Reflecting on Child Soldiers and IDPs in Soroti, 2004: Journal Entry and Poem

Child Soldier

(Reflecting again on meeting child soldiers in Soroti, Uganda in 2004)

Although I didn't know it at the time, I met my husband - and even interviewed him- in Soroti Town in 2004. That visit will forever be etched on my memory.

We have just published the second edition to Samuel's story now. Having freshly re-read and edited every page, I have again re-lived his story as if it is my own (which is probably why I have been feeling so exhausted lately!). Imagining life as an Internally Displaced Person (IDP), living on a battlefield and surviving in the jungles, is one thing; remembering the child soldiers and child wives that we met is another.

The picture on the right, and the one below, are of IDPs in Soroti. They have beautiful smiles, and while they were completely displaced and spread out throughout the city, seeking safety from Kony's army that rampaged villages in the district, they were still "innocent".

The children that we met, with Pastor Joseph, were not IDPs; they were escaped child soldiers, and "wives".

Here is an excerpt from my journal (which I happen to have in my "Envisioning and Institute Notes", and keep on the shelf beside my computer:

(Tues.-Fri. January 6-9, 2004):

"I have now seen jungle, rocks [volcanic plugs], grass, etc. but no animals yet! [my sister] Adrienne and I travelled to Soroti with Uncle Tom, Uncle Shadrach, and Auntie Johanne. It was an amazing experience. We have heard so much about the IDPs in Soroti and the children who escaped from Kony's army. The emergency for clinics is now over and there is about 3/4 less people sleeping in the streets [yet the streets were still full!]. The camps are now organized and huts have been built.

The air of hopelessness has decreased, though it hasn't ceased.

We toured the clinics and camps and met many people. The children would swarm around us! Some of the young ones were afraid of our white skin :)

We also went to the "Rescued Children's Camp". It was strange to be amongst these children who were made to see and forced to do so many atrocities. The girls were SO young! It is awful to imagine - to KNOW - that they were all abducted to be soldier's wives! They are babies and some of them now have babies growing inside of their small bodies.

And the boys were somehow innocent looking yet they had all seen death and some have been forced to kill even their friends. It amazes me that they can even smile and are not completely dead inside. I can't imagine going through what they have.

And it also amazes me that God has something for them. He is holy and righteous in ALL that He does, and this cannot be excluded! He allowed these children to be so abused and yet He had a plan to save them and to care for them, since before time began.

He knows each name and what each one has experienced and what marvellous things He has for each one in the future...

...[we helped to interview prospective staff for a proposed children's home, where these children would be placed into family, and be introduced to our Father God]."

He STILL knows their names! And, I can imagine, even as my own husband has come through healing through forgiveness, that some are now healthy and enjoying life - and I can also imagine that some still struggle with how to live, and need to know that there IS healing in Christ! This is a great reminder to PRAY!

This is what I wrote, a year later, imagining those boys:

"Their eyes are wide in horror

Eyes that once held love

I hear their cries echoed constantly in my heart

My heart pounds in my chest

I am sweating - it feels like blood, but it doesn’t harden

There is power in my hand

I feel so weak

I feel tortured

I am the torturer

Life and death are in my hands

Their death means my life

I feel dead

I have to live

I hate my oppressors

I hate myself

I will never forgive them

I can never forgive myself

I was somebody’s son

I was somebody's brother

I was somebody's friend

I am somebody's killer"

The book next to that journal on my shelf here, is called, "Children in Crisis" by Phyllis Kilbourn, which teaches a biblical response to the plight of children like these. Even in so much pain, there is HOPE

To order our book, go HERE

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