The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has been waging a war on the people of central Africa for over 20 years, using primarily child soldiers.
This month marks the one and two year anniversaries of "two of the most brutal massacres in its history, targeting Congolese communities left vulnerable as they celebrated Christmas. Each time, hundreds of people were killed and abducted. Churches were sought out and burned down. Entire communities – places once home to warmth and laughter – were devastated."
Last night, I joined the Resolve staff and a handful of other people in front of the White House to stop and remember, to mark and honor the lives lost, and to pray for the people left walking forward without the ones they love by their side.
The night was bitterly cold, and as we huddled against the wind that kept blowing out the tiny candles we held in our (mostly) gloved hands, I couldn't help but be humbled by the group of people around me. Here stood college students in the middle of exam week, working professionals with careers and lives, moms and dads, brothers and sisters, passionate activists who desperately want to see the world be all that it was created to be.
We all chose a name from a list of hundreds killed, and together said the following words, which I've included here as a tribute to Rose:
Today, I choose to stop and remember.
I claim this moment for Rose. Here and now, I recognize and honor the person-hood, the dreams, the relationships and the significance of this one life lost to LRA violence. I claim this moment for Rose, not only to affirm the inherent dignity and beauty of this one life, but to recognize the injustice that took it and to defy the tendency of our world to look away, to be silent, and to forget.
With others around the world, I choose to be still and remember the families whose lives have been wounded by this crisis.
We pray for comfort for mothers and fathers who have lost their children and for young ones who have been left as orphans.
We pray for healing and strength for those in pain.
We pray for protection and courage for those who live in fear of future violence.
We pray for steadfast hope, freedom, and true healing for children enslaved, robbed of their innocence, and forced to commit unspeakable atrocities.
We pray for wisdom, integrity, and courage for leaders and institutions responsible to protect and serve these communities.
We pray for brave heroes from within these communities—heroes who lead by serving, who are driven by love, and who earnestly seek truth and healing and peace for their people.
We pray for fighters to lay down their weapons and for peacemakers to dream and mend and create.
We pray against the apathy, injustice, and self-interest that have allowed this crisis to continue.
And we desire hearts of relentless compassion, wisdom, and resolve, so that we might help meet the very needs for which we have prayed today.
I am resolved for peace.
If you're interested in joining people around the world and holding your own vigil to stop and remember, you can find all the tools and join the community here.
Katie aka secret soulmate and I in front of the White House, Resolved to Remember.
