Hear Their Cries

Photo Courtesy of stock.xchng/mmagallan

I hear their cries calling out to me.
They need our help.
I can see the villages burning.
The people being sacked, murdered, raped,
And pillaged.
The Janjaweed on horseback wield their swords
On all the people in their path.
Arab attacks Black. Muslim against Muslim.
No one can stop them.
The government lets it go on.
The people move to refugee camps
Where they’ll die amid the squalor.
I can see their pain.
The slashes on the legs of women,
Scarred to show their shame.
How many must die before we’ll help?
How many must suffer?

On an airplane, going to Nairobi, Kenya for a mission trip, I was flying over Sudan, when these words and the cries of the people of Darfur called out to me.  My soul felt this longing and pain for them.  Tears welled up in my eyes; I had to capture what I felt and write it down.  This was August, 14, 2004, during a heightened period of violence that some called genocide.

Sadly today, in August 2015, these same cries continue to ring out from countless women in countless countries…

To learn more about Darfur and their past situation, go to NYTimes Columnist Nicholas Kristof’s Blog or Wikipedia.

Do you think Christians should be concerned about what goes on in other countries?  Why or why not? Respond in the comments below.

If you liked this post, check out A Vision of Beauty and “What is Love? She Asked.”
Other related posts: Traveling Out of My Comfort Zone, Answering the Call