Written on April 19th in Thika Kenya
I had been reading Half the Sky, and getting into each story of suffering and oppression of women around the world, from female circumcision to rape to religious killings to sex trafficking. Stories that both enraged and offended me.
So lastnight I had a vivid dream that may have something to do with what I read but maybe not.
In my dreams I was face to face with Lisa Ling, the Chinese American journalist that hosted the talk show, The View. She was telling me about the story of her sister, Eunice Ling (that was her name in my dream), and her journalist counterpart, another Asian American woman, of how they were being held hostage in North Korea, as they went there to capture a story about China-NK border activities to expose it to light.
But the two women journalists were taken captive and could not get out of the clutches of the North Korean government. Lives endangered, they waited, and the US government, led by the likes of Clinton, struck up a deal that demanded NK government for their release to safety. And the scene that followed, was a heartwrenching reunion of the two Asian American journalists and their husbands and one 4 year old daughter.
Was justice served by their release? I don't know, but it was a story worth telling and retelling because lives were risked so injustice acts that once were hidden in the dark are now being exposed, what these women did, were heroic acts. They put their lives on the line, left their loved ones because they believed in freedom for all, by being there, they could get a story, one that spotlighted oppression of the NK government and the denial of human rights, and by their writing they may expose darkness and change a generation.
So that was my dream, most of the facts were true, except I was getting a personal account of this from Lisa Ling, the sister of one of the captured journalists.
Back to reality, this morning we went to the Coconut Grill in town and I looked up the names of the people in my dreams. Lisa Ling's sister's name turned out to Laura, but her journalist counterpart's name is Euna Lee, very close to the name Eunice that was in my dream. Lisa and Laura Ling coauthored a book called "Somewhere Inside", one sister's captivity in North Korea and the other's plight to bring her home", and Euna Lee also wrote a book called: "The World Is Bigger Now: An American Journalist's Release from Captivity in North Korea… A Remarkable Story of Faith, Family, and Forgiveness" (which I'm reading now on Month 9 of the race in Uganda).
Laura Ling (left) and Euna Lee (right) speaks about their 4 months capture in North Korea
Here's a quote from the first book:
"Our grandmother lived with us during our parent's divorce. She was a woman of strong Christian faith and character, and she encouraged us to be determined women and to stand up for people who didn't have a voice."
The two books had me at the first few sentences of its preface. I believe God is leading me to read both books in order I shall discover something significant. Just as I talked to Lisa Ling face to face in my dreams, I am now reading these books told by her and Euna of her sister's capture. And I believe when I am done reading it, I will have discovered a few gems and be a bit closer to discovering God's calling for my life too. May His presence be with me as I read each word, line and page, and inspire me to discover the truths hidden between the covers of this book.
God gave me these words as I prayed more about my dream: Writing to expose injustice.
Is this a vision from God for my life? For the next season?
