hiding. someone just asked me where i have been hiding.
i've been hiding in pictures and books. processing and attempting to formulate an understanding. as if understanding can be formulated. i should be waiting for an epiphany.
hiding is something the youth and children of Northern Uganda understand. i thought i understood hiding well. turns out hiding in western society pertains to a game of hide-&-seek in the play ground or avoiding an argument with friends or becoming inactive on facebook. i get asked where i've been hiding if i've missed a party or two.
hiding in uganda is a game of life and death. children at the age of 4 were sent to the bush and tall grasses to hide from the LRA. if they were found, a new game would begin. one of fear, torture and most likely death.
George used to hide. till he was 12 years old he slept in the bush with his friends. they slept spread out, hoping if one of them was found, the others would have a chance at a silent escape.
one night, as the rain pelted his tired, un-sleeping body, he decided he was tired of the hiding game. without a word to his brothers in the grass he walked home to his village.
i didn't care. if the LRA take me, they take me!
he was home for 45 minutes before the LRA came walking through his village. as his mum and grandma hid in their mud hut, one of the soldiers saw George and commanded him to show them the way to the next village. with confidence and an unnerving bravery, George walked with the LRA, boy his age, brainwashed to kill mercilessly, for 2 hours to their destination. upon arrival at the next village, the head soldier told George he could leave. stories like this are unheard of. once you are in LRA captivity, you are either made to kill or be killed. someone was watching out for George. he turned around and headed home.
i asked him if he turned and ran as fast as he could. he said;
no, i just walk. as if he was returning home from the store with a loaf of bread. so calm and casual.
after that George had 2 more encounters with the LRA and knows many of his friends who have been captured by them. now at 27 George has an amazing story of God's hand upon his life, he is actively involved in his local church doing youth ministry and visits the local prison in Kitgum to share and encourage the prisoners.
while we were in Kitgum, we could be sure to walk out of our rooms each morning and find baseball capped head and huge smile waiting for us. he took us to the village or to visit families, always willing to answer our curious questions.
his story is just one of many stories of strength and bravery we encountered in these people. strength and dignity mark them. their love for Jesus and unrestrained worship pierce my heart with regret for my own apathy.
the Acholi people no longer need to hide who they are. they are free to return from IDP's, sleep in their huts and villages, regrow their agriculture and worship. healing and regrowth is still in baby stages as they recover from a 21 year war, but the game is over. the light is flooding the land.
yes i did make up the word unsleeping.
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