To be seen.

"Tsamina mina eh eh Waka Waka eh eh Tsamina mina zangalewa Anawa aa This time for Africa." Have you ever listened to Shakira? We sing this song at the base all the time. Of course no one can actually pronounce the lyrics but we all give it a try. And occassional (I confess) we try to skake it like Shakira. I'm sure you've done it too. Africa has been on my heart for a couple years now. I want to go there so bad. The whole continent needs Jesus. It needs peace. Have you ever heard of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA?) Send's shivers down my spine. Joseph Kony the leader of the LRA has "abduct[ed] thousands of children to become fighters or sex slaves (Source.)" These children are caught in the middle of warfare. They are abducted from their homes and schools and forced to endure horrific experiences. That is, if they survive a raid by the LRA. Unfortunately, I regret to say that this is not the only instance of children involved in war. When I was little I had this idea of war. I remember it very clearly because my dad was in the NAVY. It was like a sporting event. The two teams lined up on a football field and shot at people until someone won. There were spectators and everything. I remember when I found out this was faulty. My mom was watching the news and I saw a Middle Eastern woman hiding behind a wall covering her child with her body. There were shots in the background and everyone looked terrified. Including me. I couldn't imagine civilians being in danger during war. Especially children. Growing up is scary enough. "In recent decades, the proportion of civilian casualties in armed conflicts has increased dramatically and is now estimated at more than 90 per cent. About half of the victims are children." How about some more numbers--keeping in mind that these number represent real children with names and faces. There are approximately 300,000 child soldiers fighting in 30 wars around the world. "More than 2 million children have died as a direct result of armed conflict over the last decade. More than three times that number, at least 6 million children, have been permanently disabled or seriously injured." 8,000-10,000 more children are killed by landmines and over 1 million children are left orphaned by war (Source.) The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child says in article says, "States Parties shall take all feasible measures to ensure protection and care of children who are affected by an armed conflict," and, "persons who have not attained the age of fifteen years do not take a direct part in hostilities." Does it sound like Joseph Kony's child soldiers are being granted their rights? I think not. Maybe the government should step in. Think of all the names for Jesus. Isn't He known as the Prince of Peace? It is His intentions that His children are living to their full potential and living in peace. Matthew 5:9 says, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." And Psalm 128:6 says, "May you live to see your children’s children— peace be on Israel." Good news is, since this is something tender on my heart, I know heaps of ways you can get involved and get more info. First of all I would recommend watching the documentary called Invisible Children. In 2003, four guys, my age, took a trip to Africa and documented what they found there. Ever since they've been activists in stopping the LRA. They have three documentaries. I highly recommend them. I am currently reading a book written about the experience of a real child soldier. It's called A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. If you want you're heart broken for injustice, check it out. As always, UNICEF is a great resource for information about risks children face. An artist in the UK recently made a sculpter dedicated to bring awareness  to children caught in the crossfire of war. I love it when people use their talents and giftings to bring attention to injustice. I'll post a picture below and a video about kids trapt in war in Pakastan. If you want to get involved, you can start by praying. After praying, if you'd like to take a step to draw awareness to child soldiers, visit the Invisible Children site. On April 25th, they're doing an event dedicated to drawing attention to this vast problem. You can sign up and join in anywhere. You just have to be silent for 25 hours. Curious? Check it out. They also have an online store. Their products draw awareness to the issue at hand, help their cause, and are super cute. I encourage you to look into this for yourselves. There's so much to discover and learn about children in war.

Click here to check out Invisble Children!

Short video about the children caught in the conflicts in Pakastan.

Sculpture in UK by Schoony. It says, "It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country."

Joseph Kony.

Isn't this adorable?  Want one too? And it helps support women who escaped Joseph Kony's  army.
Click here to shop bags.