There is so much to say that I don’t even know where to begin…
It was pouring rain. It wasn’t bad when I left home, but as soon as I parked, it was a torential downpour.
When I arrived at the Abduction Site, I was greeted by cheering, enthusiastic people, proudly displaying our passion for the event, doing it all for the kids.
While waiting to walk to the LRA Camp, we heard from a man who was from South Africa speak to us about how moved he was. It was breathtaking.
The walk was one of the most sombering and beautiful experiences I have ever had. We marched in groups of twelve, the clothes on our backs clung to our bodies as we walked miles to the LRA Camp. It was sombering because the walk we took was the same walk that the abducted children of Joseph Kony are forced to take. They walk, not knowing what will happen, not knowing if they will ever see their family and those they love again.
I did The Rescue for these kids.
For the voiceless.
For the equality and human rights for all.
To end a war that has displaced millions, abducted thousands, changed and shattered the lives of millions of people.
Holding hands in a circle, we stood together, knowing we were in this together.
We were rescued.
“Anger reflects the hope that a problem can be corrected. When it burns out, it leaves the ashes of resentment and contempt. And contempt is the handmaiden of hopelessness.”
Mistakes were made (but not by me)
betryal sucks.
its like, sometimes i just want them back, you know? but then i also realize that it was an unhealthy friendship and i’m healthier without them. i hate that word..them. it’s one of the worst words in the english language. THEM picks out a certain group of people..THEM targets them as something awful..THEM..i hate that..i was always and maybe still am one of THEM..
but somedays i miss them..
“ …Does he draw a red pencil line through a map of Indiana to plot the exact path of a tornado? There, hit that house, kill that six-year-old, but skip over this next house. Does God program the earth like a video game, constantly experimenting with tidal waves, seismic temblors, and hurricanes? Is that how he rewards and punishes us, his helpless victims.
Posing the questions so brazenly may sound sacrilegious. But they’ve long haunted me, and in various forms have been tossed at me like spears by agnostic friends. Wondering about God is an almost universal part of the experience of suffering…
…I once attended a funeral service for a teenage girl killed in a car accident. Her mother wailed, “The Lord took her home.” I have been with sick Christian people who agonize over the question, “What is God trying to teach me?” Or, they plead, “How can I find enough faith to get rid of this illness? How can I get God to rescue me?”
Maybe such people have it all wrong. Maybe God isn’t trying to tell us anything specific each time we hurt. Pain and suffering are part and parcel of our planet, and Christians are not exempt. Half the time we know why we get sick: too little exercise, a poor diet, contact with a germ. Do we really expect God to go around protecting us whenever we encounter something dangerous?
Philip Yancey
