We are sitting enjoying a coffee and a bran muffin in Ava Coffee Shop in Portland, Oregon. I have mixed feelings as we enjoy the luxury of life in the US of A. This morning, our Archbishop, Foley Beach, sent out an appeal for prayer and political action on behalf of our suffering brethren in Syria and Iraq. And then there are those in northern Nigeria...and those in South Sudan...and those in Gambela.
Apparently, there are roughly 200,000 refugees in the area who are not registered with the UN. This means they have no access to food, shelter, or medical care. Some tell stories of eating grass and tree bark to stave off the hunger pains.
But while ethnic hatred continues to fuel the fire of violence across the border, our brethren in the Gambela region dip deeply into their own meagre resources to share with those who have nothing. I may be wrong, but I never heard of this happening anywhere else in Africa. But this is not the only miracle...I am convinced that the Lord must be multiplying the food as there simply is not enough to go around. And why not? He has done that before...
So, here I sit. The coffee is good...the muffin is great...and I am grateful. Grateful for food. Grateful that my wife is sitting, unharmed at the table with me. Grateful that my children and grandson are safe and well nourished.
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