Now I’m not going to dwell on the subject, so don’t get repulsed and change the channel. But, in a second, I have to make a point about cannibalism. Here’s the set-up.

On my most recent trip to Uganda, I traveled to Gulu, which was the central battleground for a bloody civil war that raged over two decades. The rebels, who called themselves “The Lord’s Resistance Army,” concentrated their unspeakably savage recruiting efforts on defenseless children.

Little boys and girls were brutally abducted and forced into becoming child soldiers and sex slaves in service to the ungodly aims of the “LRA.” As these children grew into adults, many of them became willing participants in the ongoing atrocities. They became fanatic purveyors of the very horrors that they, themselves, so tragically endured. Some of these former child victims became the most brutal and heartless victimizers. Why? How could these frightened children get warped into such heartless, blood-thirsty adults?

I’m sure the answer is complicated. But there is a common denominator that surfaced as some of these survivors told their stories. Each child was forced, under threat of horrible death, to participate in torture and murder. The victim was always someone they knew and was often a family member. Many of these survivors, particularly the boys, were forced to participate in brutal rituals that involved acts of cannibalism.

Once these uprooted children went through these bloody “initiations,” they were told there was no point in escape. They were now guilty of unforgivable sins and there was no refuge. Even if they returned to their families, they would never be taken back. If they fell into the hands of the authorities, they would be tortured and punished for their horrific crimes. The only avenue open to them, according to their captors, was integration into the “holy” movement. Only here could their crimes be seen as excusable and commendable in the larger context of “the struggle.” Only here could they hope to belong.

A surprising number of these children eagerly embraced this promise of “salvation” and threw themselves into a life of boundless blood and cruelty. The introduction of unbearable self-hatred, it seems, was the LRA’s preferred and amazingly successful technique for mutating frightened children into heartless fanatical warriors.

Joseph Kony, the dictatorial leader of the LRA, continues to elude all efforts to bring him to justice. As late as Christmas last year, his fanatics savagely murdered scores of innocent civilians in The Republic of Congo and abducted at least 80 children. At this very moment, heroic efforts are being mounted to find and rescue these kids. But we know it’s one thing to rescue them from Kony’s clutches and another thing to rescue them from the grips of self-hatred he imposes on them as an instrument of control.

Many of us who traveled to Gulu in March were sadly unprepared for the magnitude of the need. We went prepared to offer some level of medical care. We could supply some much needed medicine. We could provide the technology and training to enable the villagers of Gulu to drill water wells for themselves and their neighbors. We could distribute enough food to temporarily relieve the hunger of some. But one of the greatest needs we encountered we were powerless to relieve. Many of the young women freed from captivity are dying for forgiveness.

Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe of St. Monica’s Tailoring Center in Gulu is tirelessly working to help these girls acquire a trade and, through gainful work, promote the growth of self-esteem. Her message to these women is moving and powerful. A child cannot be faulted for being the victim of rape. A child cannot be faulted for her inability to stand up to the savagery of a heartless army. It is not the child’s fault if they are left alone in the world and have no one to turn to. Sister Rosemary does all she can to let each of these girls know that she is deserving of love no matter what the LRA says.

But there were more than 10,000 of these abducted children and many of these child victims bore children by their captors. Sister Rosemary has a big job and she labors heroically to carry the load. But she can’t do it alone and her resources are not up to the task. We don’t have the power to offer forgiveness, but we can lend a helping hand. To learn more about how to help, please attend a presentation I will give at 6 p.m. June 27 at Santa Fe Presbyterian Church in Edmond, or contact me at the e-mail address listed below.

I’m Hink and I’ll see ya.