abbie_h

I feel like a complete hypocrite pulling up alone to the homeless shelter, in my own car, with my $4000 laptop in the back, $90 a month cell phone, driving in from my $700 a month lake-front condo with gas at $4.00 a gallon. I feel inadequate and jaded. I feel the us/and them mentality that I so loathe. Not that I am under the illusion that I am distant from homelessness. Ever since the coup d’état began in Mali, I have been questioning my purpose in life, and although I have zero foresight, I have been somewhat worried about what I will do in my future. I am well aware that these above named possessions are things bought in the past, and that maintaining them is never a guarantee.

Clearly, above all, I am extremely self-absorbed and in those the-world-revolves-around-me type of mental states at this point...but the quickly changed.

Yesterday was the day some of at Exodus Church of Bloomington had organized to serve an Easter meal to the homeless in town at Backstreet Missions; think The Parable of the Great Banquet (Luke 14: 12 - 24). A group of us had been to Backstreet Missions once before, and we learned in that visit that while we came with the intention of ministering to the 'needy', it was us who received teaching from the surprisingly gracious, generous, and light-hearted guests of Backstreet.

This time, while we all expected to receive words of knowledge and spiritual growth, I don't think anything could have prepared me for the bolt of life-lightning with which I would be struck. A small group of us went to the 'local haunts' of the transient community to pass out flyers for the day's event. Even though the homeless may seem invisible to those who wish not to see, there are many people without any possessions in this small college town.

However, maybe it was too early on a cool morning, but for some reason our dream team of Exodus goers and Backstreet guests were having trouble finding people to invite to the meal. We still used this opportunity to discuss 'issues' impacting homelessness, addiction, disability, mental illness, job loss, separation, etc. However, even when talking to homeless people, these concepts can seem fairly intellectual in a clean and safe setting.

We ventured to one of the main Section 8 housing projects in town, known locally as 'the hill'. The hill has a reputation of being the bad area of town, though this is certainly not the case. On the contrary, one are of town that does scare me is the railroad tracks. I suggested we go there anyways, though, since it is a place that I feel is very neglected in terms of homelessness outreach. Right as we approached the tracks, we saw two men that appeared as if they had spent a significant amount of time outside the confines of society. Yet, something in me urged me to jump out of the car with my female co-hort to ask them to come to our Easter dinner.

To be truthful, I don't have an immediate fear response, though in hindsight it was a somewhat haphazard decision. Thankfully, it paid off, but not right away. We offered for the men to join us in our feast, but their defenses went up. If at that point I was hiding the feeling of an us and them divide, they sensed it. One of them, later I learned is nicknamed 'Catfish', shook his head, saying that food was not enough. Feeding the hungry did not solve the problem, he said, and he mentioned bigger issues of fear, pain, and spiritual hunger. His companion was more open and agreed that they would come. I was skeptical, but just that interaction alone shook Dawn and I, as we were told by our friends, we 'came back to the car, holding hands and crying'. This was only the beginning.

Indeed, Catfish and Ace did arrive at the meal. And when Catfish sat down and put the fork of freshly prepared, homemade food to his mouth, tears streaked from ice cold blue eyes through the layers of dirt and grime on his face. He told us we had no idea what this event meant to him and how long it had been since he had eaten. I do not doubt this. By the end of the meal, I was arm-wrestling Ace, a former youth-minister, and we were all having a very real and very non-intellectual discussion of God, the Bible, and the difficult questions of how can a loving God allow people to go without their needs being met.

I asked Catfish why this was his nick-name, thinking that it was because of his unshaven whiskers, but, in fact, it was self-chosen. He said he felt that he was a 'bottom feeder', and this was his place in life. His destiny. He stated, "you know, an apple must fall to the ground, die, and rot in order for a seed to sprout and a new apple tree to grow". He said that he need to remain in his place in society so that others could flourish. While I believe that if we all lived more minimally, the world would benefit greatly, this is not what I had in mind. Just like the very rich, the very poor should be unnecessary in an ideal society. I tried, cried, and prayed with him, all in order to convince him that this was not the case; this was not his purpose. But in all my own thinking recently about how I know what my purpose is and it is to be in Mali documenting Dogon and Bangime, and that is all, I realize my own stubbornness in this area of life.

I have always said after Peace Corps that the 4th, unwritten goal, should be that we help those in need on our own soil. Time and again, just as I learned in Peace Corps, the ones in need are not always the ones who are offering nor the ones who are asking, but the ones who think we have something to give.

“With the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” Revelation 12:1



I died at the age of 35 and was reborn in Christ at the age of 37. The phoenix stretched her wings way beyond what was comfortable for her as she rose from the ashes of shattered idols. My memories of my childhood are all shadows, save for one: I remember praying to an angel. This angel returned last year to remind me that she was still taking care of me. She spoke to me in a dream through a language I do not speak though I could understand every word she said. She comforted me in a time when no one else could. She towered over me and her skin was of a blueish/silver tint. Her wings were raptor-like. Also known as the 'Woman and the Dragon', I believe she is the 'Sun Woman' from Revelation represented here by Ruben. In celebration of my baptism I will be getting her wings tattooed on my shoulders and upper back next month.

I have been marking important points in my life through body art since I turned 18. Colorful wings will represent my phoenix moment which will sit atop the fire woman who presently inhabits the lower portion of my back. The fire woman is holding the moon, thus the sun woman’s wings will complete her journey.

I did not seek this rebirth; God chose someone to coax me to Him. At first I flew too close to the sun and my wings melted but when I fell, Christ picked me back up.

Yet still I did not understand and wished for the thorns to be removed from my side in a way in which they would never return. Then God spoke to me through two more dreams: in the first, I felt the nails pierce my hands and feet and the crown of additional thorns set atop my head as I was sacrificed with Jesus and then I spoke with a man who I have never met because he died in the village in which I currently work in Africa. The second dream consisted of God informing me, “life is a gift” and that I should never again take mine or anyone else’s for granted. No matter what suffering is endured, if our bodies are on this earth, then our purpose lies here, and thus we will remain until that is fulfilled.



(By the way, If this just set your weird-meter on over-drive, I understand.)

Abbie
Enough about me, I dedicate this to my brother Aaron, whose "life is a gift".

Ever since the Deliverance Prayer (see last entry) I've had episodes of sudden, uncontrollable, shaking. They are not panic attacks. I've also had an image of puzzle pieces stuck in my head since another brief prayer session on Sunday at Exodus. Now these events make sense.

I'm really ADD, so I read like five books at once; just pick up each one when it feels right. Tonight at the gym I picked up The Purpose Driven Life. The first line was "God wants you to grow up".

Much of the Deliverance Prayer was devoted to asking for God to restore my childhood.

The book then cites the verse,

http://bible.us/Phil2.12.KJV "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."

The author states that this must be 'worked out' like exercise or a puzzle.

Want more? As I'm writing this, auto-correct writes 'Yahweh' for 'taken'.

Again, I say to you, there are no coincidences. Pay attention to these occurrences. (Remember the Matrix?)

Posted via m.livejournal.com.

I am not going to Mali right now.

This is partly why:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15895908

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15877709

But that wasn't even enough! I fully accept now that I have not rid myself of my masochistic, quest for struggles, tendencies.

What did it take for me to realize this?

Not the news of these attacks.
Not the fact that my hip/back/knee, etc. are still severely injured.
Not the possibility that my poor parents could not possibly handle another tragedy in our family.
Not all the people (who love me?! how is that possible?!) advising me not to go.
Not the Soldier who has served 21 years in the military, flying back to Afghanistan that I met on the plane from NC to IN telling me there was no way he could do what I do.
Not the examples of other women and men who traveled to politically unstable countries and found themselves in a world of trouble.
Not the odd series of coincides that prevented me from purchasing a plane ticket to Mali.
Not my dissertation committee telling me that this trip was a) against the terms of the grant I currently hold, and b)would delay my progress, that is, prevent me from finishing in May.

It was God.

Again, call me crazy, but I had (in addition to all of the above) a 3.5 hour Deliverance Prayer session with our prayer team from Exodus. The answer was extremely clear, yet I didn't like it. It's not so easy to follow God when He tells you to do things you don't want to do. Not that I even wanted to go to Mali again, but I felt I NEEDED to in order to finish my linguistic work and not going would mean all of the work I have done thus far would be in vain. Also, I felt I would be abandoning our teammates, in addition to the pre-arranged plans for a geneticist and phonetician to help me with the Bangime project.

I took that famous 'leap of faith' and guess what?! God has already come through for me! But for now, I'd like you to take a step of faith with me and stay tuned to see all that comes of this...

Today, many of the women of our church, Exodus of Bloomington, IN, gathered in fellowship and worship. One of our activities was the writing of verses or words of encouragement for each other. Because I am experiencing a particularly trying time in my growth, these were the cards which I received. As a gesture of gratitude, I've copied them here in hopes that these words may words encourage others as they are comforting me.

_____

Let the distress BRING you to God - not drive you from. We never regret that type of pain - Corinthians

2 Corinthians 12: 8 - 9 "*My [God's] power is made perfect in [our] weakness"

God uses our pain for His glory - He uses it to help us. He uses struggles to bring us closer to Him.

Let God use you as an example of how to serve and love Jesus even in suffering. Especially in suffering.

Healing for my soul is more important than healing for my body.

You are not numb! Your raw feeling of God will increase. You allow us to feel pain so we will call you (God). But, you will deliver us... There is a day of freedom.

God, your Father is today and everyday embracing you through the pain!

Many are saying of my soul, "There is no deliverance for him in God." But You, oh Lord, are a shield about me, My glory and the one who lifts my head. Psalm 3: 2, 3

I was crying to the Lord with my voice, And he answered me from His Holy mountain. Psalm 3: 4

Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my groaning. Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, For to you I pray. In the morning I will order my prayer to you and eagerly watch. Psalm 5: 1 - 3

The Lord will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble, And those who know your name will put their trust in you; For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those you seek You. Ps 9: 9, 10

____

Honestly, I can't advise you how not to hurt yourself or avoid getting sick because I've worn out just about every joint on my body and have experienced most known and some unknown 'tropical' (why are they called that even in the desert?!) diseases, but what I can share is how I am learning to deal and heal from them. I hope by passing on what I've been taught and learned over the past three years of intermittent fieldwork can help you as I've accumulated some miraculous, life-changing lessons from some amazing people, books, and, of course God!

#1 Eat:

All of you who work in Africa have surely heard the phrase in various languages, "eat more"! While that may or may not be what you personally need to do, everyone has to eat, but what and when you eat can change how you feel dramatically.

Supposedly, I have migraines due to contracting malaria when I was in Peace Corps and they've plagued me ever since, but at least now I can usually control them with the following:

Avoid msg, a byproduct of soy, so avoid that too (check labels - it's a myth that msg is only found in Chinese food - it's in just about every processed food, often disguised under the heading 'spices'). Either eat foods which consist of few ingredients or ones that specifically say 'no msg'. Same for nitrates, as in avoid wines and mass processed meats, bacon is one, for example.

Avoid nightshade vegetables. Yup, not all veggies are good for you.

Other potential triggers are nuts, bananas, chocolate, and, of course, alcohol. Sometimes you can get away with some trigger foods in small quantities. A neurologist once told me to think of it like filling a bathtub with marbles. Each marble represents a trigger. When the tub overflows, you got yourself a migraine.

Some herbs help such as feverfew, but it's best eaten raw and it's very bitter. Although this could be a controversial topic (see #2), I also take herbs made by a traditional healer in Bounou (Mali). When these herbs are available to me, I basically don't have migraines. I can't tell you what is in them, though, because the Dogon Languages Project has an agreement with traditional healers to not give away their secrets, plus, they are specifically made for me. So, if you don't have access to a traditional healer, see a neurologist for medications, and also try cold baths or swimming in icy lakes as these help too. ;-)

Gluten intolerance: yes, it's real. This can be genetic or mimic symptoms of Candida which is often brought on by overuse of anti-biotics (prescribed for anti-malaria prophylaxis), and cortisone or other steroid medications prescribed for de-inflammation of joint problems - yes, there's a lot of irony here. For this, try pro-biotics, cleanses, a product called Candex, and other herbal remedies may help when avoidance of triggering foods is impossible.

As far as weight loss goes, first, see #2 and #3, then eat smart and eat healthily. I can't speak to a certain 'diet' like low-carb, raw, low-fat, etc. because every person is different, but I do know that if you do exercise, and you should, think about eating as feeding your exercise program. You can't really 'burn off' what you've just eaten, but you can replenish what you've worked off by consuming carbs and protein right after working out. You're basically a sponge for about the next hour. But, don't think that means you can eat junk, eat healthy amounts and quality, easy to digest, foods for your workout so that you don't basically negate all your hard work!

#2 Pray:

I don't mind that many of you who knew me before my 'conversion' (more like acceptance) to Christianity think I've gone insane. I am a new person, and in actuality I'm sane now and was crazy before, so this has been the best change I have ever made in my life. If you are skeptical, and I certainty was, just try a simple prayer, and see what happens. You may be amazed! It's not magic, and even though we can't see God, He is real. When we acknowledge that, and open ourselves to communication with Him, He can reveal Himself in the most unexpected ways in our lives and the lives of those around us. All your problems will not disappear, but they will become manageable because you will know that you are no longer alone. The unseen is not the same as the non-existent. Think of it like seeing ripples in a pond but you didn't see who threw the rock.

Those of you that have known me for a while can attest to the fact that my life has completely changed for the better. And the reason is Jesus (thank you Pastor Matt at Exodus Church in Bloomington for the 'be bold and talk about Jesus' prayer for pushing me to write this part). And if that makes you uncomfortable or think me strange, that's fine, but look at the results and try and come up with another reason why absolutely everything about my existence has improved dramatically.

Or think of it this way, how beautiful is the 'ordered chaos' of nature? For those of you who work in Africa or any other place that is removed from electricity know how it feels to look at the night sky. It's like sitting in an open-air planetarium! Yet, it's real! That's how I came to finally accept God. I was lying on my rock (i.e. bed) looking at the stars.

The obvious objection, especially for those of us who work in places like Africa, is how can God exist when there is so much devastation in the world. I do not have a simple answer to this question (and when I do, it will certainly be the topic of another post!), but I know that there are those of us who would do anything to improve the conditions for our loved ones who are suffering. Until such time as the world can be made 'perfect' again, there is love.


#3 Love:

You must love yourself and love what you do (and, see #2, love Jesus!). We all have a God-given purpose in this life, but that purpose cannot be accomplished until you accept yourself and your talents and use them in the way they were meant to be used when they were given to you. I love languages, I love Africans, but, let's be honest, Africa is a hard place to live. Therefore, in order to live and work in Africa, we have to be as healthy and strong as possible. I used to be of the mindset that we got as strong as we needed to be by doing our daily activities, which for me were gardening, walking, climbing, or running long distances, and (since graduate school) sitting for long periods of time. I was wrong. It's the opposite. We need to strengthen our bodies in order to handle all these activities! Even sitting! Do you know how great Pilates is for posture?

Here's what I recommend for healing-exercises/ prevention-of-injuries training:

Pilates, and some Yoga - Pilates was invented for rehabilitation. Most yoga classes have become so Westernized that I'm skeptical about the efficiency of the exercises anymore. Many doctors have cautioned me against doing many yoga positions as they have the potential to over-extend an already flexible body, and those which cause you to put all your weight on either hip/knee/leg joints can be difficult to withstand for long periods of time (which is the key to yoga - holding the positions).

Use the stability balls. You can do about any exercise you can think of and then many more are available in books and online resources on these balls. They are terrific for core strengthening (not just abs - your core is your 'powerhouse' and goes from your quads to your shoulders!) For those of you with back problems, the KEY to reducing or even eliminating symptoms is core-strengthening. Forget you even have a spine and use your muscles instead. You can even deflate a stability ball and bring it with you to do your fieldwork! I brought one to Mali, pumped it up with the help of strong Malians and a bicycle pump, and I also brought three strength bands, given to me by a friend. You can basically get in your entire workout with these simple props. I can attest to the fact that these are also much healthier than lifting rocks in lieu of weights!

Lift weights. Heavy ones. But lift correctly and cautiously. If/when you do have access to a gym, though, use it! As students, we have access to amazing facilities. Swim, learn to lift weights, go to group exercise classes, ask the consultants questions, never stop learning and pushing yourself. And never, ever use the excuse that you are too busy for any of the above spirit-building goals. Once you make being healthy a priority in your life, you will gain more energy and be more focused so your time in the gym, in prayer, or eating well will be an investment for the time you spend doing your research.

As always, I welcome your feedback and if you like this, then - Suivre @indiana_tones

I've not ingested anything but juice and vitamin water for the last 28 hours. I plan to go until tomorrow morning, that'll be a full day of waking fast and two nights. Why am I doing this? Is this yet another masochist ritual I'm putting myself thorough? I'll be honest, it was a challenge. Our church here in Bloomington, Indiana, asked us to take the 'Pour Out Your Spirit' challenge. To pray for ourselves and others in the community to ask the Holy Spirit to pour himself into us. One of the aspects of the challenge was to fast. I hate fasting. I did it in Mali during Ramadan while I was in the Peace Corps and hated every second of it. The concept of Malians who were already starving, starving themselves to remember poor people? Mali is one of the poorest places on earth. They need no reminders of this reality. Also, Dogon people are animist to the core. It was more of an act for the public eye than true feeling for Allah. And that saddens me that they feel they must suppress their culture for the sake of outsiders. The time of persecution is over, isn't it?

So at first, I reacted mostly in a competitive way, akin to the masochistic part of me that creates urges so that I must endure pain, tattooing, extreme living situations, what my PT calls 'fanaticism with exercise'...you all know the deal. Therefore, as with any endurance task, I trained, removing one meal at a time until I was ready for the full experience. I decided to do it today, despite the five hours of tattooing and driving from the night before. Call that the added challenge. I often get migraines from missing meals as well so I had to be careful to avoid those with the herbal teas and juices.

Maybe it was the challenge aspect that appealed to me, but I'm honestly enjoying this experience. If I'd known how depriving the stomach engages the mind, I would have avoided all those drugs from my youth and simply starved myself instead. No, reflecting upon those with eating disorders, this would have been equally detrimental.

Also, the biggest factor in this fast is that I'm not doing it to or for myself. This is for God. To draw myself out of myself, step out of the way and let Him take over. It's truly like a hallucinagenic journey. The trees' fall colors were as if they were neon, the rain felt piercing, noises are shockingly loud. I feel, in a word, alive. In answer to the original question, therefore, yes, in a way, this is masochistic. I've chosen to feel pain in order to not feel numb. Like this tattoo, the pain radiated through my nerves and the feathers as if a rose was blooming. But this, for me, is healthy. I didn't feel my last tattoo. I went through 3.5 years of Peace Corps, blind to the open sewers, swollen stomachs from malnutrition, over-crowded cities teaming with disease and longing for relief. Now they bring me to my knees, sobbing.

I want to feel. There was a time when I had to be numb to survive. That time has passed. Until extreme measures are no longer necessary, I will endure, but not out of punishment, now there is purpose.

Posted via m.livejournal.com.

I've been write this journal in a sort of gesture of thanks to each grant the Bangime/Dogon project has been awarded, as funding also allows me time to reflect, so now the journal will be devoted to dissertation writing in celebration and thanks to the College of Arts and Sciences Dissertation Writing award. (Though, as anyone who has read this in the past knows, I'm not always celebrating through this process so much of this is also a way to reflect - i.e. vent).

For instance, I don't know about your department or school, but ours does not actually teach us how to write a dissertation. Yes, we are prepared to write it by the time we are ABD, yet, the guidelines are obscure, and the manner in which one writes a book is quite different than even a publishable-quality article.

Of course, there are plenty of books and even support groups out there, but it seems most of them are geared towards focusing your time as you make your own schedule, especially if you are not teaching or working, so maybe some of you will find these experiences (I hesitate to actually call them 'advice') helpful.



(photo of two students reading Bangime for the first time!)

For the first entry in this series, I would like to discuss humility. As if as graduate students we haven't already been beaten down to near death, the final rite of passage, the dissertation, will surely kill even the strongest among us, or at least our egos.

I have been working on this research for approximately three years now, have published and presented work about it at various venues, yet no one has taken the time to give me the kind of feedback I am now receiving. While the help is necessary and much appreciated, I cannot help but wonder why no one pointed out these glaring issues earlier?

I've been in North Carolina all summer, and yes, it might as well been Mali, because, even though I have been submitting chapters, it was not until I came back to Bloomington two weeks ago that I really got slammed with comments. This week alone, I have met already with two of my four committee members for over an hour each and am now 'revising' [read starting over] my current chapter and making it into three separate chapters (oh yes, the beast is growing at an accelerated rate!)

I have also been told for some time that writing a "descriptive" dissertation was out of the question for any linguistics graduate student in this day and age, even those of us who do descriptive work. "It must be theoretical", I was told firmly and unanimously from my committee. Therefore, I have been incorporating an intricate analysis while also providing a description of the data.

Now I have been told that the most important thing for me to do is describe the data. The analysis is no longer essential.

Many of you should appreciate the difficulty in doing this task. Even if one "describes" -ed as being the past tense suffix in English, this is both a description and an analysis. Merely separating words rather than linking them together in some manner involves analysis and decisions about the grammar of the language. Obviously, analysis is essential, but what my professors are referring to is a more ornate analysis using algorithms and theoretical models. No matter that I have taken the time to write and think about this work in terms of these models, it appears in doing so, the description became lost. They are right, of course, but to hear such a criticism, (basically that after all this time, I still don't know how to write a book chapter, let alone a paper), and it being because the basis for which the analysis is on is missing, and after working for so long on the theoretical aspects of the analysis, in hopes to meet the requirements of the work, is in a word, humbling.

But do not be discouraged! Indeed this will improve the dissertation drastically and in fact allow me to enjoy working on it again as description is what I am trained to do as a field linguist. Forcing data into boxes and apparatuses which are constructed around Eurocentric thinking bothers me to my linguistic core!



(boy who guards the fields with his drum to let any potential millet thieves know that he is watching)

The only other true advice I wanted to share was this: don't re-invent the wheel. If you are just beginning your graduate career, then work on papers and research that will eventually contribute to your dissertation whenever possible. For instance, in our bibliography class, you can basically write the literature review. Tone and phonology classes obviously contributed primarily to this dissertation as that is the focus, but even research and papers from Semantics and Syntax are now playing a role. Also, grant proposals can be easily transformed into introductory chapters or section headers. No one should start a dissertation from scratch, which is obvious, but even those papers that seemed to contribute to nothing but a grade at the time in which you wrote them may actually come in handy, especially in the broader overview of the language chapters or sections (in the case of linguistics dissertations, but the same could apply for any discipline).

And of course, make sure to take good care of yourself no matter how many hours a day your committee suggests you write. Even if they say to write 12 hours a day (as mine did), you prioritize your health in the forms of exercise, eating right, sleeping, and even taking breaks from sitting as all of this will contribute to your focus, concentration, and endurance in the year(s) it will take to complete this final stage of work.

As always, comments welcome, or even criticism. I can take it! :)

I now know and accept that which has occurred in my past and embrace that which is occurring in my present. To seal these realities, I wish to place a tattoo over them:

a rose



across my hips

Genesis 32:22-32
Amplified Bible (AMP)

But he rose up that [same] night and took his two wives, his two women servants, and his eleven sons and passed over the ford [of the] Jabbok.

And he took them and sent them across the brook; also he sent over all that he had.

And Jacob was left alone, and a Man wrestled with him until daybreak.

And when [the [a]Man] saw that He did not prevail against [Jacob], He touched the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob's thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with Him.

Then He said, Let Me go, for day is breaking. But [Jacob] said, I will not let You go unless You declare a blessing upon me.

[The Man] asked him, What is your name? And [in shock of realization, whispering] he said, Jacob [supplanter, schemer, trickster, swindler]!

And He said, Your name shall be called no more Jacob [supplanter], but Israel [contender with God]; for you have contended and have power with God and with men and have prevailed.

Then Jacob asked Him, Tell me, I pray You, what [in contrast] is Your name? But He said, Why is it that you ask My name? And [b][the Angel of God declared] a blessing on [Jacob] there.

And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel [the face of God], saying, For I have seen God face to face, and my life is spared and not snatched away.

And as he passed Penuel [Peniel], the sun rose upon him, and he was limping because of his thigh.

That is why to this day the Israelites do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the hollow of the thigh, because [the Angel of the Lord] touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh on the sinew of the hip.

because of a dream

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKpnZLU1sUk

and those who I encounter and touch me.

USA vs Brazil

No matter how unfair the circumstances (horrendous refereeing) and how ominous the obstacle (10 extremely exhausted players in double-overtime against a fire-storm of Brazilian heat and antics) never, ever give up hope and confidence. Because it is not only talent, training, and technique that earned the US women the win today, it was a belief and a knowing that they could and would win.

Keep sprinting. The finish line is ahead.