Sam Childers

Sam Childers

Sam Childers arriving at a book signing of Another Man's War
Born 1963
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Nationality American
Notable works Another Man's War
Notable awards Mother Teresa Awards
Children 1 daughter, 1 son (deceased)

Sam Childers (born 1963) is a former Outlaws member who now dedicates his life and resources to rescue children in the war zone of South Sudan. Childers and his wife Lynn founded and operate Angels of East Africa, the Children's Village Orphanage in Nimule, South Sudan, where they currently have more than 300 children in their care.

In 2013 he received the Mother Teresa Award for Social Justice.[1][2]

Early life

Sam Childers was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota, the son of Paul Childers, an ironworker and former Marine.[3] Childers had two older brothers, Paul Jr. and George. He also had a sister, Donna, who died of a heart problem before she was a year old. While he was growing up, his parents moved the family from place to place, following construction projects.

In the spring of 1974, shortly before Sam Childers turned 12, his family moved to Grand Rapids, Minnesota. He was going into seventh grade that fall, and the two years before he started high school were some of the most influential times of his life. It was in these formative years that he discovered cigarettes, marijuana, alcohol and heroin, which led to many years of drug addiction, drug dealing, and alcoholism. Childers also developed a love for motorcycles and the lifestyle that led him to become a member of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club.[4]

Sam eventually married a woman named Jaszper, who was a club stripper before converting to Christianity, and had a daughter (Paige) and a son.

Africa

Childers converted to Christianity in mid-1992, with the help of his wife, during a revival meeting at an Assembly of God church. That same evening Childers' pastor allegedly prophesied that he would go to Africa. At the end of 1998, Childers made his first trip to Sudan. In that first trip and the many that followed, he was exposed to the acts of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA),[5] which he described as atrocious. Not long after his first trip to Sudan, Childers and his wife Lynn founded the Angels of East Africa, the Children's Village in Southern Sudan.[6] The Children’s Village currently houses and educates over 100 orphans,[7] with over a thousand children rescued since its conception.[8] The staff at the Children's Village are primarily Sudanese orphans and widows themselves.

Childers details the events of his life and his experiences in Africa in his book Another Man's War.[9]

In November 2009, Childers appeared on Debra Peppers' television show Outreach Connection in Quincy, Illinois. He revealed that he also rescues children abducted in northern Uganda.

In 2011, Relativity Media released a biopic about Childers entitled Machine Gun Preacher, which was based on Childers' book Another Man's War. The film was written by Jason Keller and directed by Marc Forster. The cast featured Gerard Butler in the title role, Michelle Monaghan as Childers' wife Lynn, and Michael Shannon as his best friend Donnie.

In 2014, a documentary with the same title was produced by Angels of East Africa. It was released in North America by Vision Films (USA).

References

  1. ↑ "Harmony Foundation to host Mother Teresa awards on Nov 9". dna. Diligent Media Corporation Ltd. 8 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "Mother Teresa Awards given to promoters of social justice". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  3. ↑ "Machine Gun Preacher - About Sam". machinegunpreacher.org. Retrieved 2012-07-02.
  4. ↑ Morrison, Keith (2006-09-26). "In war-torn Uganda, kids only emerge at night – Dateline NBC – msnbc.com". MSNBC. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  5. ↑ "World Missions New Sudan". Boyerspond.com. 2009-06-27. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  6. ↑ "Angels of East Africa". Angels of East Africa. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  7. ↑ "Missionary Fights for Children of East Africa – Christian World News – CBN News – Christian News 24-7". CBN.com. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  8. ↑ "Angels of East Africa". Angels of East Africa. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  9. ↑ "Another Man's War | Book Videos, Interviews & Podcasts from B&N Studio". Media.barnesandnoble.com. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
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