Desperation.

Here's the thing, I have lots of stories to tell you. Riveting life stories filled with suspense. Action packed dramas that will force you to the edge of your seat. Mostly though, they are sorrowful stories. Stories that plow a pit deep down in your stomach. Each one of them is deeply personal. 

That's why you haven't heard them. 

I don't want to glorify pain. 

The reality of life is so much different here. Husbands and sons have to leave the country to find work. Persecution forces families to flee from their villages. Babies walk around naked and hungry. Daughters get trafficked. 

Desperation looms like a thick fog. Everyone is desperate for something. Children are desperate for their families to be reunited. Mothers long for some sort of provision. Teenagers crave attention. Every heart is thirsty for peace and for comfort.

I don't have any radically challenging thoughts or any enlightened words of wisdom. I just wanted you guys to know that even though activism has become so trendy lately, the suffering that it represents actually happens. Despite the seven non-profit e-mails that you sent to the trash bin today and the three infomercials that you fast forwarded through, this pain, this desperation is real.

Thank you so much to those of you who are praying for and supporting me. The desperation here is thick, but I know that the power of our hope will break through it.