of Syrian nuns and serious electrical power issues

I've been meaning to write posts for the past couple of weeks. One I even have written, but no photos uploaded - and I have a lot of them to go with that entry.  The power here has been sketchy lately, especially with all the rainstorms we've been having (another entry).  It's been coming on late at night and leaving before dawn.  A few times I've gotten up and checked mail, but writing takes more than that.

We actually had power when I got home this afternoon following church and a graduation ceremony - such a luxury - and I checked mail before Evening Prayer.  "I'll iron after I do the dishes," I thought, "and then I will call Mom and Dad."   So the power went off during supper.  Hmph.  Right when it was getting dark. At this point, of course, I'm used to it.  I should acknowledge, though, that I've called these "serious power issues," but we still have much more power than we did the summer I was living in Darbonne. It's all relative.

After dishes and Compline, I headed to bed.  Then around 10PM, the power came back on - so I went straight to the phone to talk to my parents and then came downstairs to iron two scapulars before tomorrow. 

I still don't have the brain power to write or upload what I'd like to, but I've had this article on my "must post this" list for a week or two now, so it's time to share it with you.  Amazing woman.  She is smuggling medical supplies to help the wounded among the activists in Syria.  The beginning of the article is below with a photo of other Middle-Eastern nuns praying - the woman in question is on such a dangerous mission that she has to remain anonymous. She is clearly a woman of courage and faith.  I would love to be more like her.

Here is another excerpt:

Supplies quickly ran out due to the blockade. Some activists managed to enter the city to help supply ad-hoc clinics in the basements of residential buildings. Many died under sniper fire, according to reports by the Syrian Network for Human Rights.

"Sister Nanique decided to go to Baba Amr when it was under fire, which meant practical suicide," Fadi says, referring to one of the most devastated parts of Homs. "Getting to Homs was dangerous, let alone Baba Amr. It was the most violently bombarded region in Homs and was surrounded by the army."

Fadi says he tried to discourage Sister Nanique from going to Baba Amr.

"I could not get her to change her mind, although she was fully aware of the hazard of her mission. There was only one thing she could think of: the fact that more and more people will die if she did not get there and give them the right medication."

To read the whole article:

http://womensenews.org/story/war/120416/syrian-nun-plays-key-role-in-medical-underground