i just had a major cry fest (of the good kind) over the response and attention to kony 2012. it's amazing. it's encouraging.
i remember a day many, many years ago when i was watching oprah and saw these three young guys sitting on her sofa, talking about a trip they'd taken to sudan. which led them to uganda. which led them to creating a movie about the war in northern uganda that this american girl knew nothing about. i was moved.
i ordered invisible children: rough cut and watched it and cried. like i'd never cried before. (or since, most likely.) i had no idea what change was about to happen in my life. what a long and amazing journey was starting. what beautiful and passionate people i was going to meet along the way.
oddly, i'd had a heart for africa for as long as i could remember. but it never made sense. how can someone have a heart for a continent? what does that even mean? what does that look like? what does one do with that? jason, bobby, laren and the rough cut made it make sense. finally, it made sense. i knew what i wanted to do. i knew what i needed to do. i knew the reason for the desire that God had placed on my heart many years before.
i watched jolly lead jason, laren and bobby to the bus park full of thousands of children in fear of being abducted in the middle of the night. i saw her passion, in that very first meeting, for ther community. an almost desperation in her desire for their story to be seen and heard and told.
i heard boni talking about his best friend, ojok, who had been kidnapped by the LRA and forced to fight in the war. boni didn't know if his friend was dead or alive. boni couldn't even cry for his best friend any more but his "heart was beeping." mine, too.
and then there was jacob. sweet, strong, tenacious jacob. he'd escaped from the LRA and they were looking for him. he spoke of his brother who had been killed. he cried, even though the LRA had conditioned them to never cry. cry and be killed. children. children killing and being killed.
heartbreaking.
i was moved and then i moved.
there was the global night commute.
and displace me.
and the rescue.
and then there came the obama administration's announcement to send advisors to central africa.
and we rejoiced.
and now, kony 2012. over 58 million views on youtube alone. astonishing. i think of all the links and videos that have been posted over the years. all the emails and letters sent. the phone calls to congressmen made. (the form letters received in response.) all the pleas for people to read, watch, listen. to see, hear, respond. and it's happened. little by little, it's happened. but now? now the response is huge. it's universal. it's happening. i am overwhelmed with hope and faith that it's happening. i pray that the end is near. that these children who are now adults will finally see justice for their tormenters. that these children who are still children will know peace before they're adults. that the beautiful, loving, vibrant, tortured Children of God in central africa will know peace.
peace.
i remember a day many, many years ago when i was watching oprah and saw these three young guys sitting on her sofa, talking about a trip they'd taken to sudan. which led them to uganda. which led them to creating a movie about the war in northern uganda that this american girl knew nothing about. i was moved.
i ordered invisible children: rough cut and watched it and cried. like i'd never cried before. (or since, most likely.) i had no idea what change was about to happen in my life. what a long and amazing journey was starting. what beautiful and passionate people i was going to meet along the way.
oddly, i'd had a heart for africa for as long as i could remember. but it never made sense. how can someone have a heart for a continent? what does that even mean? what does that look like? what does one do with that? jason, bobby, laren and the rough cut made it make sense. finally, it made sense. i knew what i wanted to do. i knew what i needed to do. i knew the reason for the desire that God had placed on my heart many years before.
i watched jolly lead jason, laren and bobby to the bus park full of thousands of children in fear of being abducted in the middle of the night. i saw her passion, in that very first meeting, for ther community. an almost desperation in her desire for their story to be seen and heard and told.
i heard boni talking about his best friend, ojok, who had been kidnapped by the LRA and forced to fight in the war. boni didn't know if his friend was dead or alive. boni couldn't even cry for his best friend any more but his "heart was beeping." mine, too.
and then there was jacob. sweet, strong, tenacious jacob. he'd escaped from the LRA and they were looking for him. he spoke of his brother who had been killed. he cried, even though the LRA had conditioned them to never cry. cry and be killed. children. children killing and being killed.
heartbreaking.
i was moved and then i moved.
there was the global night commute.
and displace me.
and the rescue.
and then there came the obama administration's announcement to send advisors to central africa.
and we rejoiced.
and now, kony 2012. over 58 million views on youtube alone. astonishing. i think of all the links and videos that have been posted over the years. all the emails and letters sent. the phone calls to congressmen made. (the form letters received in response.) all the pleas for people to read, watch, listen. to see, hear, respond. and it's happened. little by little, it's happened. but now? now the response is huge. it's universal. it's happening. i am overwhelmed with hope and faith that it's happening. i pray that the end is near. that these children who are now adults will finally see justice for their tormenters. that these children who are still children will know peace before they're adults. that the beautiful, loving, vibrant, tortured Children of God in central africa will know peace.
peace.
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