Restitution

Okay, happy things:

1.) "That Thing You Do"
2.) Icelandic poppies
3.) Sea shells
4.) Winning at Clue
5.) Flying to Seattle on Thursday!
6.) Laughing at my ridiculous math class
7.) Citrus
8.) Corduroy
9.) My job at BP/TE
10.) The word "parcheesi"

Complaining (Sorry)

Auughhh! I am so sick of my paper! If I never hear about the UN again, it will be too soon. Plus, I just ate a whole bar of Toblerone chocolate in about 7 minutes. Shows how focused I am. And prior to that I ate 1/3 bag of snap peas from Trader Joe's. These two incompatible food groups are now having a duel in the depths of my interior. I think we call that "stress eating."

Almost done! On an ironic note, I accidentally achieved an A in my credit/no credit Math 112 class. It was such a joke. It saddened me that I wasted a credit/no credit. Oops. Should have gone with my instinct, but I figured since I skipped about 1/3 of the classes I should play it safe...evidently not.

Wow, I'm in full stream into complaining mode about inconsequential things. I'm leaving now.

Good-bye.

In His prescence is fullness of joy.

It's been rather a crazy week, and though I could come up with a list of reasons why, the overall reasons for stress are still semi-nebulous. However, the Lord has really been using those stressful factors to teach me more about myself and my priorities. I think my heart is more in the right place than it was last Sunday (i.e. focused on the Lord and my relationship with Him rather than on myself or my relationships with people).

It makes me smile when I stop and think how kind and gentle the Lord is to work with me in spite of my blinders. He has used several people that I did not anticipate to directly and indirectly encourage me this week, moving me more towards a much-needed Mary mindset rather than trudging on as a Martha.

Praise the Lord that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and even more so, that He is faithful. Psalm 16:11 has impacted me this week: In His presence is fullness of joy. Oftentimes I remind myself of the verse, "The joy of the Lord is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10). However, the joy of the Lord comes from His presence and from having a relationship with Him. Again, it was reinforced that I am nothing apart from God.

I've also been conducted two interesting experiments this week that will be revisited after break. More on that later. They're still very much works in progress, but have the potential to have a significant impact on my mindset and the way I spend my time.

Aside from the topics mentioned above, cognition has also been expended in gleeful anticipation of my trip to Seattle/road trip to SLO. I fly up on Thursday. 'Twill be grand. I also decided to tint my hair red again during the last weekend of break and have been looking forward to that. You have to appreciate the little things in life. Besides, I get so bored with my hair.

This post is becoming mundane. My apologies.

Kudos, David, for getting this far. ;)

Excerpt from history section of Samaritan's Purse

"Go and do likewise," Christ commanded after explaining the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. So we do. Samaritan's Purse travels the world’s highways looking for victims along the way. The work is often dangerous—as it was for the Samaritan—but the message we carry is much too important. We are quick to bandage the wounds we see, but the Samaritan didn’t stop there, and neither do we. In addition to meeting their immediate, emergency needs, we help these victims recover and get back on their feet.

No matter where we go or what we do, though, we offer more than help. We offer hope. To suffering people in a broken world, we share the news of the only One who can bring true peace—Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.

Excerpt from UN account of their "efforts" in Sudan

On 7 October 2004, the Secretary-General [of the United Nations]announced the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry to determine whether acts of genocide had occurred in Darfur. In its final report, the Commission concluded that while the Government of Sudan had not pursued a policy of genocide, its forces and allied militia had “conducted indiscriminate attacks, including killing of civilians, torture, enforced disappearances, destruction of villages, rape and other forms of sexual violence, pillaging and forced displacement.” The panel concluded that “international offences such as the crimes against humanity and war crimes that have been committed in Darfur may be no less serious and heinous than genocide.” It urged the Security Council to “act not only against the perpetrators but also on behalf of the victims”.

On 21 April 2005, the Commission on Human Rights (predecessor of the Human Rights Council) appointed a Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Sudan. The Special Rapporteur, Sima Samar, has travelled to Sudan regularly and issued oral and written statements to the Commission (and later the Human Rights Council) and to the Third Committee of the General Assembly.

In February and March 2007, the Human Rights Council deployed a special mission to report on the human rights situation in Darfur. The Council subsequently set up a human rights expert group to work with the Sudanese Government and the AU to ensure implementation of all resolutions and recommendations on Darfur in relation to human rights. On 20 June, the mandate of the expert group was extended for another six months. In its seventh report on the human rights situation in the Sudan (18 May), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported on aerial attacks conducted from January to March 2007 against civilians in Darfur. The Secretary-General has repeatedly drawn the attention of the Security Council to the continuing violence in Darfur and has condemned the targeting of civilians, including aerial attacks on villages.

http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unamid/background.html