Next week is the 61st Annual National Prayer Breakfast here in Washington and it is always one of my favorite events in DC. I’ve only actually attended the breakfast once but have had the pleasure of attending events surrounding it every year. It’s a remarkable week of people coming from all over the world from different countries and backgrounds to meet together over breakfast to pray.
One event I was involved in was a dinner for delegates coming from Africa. It was always fun to arrange the seating, give a capitol tour, and help play host for the evening. I would think through who should sit by who and what languages they might share; and in the end it would all come together. It was always enjoyable to watch everyone engage each other as they came from different places across the continent of Africa.
Sister Rosemary CNN Heroes 2007
One person who was one of the most memorable and a definite favorite of mine was Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe from Gulu, Uganda. She is a spunky, no-nonsense nun that works with women and children who have been abducted and brutalized by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). If you’ve never heard of the LRA it is a group of fighters led by a brutal and psychotic leader, Joseph Kony. They have terrorized the Great Lakes Region of central Africa for over 20 years. According to Resolve, since 2008 the LRA has killed over 2,400 people, abducted over 3,400, and displaced approximately 460,000 people. They prey on the weak and defenseless by abducting children to serve as child soldiers and sex slaves. They prey on vulnerable populations like in Eastern Congo and Southern Sudan who are already in turmoil due to (among others things) regional conflict, violence, and displacement of refugees.
Sister Rosemary, however, is a beacon of hope and strength to hundreds of women and children who are rehabilitated at her school, St. Monica’s Girls’ Tailoring School. These girls, many who have become mothers, have been terrorized and abused by Joseph Kony’s LRA now are provided a safe haven and opportunities for a new life for the future. Sister Rosemary’s school is training them in life skills, tailoring, and making pop-top purses that are sold with the funds going back to the girls.
Myself with Sister Rosemary and Senator James Inhofe
I recently came across a great video by Lampstand (click here) about Sister Rosemary’s work. She said, “The lasting impact of the training we give in this place, in St. Monica’s for these girls is really helping them to get integrated again into society, and getting integrated, become self reliant, not relying on people to help them. The past is already gone but they can always live with hope for the future. They can make their lives better by taking care of themselves and their children.” Sister Rosemary, who joined the sisterhood at only 15 years of age, is changing the lives of hundreds of girls and children by believing in them and creatively giving them skills in order to have a place back in their communities.
Photo from Sisters United
To get involved in Sister Rosemary’s pop-top purses visit http://www.sistersunited.com
