RESTORED

Last night, I was so blessed to get the opportunity to go to see Watoto's Restored Tour, which is there incredibly children's choir integrated with dancing and story telling by all these children from Gulu.

It is a truly amazing show about Love & Forgiveness and the source of it all, JESUS.  Jesus has redeemed these children, shown them love and forgiveness as well as given them hope for their future.  The child performers are all from Gulu district where the majority of the atrocities of the LRA took place.  All the performers have been affected by the LRA.  Most of the boys in the show had been abducted by the LRA and forced to become child soldiers some younger than 10 when they were abducted and forced to kill.  Majority of the girls were abducted by the LRA as slaves and captives, often raped by many of the soldiers as well as given to the commanders as one of their many wives.  Some of the girls were even forced to become soldiers as well.

You wanna know the amazing thing?  We didn't learn this by someone telling us about these tragedies who is an expert or historian from the area.  We heard it straight from the victims.   All those things mentioned above we heard straight from the children as they told their stories.  Some had been raped and seen their whole families killed right before their eyes before the age of 10.  Some had done the killing and the raping on stage... TOGETHER.  In between songs they would take turns standing up and sharing pieces of their stories throughout, ending with them sharing of how some of the boys had killed the family of a girl on stage with them. Think you would want to stand on stage with someone who killed your family and relive the story, I sure wouldn't.  Here's what is more amazing, they finished their story saying to them, with tears in their eyes, so heart felt,

I FORGIVE YOU!

Child after child stepped forward to say who they forgave... all the commanders, soldiers and even them forgiving the leader, Joseph Kony, who by the way I learned he is literally possessed by a "spirit" most definitely demonic and possibly Satan.  They shared he could perform these signs and predict things and claims to be sent by God.  Sounds like Satan to me.... But they FORGAVE him.  HOW?

Every single child said One Name, the Name above all names, the King of kings, the Lord of Lords,

JESUS CHRIST... 

that is how you spell forgiveness.  Because of Jesus these children have been given life and hope and been forgiven and redeemed.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  According to His great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." ~ 1 Peter 1:3

Wow that verse is just packed full of so many things.  Did you catch it though?  How this ties into what I was talking about?  So many things in there.

God's Great mercy... what did He do in His great mercy?  God in His mercy forgave us.  He crushed his son with our sins in His great mercy (Isa 53:5).  He forgave us on the cross.  So that we may be as it says born again.  These children have been born again because they were forgiven.  Because of the great forgiveness they have received and love that has overwhelmed them in Jesus, they cannot help but forgive others.  They understand that God the Father loves them too and wants them to be born again like they have...  But to What?

This verse answers this to.... HOPE... and what kind of hope?  A Living Hope.  Jesus is not dead.  The Tomb was empty.  He is alive.  He has given them a living hope.  The children's hope had been dashed... there hope was dead.  Dead hope is no good...  Is this what all other religions trust in though?  A dead hope?  Abraham & David (Judiaism) are dead and tombs worshipped, great men of God after His heart, Muhammed (Islam) is dead and his tomb worshipped where his bones remain,  Buddha's tomb worshipped where his bones remain, dead hope, ... Is there a temple at Jesus's tomb to be worshipped?  NO!

The Tomb was empty and Jesus is alive giving children like this and people like you and me and EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

A LIVING HOPE!

This living hope will change lives and change the world if we understand the Gospel and let it change us.  It will...

"...These men (Early Christians) have turned the world upside down..." ~ Acts 17:6

That is what real faith in the Living Hope does.  It turns the world upside down.

Let's turn it upside down with guidance by the Holy Spirit with the Living Hope on our lips all for the Glory of God the Father!

In Faithful service to the Living Hope Jesus Christ of Nazareth,

K2