Go Beyond

Watoto’s Restore Tour | A Celebration of Forgiveness and Restoration

Having visited some of the poorest and most dangerous places on the planet, I have personally seen how the actions of unprincipled individuals can permanently stain the history of places and peoples. One such place is Gulu in northern Uganda, home to the Acholi people. The Acholi have suffered unspeakable atrocities at the hands of the Lord’s Resistance Army or LRA — a guerilla band led by a high-school and church-attending drop-out named Joseph Kony. This man is living proof of what can happen when stupidity, power, and bad theology are mixed together. In 1986, Kony unleashed a bloody campaign in an effort to establish a theocratic government in Uganda based on the Ten Commandments. In the process, he violated and disgraced every letter of the Decalogue and acted completely contrary to the example of Jesus.

As a consequence of Kony’s actions, life for the Acholi became unbearable. Hundreds of thousands of people left their homes and found refuge in IDP (Internally Displaced People) Camps. And, more than 20,000 children were abducted from their homes by LRA rebels. These children, who once played joyfully in their villages, were turned into child soldiers and forced to do horrible things to their parents, siblings, and peers as a part of their initiation and indoctrination into the LRA. The LRA also abused girls as young as nine-years-old, turning many into sex slaves. And, the LRA made examples of many innocent people by mutilating them — cutting off noses, lips, ears, and limbs. These disfigured specters were left behind to strike fear into the hearts of the hoi polloi. For an insider’s insight into the dark world of a child soldier, I recommend that you read “A Long Way Gone” by former child soldier Ishmael Beah from Sierra Leon.

Yesterday, Kingsland hosted the Watoto Choir’s Restore Tour. I became acquainted with the work of Watoto in Uganda through my friends Wayne and Tarah Thomas. Watoto (the Swahili word for children) is a holistic care program founded by Gary and Marilyn Skinner as a response to the overwhelming number of abandoned and vulnerable children and women in Uganda — those whose lives have been ravaged by war and disease. Watoto’s Restore Tour is a dramatic, musical, and visual presentation by a cast of survivors — boys who were abducted and turned into child soldiers and girls who suffered abuses at the hands of the LRA. These were not actors performing a musical. These were survivors telling their own stories — captives set free.

The personal testimonies of the cast members are seamlessly woven into Watoto’s powerful presentation. The most dramatic part of the evening was when several of the cast members stood to their feet, one by one, and said that they have forgiven those who abused them and their families. One young man said that he has forgiven the soldiers who cut off his mother’s arms and cut her throat in front of him. Another said that he has forgiven Joseph Kony. And, one young man said that he has forgiven his abductors but also needs forgiveness for the things that he did to others as a child soldier.

A celebration of forgiveness and restoration.

It was hard to hold back the tears and to suppress the conviction. As I listened to the testimonies of these young men and women, I asked myself several questions. How can we hold grudges, harbor bitterness and resentment, and hate others in the face of such examples? If a young man can forgive those who killed his mother, then how can we do anything less for those whose offenses against us pale by comparison? One young lady shared some African wisdom from her village. “When a snake bites you,” she said, “you do not run after the snake. Instead you deal with the venom in your own body.” Wise words! Watoto did not come to entertain us, but to remind us of the transforming power of God’s love and forgiveness. The evening ended with a celebration of forgiveness and restoration. To learn more about the ministry of Watoto or the Restore Tour, please visit their website. This is a ministry worthy of our prayers and support.