Boy These Chairs Seem Small...

I went to the library yesterday in an attempt to study, and ended up with a bunch of great books. They were a bit short on really relevant books on Sierra Leone, Ghana, or Zambia, but when I asked the librarian for assistance she was able to stir up a lot of books... most of which were from the kid's section. I have to admit- they will be a nice break next week after I'm finally done with all this intellectual reading for finals. It's been a long time since I've gotten to read a book with pictures.

I'd love to invite you all to read "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah with me over the next couple of weeks. Ishmael was a child soldier during the civil war in Sierra Leone that ended 7 years ago. I'm only a couple of pages in (which is a good thing for my studying) and already.... I can't quite think of the right word- but definitely check the book out. It is horrifying to see the things we are capable of (the acts of war, drugging and forcing children to kill) and equally horrifying to see what we ignore. There are currently "tens of thousands of child soldiers are currently involved in at least 21 armed conflicts around the world" according to the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. It is a huge problem in Africa, with children as young as 9 being forced to fight... imagine your nine year old son-daughter-niece-nephew-neighbor. I hesitate to put the stories of the children up here as I want everyone involved in my trip (children included) to read this, but you can check out this site for what the children have to say. If you are interested in reading "A Long Way Gone," let me know- I'd love to discuss it with you. If this isn't your cup of tea- more books will be posted soon.

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Luke 4:16-21