This Is the Way... "Neither Shall They Learn War Anymore"
by Robin Webber
Parents are often confronted with
the attention-grabbing question, "Do you know where your child is tonight?" Normally,
this question is raised to shock or jolt parents into remembering their
responsibilities. But tonight there are many parents around this globe
who will not be able to answer that penetrating question. They simply
don't know the location of their children because of the ravages of
war. This month I want to share with you the very real and heart-rending
dilemma of little boys in a small country with big problems. This faraway
tragedy has very near and dear consequences for every Christian.
These young and precious lives came to light
in the article "Saving Sierra Leone's Ex-Child Soldiers" in the Los
Angeles Times October 18, 1999. Times staff writer Ann M.
Simmons paints a sobering picture of how children were "used up" by
adults in the midst of a civil war and how a devastated society is trying
to rehabilitate these "veterans" of war-the best they know how.
Meet Sergeant David Samai
Simmons sets a tone of understanding
by writing: "The
crackle of gunfire, the pride of being in charge, the experience of attacking
a village and being allowed to keep some of the spoils. This is what
used to give David Samai a thrill. He ran away from home at age 12
to join forces fighting to overthrow the government of Sierra Leone. By
the time he was 14 he had been promoted to sergeant, primarily in charge
of other young combatants and fighting alongside some of the toughest,
most notorious rebel commanders in one of Africa's cruelest conflicts."
David's reaction? "'It was fun to be
in the bush,' recalled the scrawny, deceptively reserved teenager
with deep-set eyes, now unhappy living with his adoptive parents.
'I liked being a sergeant.'"
