Today is STN Sabbath which is so different from anything I have ever experienced. The entire STN organization - or Ohana (family) as we call it - gathers together throughout the day to fast and pray. I have found new purpose and meaning in both a day of rest to focus on God and the act of fasting from food. Each hour throughout the day is given a purpose and objective. Each Sabbath is different, but we pray for each other and specific causes, hear personal testimonies from the interns, gather for Bible study, and spend time with God on our own...Today was unique because we spent it in silence in honor of the Invisible Children of Uganda and the plight that they face on a daily basis. (For more about this tragedy please go to: http://www2.invisiblechildren.com/homepage ) Theirs is a heartwrenching story of survival against a brutal warlord that forces children to become soldiers who kill. I realized today how important it is to fight the tendency to ignore tragedies that are not necessarily "within my reach." There is always something that I can do on behalf of those who have no voice and cannot speak for themselves whether it is a prayer, increasing awareness, donating money or time, etc. I was definitely challenged today to have a heart for others and see that I have a long way to go...Laundry, Swedish lessons, and study session rounded out the day and we're off with another busy week ahead!
"The invitation to solitude and silence is just that. It is an invitation to enter more deeply into the intimacy of relationship with the One who waits just outside the noise and busyness of our lives for a space within which meaningful connection can occur. It is an invitation to communication and communion with the One who is always present even when our awareness has been dulled by distraction. It is an invitation to the adventure of spiritual transformation in the deepest places of our being, an adventure that will result in greater freedom, and authenticity and surrender to God than we have yet experienced."
Ruth Haley Barton - "Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God's Transforming Presence"
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