nearly there

I think I have finished my anthology. I shall do my first print run (!) next week. At some point I will also post my church magazine article here, which should be published at a similar time. If friends want a copy, they can send me a £5 cheque payable to World Vision together with a second class stamp, and I'll send one to them. Was feeling somewhat stalled the last couple of days as to how to introduce it - in the end I simply did a brief summary of what World Vision is doing in Darfur, and some additional comments of my own along the 'there is always something you can do' line.

I'm wondering if and how their work has been affected by recent events and the charges brought by the ICC against the Sudanese President. I'm praying there won't be violent repercussions for the civilians of Darfur. Was listening to the radio on holiday when they were covering this topic; the tears instantly sprung to my eyes. I was rigid while I heard the voice of a 15 year old girl describing her beating and rape. But I don't flinch away from such subject matter any more - I am disturbed, but I am disturbed into outrage, not into the escape of apathy.

If I feel daunted at any point, I summon back that sense of outrage and the depth of compassion God gave me that afternoon when my world changed colour. These are stronger than my fear, and it shrivels up when they take the stage. Fear is a dictator, but I will not give it power. This may not be much, but it is something I am doing for now. I will not be coerced into believing that because I can't do something huge right now, I can't do something small.

Today: 4-5/10, medium / high
Yesterday: 5/10, high
Wednesday: 5/10, mega high