Imagine with Me?

*Point of clarification: The blog below is an edited version of the original form! Below I paint a picture of the life of Quami, The Country Director at The Raining Season and I include images that were shared with me by him, as well as other caretakers at the center, about life during the war in Sierra Leone (images that they heard about or actually saw themselves). In the earlier blog the wording made it sound like Quami was actually a child solider himself, which is NOT the case. When it was brought to my attention that it read that way I wanted to make sure to clarify and edit my writing! Quami had a terrible, and incredibly moving, experience where he potentially could have lost his life, but at no time was he subject to being a child soldier himself! My apologies and I hope this paints a more accurate portrayal!*

Our last two days were wonderful! We spent Thursday morning presenting gifts to the caretakers while the children were at school and got to know them a little better! In the afternoon we did a fun Vacation Bible School day teaching about Jonah and the Whale through story, song and some fun activities. I was in charge of BINGO…and enjoyed every second of calling out the numbers in different voices to symbolize how God speaks to us in different ways…so we have to listen closely ☺ Afterwards, we picked out costumes our Nashville team collected and we had a small dress up party to end the day! The day before, at the hospital, we had seen the most unfortunate Sierra Leone has to offer and the next we were able to rejoice in what can happen when we put our hands together to build a life for those who need us! We ended the day by watching children who were too broken a year ago to run around and play make believe. They are still on their journey to healing, but they are learning they can be anything their heart desires!

I want to try and paint a picture for you. It’s going to be hard because nothing in our world compares to what this looks like. But, can you imagine with me for a while? Imagine you are 17 years old. You are in love with sports and show immeasurable promise in soccer and basketball. You’ve even been offered the opportunity to play at the professional level! When you were 8 your father passed away leaving your mother to work as hard as she could to raise four children and put them through school. When you are not at school or at church you sell vegetables in the market place to lessen her load. So far, you can put yourself in this person’s shoes, huh? Imagine one day a dark cloud looming over you and your entire country. Imagine your city attacked by brutal rebel forces. You live in fear of watching your neighbors, friends, family members savagely murdered before your eyes. You live in fear that any day you could wake up to someone invading your home and forcing you to fight as a child soldier. Child Soldier? You hear stories about young boys within your community being injected with cocaine…feeling it seep into their blood stream. You could be forced to kill your family and rape your cousins. A gun could be placed in your hand as you are forced to fight for the rebel “Cause.” What is the cause? Can you imagine? Can you imagine living in this fear? Can you imagine a world where it’s common place to see people beaten and their hands, feet, arms, legs chopped off and left for dead? A world where people kidnap pregnant women and cut their stomachs open to steal their children to bring them up to fight for them. Can you imagine? Can you imagine knowing these atrocities are running rampant through your entire country? Can you imagine that one day as you are walking along the road you are interrogated for being a part of a rebel cause by a man you know has murdered hundreds of people? You are 17. You try to convince him you are not a part of this “Cause.” This man forces you and your childhood friend to strip down naked and ties you to a chair. You will die. Can you imagine closing your eyes and deciding it’s okay if you die and praising God for the life you’ve had? Imagine opening your eyes to that same man coming into the room, setting you free and saying…you can go. You grab your clothes, take only the time to put on your underwear and run as fast as you can to your community where your friends and family are stunned because they knew you were surely dead. Can you imagine this world?

We might be able to imagine…but we can’t possibly fathom it being real. No matter who the president is…no matter the situation…a ton would have to change in America for something like this to become reality. I’d like to boldly say…it would never happen. I don’t think a single one of us can imagine this world and make it realistic in our hearts. This 17 year old is Quami, the Country Director here at The Raining Season. Many of these images are images he and the caretakers at the center have described to me and our team. What’s even more stunning to me is that Quami faced death in the most brutal sense but still saw the beauty in the life he had lived to that point. And to this day he stands tall with the brightest smile I have ever seen. It’s not just a smile of joy…but of strength. Reality is, this is the world many of these children were born into. And although there is now peace in Sierra Leone…they do not have to imagine a world where people go hungry, commonly die of diseases before age 5, where mothers die in childbirth every day, where they are prostituted out by their mothers, sexually abused, beaten, trafficked, exploited…they don’t have to imagine because they coexist within this world…they are products of this. This is what they know. Do you know this world?
I certainly do not know this world. When I was 17, by U.S. standards my family is not wealthy. But we are more than blessed. Thanks to even more opportunity than I can imagine, I went to one of the best private schools in the nation, danced my heart out in one of the best dance schools in New Orleans, had the most up to date clothing, was a leader in every club I could get my hands on. I was encouraged to do anything and be anything I wanted to be. And…at the end of the day I went home to a four-bedroom house where my mother made an incredible dinner and I sat in the living room to watch T.V. with my family. Now…obviously things were not “perfect.” Nothing ever is. But, when I was 17 I coexisted in a world where my biggest struggle was whether I would see my name at the top of the cast list for the school musical.
Last time I was here I said over and over that nothing in my regular life compares to what I have seen in Sierra Leone. Last night, as Quami shared his story with our team he began to share about his time working with another organization called Children of the Nations. He had the opportunity to travel to America to speak in Florida, California and Washington State. While there he visited Disney World. He said, “I did not know how to go home and explain what I had seen in America. There is nothing in Sierra Leone to be able to explain what this Disney World is.”
Do you see what is wrong here? I can’t go home and explain severe malnourishment and human trafficking….and he can’t go home and explain the theme park where dreams and wishes all come true. That’s sick…and twisted. It makes every fiber of my being disgusted. It infuriates me. Not because I somehow think we should all feel badly for the opportunity we have grown up with, but because I feel like we are all more selfish than I could ever have realized. We do nothing with our opportunity. We benefit ourselves. If you disagree with me…I’ll be glad to discuss it with you…in depth.

If you know me well you know that I preach grace, reconciliation, peace and unconditional love so much that I could get a pretty awesome job with Hallmark. I don’t focus on sin because I know our focus is on grace and mercy. I base my Christianity on the resurrection rather than solely on the crucifixion. But…coming here reminds me how much I need to take a good look at how I live and where my priorities lie. I think we all should. The deepest desire of my heart is that these stories and pictures would not just impact my life but that you would hear my words…please let them seep into your spirit…and know how important it is for us to take a good look at ourselves and where we put our focus.
Are we imagining a world where we have our dream job that we believe will bring us fulfillment? Are we imagining a world where we have the nicest house in the best neighborhood? Are we imagining a world where we can just sit in our pew on Sunday Morning and think we are following Christ because we can put a check on our “Be a Good Person List?” Or are we imagining a world where we get up and do something? Where we look into the eyes of someone who has tasted and seen the most despicable injustices? Where we lavish the forgotten in so much love that we not only bring about reconciliation through the works of our hands…but that we finally discover true fulfillment?

As I type these words I am sitting on a chair overlooking Freetown. I see rooftops of homes that with one storm could easily come crashing in on the families beneath them…but I look beyond those rooftops and see the most beautiful clear blue sky and the crystal blue shoreline. I see the waves crashing against the sand and listen to the sound of the busy city streets. Above all of this I hear the sounds of drums off in the distance and hear 85 children laughing and clapping as they joyfully sing and play. There is promise. There is praise in the face of death. 85 children have found a home where they have caretakers who love them. They go to school and safely play in their yard. They get to go to the beach and run around collecting seashells and covering themselves in sand. They have people to counsel them about their past demons. They have people to hug them and cover them in love! They get to imagine! They get to imagine what their world could look like. Imagine themselves to be anything they wish to be! Will you imagine their world with me? Let’s make it happen.

See you in four weeks Sierra Leone! Until then…Peace and Love, Regina