kar0ling

Suu Kyi is an amazing, beautiful woman of peace and conviction. She has, for all intents and purposes, been under house arrest for almost the past 20 years because even when they let her out, they don't actually let her go anywhere. Myanmar extends democracy leader Suu Kyi's detention Last Updated: Friday, May 25, 2007 10:04 AM ET CBC News Myanmar extended the house arrest of Nobel Peace laureate and democracy advocate Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday for another year, according to government officials. Suu Kyi, who has been confined by the country's ruling junta for 11 of the last 17 years, was to complete her latest detention term Sunday. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won a general election in 1990, but the military junta, which seized power in 1988, ignored the result and instead persecuted members of the pro-democracy movement. The Oxford-educated Suu Kyi has been held since May 2003, when her motorcade was attacked by a mob linked to the junta during a po...

Just a quick update to keep my readers coming back (sorry, no rants this time): I was sounding very discouraged about the status of my fundraising last time, but I neglected to mention that my church has been really fabulous -- overwhelmingly supportive. They have set a goal to raise a substantial amount and are currently about halfway to reaching it. So I do have faith that it will all work out. (However, if you have intentions to give any funds, please send your pledge forms to World Team sooner rather than later so they can release me to actually leave when I'm supposed to on August 1.) Not only are they supportive financially, but they've been really supportive with logistics as well. I guess it comes from half the church being former missionaries -- they know what it's like out on the field and want to provide as much encouragement and support as they can. They've formed a support team for me consisting of a team leader or coach, a logistics person, a fundraising c...

Well, you knew I had to comment. I'm hardly a political connoisseur but I can't help but have an opinion about everything so of course I have something to say about the election. It's not even so much about which party wins -- since in the long run, they end up making pretty much the same kind of decisions anyway -- it's the lack of change that bothers me. The third straight majority for a very ordinary government: what a shame! How very boring. And, how sad the voter cynicism it reflects, as does my earlier comment about them all being the same anyway. Somehow a tight race, and a change in representatives, if nothing else, at least offers hope there will be some difference. It offers hope that one's vote actually counts, and that by participating in the political process, one can actually have an impact on the decisions that get made. The riding I currently live in has had the same party represent it from its inception in 1969. Granted, it was redistributed thus n...

Okay, maybe it's a bit late in the season to be saying it, but I love spring! It is so beautiful to see everything turning green. I love to observe the green buds sprouting from the trees and the grass become verdant. That's something I missed in the Netherlands and have taken extra appreciation for ever since. Out there I really enjoyed seeing daffodils blooming as early as February, fields upon fields of tulips blooming in April, and flowering trees clothed in pink or white -- gloriously beautiful for a week or two, then dropping their petals in a rain of colour. But I kept waiting for those little buds I saw to turn into full-fledged leaves. I kept thinking "any day now, everything will be green." And sure enough, some two months after I started saying that, the trees finally displayed their full foliage. I really don't have a favourite season -- their very existence is my favourite. I love the beginning of each season and usually weary of each by its end. ...

Here's a snippet from the presentation I gave to my church about my journey. It's basically what's in my prayer letter, just presented differently: In general, the ministry stories I’ve heard in my life have left the impression that God leads people to do exactly the thing they least want to do. This worried me, and made me afraid to even ask God what kind of ministry He wanted to lead me into. Well, there have always been two things I’ve been clear on as far as what I’m going to do with my life: I don’t like kids, and I’m not going to be a teacher. However, this has not prevented me from working with kids at summer camp, volunteering with LBE, and teaching Sunday School, nor from doing one-on-one tutoring with some junior high students, getting a TESOL certificate, and teaching English for a 3-week stint in Ukraine. So, methinks the lady doth protest too much. That, and God has a sense of humour. It's struck me recently that I have found myself if not doing, at least i...