My mind still swirls with the words, images, sounds that I absorbed this past week. I see the faces of my cohort and the faces of those who were dammed, those who survived, those who liberated, those who tell the story for the ones who have been silenced. Taking Maggie for a walk after returning home yesterday, I had the same sensation one has after losing a loved one to death--"How can the world just keep going? People are driving here and there, engaging in a myriad of activities, and I alone am bearing the weight of the grief and the knowledge of the loss."

The question remains--What do I do with this information/experience? I'm sure that my response will continue to evolve as I move past the initial visceral response. I already know that my week immersed in genocide has reinforced values of love, compassion, hope, perseverance, beauty, the gift of being present in the moment with a person (I see you, I hear you), and the necessity of speaking up about injustice anywhere I see it. I am reminded that even though I may not agree with a person's religion or politics or family values, etc., everyone is created in God's image and thus deserves love and respect. They also deserve to be seen and heard. I don't have to give up my values and beliefs in order to do this. Looking into another person's eyes and making a connection is part of being human and reflects the divine nature. (Lahai Roi--Gen. 16:13-14) Studying the suffering of people underscores the need for love, which seems a trite saying, but actually is at the core of the gospel.