Tonight I am sitting in my nice warm house. My tummy is full. I can go to bed tonight without fear. I won’t be fear-full of men coming into my house and killing my husband. I won’t be fearful of rebel soldiers kidnapping my son’s, and brainwashing them into being killers. I won’t be fearful that my 12 yr. old daughter will be taken and used as a sex slave. I won’t be fearful that my children will have to watch as I am raped. I won’t be fearful that if I vote for the “wrong” presidential candidate that I will have my hands chopped off, or that my house will be burned by my neighbors, or that my family and I will try to find safety in a church only to have it set on fire. No, tonight I will sleep in a comfortable bed.
Tomorrow my children will complain that they have to get up and go to school, school that I don’t have to worry about how it will be paid for. Tomorrow my husband will go to work, secure in the knowledge that he will get enough pay to feed his family. Tomorrow I will go to the store, and be able to buy enough food so that my family will have full belly’s.
In Uganda, there are thousands of boys who leave their homes at night to sleep in safe places. Why? Boys as young as six and seven are being snatched from their villages. They are watching friends murdered, being brainwashed and forced to become soldier’s for the rebels in a 20 year war. There are hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the government. They were forced to leave their homes and live in displacement camps. A thousand people die every week in one of these camps. There are children left to survive on their own because both parents are dead.
This is just Uganda. There are 54 countries in Africa! So, what can a mom in Idaho do? I must admit I feel helpless and hopeless. But I can no longer be silent, I must find my voice, and use it however I can. I have read about Kenya this week on the blogs. Last night my husband and I watched a documentary about blood diamonds, and the civil war in the 90’s in Sierra Leone. Today at church we watched two video’s from Invisible Children about children in Uganda. God is speaking, asking me what am I willing to do? My mind is swirling, and my heart is heavy. Baby steps, I think I have to make baby steps. Our family will sit down this week and decide what we can do to make a difference. Will we give up things we don’t need? Can my children give up birthday gifts, and give instead? Can I decide to live in simplicity? Time will tell, but I have to try. Faces are burned in my mind, and I can’t pretend I don’t know the truth. My 10 yr. old son summed it up well. After watching the stories of the two kids, Sunday and Grace, from Invisible Children, he said “I feel guilty, I wish I had never seen that”. Yes, it is easier when we don’t know the truth, but we can’t pretend any more. We know the truth. Are these the orphans and widows we are commanded to take care of. There are children suffering and I must give them a voice!
I would encourage to read Sonja, Cindy Bryan and Bill Kinnon’s posts about Kenya. Here are some other links for you to check out. One Campaign. Invisible Children. We all have a voice to make a change, will you use yours?
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