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A 'Lost Boy' Goes Home - Mother and Son Reunite in Sudan 18 Years After War Tore Them Apart
by Alberta Lindsey
A woman in a yellow flowered dress stood alone peering down the dirt road. A few feet away, either woman and children also watched the road. As the Toyota Land Cruiser came into view, the women started jumping up and down, screaming and waving.
Inside the Land Cruiser, excitement also grew. Three or four times, Maker Marial scanned the faces of the waiting women. “Oh, there's my mother,” he said of the woman in the yellow dress. Their eyes met and Maker knew he was right. The Land Cruiser had barely stopped before the women grabbed the rear doors and pulled Maker from the vehicle. His mother and two other women were hugging him at the same time. Suddenly, it was a group hug. No words were needed. Long, clutching embraces said it all.
Mother and son were together for the first time in 18 years. Neither knew the other was alive until three years ago. I am happy. Very, very happy,” said Maker, 27, who lives in Henrico County, VA.
He is a full-time student at J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College and worlds nights part time as a cashier at Wal-Mart. His goal is to become a human rights lawyer.The last time he saw his mom, he was a boy of 9. He returned to his native Sudan last month as a part of a mission team from the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.“I lost my son. Now I have him back. I am very happy. I thank God,” his mother, Rebecca Ajout Maker said, smiling. She spoke in Dinka, the native language of this area in southern Sudan. Maker or his brother, Akot Marial, translated.
A woman in a yellow flowered dress stood alone peering down the dirt road. A few feet away, either woman and children also watched the road. As the Toyota Land Cruiser came into view, the women started jumping up and down, screaming and waving.
Inside the Land Cruiser, excitement also grew. Three or four times, Maker Marial scanned the faces of the waiting women. “Oh, there's my mother,” he said of the woman in the yellow dress. Their eyes met and Maker knew he was right. The Land Cruiser had barely stopped before the women grabbed the rear doors and pulled Maker from the vehicle. His mother and two other women were hugging him at the same time. Suddenly, it was a group hug. No words were needed. Long, clutching embraces said it all.
Mother and son were together for the first time in 18 years. Neither knew the other was alive until three years ago. I am happy. Very, very happy,” said Maker, 27, who lives in Henrico County, VA.
He is a full-time student at J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College and worlds nights part time as a cashier at Wal-Mart. His goal is to become a human rights lawyer.The last time he saw his mom, he was a boy of 9. He returned to his native Sudan last month as a part of a mission team from the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.“I lost my son. Now I have him back. I am very happy. I thank God,” his mother, Rebecca Ajout Maker said, smiling. She spoke in Dinka, the native language of this area in southern Sudan. Maker or his brother, Akot Marial, translated.
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