(story by Marjorie Cortez, and published on line here)
Gabriel Garang Atem, a Lost Boy of Sudan, was ordained a deacon by the Episcopal Diocese of Utah Saturday afternoon. Atem has been serving as an Episcopal lay pastor for Utah's Sudanese community.
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| The Right Rev. Scott Hayashi ordains Gabriel Atem and Aimee Marie Altizer as Deacons within in the Episcopal Church at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mark in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015. |
SALT LAKE CITY — At an age most boys spend their days at play or in school, Gabriel Garang Atem was running for his life.
It was 1987 and civil war had forced him and thousands of other Sudanese children, mostly young boys, to flee Sudan on foot to Ethiopia to escape death or induction into the northern army.
After being orphaned or otherwise separated from their families, some 20,000 Sudanese boys endured unthinkable dangers — attacks from wild animals, drowning in rivers and rebel attacks. On top of that, they were malnourished, dehydrated and were constantly exposed to the elements. Thousands were killed or died.
"It was not safe for us because there was no way you can protect yourself. You do not have weapons. You are not grown up enough so that you can defend yourself. It wasn't really a good life for us," said Atem of Salt Lake City, who is 36 years old, married and the father of twin 19-month-old boys.
One constant — the presence of God — carried him through the darkest days, he said.
When God called him to become an Episcopal priest, there was no question what he should do.
"When God called me, I accept the call because since I was a little boy, I knew I wasn’t going to live on my own without the help of God through people," he said.
On Saturday, Atem and Aimee Marie Altizer were ordained as deacons in the Episcopal Church during a service at the Cathedral Church of St. Mark. After serving as deacons for an allotted time, they can apply for ordination to the priesthood.
