The Forgotten Children by Vernon Brewer makes you want to sell everything you have to raise money to adopt as many Ugandan children as you possibly could. I had the privilege of hearing Vernon Brewer speak several years ago in conjunction with the Children of the World Choir. Talk about a powerful story! The Forgotten Children is Brewer’s expose on the orphan crisis in Uganda, particularly in light of the devastation caused by Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army.
Reading this book reminds me of a quote from William Wilberforce, “You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.” The question for Christians, myself included, is what do we do? How do we intervene to save a generation of Ugandan children from the atrocities that are taking place in their country? World Help is doing some amazing work there, but it will take all of us to make a difference and change the course of eternity for this nation.
“Imagine for a moment that 10 million children were going to lose their lives next year due to the earth’s overheating. A state of emergency would be declared and you would be reading about little else. Well, next year, more than 10 million children’s lives will be lost unnecessarily to extreme poverty and you’ll hear very little about it. Nearly half will be on the continent of Africa, where HIV/AIDS is killing teachers faster than you can train them and where you can witness entire villages in which chilren are the parents… Will American Christians stand by as an entire country dies?” Bono
As Christians, now that we know…we must act. Below I have pasted several things that I highlighted while reading…
- A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more. Jeremiah 31:15
- We wouldn’t allow this to happen to our children here in America–so how can we turn our backs on the truly forgotten and helpless children in Northern Uganda?
- See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. Matthew 18:10
- “Most of the children in this camp were born here. They have known only the camp as their home.” Ugandan pastor in Gulu
- But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish. Psalm 9:18
- The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. Romans 8:16-17
- “Some day when you stand before God and He asks, ‘Did you know about what was going on in Northern Uganda?’ What will you say? If He asks, ‘Did you know children were being murdered, raped, and abducted? What did you do?'” US Senator Sam Brownback
- And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then you light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. Isaiah 58:10
- “If you can accomplish only one thing today, tomorrow, or in your lifetime…let it be that you save the life of a child.” Vernon Brewer