SAM CHILDERS

Because the nights bring the threat of invasion and terror to the villages, thousands of children in northern Uganda have become night commuters, leaving the nightmare of capture behind for the safety of the city.

A lot of times people that aren't Christian, or that might not fully believe... they know there's a higher power but they don't fully believe, they'll say: "Well, if there's a God, how come children be mutilated?" But you've got to remember that the promises are when we leave this Earth and we go to Heaven. That's what I believe.

All my life, from birth, it's been a fight. And it always seemed to be another man's war. I always seemed to be fighting for someone else. But it always came back to me. The Word says we're born into sin, and sin always comes back to war.

There is nothing anyone could ever say to convince me that one person cannot change a nation. One person can do unbelievable things. All it takes is that one person who's willing to risk everything to make it happen.

I was a drug dealer, so I've killed a lot of people, with drugs. When you're a drug dealer and you see drugs to people and you get them addicted and three or four years later they get killed in a car wreck, I have to answer for that. So, I've hurt a lot of people and done a lot of bad things that I have to answer for.

The Bible says that if we're going to boast about anything, it should glorify God. I'll boast about all of my faults, I'll boast about all of my addictions that God has conquered, I'll boast about everything that God has conquered in my life, but there's just certain things that I'll never talk about.

I ask you, if a mad man came in and abducted your child and I said to you I can bring your child homedoes it matter how I bring them home?

I don't have a problem with dying but I have a problem with what I'm going to die for. I don't want to die for no reason at all. If I'm going to die for something, I want it to be worthwhile.

For me to sit here and give all kinds of excuses to make it right, I can't do. But what I want to ask everyone out there, everyone that has a child, everyone that has a brother, a sister: if your child or family member was abducted today, if a mad man came in, a terrorist came in, abducted your family member or your child and if I said to you I can bring your child home...does it matter how I bring them home?

Sometimes, America, when something's too bad, we don't want to look at it. We want to turn our head.

Because the nights bring the threat of invasion and terror to the villages, thousands of children in northern Uganda have become night commuters, leaving the nightmare of capture behind for the safety of the city.

I don't like to consider myself a normal preacher. When you look at religious people, they're the ones who hung Christ from the cross. I look at myself as a man carrying a message of hope.

I tell people all the time, 'Don't give up.' We get almost to our blessing, whether you believe spiritually in God or in a good force and an evil force. We get almost to our blessing, and we quit. Don't stop.

I should have died in ambushes a hundred times.

Sometimes, America, when something's too bad, we don't want to look at it. We want to turn our head.

I have 179 children that I take care of full-time: close to 40 in Uganda and the rest in Sudan.

I started out doing something little. I went to Africa to spend five weeks putting roofs on a building. I seen the small child that stepped on a land mine. Three months later, I'm back helping pull the land mines out. Little things just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger.

As much wrong as I did in life and as many people as I hurt, I can say that God never stopped talking to me. I just stopped listening.

I don't have a problem with dying but I have a problem with what I'm going to die for. I don't want to die for no reason at all. If I'm going to die for something, I want it to be worthwhile.

I ask you, if a mad man came in and abducted your child and I said to you I can bring your child homedoes it matter how I bring them home?

Being honest with you, if I would run into a situation where I'd have to pick up a firearm to save another child, would I? Absolutely! I wouldn't even think about it. I rescue people and feed people. I will do whatever I have to do, as long as it's within the law, to rescue a life.

I was a drug dealer, so I've killed a lot of people, with drugs. When you're a drug dealer and you see drugs to people and you get them addicted and three or four years later they get killed in a car wreck, I have to answer for that. So, I've hurt a lot of people and done a lot of bad things that I have to answer for.

Educate yourself on what's going on around the world where children are dying. Educate yourself on what's going on in Africa.

All my life, from birth, it's been a fight. And it always seemed to be another man's war. I always seemed to be fighting for someone else. But it always came back to me. The Word says we're born into sin, and sin always comes back to war.

A lot of times people that aren't Christian, or that might not fully believe... they know there's a higher power but they don't fully believe, they'll say: "Well, if there's a God, how come children be mutilated?" But you've got to remember that the promises are when we leave this Earth and we go to Heaven. That's what I believe.

I'm more of a freedom fighter than I am a Christian. I serve Jesus Christ. How I believe is that God's promises are not for here on Earth. They're for when we leave this Earth and we go to Heaven - that's when there's no more tears, no more sorrows.

There is nothing anyone could ever say to convince me that one person cannot change a nation. One person can do unbelievable things. All it takes is that one person who's willing to risk everything to make it happen.

I do a lot of drug and alcohol speaking with people to stop addictions. I'm not a Bible-thumper. I don't preach like that. I tell people that has addictions: "If you want your addiction cured, it begins right here. It begins right here." Jesus Christ is not a genie in a bottle. You got me? Jesus Christ can help you get through anything but even with addiction, he's not going to say 'hocus pocus, your addiction's gone'! You have to say: "I'm done!" It all begins right here in your mind.

For me to sit here and give all kinds of excuses to make it right, I can't do. But what I want to ask everyone out there, everyone that has a child, everyone that has a brother, a sister: if your child or family member was abducted today, if a mad man came in, a terrorist came in, abducted your family member or your child and if I said to you I can bring your child home...does it matter how I bring them home?

The Bible says that if we're going to boast about anything, it should glorify God. I'll boast about all of my faults, I'll boast about all of my addictions that God has conquered, I'll boast about everything that God has conquered in my life, but there's just certain things that I'll never talk about.

It's just after I walked away from my addictions and the things that I struggled with, that's when I chose Jesus Christ and now he helps me and guides me through the rest of my life.