"We have nothing but God, and empty hands"

I haven't written in a bit, not because things haven't been happening, I've just been tired I guess. Tonight I went to a lecture at STU on the genocide happening at this moment in Darfur, Africa. What I knew before tonight was very limited, now I feel I have a better understanding of what is going on.

Without going into all of it here, I must tell you about two things that really struck me tonight. The first was a quote by Martin Luther King: "We will have to repent in this generation; not merely for the hateful words and actions of bad people, but for the appalling silence of good people." I feel this is particularly so amongst many Christians, myself included, when it comes to international awareness, for instance with the genocide in Darfur, or the huge AIDS epidemic in Southern Africa. Both are displacing thousands, killing thousands, widowing and orphaning thousands. In my opinion, these are areas that should be lead by Christian awareness, relief, and action organizations. There are Christians doing this, for instance Jim Cantalon http://www.visionledd.com/ and http://wowmission.com/ and Bono from U2 http://www.one.org/. There is also The Micah Challenge http://www.micahchallenge.ca/ and other organizations that are realizing the need to speak up and do something.

The second thing was an interview tonight of a young woman in a refugee camp in Darfur, she was describing the attack on her village, murder of her family, rape of her sisters, and fleeing her home. She sat clutching her legs tightly to her chest and said “We have nothing but God and empty hands.” She held her slender hands open to the camera. She had nothing left, only a tiny bit of hope, “Ishallah” they say, meaning “if God wishes”, their situations might change.

Their situations MUST change and therefore WE must become aware of what is happening in the world around us and take responsibility! We cannot sit around, so innerly focused we neglect the reality of others situations. When genocide and epidemics of massive proportions are within our reach, we need to hear their cries, we must do something. I firmly believe, not to get all spiritual on you or anything, that Jesus would be found in these places, were he here on this earth today. He would be with the homeless, the widow, the orphan, he would be offering hope, life, healing. Shouldn’t we be there as well?

What CAN we do?
Talk about it. This is so huge I think. Unless we talk about it, we can exist without it affecting our lives. Talk about it.

Show support for these people. Write letters to the Prime Minster, MP, call, visit them and share your concern. They told us tonight that it is less the quality and more the quantity that gets government talking and moving in these instances.

If this stuff gets at you as much as it does me, if you too feel helpless, but willing and wanting to help you can also check out these links that I was introduced to tonight, and I’d love for you to contact me so we could talk.
http://www.projectequity.org/project_darfur.php
http://www.geocities.com/castsudan/CanadiansagainstSlaveryandtortureinsudan.html
http://www.ect-shout.ca/
http://savedarfurcanada.org/

Be aware! Speak up!

Set free those who are held by chains without any reason. Untie the ropes that hold people as slaves. Set free those who are crushed. Break every evil chain. Share your food with hungry people. Provide homeless people with a place to stay. Give naked people clothes to wear. Provide for the needs of your own family... Get rid of the chains you use to hold others down. Stop pointing your finger at others as if they had done something wrong. Stop saying harmful things about them. Work hard to feed hungry people. Satisfy the needs of those who are crushed... Isaiah 58:6-12 (NIRV)