Tonight I finished a rough, but awesome, book: "There Is No Me Without You" by Melissa Fay Greene. It is the story of Ethiopia, as told through the lens of the AIDS epidemic, the sharp increase in the resulting orphan population, and how the country-- and specifically one woman-- responds. This is not an easy or light book to read, but it was penetrating and thought (and emotion) provoking! At times I was so mad and frustrated, disgusted with the blanket failure our world has settled for in the fight against this horrible disease. Other times, I was so moved and hurting for its victims and those who sacrificed everything to love & care for the abandoned, rejected, outcast segment of the country's population.
The author does a great job of sharing statistics, history, and hard, sad facts in an interesting way. She also tells an amazingly human and painful story of a widow who loses her own daughter to AIDS, and ends up (literally) stumbling into a ministry of care for AIDS orphans in her country. It is not a saintly portrayal, but an honest one, which reminded me that God uses the weak & the sinful to accomplish His great purposes.
Finally, in Parts 3 & 4 of the book, the author tells the "continuation" of the story through the lens of adoption. Which was really touching, even though it's not something we feel called to. The author & book have a website that has info on what's become of the Ethiopian Foster Mother, picture slide shows of the children, and information on adoption. Check out www.thereisnomewithoutyou.com
I definately recommend this book if you are interested in reading about obedience to a call, mercy ministry, AIDS/health related crisis', Ethiopia, Africa, or adoption.
No comments:
Post a Comment