The landscape is baron. An array of colors sweep across the open plain underneath the bright blue sky and rolling white clouds. Today, we have traveled about forty minutes from Lira, Uganda to see a part of the country severely affected by the rebel army that caused chaos in this country for more then twenty years.
As our driver makes his way down the red clay road, we see children playing, fathers planting, and mother
s cooking and cleaning. You would not be able to even tell that this place three years ago was almost non-existent. That people lived in fear and left their homes for camps because they had no way to protect themselves.
We passed a school with children dressed in brightly colored shirts and they ran across the field waving and yelling out hello. Like many other children we have seen this year, as we waved back, smiles spread across their faces. We finally reached our destination a small village in the middle of nowhere. It was a camp that so many of the people we passed stayed in. It was nothing more then a field now with a cement memorial in the middle of it.
As we piled out of the car, a man in a light pink shirt approached us and introduced himself. His name, I’m not sure of, but he was the camp leader at the time. On February 22, 2004 this small camp was attacked by the rebel army. They gunned downed 200 plus Uganda civilians, who were unarmed. In front of their children and families the army brutally killed and tortured people. Surrounding the field was a half circle of concrete; the leader of the camp was explaining after the attack, they gathered remains and buried them in a mass grave. I wish I could say that I could see immense pain in this man’s face, but it was something that he lacked. I’m not saying it wasn’t there, but he was almost emotionless. How do you live with those images in your head each day? How do you see a woman who lost her child or a child who lost his father that day and not just break? These people are still struggling and you can why when you really look to see the effects that war has caused. At the same time they are trying to move on. They are trying to rebuild and live free of fear.
I wish I had more time in northern Uganda amongst these people. It is hard to get a grasp on who they are in this short amount of time. One thing I do know is that these people are strong. They are fighting for a better life for themselves and their children. I just wish that I could see more of the church in this area. I wish I was able to see Christians investing in this place because what they really need is God; a God who loves them and is going to help them through this time of healing.
Please be praying for this country that they would see God in the midst of their pain and turn their hearts towards him. Only He can heal the pain and suffering; only He can save the lost.
