Invisible Children

In 1986 in Uganda, the longest war in Uganda started, and it is still going today. Joseph Kony is the leader of the "Lord's Resistance Army", the rebel army that is trying to overthrow the government. He claims to have spiritual powers and acts like he has the same authority as Jesus. Apart from ordering the death of hundreds of thousands of Ugandans, Kony gets the majority of his army by abducting children, generally under the age of 20. Ugandan children are always at risk of being kidnapped in their sleep and forced to become child soldiers for this evil man's army.

Tonight, I about Invisible Children, an organization that is working to put an end to this injustice. A few years ago, three young men went to Uganda, on their way to Sudan to do a documentary. But, God had different plans. They stopped in Uganda because they found that thousands of kids were all sleeping in the streets in an area protected by the government, in order not to be abducted. They talked to a young man named Jacob, who was abducted when he was 12 and escaped. The decided that they had to do something, so they worked to raise awareness in the states and in the Senate by making a documentary and organizing rallies.

Tonight, they showed a documentary they made of their journey, and it broke my heart. Also, we got to hear the young man, Jacob, speak. Because of "Invisible Children", he is on his way to fulfilling his dream of becoming a lawyer. He is currently a freshman in college. "Invisible Children" started a program to sponsor children so that they can get an education and grow up to be the leaders of the country and hopefully bring peace. Right now, they are sponsoring 800 children.

The thing that really got me is that this war has been going on for the past 24 years, and I knew nothing about it, at least very little. I've heard of child soldiers before, but never to this extent. It is also weird for me to think about what I was doing when I was 12 and comparing it to Jacob. Jacob is the same age as me, and I have never had to worry about any of the terrors he has experienced. God is using his voice to bring hope to a nation, just like he used St. Patrick to bring hope to Ireland. St. Patrick had been taken captive and escaped just like Jacob. (I refer to St. Patrick because today is St. Patrick's day:)

This issue is very important. Hundreds of people are affected each day by the war in Uganda. I think the best thing I can do right now is to pray for God's mercy on that nation and on those children, who are unknown, who vanish in the night. Pray that God disarms the power Joseph Kony holds on the nation. Pray that the people find hope in the Lord. I can't imagine the terror those kids and their families experience every day, and I don't think it is right that they have to experience that.

So, in the midst of all the chaos of upcoming tests and plans for spring break and my future, I can remember that this world is bigger than just the issues I face personally. I need to remember these children and keep a wider perspective. God's grace is sufficient, and I believe He can and will save those children.