Dear friends and members of University UMC:
There are some days I sit down to write my Friday Note, and the words just don’t come as easily. This is one of those days. Prayer petitions are never-ending, and I feel empty of any new words to talk about it all. In particular, it’s the faces of children in need that bring me to my knees. Children in Gaza are starving. Recently I visited with my longtime spiritual director and she said it was difficult to watch the news and see the faces of the children as they cried out for food. She says, “I make myself watch. I don’t turn away. I don’t want them to be forgotten.”
Many countries observe International Children’s Day on June 1 as a day to remember the rights and well-being of children around the world. It was in 1998 that Ukraine began celebrating this day, but in recent years it has understandably taken on greater significance against the backdrop of war. Over 2,400 children have died since the escalation of war in their country and reports indicate that casualties in recent months have increased.
