories belongs to Team USA's flagbearer, Lopez Lomong.
Lomong, who ran for Team USA in the men’s 1500 meter, came to the United States at 16 years old. Today, at 23, Lomong has been a US citizen for only one year.
But Lomong’s story began 17 years ago in his native Sudan, while he and his family attended Mass.
During the celebration of the Liturgy, soldiers entered the gathering and advised everyone to lie down on the ground. The children were all taken, loaded onto a truck and transported to militia camps where some were killed and others groomed for life as child soldiers.
Lomong escaped through a fence hole with three other boys. The boys hid for three days, with the older boys taking special care of Lomong who was much younger than the others. They crossed into Kenya where they were arrested and sent to a refugee camp. Lomong was there for10 years before hearing about a program to resettle Sudanese refugees in the United States.
Lomong wrote an essay. The essay led to an interview. The interview led to his resettlement in the United States as part of the program. And the program led him to the home of the Rogers family in Tully, NY.
There he found both his dreams and his faith well supported. He attended high school, joined the local Catholic church and began running cross-country and indoor and outdoor track. He went on to an NCAA career at both Norfolk State University and Northern Arizona University.
Based on a report from Catholic News Service, faith must have been in the forefront of Lomong’s mind when he qualified for the Olympics . After placing third in the 1500-meter run at the Olympic trials, he called his foster family to share the news, saying: “When you put God first in your life, anything is possible.”
Believing that has led Lomong to use running to bring the message of the Lost Boys and Sudan to the world. In his own words:
“When we were in Africa, we didn't know what was there for us as kids--we just ran. God was planning all of this stuff for me, and I didn't know. Now I'm using running to get the word out about how horrible things were back in Sudan during the war. Sometimes these things are not on CNN, so if I put out the word, I hope people can get the information. Right now, similar terrible things are going on in Darfur; people are running out of Darfur, and I put myself in their shoes.”
Lopez Lomong ran the 1500 meters in Beijing. He did not medal. He did not finish in the top ten. Who cares? He was - and is still - running for so much more than gold…
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me…
I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see.
Proud, humbled, amazed. May the finding of one lost boy help the world to see.