an ageless cry

I close my eyes, and see hands reaching out from the darkness, waiting to be held, waiting to be rescued. I close my eyes, and see eyes looking out to me from the darkness, eyes filled with hope that someone from the light will grab hold of their filthy pair of hands and pull them out from captivity. I close my eyes, and hear the cries and screams of a million innocent souls in anguish, continually asking the world why. I close my eyes, and see cages filled with an army of living corpses, breathing in despair. Some are young, some are old; some are female, some are male. All are beautiful; all are precious. All are waiting for salvation. In the height of the modern-day slave and sex trade which is fuelled by the extremes of Western egocentrism, when every one turns a forgetting eye away, I hear a voice asking day and night, night and day. "Who will go for Me," says the voice of the One who created every one of these souls in chains. "Who will go for Me?"

And so I wrote a song...


Wonderful Love

Take me by the hand and we will go
To the darkest place, to the lowest place
Take me by the hand and we will go
To the hurting ones, to the lowly ones

There is a love that never fails
It is the love of the Son of Man
His perfect love is always near
He wipes our tears, He calms our fears

What a wonderful love You gave
Teach me to love like You
What a wonderful Savior King
Teach me to give like You

And I will wrap my arms around the lonely
Clothe the naked, feed the hungry
Love the ones whose never been loved before
We'll show the world that He's alive
In the darkest place we'll lift Him high
And every eye will see Your light shine

from the oxford book of exploration

I have recently been reading an anthology on the best writing from explorers and travelers throughout the ages. While reading the very words of those who changed the world through their pioneering and relentless search for new lands, new peoples, and new experiences, I have realized that a hunch and thirst for wild, raw adventure will always be close to the core of who I am. It is truly not just about the destination, but the journey that matters. The following short paragraph written by a famous English explorer Wilfred Thesiger (traveled far and wide in Africa, Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan) really speaks into my heart:

"For me, exploration was a personal venture. I did not go to the Arabian desert to collect plants nor to make a map; the fact that I have very successfully done these things were only incidental. I went there to find peace in the hardship of desert travel and the company of desert peoples. I set myself a goal on these journeys, and, although the goal itself was unimportant, its attainment had to be worth every effort and sacrifice. Scott had gone to the South Pole in order to stand for a few minutes on one particular and almost inaccessible spot on the earth's surface. He and his companions died on their way back, but even as they were dying he never doubted that the journey had been worthwhile. Everyone knew that there was nothing to be found on the top of Everest, but even in this materialistic age people would know not to ask, "What point is there in climbing Everest? What good will it do anyone when they get there?" They recognized that even today there are experiences that do not need to be justified in terms of material profit. For surely, no, it is not the goal but the way there that matters, and the harder the way the more worthwhile the journey."

- From "Thoughts on Exploration" by Sir Wilfred Thesiger, Oxford Book of Exploration.