Kristin's story

Here is Kristin's story
As we sat together in a mud classroom - you knew this was sacred.  So sacred that I have no memory of anything else happening around me.  Normally in Africa you notice the 10 kids pushing to get close to you - that is after all their plan!  Or the squeaky swings that had really irritated me the day before or the feeling of heat and stickiness. My senses were overtaken by God's Presence.  I knew we were standing in one of those completely set days God has (when he suddenly breaks through and you know all of heaven is watching!)  Those days when Heaven invades earth and every person there is changed.  He chose us to be part of Kristin's story of healing and her to be part of our story and together these stories contribute to His story.
Breakthrough prayer began by explaining the brain, how it works, how it is designed to keep us safe and has protective responses that although helpful at the time of trauma, hurt or loss actually impact our ability to be in relationship today.  In Kristin's life the trauma of being abducted, raped, stabbed had seen her form an inner world and no one really could connect with her.  But on the 21st June 2011 God suddenly broke through this and Kristin experienced His healing power.
Kristin was abducted at the age of 7.  She had been staying at her uncle's hut, with her parents when the rebels suddenly attacked in the middle of the night.  Her father begged the rebels to leave his precious daughter but this only enraged them and so after a scuffle, Kristin was taken with her father following behind, struggling through bush in the pitch black of the night.  Kristin had a peace come over her - being abducted had happened now, it was one of those things that most days she thought I wonder if it would be today.  They reached a village trading place, and Kristin was tied to a rope with about another 20 children who had also just been abducted.  She no longer could hear her father screaming behind her and she had long stopped yelling at him as each time she yelled she was hit across the face.  It was 2 days until she saw her father again.  Those days were a blur, she walked, carried loads, watched kids been massacred if they couldn't walk or wouldn't do as they were told.  The day Kristin saw her day, she went to run to him only to be pulled back by the rope, she watched as the rebels beat her dad to try and make him leave.  He was so strong, he demanded to see the top commander and part of Kristin thought this might be the end of this horrific ordeal.  That was the last time she saw her father.  Days passed, Kristin has endured stabbings when she wasn't able to walk across her torso sometimes even from other children.  Each time she was stabbed it was like it hurt less.  After about a month or two, the rebels had had enough of her small body frame and her weakness, she was pulled out of a line with two other girls - one about her size and one a few years older.  This was it she thought this is my time to die.  As they lay there in the mud, they were waiting for the attack to begin - it never did.   Instead the main group carried on ahead, and the 3 girls were left with 4 rebels.  They were even taken to a hut.  Kristin couldn't really understand what was going on - they were locked in this hut - no girl spoke and most of the days were spent alone in their own thoughts.  Every now and then the rebels would get the girls out to do some jobs.  On one particular day the rebels came and took Kristin and the other young girl with them.  As they began to walk from the hut they began to hear screaming, Kristin wanted to run back to the hut to help her friend and as she tried she was held by a rebel and told she would end up the same if she went to help.  That was the last time she heard that girl.  Days and weeks passed.  The rebels came again and took the 2 girls - they walked to a clearing and Kristin was told to start digging a hole.  After hours of digging the rebels threw a boy of about 3 years toward her and told her to lie in the hole with the boy to check it for size.  She lay down not even able to think what might happen next.  The rebels then gave her a machete and told her to kill the child because he was going to be dinner.  The boy was screaming, Kristin picked up the machete, pulled it back over her shoulder and as she went to hit the boy, God came and stopped her.  For the first time since being abducted she felt something and it was so overwhelming she fell to the ground unable to move any muscle and she wept.  The rebels were furious, they kicked her, abused her but something in Kristin that day brought some life back to her.  The rebels went and abducted a local farmer and made him kill the boy.  In the darkest of times, Kristin encountered God - she knew now there would be a way out and she spent her time thinking how this could happen.  The rebels still had a plan of revenge for Kristin, you don't disobey them and Kristin had.  She was taken and raped.  Even through this event the hope that came that day had not disappeared.  Kristin determined that the feeling of hope she had would not be lost, if she held onto it, there would be an opportunity and she would be free again.  In those moments, it was hard for her not to become overwhelmed thinking about her family and her old life.  She knew though if she did become overwhelmed she would lose hope and so she would hold onto the memory of God that day.  Months again passed, Kristin never talked with anyone about her plans.  Her friend was so shutdown she knew talking with her was pointless.  She woke one morning to a sense that today was going to be the day.  The rebels seemed very disorganised and there seemed to be a lot of disagreement.  Kristin knew that if they took their attention off of them this would be there chance.  At 2pm the disagreement became intense and Kristin knew this was her opportunity.  She took the other girls hand and ran.  She kept running as far as she could until she found a maize field.  She found some maize she could hide under and put herself there with her friend.  The rebels weren't far behind her.  She prayed asking God to keep them safe and not be found.  She could hear the rebels screaming that when they found her she would be dead so she should come out.  She stayed put.  Eventually their voices became further away and Kristin felt like she could breathe a little.  They spent the night in that spot and in the morning the lady who owned the field came to garden and she found them.  She took them back to her house, gave them some food and talked with them.  The other girl was so traumatised she didn't even know her name.  The plan was arranged that this lady would help them both get to Lira town where they would be safer.  They waited about 2 weeks until they felt the rebels were gone and they began the journey to Lira.  Kristin was scared - what would it be like to be home?  Does she have parents?  She didn't have any idea.  Once they reached Lira, Kristin took the lady to her Aunts place who told her the news both her parents were alive and they were coming in to get her.  Then the bomb hit.  The lady wouldn't give her over until they paid 200 000 /=.  So much money.  Her parents had 5000.  They begged her but she remained adamant either pay or I will sell Kristin back to the rebels.  They had two weeks.  They went to every place they thought of so desperate to not lose their daughter for a second time but no one had money.  There was straw was a church in the town and with tears they were able to raise the money so Kristin was finally safe.  After living with the rebels for a year, Kristin's brain has been altered.  She no longer knew was safe was, in many ways being alone had become safe locked in a hut.  Relationships were a threat.   
As Kristin shared this story with us for the first time in her life, God came and covered her story with his love and grace.  Kristin experienced his embrace and love in the most darkest of times, her brain received his healing and we got to see how incredibly good he is.  As Kristin spoke each of these words to us we didn't need to pray for her - God was already doing it!  Each word literally got covered by him!  It was the most incredible experience to be involved in.  It deeply changed all of us who sat in the room that day as God came and ministered as only he can!  What exactly happened?  I believe in those 2 hours Kristin's past (all of it, all the death, the beatings, the abuse) became her story - It got written into His story of his redemptive love and with his breath on it, her story became one of beauty!
Kristin now has a story to tell - already it's becoming about God's goodness in the midst of darkness.  She is now at YWAM doing a discipleship school.  She has dreams of the future of leading a fatherless generation into His embrace!   And where the Mental Health field said there was no hope - God is HOPE!