by Nadia Ramoutar, MMM Communications Coordinator                     Ireland                   10.10.2026

A young man working in a mission in Liberia asked me if I could help him by sending him a book.  I have been mentoring this young man for some time in expanding his role as a spiritual leader with a purpose, so I was happy to help him.  It was difficult for him to get this book in Liberia as it was published in Europe.  I went online and I ordered the book for him.  He gave the address of where he is currently studying and I sent it on to him. Seven months later, the package came back through my door.  Unopened.  Unharmed.  Undelivered.

He was so frustrated and I don’t blame him.  It was so disappointing.  We don’t have a full explanation of how this happened but any of us who have been sending things like this over the years are in NO WAY surprised at this story.

Another young man who has five children under 12 years of age was also in contact with me and was desperate to get some support for himself and his family as they are trapped in Afghanistan and he is on a danger list because he previous worked for organizations affiliated with the Western world.  He and his wife managed to get the five children and themselves across the border as refugees to Pakistan.  One day he was stopped and searched – and it is not clear why but he was returned to Afghanistan, forced to leave his wife and five children in Pakistan. Unprepared. Unsettled. Unhappy.

There is very little if no support for families like this caught in the political web of Afghanistan at the moment.

Last year over 350 humanitarian workers in the world were killed.  This is the second highest number of fatalities recorded since such things were tracked.

As a person committed to making a positive difference globally, there are moments when I question how all this is going?  It seems like the problem with injustice is that it is so – well, unjust.  While many of us have faced personal injustice in our lives, living with systematic injustice is a whole other level of challenge.  It means that the institutions we might need to function consistently cannot be trusted or depended on to deliver when we might need them most.

And what does one do with one’s heart in such a reality?

It is not easy to answer or to comprehend how we might overcome so many inequalities that linger in our world.  Some countries get help and some don’t.  Some girls can go to school and some cannot.  We live in a world of contradictions which makes navigating our course so challenging.  This week amidst this irritation, I read the words “renew my heart”.  I stopped.  I stared.  I surrendered.  May I not give up.  May I not forget those in need.  May I not become cynical.  May I simply, renew my heart.