This is about an incredible movie we recently saw, God Grew Tired of Us. It chronicles the heart-wrending, stomach-turning, mind-blowing journey of the Lost Boys of Sudan.
These boys were the last remnants of a mainly African Christian people, systematically being wiped out by African Muslims in a vicious African civil war. I remember reading a little about this in the late 1990’s.
(AgapePress) - Members of mainline Protestant denominations will be participating in a prayer vigil for the persecuted church in Sudan.
The Church Alliance for a New Sudan is a project designed to bring churches into leadership in the grassroots movement of advocacy for Sudan. From September 18-24, the Alliance will be holding what it is calling “Stand Firm: A Vigil for Sudan,” which will be held in a park across from the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C.
Alliance director Faith McDonnell says Sudan is the worst example of Christian persecution in the world, and she notes that 2.5 million people have died and five million more have been displaced from their homes.
“Their villages have been attacked and burned, and there are people who are either living in swamps or in refugee camps in different areas,” McDonnell says. “It’s a terrible war. The origin of the war is that the government of Sudan wants to impose Islamic law and make Sudan an Islamic Arab country.”
…”When Madelyn Albright was the Secretary of State, she made a remark to our Sudan coalition that Sudan was not marketable to the American people,” she says. “So we’re really having this vigil to prove that wrong … [and] to say yes, the American people care about Sudan, the churches in America care about Sudan, and we want to stand with our Christian brothers and sisters who are being persecuted.”
The movie does not delve into the political aspects behind the Lost Boys. It tells us the story of the Lost Boys themselves.
Orphaned by a tumultuous civil war and traveling barefoot across the sub-Saharan desert, John Bul Dau, Daniel Abol Pach and Panther Blor were among the 25,000 “Lost Boys” (ages 3 to 13) who fled villages, formed surrogate families and sought refuge from famine, disease, wild animals and attacks from rebel soldiers. Named by a journalist after Peter Pan’s posse of orphans who protected and provided for each other, the “Lost Boys” traveled together for five years and against all odds crossed into the UN’s refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya. A journey’s end for some, it was only the beginning for John, Daniel and Panther, who along with 3800 other young survivors, were selected to re-settle in the United States.
Of course, because the movie was partly produced by National Geographic, the Christian persecution aspect is not made clear. I hope our memories are not too short to remember that churches in America wanted to help these Boys long before anyone else did. Because of the churches’ tireless work, the Lost Boys were finally “marketed” to us.
At the start, the movie mercilessly takes the viewer through the desolate deserts to the refugee camps where the Boys got food and clothing and built a small community. But they were aimless and hopeless and despaired for their lost families. After fifteen years in these camps, with no hope of finding their families nor of returning to Sudan, the United States finally rose her torch to these Boys:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
The movie tells us of their journey to America and their shock-and-awe introduction into modern society. Some of it is very amusing, like when the Boys discover an electric light for the first time. Some of it is very convicting, when they wonder why Americans celebrate Santa Claus, and not Jesus Christ, for Christmas. Some of the Lost Boys were settled in Syracuse, New York, so it does have some local interest.
I especially like the parts where the young men tell of their prejudiced perceptions of America (guns and car crashes everywhere!) and then tell of their surprise to find that America is not as violent as Hollywood depicts us. I was both shamed and filled with empathy as I watched these bubbly, gregarious young men snubbed into lonely despondency by our steely cold, unfriendly culture. One group of businessmen had the local police forbid the men from walking together in groups, because the business owners were afraid of them. They were still lonely, they were still lost, and they longed to see their beloved Nile and their mothers again. The movie has a happy ending, but expect to shed a few tears along the way.
It is an excellent movie for American youths to see. Truly America is so very unique in this world. We are a very blessed people to have such abundance and freedom; it is sinfully easy to take it for granted. So very few people live as we do. God Grew Tired of Us opens our eyes to a world beyond Syracuse, beyond the United States, into a land and people of utter turmoil and unconditional community. It is a good lesson for heart and soul.
I’ve been so wildly busy now that the warm, spring weather has finally arrived. We’ve not had any time to travel at all! the kids were moping today, wanting to “go somewhere.” All I can do is comfort them my promising a trip soon (we’ve going up toward the Adirondacks next week, so I’ll have to plan something).
I’ve been extremely busy getting my gardens prepared for the growing season and trying my hand at planting a grape vine. I’m excited over that! I don’t think I’ll ever get into a wine club or anything, but it would be gratifying to have fresh grapes at the table and a bottle or two of my own homemade wine!
At any rate, we’re hoping to check out the Adirondacks soon. In the meantime, I’m going over old trips and republishing them for those of you who haven’t seen them. I also got a terrific response to my post on Bagg’s Square in Utica. A former Utican, living through the “Sin City” days of the 50s and 60s, sent me such a rich email that i asked him if I could publish it for others to enjoy. He graciously gave his permission. I suppose his story tells the story of so many Upstate New York cities in the 50s and 60s. Upstate was on the verge of the edge of the steep decline we are experiencing today. Due mostly to corruption and changes in our state constitution that favored Downstate policies, Upstate New York is still reeling. I’ll leave you with his email. It is an interesting read: >>> Read more of ‘A Reader’s Response to Utica’s History’
Where do I begin? The Children’s Museum in Utica has over 24,000 square feet of exploration space. It took us three hours to get through the entire building, and I don’t think we even saw everything. Admission is pricey ($9.00 for anyone over the age of 1 year) and this has been the main reason why we haven’t visited in nine years. But the children get their own allowances and they wanted to go, so we split the admission prices 50/50. Great deal, I’d say!
The Children’s Museum is right next to historic Bagg’s Square, of which I wrote here. The Children’s Museum is a testament to the ingenuity of moms. It was a group of women– the Junior League– in 1963 who started out with a lifesize model of an Iroquois longhouse in a library basement, and expanded the project into four stories of displays for children of all ages. >>> Read more of ‘The Children’s Museum, Utica, NY’
Bagg’s Square is an inconspicuous spot in the northern section of Utica, NY. It is named for Moses Baggs, a blacksmith and tavern keeper who kept a thriving business here.
Before there was Utica, there was Fort Schuyler, built in this area by the British in 1758. It was a critical spot for the new American settlers. Fort Schuyler was “a chain of forts built to protect the northern frontier from the French and their Indian allies, and to guard the great ford across the Mohawk Valley.” Fort Schuyler was named for Colonel Peter Schuyler, the uncle of the famous Phillip Schuyler (who later became Alexander Hamilton’s father-in-law). There’s a bit of confusion about the naming of the forts. During the American Revolution, Fort Stanwix in Rome (another British-built fort and was named for a British officer during the French and Indian War of the 1750s) was renamed Fort Schuyler, after Philip Schuyler. This Fort Schuyler here near Bagg’s Tavern was renamed “Old Fort Schuyler.” After the Revolutionary War, both Fort Stanwix/Fort Schuyler and Old Fort Schuyler were dismantled. When Fort Stanwix/Fort Schuyler was resurrected in the 1970s as a memorial, it was given it’s original name Fort Stanwix. Got that? There’ll be a test tomorrow… whew!
In 1794, Moses Baggs built a small but comfortable tavern near the fort, to house the many settlers and military men traveling from the eastern to western ends of New York State. George Washington and Marquis de LaFayette stayed at the tavern, as well as Henry Clay and General Ulysses Grant. It also became a stagecoach stop for mail delivery. In 1815, Moses Baggs’ tavern was torn down and replaced by a larger one made of brick. That, too, is gone. This newer stone building and park remain as a memorial to the important part Utica played as intermediary for travelers and ideals of revolution and reconstruction.
If I remember correctly, this area is where a huge revival was sparked in the 1820s, under the preaching of Charles Grandison Finney. Utica was one of the most affected cities. It was reported that all bars and houses of ill-repute were closed, because there was no business for such promiscuous living. Everyone was “getting religion” and didn’t want to sin anymore! This area was buzzing with revival that it became known as the “Burned-Over District.” Imagine, this happening in Utica, New York!
My daughter The Historian and I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural dinner of the Alexander Hamilton Institute at the Turning Stone Casino, as guests of the gracious Robert Paquette and Douglas Ambrose, professors at Hamilton College and co-founders of the Institute. What an exhilarating experience! It was also my first time seeing the famed Oneida Indian casino. Over the years, I’ve read much about the development of the Oneida Nation from a small poor group into a burgeoning community of entrepreneurs. I get more satisfaction from the Nation’s good gas station service than the presence of a gambling business in my area, however. I’ve never liked the idea of a casino in my backyard…
More than finally seeing the casino up close was the utter pleasure of meeting the members of the Alexander Hamilton Institute. For many years, we’ve studied the history of Alexander Hamilton, Hamilton College, it’s founder, Samuel Kirkland, and Baron von Steuben. We have visited the campus several times and enjoyed its extensive library (see here and here). My daughter has attended a few of their meetings at their headquarters in Clinton, NY; this was my first time meeting them and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
The Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization (AHI) promotes rigorous scholarship and vigorous debate in the study of freedom, democracy, and capitalism. Three Hamilton College professors, Douglas Ambrose, James Bradfield, and Robert Paquette, inspired by the contributions of Alexander Hamilton to the founding and survival of the Republic, established the AHI as an independent entity, unaffiliated with Hamilton College, during the summer of 2007.
Inspired by Alexander Hamilton’s life and work, the AHI promotes excellence in scholarship through the study of freedom, democracy, and capitalism as these ideas were developed and institutionalized in the United States and within the larger tradition of Western culture. The word freedom, it should be recalled, had no equivalent in the vocabularies of non-Western civilizations until imported from the West. Democracy first flourished in the poleis or city-states of ancient Greece. While the propensity to truck, barter, and exchange seems to have been inscribed in humanity’s genes, a full-blown capitalist system, one based on the private ownership of the non-personal means of production, originated in England. Since to a great extent modernity implies the momentous extension and elaboration of these ideas around the world, the AHI will necessarily range widely across geographic, cultural, and disciplinary boundaries in pursuit of its mission and to implement plans of rediscovery.
I have had a personal affinity for studying the history of our American republic. To see such a group of distinguished people gather together for the same purpose– that of promoting a return to our federalist roots of liberty– is the answer to my prayers. It was so thrilling to talk to people familiar with the Great Awakening, Samuel Kirkland, Charles G. Finney, and Gerrit Smith!
This meeting was the first annual colloquium for the newly established Institute. You can read about the schedule and topics of discussion here. The dinner was sumptuous, the conversation more so. We met other professors and students from Hamilton College, Harvard, and Colgate, who had assembled together to celebrate the Institute and discuss Gerrit Smith. I have been interested in the life and work of Gerrit Smith for many years. I did a short piece on him when I blogged about the Utica Lunatic Asylum here. The children and I hope to go on New York’s “Freedom Trail” from Utica to Auburn. There is just too much to say about Smith, Finney, the abolition movement of New York State that exploded across our country in the mid 1800s, and of the Freedom Trail. It will take me all summer long to write about it!
This is something very dear to my heart, as I am a student of New York state history, and, more importantly, a person consumed with a desire to see our nation return to its fundamental roots of liberty and religious revival. My daughter has so often stated that before any great movement of freedom, there was always a Great Awakening preceding.
“The Revolution was effected before the War commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments of their duties and obligations … This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people, was the real American Revolution.” John Adams
Bob Paquette began the colloquium by noting the utter irony of discussing the life and work of the famed abolitionist and perfectionist Gerrit Smith in a casino. He wryly remarked that if Smith could possibly know what we were doing, he’d be rolling in his grave. This elicited chuckles, and it is true! But we didn’t attend the meeting to gamble. On the contrary, this meeting was only the beginning of a new thing happening all over again!
After the heartening speeches of a handful of AHI founders and fellows, John Stauffer of Harvard University (and acclaimed expert on the life of Gerrit Smith) delivered his dissertation. There is just too much to write about it all! It was wonderful. I assume the AHI will post the highlights of the colloquium on their website; I’ll link to it when they do.
After the event, my daughter and I got the chance to wander the Turning Stone briefly. I snapped a few photos.
The Turning Stone is a popular meeting place for large conferences. I don’t think there exists any other building for such large events in the area. All the conferences that I’ve ever heard of are held here. Here’s a photo of the building. I’m a poor photographer. The colored “TS” in lights at the top changes colors.
This is the luminous Tree of Peace crafted by Dale Chihuly.
I’m a “ceilings” person:
I loved the glass of the lobby as the sun shone in. I took this photo before the meeting.
And this I took after.
We wandered the halls. There are many “natural” looking displays in various places. Besides the glass “tree,” there are walls made from cut stone, waterfalls, and earth-tone patterned carpets.
This is a the cafe just outside the gambling rooms.
And this is where people enter to lose their money:
The Turning Stone Casino began as a Bingo Hall, if I remember correctly. Gambling in New York State is prohibited by our constitution, but through governor-sponsored enactment (Governor Cuomo, in the early 90s), the casino was allowed to open. It has met with vehement opposition, most notably by the Upstate Citizens for Equality. The Oneida Indian land settlement/casino/resort issues are still in litigation, with some issues going as high as the Supreme Court. The Turning Stone is popular with area residents, however. It is a place where the poor people get to lose all their money. The Turning Stone is Oneida County’s biggest employer, after government jobs. So my guess is that, despite reams of litigation, the casino is here to stay.
We visited the Shako:wi Oneida Indian Cultural Center in Oneida, NY. See here for our trip.
On our way from Oneida, I was passing through the city of Rome to get home to Utica, and we drove by Fort Stanwix. Oh, the temptation! I was in a hurry to get home (it was getting late) but we couldn’t resist stopping. We have been to Fort Stanwix in Rome so many times. We absolutely love it. Although we had no time to see the Fort again, we did make a speedy run through the Marinus Willett Visitor Center.
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We actually saw SUNSHINE yesterday (the Mohawk Valley of Upstate New York sees sunshine about 1/3 of the year). Almost all our surface snow had melted, although the big dirty clumps of snow remain. It was actually rather pleasant, despite the mud! Today, the temperatures are back down below freezing and misty snow is falling. A few inches are expected today.
Can I whine? Waaaaaaaaah!
The Mohawk Valley is a unique area of Upstate. It is the lowest geographic area of the state. Therefore, it is the cloudiest area of the state. We aren’t hit as hard with lake effect snow (snowstorms that travel from Lake Ontario to our west), but we do experience flooding.
The Mohawk Valley used to be called the Gateway to the West because it was the only navigable route to the western frontier of the United States, until the railroads were built in the late 1800s. If you look at a map of the Eastern seaboard, we’ve got the Appalachian Mountains from the Carolinas up to the Pennsylvania/New York State border, and we’ve got the Adirondacks and “Northern Appalachians” northward up to Canada.
The only area where people could transport their goods and their families west was up the Hudson River and westward through the Mohawk Valley. It is the reason why New York State is such the “melting pot” state that it is. The centuries of transmigration through our state has formed its character. We are an impatient, transient, restless people. There’s a terrific online book by the late Paul Keesler, called Valley of the Crystals; if you want to learn more about New York, that’s a great place to start.
It is believed that the first inhabitants of what is now New York were the Algonquin Indians and the Iroquois Indians (these are the European names given them). The Iroquois Indians consisted of numerous tribes; the groups that populated the Mohawk Valley were, as expected, the Mohawks. They were a very fierce and territorial tribe, so this part of New York was considered the “wild frontier” and remained largely unsettled because of the fierce clashes between the Europeans and the Mohawks.
The Revolutionary War (in which the Mohawks sided with the British– the losers) ended the Mohawk’s land claims. (During the Revolutionary War, Upstate New York was a hot bed of civil clashes between patriots and loyalists. Besides the 100+ battles fought here, there were terrorist raids by British, Loyalists, and their Indian allies. So much of the Mohawk Valley was destroyed by fire that this period is called “The Burning of the Valleys” to this day). After the war, the “wild frontier” was rapidly settled.
The construction of the Erie Canal sealed New York as the Empire State, leading an entirely new era of entrepreneurship, and spawned the Industrial Revolution in the country. And in the 1820s, a religious revival that began in Adams, NY, led by Charles Grandison Finney, spread across the state and across the nation. This eventually spawned religious revivals across the world in Wales, Scotland, and the Scandinavian countries. The Mohawk Valley became known as the “Burned Over District” because of the zeal and fervent devotion of Christians. From this revival sprang movements for women’s rights and the abolition of slavery. New York State– and especially the Mohawk Valley– led the nation once again.
I did not grow up in the Mohawk Valley. I am a relatively new import, although I am a New York native. I’m actually a descendant of the Algonquin Indians, so I don’t suppose I can get any more New York native than if I sprang out of the soil. Living in the Mohawk Valley is a interesting experience. The area is very self-absorbed. I don’t mean that in a necessarily negative way. This area is very cloistered and not as cosmopolitan as, say, Syracuse or Binghamton. And there is no desire for the Mohawk Valley to become cosmopolitan; the people of the Valley seem to like their traditional ways. I suppose this is what attracts young families, as the Mohawk Valley touts itself as a wonderful place to raise a family.
In June 2006, Upstate New York was hit massively hard with flooding catastrophies. The rain just never seemed to stop. My own property has been flooded a dozen times in the past decade. I dug up this old YouTube video of a restaurant in a nearby town that was washed away in the floods. The second video is an aerial video of the flooded Mohawk River. The pictures are stunning.
New York has been experiencing another series of battles over the years, this time for the heart and soul of the state. Horrible economic and legislative policies tailored to benefit New York City at the expense of rural Upstate has caused New York to spin into a nosedive. New York is expecting to lose at least two congressional seats after the next census, due to severely declining population; New York is losing its political clout and seems to have forgotten its roots. It was actually Upstate’s Erie Canal and Finney’s Great Awakening that made New York City the hub that it is and the success that it found, but I think those facts have been forgotten. Time will tell if New York will see another awakening.
At any rate, we’re hoping to check out the Adirondacks soon. In the meantime, I’m going over old trips and republishing them for those of you who haven’t seen them. I also got a terrific response to 
Before there was Utica, there was Fort Schuyler, built in this area by the British in 1758. It was a critical spot for the new American settlers. Fort Schuyler was “a chain of forts built to protect the northern frontier from the French and their Indian allies, and to guard the great ford across the Mohawk Valley.” Fort Schuyler was named for Colonel Peter Schuyler, the uncle of the famous Phillip Schuyler (who later became Alexander Hamilton’s father-in-law). There’s a bit of confusion about the naming of the forts. During the American Revolution, Fort Stanwix in Rome (another British-built fort and was named for a British officer during the French and Indian War of the 1750s) was renamed Fort Schuyler, after Philip Schuyler. This Fort Schuyler here near Bagg’s Tavern was renamed “Old Fort Schuyler.” After the Revolutionary War, both Fort Stanwix/Fort Schuyler and Old Fort Schuyler were dismantled. When Fort Stanwix/Fort Schuyler was resurrected in the 1970s as a memorial, it was given it’s original name Fort Stanwix. Got that? There’ll be a test tomorrow… whew! 
What an exhilarating experience! It was also my first time seeing the famed Oneida Indian casino. Over the years, I’ve read much about the development of the 
I have had a personal affinity for studying the history of our American republic. To see such a group of distinguished people gather together for the same purpose– that of promoting a return to our federalist roots of liberty– is the answer to my prayers. It was so thrilling to talk to people familiar with the Great Awakening, Samuel Kirkland, Charles G. Finney, and Gerrit Smith! 
I have been interested in the life and work of Gerrit Smith for many years. I did a short piece on him when 
