Greetings fellow Americans (and those of you from faraway places like Burma, Turku, Surabaya and Petah Tiqwa that manage to randomly access my page through Bloggers "next blog" functionality).

I thought this would be an appropriate Thanksgiving post picture, don't you? It has absolutely nothing to do with my post (neither does my title for that matter). But hey, sometimes it's ok to just go a little coo-coo crazy, right?

I've stopped a few times during the day to ponder what I would post in celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday. I had a nice little list all lined up of all the things that I'm thankful for in my life...the same things that alot of you are thankful for as well, I'm sure. But, ahhh...I grow weary of being so predictable.

Sometimes I get uncomfortable in the comfort of my blessings (yes, brace yourself people, it's going to be one of those posts). Please understand - I don't want to diminish the things that I'm thankful for...they are gifts to me from the providential hand of my Heavenly Father. But it is possible to practice and experience thankfulness while being aware of those in this world that suffer more than we could possibly comprehend. Sometimes it's in that awareness that we come to more fully appreciate the real treasures in our life.

Recently I came across a book - the reading of which brought tears to my eyes and shame to my soul. Tears, because I saw pictures and read of the suffering and oppression of a people group. Shame, because I knew so little about it even though it has been going on for years. I had my excuses for not knowing...but once you know something, you are responsible for how you handle the knowledge. Isn't that what they mean by "knowledge is power"? Maybe I'm wrong, but the way I see it is...when you know something, it can have the POWER to change you.

I'm not here to give you a history lesson, a sermon or a "talkin' to" (maybe you'd disagree). But if this one gal from Middle Tennessee could possibly lead one person to be slightly more aware then they were before, then I will have exceeded my goal for this post. Maybe I should have higher expectations...maybe I should expect that every single person reading this post would take 15 minutes to step away from the turkey and get outside their comfort zone to think about something not so comfortable. Hmmm...

The book I've referred to is entitled, "Voices of Sudan". The following quote comes from "Collective Lens", a blog that promotes social change through photos.

Published in 2007, David Johnson’s Voices of Sudan portrays the daily life of the victims of the ongoing Genocide in Darfur. While visiting the Darfur region, Johnson took a large number of photos, and when he returned home to the United States he was motivated to help the situation. “I told myself, ‘I must do something with these photographs,’ and that something turned into this book. I pray that this book helps to restore a voice to the Sudanese by causing two things to happen: people will be informed and hearts will be provoked to reach out and help the Sudanese.”

Here is a short video that details the book:


This article gives a background on the Darfur Genocide.

Human Rights Watch has a good section on its website highlighting Darfur. The video on this link has some stirring images and information.

This .PDF file is heartbreaking. It contains drawings by children of Darfur, as well as background on the drawings.

In addition to the atrocities that are occurring there in the Sudan, there are serious problems arising from the refugees that are fleeing the country. Click here for a video from CBN that highlights that.

The International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem (ICEJ) is addressing the Sudanese refugee situation through a program entitled, "Operation Hope".

It was an ICEJ table during my lunch break one day that I found the "Voices of Sudan" book. It was at that table where I shed tears and promised myself to be more aware of things outside of my little world.

Our precious children could sit by pumpkins with their angelic smiles and grow up never knowing the true wealth of the lives they lead. We can make our lists of blessings for our blog, groceries for our feasts, to-do's and to-don'ts...never considering the oppression and suffering that occur beyond the four walls of our thoughtfully decorated homes.



Knowledge is power.