Tonight, I attended a talk by Kim Phuc, otherwise known as "the Girl in the Picture." She is the nine-year-old girl in the image, caught in the middle of a napalm bombing.It was incredible, and so moving, but most of all, what I loved about her story was her reliance and dependence and complete faith in God.
She talked about forgiveness, and how much of a struggle it was to be able to forgive the pilots who controlled the air-strike – the ones that almost killed her. She was only able to achieve it through patience, prayer, and a long, long, long time of trust in God.
She started the Kim Foundation to help children that were victims of war. In the middle of one of the videos depicting her in Africa with orphans, I recognized a song that was playing: Here I Am to Worship. You may not know this, but at Steubenville two summers ago, on the first night of praise, we sang this song. It was a culmination of things during the entire first day that we were there, but at that moment, when I was singing those words: "Here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, here I am to say that you're my God...", I finally realized how much of a sinner I was, especially towards my parents, and how I needed God in my life. And it choked me up and made me cry, and I had to stop singing to compose myself. I'll never forget that moment, or that song. So when it played in the video...it felt like a sign to me.
"We cannot change history, but with love we can heal the future."
Kim Phuc is an amazing, amazing, amazing woman. She is so, so strong – not just physically, in overcoming pain that still haunts her to this day, but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, and I am honored to have heard her speak tonight.
So, without further ado, today I am thankful for:
- An absolutely beautiful day, perfect temperature, full of sunshine.
- Canceled classes.
- An evening with Kim Phuc, because I feel like it is going to change my life.
- D-'s arrival for the weekend.
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