Putting everything aside for a moment to talk about something that is gripping my heart that I refuse to be in denial about any longer...the oppression and darkness that has overcome Africa. Think about it, every 15 seconds someone in Africa is dying of AIDS, which has reached epic proportions. And then we have all the orphaned children who have lost both parents to this horrific disease.
Then we have the 'night commuters' as they are called, children in Uganda who walk 10 miles every evening from their home to some form of shelter to avoid being kidnapped in the middle of the night by the LRA (Lord's Resistant Army) who will turn them into children soldiers, forcing them to kill, even to kill other children.
Young girls are misled and kidnapped and forced into sex trafficking. They live in a constant state of fear. Fear of getting caught by the police and fear of their captors.
For more than a decade, the sale of illegal "blood diamonds" in Sierra Leone helped pay for arms and sustained a conflict which killed 50,000 people and was largely about winning control of the diamond fields. Rebel forces continued to wage attacks, many of which included the torture, rape, and brutal maimings of thousands of civilians, including countless children. Amputation by machete was the horrific signature of the rebels.
I've given money, is there anything else I can do?...Pray...Please join me.
