Hope in Darkness 黑暗中的希望

Let us turn our clocks back to the year 1957. A young boy of seventeen wrote two poems that were published in his school’s annual magazine. One was entitled “Hope in Darkness” and the other was named “About Myself”. Now sixty-four years on, he can only remember a few lines from each of these poems. For the earlier one, he can remember the first four of the seven verses. He does, however, remember the last two lines of the seventh verse and he therefore re-invented a new fifth verse using the last two lines of the previous seventh verse. And so this goes:

(1) Each darkened night, A new dawn bright;

In darkness then, A beaming light!

(2) A bier borne; A babe is born;

Dear life must come, Why sit and mourn?

(3) Each withered leaf, New leaflets breathe;

Must sorrow then, Follow each grief?

(4) A fall, a rise, Not otherwise;

If fools are born, So sages wise!

(5) A ping, then a pong, It’s nature’s song;

Come saddened heart, Why let our days be long?

让我们把时钟拨回 1957 年。一个 17 岁的小男孩写了两首诗，发表在他学校的年度杂志上。一个名为“黑暗中的希望”，另一个名为“关于我自己”。现在已经六十四岁了，他只能记住这些诗中的几行。对于前面的那首诗，他可以记住七节中的前四节。然而，他确实记得第七节的最后两行，因此他使用这两行写入新的第五节的最后两行去。这首五节的诗是这样读的: 
(1) 每一个黑夜过后，都会迎来新的明亮黎明；所以，在黑暗中，有一道耀眼的光芒！
(2) 当一只棺材被承载时；一个婴儿将会出生；亲爱的生活必须来， 为什么坐着哀悼呢？
(3) 每一片枯叶，都有新叶开始呼吸; 因此，每个悲伤的时刻都需要跟随另一个悲伤的时刻吗？
(4) 下跌总是伴随着上涨，对吗？即使是傻瓜也知道这个先下后上的逻辑。 
(5) 一乒一乒，这是大自然的歌，不是吗? 来吧，悲伤的心，为什么让你悲伤的日子被拉长呢？

Fast forward back to today. The current COVID 19 pandemic stirs up memory of the poem above. The poem is dedicated to all who are feeling depressed, who are feeling isolated. The poem is meant to remind us that nature has a cycle of up’s and down’s, and of yin’s and then yang’s.

Then we got our hands on to a book entitled “Hope in Darkness: Poems of Sorrow and Comfort” published by AbeBooks.com There are fifty poems in the book by different authors. We are quoting hereunder five selected poems for your reading pleasure.

快进回到今天。当前的 COVID 19 大流行激起了人们对上述诗歌的记忆。这首诗献给所有感到沮丧、感到孤立的人。这首诗意在提醒我们，大自然有一个上下、阴阳的循环。然后我们拿到了一本由 AbeBooks.com 出版的名为“黑暗中的希望"悲伤和安慰的诗”的书，书中有五十首不同作者的诗。我们在下面引用了五首精选的诗歌，供您阅读。

(1) PARTING by Glenda Mitchel Palmer Christian friends - so sad to part; A seed of love in each full heart,

Ready to bloom when Heaven they see; Together, forever, in eternity.

(1) Glenda Mitchel Palmer 的离别. 
基督教的朋友 - 这样伤心的一部分;一颗爱的种子在每颗饱满的心中，当他们看到天堂时准备开花；永远在一起，永远在一起。

(2) THE AWAKENING by Irene Hodgkinson

(2) 艾琳·霍奇金森的觉醒

(3) GOD’S SOFT LAWN by J. Dalmain.

(3) J. Dalmain 的上帝柔软的草坪。

(4) WINTER SORROW BRINGS SPRING JOY by Katherine Osborne

(4) 冬天的悲伤带来春天的喜悦，凯瑟琳·奥斯本 (Katherine Osborne)

(5) 同情,   艾琳·霍奇金森 (Irene Hodgkinson)

(5) COMPASSION by Irene Hodgkinson

Finally, here is another “Hope in Darkness” story for our attention.

最后，这里有另一个“黑暗中的希望”故事供我们注意。生活本身就充满了惊喜。大多数这样的惊喜都是令人愉快的，但对于五年前的约书亚霍尔特来说，这种惊喜是完全不愉快的。约书亚无缘无故被监禁，他在监狱里待了两年。然而，上帝永远是仁慈和慈爱的。就像圣经故事中的约伯一样，他继续向主祷告。让我们聆听他的故事，了解在最黑暗的时刻，上帝回应了他的祈祷。

Below is a real life story of Joshua Holt. Life itself is full of surprises. Most of such surprises are pleasant one but for Joshua Holt five years ago, the surprise was totally unpleasant. Joshua was imprisoned for no reason and he stayed in prison for two years. However, God is forever kind and loving. Just like Job in the Bible Story, he kept on with his prayers to the Lord. Let us listen to his story and learn that in the darkest hour, God answered his prayers. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/american-joshua-holt-freed-venezuela-describes-nightmare-prison-n880086

Joshua Holt

In 2016, Joshua Holt travelled from his home in Utah to Venezuela to marry the girl of his dreams, Thamy, only to be falsely accused of trafficking weapons. They were arrested as political prisoners. Not knowing whether they would ever see their families again, Josh and Thamy had to learn to survive deplorable conditions under the black cloud of uncertainty and somehow find Hope in Darkness. Josh now speaks on how to develop the life skills of resilience.

2016 年，Joshua Holt 从犹他州的家前往委内瑞拉与他的梦中情人 Thamy 结婚，结果却被诬告贩卖武器。他们作为政治犯被捕。不知道他们是否还能再见到家人，乔希和塔米不得不学会在充满不确定性的乌云下度过悲惨的境地，并以某种方式在黑暗中找到希望。乔希现在谈论如何发展韧性的生活技能。

June 6, 2018, 1:43 AM NZST / Updated June 6, 2018, 1:43 AM NZSTBy Erik Ortiz

Utah native Joshua Holt’s anguish ended when he was freed from a Venezuelan prison after nearly two years held without trial.

But the nightmarish scenario he endured still haunts him.

In an exclusive interview Tuesday on “Today,” Holt, 26, recounted the poor conditions inside El Helicoide, or The Helix — a prison in Caracas criticised for its human rights abuses.   He said cockroaches crawled over him inside his tiny cell, which was about the size of a twin-sized bed, and a plastic bag was used to cover the door. He sat in his underwear, barely about to breathe.

“They never took me out to go to the bathroom,” Holt added. “If you had to use the bathroom, you either had a bottle or a newspaper.”

Holt, a Mormon missionary, was in the South American country to marry a Venezuelan woman, Thamara Candelo, whom he met online. The couple was planning to move to the U.S. with Candelo’s two young daughters.

But their future was upended when an anti-gang police squad accused the couple of stockpiling an AK-47 assault rifle and grenades at her family’s home.

Holt was incarcerated in June 2016. The State Department later called the weapons charges “questionable.”

在周二的“今日”专访中，26 岁的霍尔特讲述了 El Helicoide 或 The Helix 的恶劣条件——加拉加斯的一座监狱因侵犯人权而受到批评。他说蟑螂在他的小牢房里爬过他的身子，小牢房大约有一张双人床那么大，门被一个塑料袋盖住。他坐在内衣里，几乎没有呼吸。
霍尔特是一名摩门教传教士，他在这个南美国家与他在网上认识的委内瑞拉女人塔马拉坎德洛结婚。这对夫妇计划带着坎德洛的两个年幼的女儿搬到美国。

“At first, I wasn’t as afraid because here in America you trust your police officers,” Holt said. “Over there, I didn’t know it was so dangerous.”

Police investigators, he said, tried to pit Candelo against her new husband. They put her fingers in pencil sharpeners, and they threatened to tase her, according to Holt.

Meanwhile, Holt’s mother worked tirelessly to get the interest of American politicians.

“Through that book and through talking to people, we’re hoping to help bless people,” he added.

“There was a lot of anger, but I had to keep pushing,” Laurie Holt said on “Today” with her family beside her. “I knew that I was his voice.”

It wasn’t until last month when Holt’s case gained renewed attention: A prison riot broke out at El Helicoide, and Holt managed to post two short videos to his Facebook page from inside the facility saying he feared for his life.

Behind the scenes, Utah politicians Rep. Mia Love and Sen. Orrin Hatch, as well as Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and others, helped to negotiate his release. A week later, he was freed. He returned to the United States and met President Donald Trump at the White House.

With his life in America restored, Holt said on “Today” that he’s writing a book with his wife and they want to highlight the difficulties people in his position face.

“Through that book and through talking to people, we’re hoping to help bless people,” he added.

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Podcast - Episode 1: https://wondery.com/shows/hope-in-darkness/episode/7186-the-knock-at-the-door/.

The Knock at the Door: E1 | May 27, 2020 | 31 min

Josh Holt, a young man from Utah, finds himself on the wrong side of the law in Venezuela, where he’s just arrived to get married and spend his honeymoon. How did this happen to an American citizen?

Podcast - Episode 2: https://wondery.com/shows/hope-in-darkness/episode/7186-thamara/.

Hope in Darkness: The Josh Holt Story | E2 | May 27, 2020 | 32 min

Thamara Holt searches for answers after her husband of just two weeks is arrested. Armed men continue to round people up. After one of the longest days of their lives, Josh and Thamy wind up under interrogation at El Helicoide, an infamous Venezuelan prison. 

Podcast - Episode 3: https://wondery.com/shows/hope-in-darkness/episode/7186-the-venezuela-crisis/

The Venezuela Crisis: The Josh Holt Story | E3 | Jun 2, 2020 | 33 min

Josh and Thamy Holt are forced to wait four days with no answers about what is going on or why they were arrested. What are the political and economic conditions in Venezuela that exacerbated the situation? We bring in two well-known experts on Latin American politics to sort through what is happening. 

Podcast - Episode 4: https://wondery.com/shows/hope-in-darkness/episode/7186-independence-day/

Hope in Darkness: E4 | Jun 9, 2020 | 26 min

Court date after court date comes and goes without any resolution for the Holt family. Thamy and Josh find themselves stripped of both dignity and basic human rights. At home, July 4th festivities are tinged with news of the Holts’ arrest. 

Podcast - Episode 5: https://wondery.com/shows/hope-in-darkness/episode/7186-el-helicoide/

El Helicoide: E5 | Jun 16, 2020 | 31 min

We take a closer look at El Helicoide itself and how it serves as a metaphor for the chaos in Venezuela. The first of several health crises to strike Josh Holt leaves him struggling, helpless and alone. A fellow inmate offers more context and perspective.   

Podcast - Episode 6: https://wondery.com/shows/hope-in-darkness/episode/7186-paging-mama-bear/

Paging Mama Bear: E6 | Jun 23, 2020 | 24 min

Josh and Thamy Holt continue to learn how to navigate life in a corrupt dictatorship – from which guards to bribe and how, to how to get along with their fellow inmates. New connections with cellmates provide new opportunities.

Podcast - Episode 7: https://wondery.com/shows/hope-in-darkness/episode/7186-working-the-system/

Working the System: E7 | Jun 30, 2020 | 33 min

Josh and Thamy Holt continue to learn how to navigate life in a corrupt dictatorship – from which guards to bribe and how, to how to get along with their fellow inmates. New connections with cellmates provide new opportunities.

Podcast - Episode 8: https://wondery.com/shows/hope-in-darkness/episode/7186-marian-amp-nathalia/

Marian and Nathalia: E8 | Jul 7, 2020 | 32 min

The Holts work to get Thamy’s daughters to the US. Josh and Thamy finally start getting regular “visits” from the outside world – but also become frustrated to their breaking point over their lost human rights.

Podcast - Episode 9: https://wondery.com/shows/hope-in-darkness/episode/7186-the-darkest-hour/

The Darkest Hour: E9 | Jul 14, 2020 | 33 min

After realizing his life and safety may well be in danger, Josh Holt negotiates a transfer “up the hallway” to a cell among the political prisoners. Health and prison conditions combine to sink Josh into his lowest point as a hostage of the Venezuelan government.

Podcast - Episode 10: https://wondery.com/shows/hope-in-darkness/episode/7186-connecting-the-dots/

Connecting the Dots: E10 | Jul 21, 2020 | 33 min

We go in-depth on all the work behind the scenes to secure Josh and Thamy Holt’s freedom – including never-before-heard details about the strange interplay of faith, legal, political and human rights activists.

Podcast - Episode 11: https://wondery.com/shows/hope-in-darkness/episode/7186-prison-riot/

Prison Riot: E11 | Jul 28, 2020 | 35 min

A riot erupts inside El Helicoide as tensions mount in Venezuela. Barricaded in his cell, Josh Holt sends a series of fearful videos begging for help from the United States. We go in-depth for the first time on exactly what set it off – and how it resolved.

Podcast - Episode 12: https://wondery.com/shows/hope-in-darkness/episode/7186-homecoming/

Homecoming: E12 | Aug 4, 2020 | 36 min

The Holts arrive on US soil. Josh and Thamy meet the president and make the rounds on morning television. Adjusting to life on the outside requires more faith and hope than expected.