Syria Link Up

On Tuesday evening Sam and I attended a volunteer orientation at Kentucky Refugee Ministries. Louisville and Lexington combined have one of the largest refugee resettlement programs in the United States, with over 10,000 refugees having found new homes in these bluegrass hills. We watched an oldish video showing the worldwide refugee situation. After the video the volunteer coordinator said, "The estimated number of 15 million refugees worldwide is no longer correct. Currently the number is an estimated 22 million. And that will most likely rise due to...well, due to recent events." And a silence fell over the room because recent events weighed heavy in our hearts: oh, Syria.

Many years ago a dear writer friend, Elsa Marston, published FIGS AND FATE, a collection of short stories about growing up in the Arab world - Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria. I fell in love with her characters and with the world they inhabited. I longed to travel to those ancient and foreign lands. Some day. But now... oh, Palestine; oh, Lebanon; oh, Iraq; oh, Egypt; oh, Syria.

I feel baffled and helpless: It's Too Big.

I've tried to educate myself with: 9 Questions about Syria You Were Too Embarrassed to Ask.

In keeping with my preference of getting my news from Saturday Night Live, I read The Onion. Specifically, Al-Assad's commentary: So What's It Going to Be?

and I voted with the rest of America to put boots on the ground by Sending Congress to Syria.

I realized that the international terror alert levels spoof attributed to John Cleese wasn't really written by him, but it's hilarious nevertheless: Syria Conflict Raises Terror Alert Levels Worldwide.

But as much as I want to look away, to laugh it all away, I know that we must stay engaged, we must maintain a Mindful Response to Atrocities.

The decision to strike or not to strike is not mine to make. The aid I am able to send may barely make a dent. But I can reach my hands to heaven and cry to the God of all nations. Oh, God! Why do the nations conspire against you and the peoples plot in vain. The leaders of the earth rise up and band together against the Lord and against his anointed. I can join with the world in Begging Our God for Mercy, Refuge, Peace.

Photo sources from http://visual.ly/save-syria