My cousins and I attended the Displace Me in the Phoenix area. Invisible Children hosted 15 Displace Me events in cities across the country. It was an experiential event where Americans simulated what it would be like to live in a refugee camp. It was meant to raise awareness, stimulate compassion and ultimately initiate action to stop the war in Northern Uganda. There has been a civil war raging in Northern Uganda for more than 20 years. The Lord’s Resistance Army has forcefully enlisted children as soldiers in this 20 year struggle. Invisible Children is an organization raising awareness and meeting the practical needs of children and people affected by this war.
Displace Me is to tell another story about how the war in Uganda is affecting people. The war has forced a lot of people off of their land and into refugee camps. At the event they forced you to give up everything you brought in so the leaders could redistribute the water and food later. Only women 18-22 were allowed to get water and they could only get one water bottle per trip. This is because women in internally displaced refugee camps may have to travel up to two miles to get fresh water. They usually must take multiple trips a day for their washing, cooking and drinking needs. Then the men were the only ones who could get food and they had to go back in order to feed everyone in their group. They also had people build cardboard shelters to sleep in. It was cool because it actually was similar to what some of the housing in refugee camps look like.
The one part of the night that I especially loved was the 21 minutes of prayer and silence. I think I liked this part of the night because it is the one thing that I believe can stop this war. I don’t think writing our senators or sending in food aid can stop the war. I do believe that the spirit of God moving on the hearts of generals and leaders on both sides of the conflict can lead to peace in Northern Uganda. Pray for peace and pray for God’s church to extend his love. Check out some pic:
Displace Me is to tell another story about how the war in Uganda is affecting people. The war has forced a lot of people off of their land and into refugee camps. At the event they forced you to give up everything you brought in so the leaders could redistribute the water and food later. Only women 18-22 were allowed to get water and they could only get one water bottle per trip. This is because women in internally displaced refugee camps may have to travel up to two miles to get fresh water. They usually must take multiple trips a day for their washing, cooking and drinking needs. Then the men were the only ones who could get food and they had to go back in order to feed everyone in their group. They also had people build cardboard shelters to sleep in. It was cool because it actually was similar to what some of the housing in refugee camps look like.
The one part of the night that I especially loved was the 21 minutes of prayer and silence. I think I liked this part of the night because it is the one thing that I believe can stop this war. I don’t think writing our senators or sending in food aid can stop the war. I do believe that the spirit of God moving on the hearts of generals and leaders on both sides of the conflict can lead to peace in Northern Uganda. Pray for peace and pray for God’s church to extend his love. Check out some pic:
3 comments:
Pat, thats a really cool event you guys did. I had heard about it from a girl in our small group. Hope the support raising for your return trip is going well. Say hi to the cousins for me. Steve
This is Joel Dykes daughter... Was reading your blog and wanted to leave you a comment!! I think ya'll are doing an awesome thing, keep up the good work!!!
Hello from Baton Rouge! We did the New Orleans Displace Me! I posted pics from ours on my blog if you want to check them out..
http://thewardrobeandthewhitetree.blogspot.com/2007/04/get-your-hippie-on.html
http://thewardrobeandthewhitetree.blogspot.com/2007/04/displace-me-event.html
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