Lubbe to bring inspiring story to Rainbow of Hope

Living in South Africa during the apartheid era, Chris Lubbe’s early childhood was filled with hardship and difficulty. No less than six times, he was forced to move from the family homestead at gunpoint and relocated to a poor settlement.

At 8 years old, he witnessed his sick mother violently removed from a “white’s only” bench by police.

Yet through it all, Lubbe clung to one hope — his faith in God.

All of those painful circumstances helped instill in Lubbe a deep calling to peaceful resistance and a desire to right injustices.

Today, Lubbe travels the world sharing the message of peace, hope and love through nonresistance, a message that will certainly resonate throughout the Amish Country community and beyond when he comes to the Rainbow of Hope function in Mt. Hope Auction Event Center on Friday, July 25.

Lubbe will serve as the keynote speaker for the two-day event designed to raise funds to help families with ailing children.

The Rainbow of Hope Foundation story began in 1985 when Henry Hershberger’s daughter was born prematurely with cerebral palsy. She spent two months at Akron Children’s Hospital, and during that time, the seeds were planted for RoH when the Hershbergers received an incredible bounty of giving.

The initial effort raised $20,000, but that was enough to carry it to next year, where they doubled their amount. Over the years it has grown, and over the past several years, the annual total raised has approached more than three-quarters of a million dollars.

While the annual auction, all the various events and all the great food help raise funds for RoH, one of its missions is to share inspiring messages of hope during the weekend.

Lubbe will provide that in abundance, his story serving as a resounding mission to join the cause in fighting injustices and peacefully bringing unity and love to the forefront at every turn.

Through great suffering Lubbe has built the armor of God around himself. Despite having seen people thrown from trains for sitting in the “wrong” section, people being beaten and tortured, and even experiencing near-death situations in his own life, Lubbe has chosen the path of forgiveness and love, trusting God will protect him and speak through his actions as he exhibits the life of nonresistance.

In 1990 Lubbe was chosen to serve as one of Nelson Mandela’s bodyguards after Mandela was released from prison. In doing so, he took part of the historic peace negotiations that led to South Africa’s new constitution.

Over the years Lubbe has developed an incredible following, having met with presidents and famous people around the globe. Yet his faith has kept him grounded, his belief in God keeping his life centered on the purpose of serving others.

In his sharing of his journey and spreading the message of hope, Lubbe speaks with humility, encouragement, faith and hope as he inspires others to face adversity with forgiveness and nonviolence.

Those who have heard him speak have sung his praises over and over, talking about the impact Lubbe had on their school children, their churches and their communities.

In his one-hour talks, Lubbe has changed lives for the better, transforming people’s ideas and beliefs, teaching forgiveness, speaking out against racism, and providing hope for leaders of generations today and tomorrow.

The public is invited to this freewill offering event of stories that should leave all who attend filled with hope and encouragement that living a life of servanthood to others in nonresistance can impact the world today.