Westmont Magazine Visible Help for the Invisible

About 100 Students Fast and Pray for Children in Sudan and Uganda

As she watched the documentary “Invisible Children,” Danae Jacobson ’06 felt compelled to do something about the abuse and enslavement of children in Sudan and Uganda. So did Sara Truppo ’06. In fact, both students came up with the same idea: call the Westmont community to fast and pray for the tragedy in Africa.

Through the Leadership II class, the women created the ministry Invisible Children and organized a 40-hour fast during the spring. “Danae and I wanted to see Westmont united in prayer and fasting for the children, leaders, rebels and aid organizations involved,” Sara says.

About 100 students joined them, wearing purple strings and encouraging and supporting each other. A passage from Isaiah 58: 6-9 became their theme: “Is this not the fast that I chose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke?”

“At first, I wondered what a fast would accomplish since we wouldn’t be raising money,” Danae says. “But I have been learning a lot about the incalculable worth of prayer. I wanted to see what God would do when some of his people gathered together, gave up eating a few meals and prayed.

“I believe the fast changed things in Uganda, although we may never know that,” she says. “I also think it changed the people who participated. A lot of us haven’t had much experience with fasting and praying in our churches. Most people I talked to learned to depend on God in new ways and to deeper capacities. I know I realized so many ways that I depend on other things (aside from God) for satisfaction throughout each day.

“I am excited to see how God continues working in our lives when we obey Him and sacrifice a bit,” Danae says. “I think it helped a lot of people be more aware of what we can do for those who suffer.”