From a student in school in South Sudan:
“ I am from the Daloka tribe. I am the second child from my mother. My father has six wives.
Every morning, my father would beat my mother and abuse her with all kinds of abuse. I do not know much English, but I love to read these booklets in the morning and in the evening after we have had food. My brother who knows English better than me interprets that which I am reading into our Daloka language.
Having a drinking father and many different step mothers has caused me to think that the best way for peace is to marry many wives.
As I said, my brother would help me to understand what the booklets were talking about. One day, I went to my father and shared with him one of the stories. He became very bitter and chased me away. Later, however, he called me and asked me, ‘Who told you that the devil lied to our fathers, that they should beat their wives, divorce them, and then even kill their own children? How did you know this is what took place in our family?’
That evening, my dad was so sad around the table that he could not eat. He was so much filled with guilt as he was thinking about this.
After two days, he called us together and asked, ‘What should we do now that the devil has lied to us? Even to me, your father, that I beat your mother this much?’ I told him to believe in God who is loving and to ask Mummy for forgiveness.
For a man to ask for forgiveness is a sign of weakness, and I knew that I had touched on a bad word, but I saw him full of tears, going to my mum, and asking for forgiveness, and then embracing one another.
From that point on, my dad wants to listen to these stories even more, and we are sharing the booklets every night after supper is finished.
Our family is happy. My father is no longer drinking, and now, it has been two months that my father shows us love. He has never again mistreated my mother or any of us.
Pray with our family to grow more strong, and pray with me to share these booklets to many other families even as I study at school.”