"The things seen are beyond describing. When you actually see them for yourself, you know what you're fighting for here." (pbs.org)

This quote is a very powerful quote, and certainly hits home for me. As I said in my last post, its so easy to forget about the bad things that are happening across the world when they don't directly affect us. Today I volunteered at Saints Place in Rochester for Nazareth's MLK Day of Service. Let me tell you, it was quite the eye opener for me. While at Saint's Place, I got to help refugee families "shop" for clothes. I witnessed adults and children alike wearing old, tattered sandals in the middle of winter, kids without coats, two-year-olds without pants or underwear on (in winter yet!), and so much more. Besides getting to meet new people and have a really great time, volunteering at Saint's Place really got me thinking. I was nearly in tears at the thought of these innocent people having to flee their homes, being seaprated from their families, and having a shortage of food, water, clothing, and other life necessities. I found myself asking "why?"- "why are people doing these things to eachother?", "why aren't there enough clothes for these refugee families when they come to the United States?", "why is it that Americans have soooooo much money, beautiful homes, closets packed with clothing, and blow money on going out to eat every day, yet, we allow others to get by with justthe clothes on their backs?" and "what can I do to help these people?". Seeing the faces of the people who suffer from genocides really makes me want to fight for them. Obviously I haven't got a clue as to how much people have suffered and continue to suffer- I've never witnessed a genocide, but I've met some of its victims and it bothers me a whole lot.