one more week

God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes
where the poor play house.
God is in the silence of a mother
who has infected her child with a virus that will kill them both.
God is in the cries heard
under the rubble of war.
God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives.
and God is with us if
we are with them.
-Bono

These were the final words in a book i just read called 'Hope in the Dark'. Amazing book.

Brief outline:
Twenty-five years ago, AIDS was unknown in sub-Saharan Africa. Today it’s overwhelmingly the continent’s biggest killer. In Hope in the Dark, photojournalist Jeremy Cowart documents the hope and pain of Africa’s AIDS generation—a generation beset by poverty and fear, a generation in which children in some countries are more likely to die of AIDS than not. But despite the sickening odds, Cowart captures brief glimpses of beauty, optimism and joy as he makes his way across the continent. Through this collection of startling, remarkable images, his lens uncovers not just the magnitude of the problem, but also the places where God is undeniably present in the midst of it.

Check it out. Buy it even. Part of the proceeds go directly to African relief agencies.

Flipping through those pages brought tears to my eyes. I look forward to checking it out when I'm back, when the images and words will likely have a whole new meaning.