The Truth I Have Here, the Truth I Hold Near

It has been a quiet first week back in Namaliri. We were surprised upon our return to find the twins in the family, Joshua and Caleb, still at home, along with our beloved neighbors Isaiah and Jonathan (the latter being the one whose two front teeth haven't grown in yet--a situation I took full advantage of during the Christmas season, when I taught him how to sing "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth".) School was starting back while we were away, and these boys would be boarding this year, meaning our time with them was coming to a close.

Joshua, Caleb, Isaiah, and Jonathan are all between the ages of seven and ten, putting them at risk of abduction, particularly as they take the 3 mile long walk home from school each day. In the same way that AIDS is everywhere, yet not spoken of, as if its name were Voldemort, child sacrifice is prevalent but only mentioned in hushed tones, as if recognizing its threat would increase its chances. Child sacrifices are performed by order of the local witch doctors, a superstition that battles the Christian religion all over Africa and a superstition that, unfortunately, is often incorporated. Though it is quite obviously illegal, it is a common occurrence, reported daily in the news. Even in more civilized areas, such as Kampala, the capitol of Uganda, sacrifices are happening before important buildings are being built.

I asked Rachel, Joshua and Caleb's mother, on a walk to visit the boys' school yesterday, about what made child sacrifices so sacred in this world of pagan practices that I had only heard about. She said its value was found in the purity of the children. The best children for the sacrifices are those unblemished, in particular boys. Some of the younger boys near us have pierced their ears because of this--a practice no longer common in this culture, but one that will most likely save their lives.

I wanted to know more, because coming from a conservative Western background, it still seemed far too outlandish to be true, but it was difficult to bring Rachel to speak candidly about the little information she had given. Even though she believes in the power of Jesus' blood far more than any other, the threat to the lives of her children holds a haunting power over her, a case that I gather is true all over this continent. The spiritual world is most definitely alive here, but it is not necessarily well. I discovered this upon my arrival in the church here and have been battling with the realities of it ever since. To this question, I don't have the answer; for this issue I don't have a resolution. It's a world that I had never come in contact with in my Western upbringing--a world that it sometimes seems would be better to ignore. But I remain for five more weeks in Africa, and after I return to my world of comfort and security, Africa will remain in me. Thus, this strange power will haunt me as well, but I am confident that it cannot have power over me. My time here has brought me has humbled me to realize that this confidence is all I have, but this confidence also means the world.