Invisible Children and Papito

Today Invisble Children, a movement designed to help end the conflict in Uganda, came to OSU and let Papito, a 19 year old Ugandan orphan, speak at the Wes Watkins center. Danae, David, and I had the pleasure of attending this event and learning more about the country we will be visiting this summer. Papito has been through some terrible events in his life, and he is even younger than I am! That's sad and frightening to me to think of what happens in some countries, espcially to young children like Papito was. But, that only means that they need to message of Jesus all the more. Thankfully, much of the conflict has been reduced over the past two years in Northern Uganda where the violence is centered. There are still atrocious acts done, but God's hand is working there in that country and bringing it closer to peace. And, what better way to help end the horrors than giving the people their the best message we could give them: that of Jesus Christ. Don't worry Mom, the Lord has blessed our group to be going to Jinja, located in the southern part of Uganda, far away from the acts of Kony and the LRA.

On a more postitive note, we got to watch a video at that same event of some people who, with the help of the Invisible Children organization, were able to go to Uganda. We got to see videos of their reactions and interactions with Uganda and the Ugandas. To be honest, when I heard the Ugandans speaking, I was a little worried. They speak English quite a lot over there, but with a thick accent that's hard to understand. Understanding them was a bit of a problem. I know once I'm over there it will become easier, but hearing it firsthand made it real. All I could think was "This is what my readers will sound like. Get used to it." Also, knowing that many of them speak English already is disconcerting. Will we be of any use if everyone already knows English? Will any readers come at all? That makes me feel a little unnecessary. However, God showed me that he can still use me. I know that if our readers know English well, that means our conversations will not be hindered by our lack of comprehension; God will use us to delve into deep conversations about faith and our Christian walks with God. We can more fully express our love of God and Christ's love for them without the inadequacies of limited vocabulary or linguistic skill. I am so blessed to be able to share God and his words to those in a country that is in need of his love and care.

As always, thanks for reading! Please continue to keep us, our future readers, and Uganda in your prayers.