On the quiet morning of February 8th, 2025, the air in the border village buzzed with a mix of nervous anticipation and tender joy. Dozens of children—orphans who had been living in temporary shelters far from their homeland—were finally being brought home. The destination: Loa, a town etched deep in their histories and hearts, even if some had only heard stories about it. Community members, many of whom remembered the children before conflict and displacement tore families apart, stood by the roadside, singing soft songs and waving cloths in welcome.
One week later, on February 15th, 2025, the entire town gathered at the open field near the road side in the church of south Sudanese gospel mission church for a welcoming prayer ceremony. elders, religious leaders, and youth all took part in the spiritual rite and the bodies of the government.
The head elder/Bishop raised his voice in the final invocation:
“May these children find peace where there was pain, family where there was none, and a future that will never again be stolen.”
From that day forward, Loa was not just where the orphans lived. It was where they belonged.
