Escaping the LRA 
What began as a normal day for Joel quickly turned into terror. As he rode a bus to work in northwestern Uganda he had no idea that his life would be in danger and changed forever. Then the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) attacked. They shot a bus tire, causing the vehicle to stop. Then they forced the passengers to get out and trek through the bush, carrying heavy loads.
Innocent Ugandans, including Joel, were now abductees by a rebel group infamous for their brutality. After a long distance, they had to walk along the bank of a river. As the prisoners neared the end of the river, Joel decided to take his chances and hide under the water. Miraculously, none of his captors noticed that he had disappeared. Swimming underwater, Joel continued to come up for air as needed and eventually reached dry ground and made his way to safety.
Joel was ultimately employed by Restoration Gateway as a brick mason. He eventually became the head mason and God has used Joel as the the major force behind the construction at RG.
Joel's is not the only painful story of LRA attacks among our workers and neighbors. The atrocities of the LRA are detailed in the personal lives of many of RG's workers. Many suffered or lost family members at the hands of the LRA and left all that they owned to flee to safety. The jobs they have at RG now help them provide for their families as they rebuild their lives. God has called RG to be a source of restoration for Ugandans such as Joel.
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Restoration After the LRA
 100 million views of the Kony 2012 online video indicate that Americans desire to be advocates and agents of positive change for those suffering the turmoil of war in Africa. Restoration Gateway provides direct services to the Acholi people of northern Uganda through orphan care, health care, empowerment and support for the Ugandan church. RG began developing a community of restoration on 500 acres on the south bank of the Nile River in 2007, as the LRA was being routed from Uganda... [click here to read full media release] |
