Talking through this book
This week, my 17 year old daughter volunteered to write about the latest book she read, What They Meant for Evil. I had an idea that it was going to be a tough book to read, but I knew she could handle it. I was asking her about it, and it was so encouraging to hear how she described this young woman. She went through so much. The author, Rebecca, suffered more in the first few years of her life than most of us will our entire lives. It’s so hard to understand why the LORD allows that kind of suffering.
But my daughter recognized that God’s hand was with that young girl through it all. He knew what she would have to go through, and He never left her side. My daughter touches on it on her write up below, but a part of her story that most stood out to me was that Rebecca was violated the night before she was going to leave her nightmare. She kept asking, why did you allow this to happen LORD? And then to find out she was pregnant was yet another blow. Why, Father God? Yet after her baby was born, she was able to say that that baby was the biggest blessing in her life.
It is a good reminder that the LORD can truly use all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). What happened to her was deeply and profoundly wrong. No one is excusing the choices of the man who harmed her. However, it’s beautiful what the LORD did with her obedience to keep her baby.
Joseph
It’s not unlike what happened to Joseph when he was sold by his brothers (Genesis 37 – 50). He too suffered greatly. None of it was his fault. However, the LORD used it for not only his good, but for the good of the people of Israel.
The LORD is truly amazing. He is good. Even when we just don’t understand. We may never understand on this side of heaven. But we can trust in His sovereignty and goodness. Like Aslan, God is not safe. But we can trust He is good.
Book review
What They Meant for Evil: How a Lost Girl of Sudan Found Healing, Peace, and Purpose in the Midst of Suffering written by Rebecca Deng was an amazing memoir and testimony about a young girl growing up in the midst of the Sudan Civil War. From the age of four, she witnessed violence towards her entire village and the deaths of almost all of her loved ones. She is forced to flee from her village, attempting to find a safe haven somewhere nearby, to no avail. After months of searching, Rebecca, and what’s left of her family, finally make it to a refugee camp run by the UN. She lives there for many years, experiencing hardship through receiving almost no food, not being able to go to school because of her gender, and beatings from her uncle for exploring her faith. She eventually receives an opportunity to go to the US as a “Lost Girl from Sudan,” and decides to leave her home and family, leaving everything behind, and goes to America. She is forced to adjust to the drastically different culture, and due to a violent and unpredicted situation Rebecca faced back in Sudan, she has a daughter shortly after her arrival to the US. Rebecca learns to balance being a mother, starting real school for the first time, and learning how to speak English. Her time in America focuses on her overcoming her trauma and learning to lean on her faith in Jesus to overcome her hardships. She is able to push through school and make her way to college, where she meets the love of her life, and starts working as a community health outreach worker. She moves back to Sudan to help survivors from the war, and strongly advocates for the separation of North and South Sudan, volunteering wherever she can.
Throughout the entire narrative, Rebecca focuses on how she maintained her faith despite immense suffering she went through not only in Sudan but also in America. She refused to let her past define her, and held her head high through it all, relying on God to lead her through her suffering. The book highlights how God can take “evil” situations and turn them into good, allowing her to find peace and purpose. As one of the few “Lost Girls” stories shared publicly, it shows that girls also suffered displacement, not just the famous “Lost Boys.” Rebecca is now an international speaker and advocate for traumatized women and children, specifically for those who have gone through wars.
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