I do. And with these long legs, I can cover a lot of ground! But my young friends from Sudan had to walk for hundreds of miles by themselves to escape from a war. Their long journey finally took them all the way to the United States.

Photo: Jennifer Graber/CWS-IRP

“We didn’t believe it when we learned that we were coming to America,” said Abraham. “Everything here is strange, but we are happy to be here.” Abraham and his cousins, Moses and Samuel, are just three of thousands of young men and boys who had to flee their country. The trouble began more than 20 years ago, when there was a terrible war. Children were left without parents. Young boys had to flee their country or be forced into the army. “There was only one thing to do — leave,” said Moses.

They started walking toward Ethiopia. They walked a very long time. But though they were safe in Ethiopia for a while, it didn’t last. “There was trouble in Ethiopia,” said Moses. “So we were sent away — walking again — back to our country, Sudan.”

Photo: Jennifer Graber/CWS-IRP

But it still wasn’t safe, so they began to walk again — to Kenya. “We stayed in a refugee camp with lots of other people. There was no time to think about our families and what might have happened to them,” said Samuel.

By then they had walked hundreds of miles with many dangers along the way. “Soldiers wanted to shoot us,” said Samuel. “There were crocodiles and lions,” said Abraham.

“Sometimes we had only grass to eat, because there was no other food,” said Moses.

Finally, with the help of Church World Service they made the long journey to resettle here in the U.S. It is a big adjustment to live here. “Fortunately, church people are helping us to find clothes, learn English, cook American food, shop, and visit doctors and dentists,” said Moses. “Thanks to them, we have hope — in our language ngaath — for a new life in this new land.” Abraham laughed, “We are even getting used to snow!”

Which shows that hope comes in many different forms. Here in the U.S., one way to spell hope is C-R-O-P W-A-L-K. CROP Hunger Walks are not dangerous like the walks of the Sudanese boys. They are a fun way for caring people to walk together in order to help people like Abraham, Samuel, and Moses. Care to Walk with me?