A Missionaries Diary
BOMA Grounds
This morning we boarded a small plane and left for Gulu in Northern Uganda. Gulu is the village where over 25,000 children were abducted to fight in the Lord’s Resistance Army. A man by the name of Joseph Koney believed that the Holy Spirit had spoke to him and told him to begin the war. The children were brainwashed and told that even bullets couldn’t harm him because he was protected by God. They were made to kill their own families and even bring back body parts to prove it. If they refused to do what they were told they were tortured and put before a firing squad. The young girls were raped by the army. Since a seize fire was called in January of this year, Joseph Koney has been hiding somewhere in the Congo. Last month he had his top ranking officer killed for speaking about peace. (Connie)
When we arrived in Gulu we were taken to a compound (Night Commuters) where the children from the surrounding villages would come to sleep at night so that Joseph Koney couldn’t find them. It was a chilling place to know that 1000 of those children and their families have been killed. (Connie)
We were then taken to visit one of the largest refugee camps where over 20,000 people live. The poverty is the worst I’ve ever seen. Many of the children are dressed in rags. One beautiful little girl dressed in a ragged Sunday dress followed me as we walked through the camp. She held my hand and wanted Matt, my son to take a picture of her. An elderly man, who spoke some English, stopped us and said, “The war will never end….The war will never end”. I told him that Christians around the world were praying for him. He begged me to keep praying that things would get better. You could feel the desperation in the camp but still the children ran to us with smiles on their faces and hope for a better future in their young eyes. The Kampala Pentecostal Church has opened a church in the village which is reaching out to the wounded people of Gulu. Last week they had 1000 people in church. We were able to give the pastor 4 proclaimers, which is the New Testament in the Acholli language. They will begin Bible studies in the village. (Connie)
We were then taken to Mrs. Latura's hom she has been taking orphans in her home after the war began. She greeted us with such joy and told us the story of how years before she would go out into the bush and read the Word of God to the children. When she found that their families had been killed she would take them to her own home. She is now the head of the largest orphanage in Gulu with over 1000 children. We visited that orphanage and as we drove up the children came running in their purple uniforms to greet us. Matt began videotaping them and they were broke out into song. They were singing about how great God is. Tears flowed as I listened to them singing and clapping with the joy of Lord on the faces. I realized how ungrateful we are in America for all our blessings. (Connie)
We were not able to stay overnight because it can be very dangerous. There is much work to done in this area because the people are so afraid and they know that Koney is still hiding somewhere and believe that he may come back. Pray for these wonderful people of Gulu, Uganda. (Connie)
Gulu was the most touching place for me. I could not believe the things that happened there. Idi Amien the former president of Uganda would commit genocide on a place called the Boma Grounds. We were fortunate enough to be able to walk on this ground and pray for those who were killed there. Another great prayer request is that the KPC Gulu church is looking t buy the land, and re-claims it for God’s new home of KPC Gulu. (Matt)
When I first saw the IDP camps I was crushed and I mean CRUSHED. I think that every American should take a walk through this place to see what is needed here in Africa. There were kids dressed in torn up ragged cloths and living in huts smaller than your average yard shed. I captured this whole trip on video so it will be coming soon. (Matt)