Rebecca Deng was born in the midst of a brutal civil war in Sudan. Her mother died while fleeing government attacks, and her father was killed in the fighting that left 2.5 million people dead. This same war ultimately led to the creation of South Sudan.

Deng was a lost girl of Sudan. She lost her parents, her culture and her childhood.

But she never lost her faith.

“Even with what I’d been through, I knew that God loved me,” says Deng, program development associate at American Bible Society. “I have dignity and identity because there was someone called Jesus, and he cared for me. I learned that he came to take away our sins and that he cares for our suffering.”

As a child survivor of the war, Deng lived in a dusty, crowded tent compound for eight years with her uncle and his family. Scripture was a huge part of her upbringing. Although Deng couldn’t read or write, she heard the words of Scripture in church, and those words enveloped her like a loving embrace.

The book of Isaiah, in particular, reminded her that God would restore hope to those who mourn. Deng believed God would do what he promised.

The book of Ezekiel, particularly chapter 37, heartened her as well. “I was like the dry bones in that story,” says Deng. “But God breathed life into those bones, and I believed he could do the same for me. I believed he was going to do something wonderful for me.”

Despite Deng’s faith, life wasn’t easy. In addition to the health and sanitation hazards that plagued residents of the camp, she was constantly hungry. It was only after she moved to Holland, Mich., through the Lost Boys refugee settlement program that Deng experienced the after-effects of food deprivation.

“I had most of the trauma when I came to the United States,” she says. “I felt a great deal of guilt at having more food while others had so little. I couldn’t bring myself to throw food away.”

Moving to Michigan was difficult for Deng, who came to America at age 15 without knowing how to speak English. She arrived in early November, a grey, dreary time of year with barren trees and fallow fields. Her foster parents were patient and loving, though, which helped Deng make the transition.

Even so, nightmares haunted her. She dreamt of running from her village, which had been set ablaze. Now—years after the event—she still has those desperate dreams. “I wake up in a sweat with my heart pounding. At this point, I know these dreams are going to be part of my life that I cannot change.”

In her work at American Bible Society, Deng has seen firsthand that Scripture can restore broken lives. She represents the voices of hundreds of thousands of women and children who have no one to speak for them. By working extensively with churches and congressmen, she educates people about the plight of refugees and the power of Bible-based trauma healing.

Deng is convinced that Scripture is the wellspring for hope, healing and new life.

It certainly has been for her.