It was crowded. Hundreds of people filled the auditorium. My friend and I were just thankful that we got tickets – there were thousands of young adults at the Passion 2006 Conference, and this particular afternoon session was especially popular. I probably wouldn’t have gone had a friend not attended the day before and insisted that I check it out. Of course, what I did not realize then was that I would not leave the auditorium the same person I was when I entered. My eyes would be opened to the reality of this world, and it would leave me forever changed.
The session featured a DVD documentary that told the story of a present-day war in Africa – a war older than its warriors. It told the story of the Invisible Children.
Many years ago, a man named Joseph Kony formed the Lord’s Resistence Army, or LRA. The war against the standing government continued for years, and to replenish his fighting forces, he began abducting children from their homes and forcing them to be a part of his army. The details of this process are especially horrific.
After a child is abducted, they are taken into “the bush,” or the fields, and desensitized to violence. The leaders of the army will slaughter other children violently in front of them so that the survivors will not try to escape. The first, and only, training they receive is how to kill. They are told that if they do not kill “x” number of people at every battle, their lives will be forfeit. The children are beaten into submission, and the females are oftentimes raped repeatedly. They are essentially “brainwashed” and may continue the devastation by abducting other children.
The Invisible Children DVD follows the story of a handful of children, two of which had escaped from the LRA. One of the boys, Tony, pleads with the film makers as they prepare to leave and return to America. “If you could, in one month, watch this video and remember me…” It was as if he knew that the overwhelming compassion and concern evoked by encountering such an atrocity can so easily fade with time and distance. All he wanted was to be remembered.
Sitting in that auditorium that day, as if Tony were sitting right in front of me, my perspective of God, of myself, and of the world were forever changed.
I believe in a God that is bigger than my day-to-day life. I believe in His Kingdom – a Kingdom with no more sickness, disease, suffering, or tears. It is a Kingdom void of oppression, hatred, and war. I believe in the Promise of freedom, redemption, and reconciliation. I believe that Jesus
lived the Kingdom – healing, forgiving, restoring, loving… and I believe that there is a standing invitation to continue bringing the Kingdom, open to any and all who are willing to follow after Jesus.
For more information, please visit www.invisiblechildren.com.
