Irony of ironies II

Bart and I hear planes every once in a while. This is the usual conversation:

1: There's a plane.
2: Yep. I want to be on it.
1: Me, too.
Brett: I want to fly sometime.

Another stunning event: I believe my brother has found a "like."

Say what?!

Brett moved his employment from grill at McDonald's to bagging at Wyatt's Grocery as of Thursday. On his first day, this came out of his mouth as a question to a customer:

"Do you want your milk in a Big Mac?"

And an adoption update

I can't remember all this stuff that I want to say.

As of Friday, we were only 4 pieces of paper from getting our home study sent to CAWLI. That means we are only 7 pieces of paper and fingerprints from getting our dossier sent to China, if all goes well. We are about $3000 short of the money goal for us to go to DTC and about another $9-10,000 from making the trip itself happen. It's insane that we're doing this! INSANE!!!

PRAYER!

Another John memory

I remember this so well only because I'm convicted by it. I was reminded of it just a few minutes ago when I once again presented "The Attitude."

Beggars are rampant in PR. Some folks are lucky and are able to sell bottled water or finger foods along the sides or in the middles of (literally) the roads. Others don't have the means to do even that. I noticed John purchasing gum or bananas or whatever from some of these people as we went along. Once another of the group saw him just give money to one who wasn't selling anything. She was just begging.

John told me later, as we saw beggars, that one group that had come down got after him for giving a child some money. The boy took the money and went to a bakery. In a moment, they saw him come out with a cake and milk. The man who had spoken up before said, "See? He wasted the money on sweets." John said, "Don't you want your children to have cakes and milk?" The man said, "Sure, but that's different."

To paraphrase DC Talk, the greatest boost to atheism is Christians.

Irony of ironies

I want to fly again. I want to fly again SOON.

A day with Rich and memories of John

This can get confusing. I'm not talking about my brother. I'm talking about another favorite Rich. Rich Mullins.

I read a few years ago where someone said that he listened to Rich until he made himself sick of him; then he stuck the recordings in a drawer for about 6 months, then went back to OD again. That pretty much sums it up. I listen until my family nearly throws me out of the house and until I'm spouting Rich-isms in my sleep; then I relegate him to the bottom of the CD rack until I can sneak him out and bear him again, just to restart the cycle.

I have the fortune of having the last release--the posthumous one that came out last May. (This makes posthumous #3, if I remember--and that's just CDs). Listen to Brennan one day, then Here in America with all Rich's philosophy on the next and your mind is swirling with questions as to where your faith is. Good, good thoughts that no Christian should be without. Of course, at least half of the Christian population would and do declare both men infidels...

Speaking of infidels, I've spoken a lot about the itinerary of our trip, but I've essentially neglected speaking of the people. I think I may have mentioned (but maybe not) that Bart followed the missionary, John, around as much as he possibly could all nine days we were in his company. I wish I could have.

John and Dave have known each other for years. I knew that and I was expecting a carbon copy version of Dave in John. I wasn't really looking forward to this trip for that reason alone.

John did a devotional time with us several days. The first was essentially to let us know what to expect, if you can do that there. Then he spoke a lot about theology. Seems that, when you're immersed in a culture like this where Roman Catholicism meets African superstition, you have to not only look more deeply into what you believe, but you also have to learn to pick your battles. John has spent years looking into Scripture to find if he knows what he knows and, at the risk of having us pack up early, he told us. This is a nutshell of what we found out about John and, more importantly, Scripture:

1) John has found in his study of the Greek and the original texts that "baptism" does NOT mean "immerse." It means "overwhelm." In the OT, its equivalent (if I remember correctly) meant the ceremonial washings, which meant that the priests would use their hands to flick water on the crowds, similarly to what the pope may do today. (And believe me, John does not hold with the Catholic beliefs.) In his mind, I think, we're putting too much energy into the baptism debate. I tend to agree. (Question that I need to ask him: how did the disciples physically baptize 3000 people in one day? Were only 12 present or were there more? Did they physically baptize, or is this the Spiritual baptism that John talked about in his devos?)

2) Baptism does not save you. Our rebirth is spiritual. (I thought that was a "duh", but I soon found out that was not the case with one person whose name I mentioned earlier.) Of course, John went on to say something to the effect that Jesus was baptized, so what will you do? As I mentioned before, he baptized a man that Sunday. (John's words: "Our new birth is spiritual. From above. Check out Ephesians 1:13-14. Paul is writing in the aroist past tense, "having BELIEVED you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit..." The AROIST in the Greek means that the tense points to a particular point in time. Our English doesn't share this feature. Spanish does. The closest that we can get to illustrate this in English if I were to say, "I used to eat apples" or "I ate an apple." Both are past tenses. But only one definitively points to a particular time in the past, the other doesn't focus as well. The Greek is clear on this issue. In Ephesians 1:13 Paul points to a particular time in their past, when, upon the exercising of personal faith, when they trusted the message, at that moment they were marked with the Holy Spirit. Paul uses this tense in Galatians 3:1-5. In verse 5 he indicates their receiving of the Spirit was at the moment of belief. Romans 5:1 Paul says that we were justified when we believed (aroist past). Now, John 7:37-39 says clearly that the giving of the Spirit would be by means of belief. When we put these passages together along with the present possessive promises of Jesus (John 3:18; 36; 5:24, etc.) we see that the upon the exercising of faith we receive not only the seal or gift of the Holy Spirit, but justification and eternal life as well. Understanding these facts we need to fit Acts 2:38 into this matrix of textual truth. Alexander Campbell's view which our "brotherhood" has inherited and blindly accepts as kosher would cancel everything Christ or Paul said. Well, who will you trust? The teacher or the student? So, yes, John 3:3-7 is theologically tied to John 7:37-39 as well as Ephesians 1:13 and many other texts.")

3) Church is for fellowship and encouragement. It is not for "worship." Worship is something we should do every day of our lives, regardless of what we are doing.

There are other instances where he bucked the system and took on Campbell, but I have cited the ones that stick in my head. After one such session, Bart and I gravitated toward each other with big grins on our faces and gave each other "YES!!!" hugs. Both of us said, "Ben should be here!" I could see Ben sitting at the table, pounding his fist, going, "YES! YES!"

I do know that these people--Mary to a lesser degree than the other three--have a much more joyful, laid-back life than I do. Part of that comes, I know, from having less, but part of it, too, comes from the fact that they've learned that life should be enjoyed and the beauty around them should be cherished as one of God's many gifts. I can say that I enjoyed my time there more than I did in the Outer Banks or anywhere else I've been (except maybe Gatlinburg--still checking) because I worked hard and played harder.

Flying on planes, walking on water III

More to talk about as far as PR, but first I must share this:

Today I rode with Bart to Louisville so that he could take care of some business at the school. As we came home, he plugged in this CD that he got at the youth leaders' conference. It was Brennan Manning. Oh, yeah! People who don't like what he has to say I believe don't really listen to what he has to say; they just listen to the "unpolished" way he says it. The problem I have with him is that he makes it so simple that I wrack my brain either by trying to absorb what he's saying or by trying to make it harder than it really is. I've not decided which it is yet.

One thing he said on the CD REALLY stuck out in my mind. Most folks I have heard have said something to the effect of you expect to fail more than God expects you to fail. He believes in you! I've always felt encouraged by that statement. But on this CD, toward the end of his talk, Brennan, speaking as Jesus, says, "I expected you to fail more than you expected you to." At first I was kind of taken aback; after all, that doesn't sound that great. But then I started thinking more about it and it kind of relieves the pressure or something. I don't know; I think it makes me feel better. I guess it makes me understand that all the weight is on Jesus and not on me. I always want to think I have something to do with it, at least.

On to PR...

Tuesday we left Mayaguez for San Juan. After dropping off our bags at the school close by where we were spending the night and we grabbed a boat to Old San Juan. The streets there were more narrow than Yauco's and they were laid in brick that Colombus's men brought over from Spain. (They used them as ballasts for their ships. They would unload them on the shore (I don't know that they built the streets then) and then they were reload their ships with gold. Neat stuff. We ate at the local McDonalds that was in one of the rowhouses there, then we went on to sight-see. We saw a chapel there that was from Colombus's period and a fort that was also from that time. Then we went shopping. The shops are all rowhouses and they have balconies that remind you quite a bit of the French Quarter in New Orleans.

We admired the cruise ship that pulled into dock while we were touring, then we boarded the ferry back to San Juan and went to a mall that is one of the largest in the world. We ate, then Mary, her son-in-law and daughter, Heather and I all proceeded to get lost.

We spent the night in the school. Little did we know before we got there that morning that the school was situated in a violent part of town. Nice. As a result, the guys and the girls shared sleeping quarters. Not what anyone wanted, but it happened. It just wasn't safe for the girls to sleep separately. (I'm still wondering how many eyebrows shot up when that word broke.) But we all made it in and out of the area safely. That's what counted.

The San Juan airport experience was more friendly than Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky's was. (Those people are UPTIGHT, and it has nothing to do with heightened security.) Actually, I didn't mind spending 6 + hours in Newark, either. If I had had to stay in CVG that long, I would have been a threat, I think--just to the workers. They are nasty!

It's getting later than I want it to and I know I've missed tons, but that, in a nutshell, is our trip. Even if I've glossed over it here, I'm still rerunning the experience in my mind. One day I hope I can reflect on it more. It was an awesome experience.

A quick addition: foods from PR

No time to discuss Tuesday and Wednesday right now, but I have to make another food comment or two.

Two weeks ago today I was acquainted with the empanadilla. This is a fried turnover stuffed with seafood or pizza makings--kind of like a hot pocket. I ate lobster and shark. Both got strong about half-way through. Neat to try, though. And I couldn't get enough of the fruit punch. Forget the cans there! This stuff HAD to be fresh.

And spaghetti with a twist. It might have been two weeks ago today, too, that we tried spaghetti and Spam. Yes. You read right. Spam. What was really weird was that the spaghetti tasted just like Mom's. Not what I expected.

Flying on planes, walking on water II

Just realized that we went to the Shrine Thursday--right before we went to the laundromat. Oh, well. And someone has moved all my cheat notes. Let me see what else I can remember.

Wednesday started with VBS, then we went to the lighthouse at Cabo Jobo, I believe it was. We stood on the cliffs and saw where the Tainas through their virgins off in sacrifice. In spite of its sordid history, the place was BEAUTIFUL. The rocky cliffs, the blue Caribbean, the seals...everything was stunning. Then we went to a bay that was even more blue! Even though we weren't too thrilled about the waves--the bay had a little more personality than did the first--we still enjoyed it. Some of our kids went snorkling, and Emily got a conch shell to die for. (The smell nearly made us die before we left for home! How something so beautiful can stink so badly...)

Thursday started with the last day of VBS. We had about 18 kids that day. By that time we knew of at least three families who were interested in the church and we had fallen in love with all of the families. At the end, one of the grandmothers who speaks English (as does her granddaughter) passed out flowers to all of us ladies while they gave fruit baskets to the men. Being girls, we all cried; being guys, they all laughed at us crying. These people have very little, but they share themselves in such touching ways. We didn't want to go. Finding so much love among such a language barrier made us all remember that we are all one. What a great demonstration of "how great is the love the Father has lavished upon us."

Friday we spent a large part of the day in Camuy, where we went caving. They have a cave there that has water with organisms that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. I had to keep reminding myself that I was really in the rain forest and not in the zoo. It looked just like what we see in Cincy. When we returned, we went to another beach. This one had water so clear that you could see your feet wherever you went. It also had more rocky shores and crashing waves. It was enough to take your breath. It also had sea urchins, and this is where Katie got "bitten" by one. Nasty, but not dangerous.

Saturday took us to Yauco. Yauco is built up the side of a mountain. Here is where we met 52 degree slopes. One interesting thing about PR is that they have flags for each area--kind of like if our counties across the states decided to design their own flags. Yauco's flag was nearly at the top of the hill/mountain. (Their mountain, for the most part, aren't as big as the ones in Gatlinburg, so...) By the time we made it through narrow (and I DO mean "narrow;" one car at a time, at best) streets, we found we'd wound our way up the mountain and right underneath that flag. There, in a little house, we found Diana and her family. Diana has a wonderful husband, two soon-to-be adopted sons and two biological daughters--one of which Bart found interesting. (Funny story: she ended up crowded next to him in the back seat of John's car when we lost our way to Diana's house. Bart was in the back seat with two pretty PR girls and Heather, our minister's daughter, before we made it to Diana's. Made for a few cat-calls.) When we got there, Diana's older son attached himself to Bart and vice versa. Before we left, we were all wishing for lots more time there. Diana does a VBS-type deal at her house for the children of her neighborhood every week. Those kids plus her hospitality (I was introduced to pizza empanadillas--I'd had seafood earlier in the week--and cola champagne at Diana's) made her a hit. She gave us flower seeds from her flowers and whatever else we asked for. She had nothing, but she had everything. Brooklyn came through strongly in her English (in her Spanish to a degree, too), so I knew she had been out of the area for a while, at least.

We left Diana's to go to Ponce boardwalk. This place has vendors, little shops, games, a watch-tower, and--the big hit--HUGE fish that you can feed. Bart and several others finally got into the water and had a blast feeding the fish while the rest of us took in all the sights. Yet another beautiful place.

After we finished here, we went to John and Mary's for cooking from the States. We had turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, beets, peas, rolls, and ice cream. After a week of rice, pigs' feet, pinon, pasteles, rice, and more rice, that SURE hit the spot. (Can't complain much, though; I think I gained weight regardless.)

Sunday morning, we went to church in the school where we stayed. Some of the songs we could stumble through if we knew any Spanish because they were the same songs we sing here, but one of the songs I never had heard before is stuck in my head even as I write. After the service, we ate a carry-in meal. Yum! Ana--the one whom we had come to know well because of their hospitality--asked me, "Todos?" (Did I want to try it all?) Of COURSE I did. She piled it on and I nearly cleaned my plate of two kinds of rice, two kinds of macaroni, chicken, pork, and flan. After the meal, we went to the sea where we watched one of the men be baptized. Then we went bowling with the youth group in Aguadilla. During this trip is when John made Bart an unofficial job offer. Yes, I believe my kid has his sights set on mission work in Puerto Rico. I can't say I'm upset. The world is so much smaller now that Puerto Rico doesn't seem that much farther away than Nashville.

Monday started off with painting and cleaning, then it was off to another beach. This one was not quite as beautiful, but it was calm. Then it was off to the Don Quixote for mofongo! To be honest, none of us had looked forward to this meal. The thought of plantain bananas mixed with chicken just sounded sick. Most of the kids wouldn't try it, but those of us who did (Bart included) were PLEASANTLY surprised. I don't know how they do it (but I have the recipe so I will find out), but they take an unpleasant-sounding mix and turn it into something you will go to PR just to have if that is what it takes. YUMMY! We all wolfed it down.

Tuesday and Wednesday are next. Right now I have to go back to work. BAAH.

Flying on planes, walking on water

We arrived at home at about 2:00 this morning after a cancelled flight, a splitting of the group, and 5 flight delays for those of us who had to wait. The thing that counts, though, is that we all made it home safe and sound.

I spent the evening at Newark (9/11 looms still) watching the Manhattan skyline. I was amazed by the height of the Empire State Building--even if it was a bit away--and I regretted the fact that I never got to see the World Trade Center. I stood at the gate and tried to see where it would have been. I think I spotted Ground Zero. Remembering didn't freak me out like I was afraid it would, considering. It made me think even more about that day, though. I watched people in the terminal, thinking that those folks on those planes had probably been doing exactly what we were all doing last night. Maybe they ate a bite at the food court; maybe they read the morning paper or did word puzzles or played cards with a friend. Then they got on their planes expecting to get to their destinations just as safely as we all did last night and the Sunday before. Sometimes it turns into something even more personal than it had been previously.

But what a week and a half...

I thought I would journal a lot, but time and energy (lack of, actually) didn't allow me to do as much as I had hoped for. I think I can remember things. Let's hope.

The plane ride was great except we saw mostly clouds all the way in to Newark. We did, though, spot the Statue of Liberty. NEAT! Then it was dark as we went to San Juan. But when we got to San Juan, we could see the cruise ships and the city. After we got packed up in our rental vans, we drove for nearly 3 hours to get to Mayaguez. I was amazed at all the house lights that seemed to line the hills and mountains. Seems the folks of PR have learned that the higher up you are, the cooler, more breezy the air is.

Monday we painted and cleaned in the morning while others passed out flyers; of course, the group who had passed out flyers came back with a story. Seems our youth minister (YM from here on out) carried around this duck puppet that has a song box that quacks out familiar tunes as they were visiting children, inviting them to "camp" (VBS to us). Dave knows little Spanish, but he loves to use what little he knows, so he was walking around with the duck saying, "Pato, pato" ("duck, duck") to the kids. He got a little worried when people were kind of smirking, chuckling, and giggling, so when he caught up with John, he asked him, "'Pato' does mean 'duck', doesn't it?" John grinned and said, "Yes, but here 'pato' is slang for 'homosexual.'" Dave dumped the duck.

After everyone got back from passing out flyers, we went to Wal-Mart and the mall; then at suppertime we went to Ana and Felix's house. Ana and Felix are a couple who came into the church early on. If Bart heard right, Ana was a witch before her conversion; now she is a wonderful Christian lady who is a hoot. She is also a wonderful cook. We had Christmas dinner at her house. Christmas dinner in PR consists of rice (as does every other meal) that is cooked with pig's feet, pasteles--a meat mixture stuffed inside either yuca or plantain and wrapped in a banana tree leaf for cooking, and roast pork. I was surprised that I liked it all. And we loved the company.

Tuesday we went to El Oyo ("The Pits") to do VBS. I'll be honest: I'm not one to do VBS here at home. I just don't do kids that age in those quantities very well; however, now I'm rethinking my position. We started out with 12 kids. Within minutes I was trying to decide how I was going to sneak the youngest one out past her abuela, into my suitcase and back to the States. She was one of the cutest little girls I have ever seen. We also had one little girl who had Downs; she came with her sister who obviously adores her. (As a matter of fact, they wouldn't come in until I had motioned for them to do so. Their mother seemed reluctant--like she didn't know if we would accept Melisa.) One of the boys was the class clown, but he was wonderful to his sisters. I will never forget this incident: Dave passed out animal crackers to everyone. Jeanpiel had two, just like everyone else. He kept one and took the other down to the older of his two sisters. She, in turn, broke it in half and gave half to the younger sister. That told me just how poor these kids are. We also had sandwiches for snacks. No one else would take any until the younger ones--especially the girls--had had enough. Then they all took something. I decided then and there that we as members of the United States are spoiled brats who think only of ourselves due to our material gluttony. How many kids here would grab the last sandwich, gloating all the while?

Tuesday afternoon we went to the beach in Boqueron. Think of palm trees, sand, calm waves, coconuts--a picture postcard. This is Boqueron. The water was so calm that I stayed in it for almost the entire time we were there. One of the boys found a starfish--something Christy, the missionary's daughter, said she hadn't done there in her 28 years. Another boy found a baby jellyfish (it can't sting yet) and it DID look like jelly. That same boy also dug up a crab as he was making a sandcastle. We watched yachts and boats of all sorts as we relaxed in the water. Beautiful stuff.

We ate lunch at the school--chicken and rice. (By this time I must say I was starting to feel the effects of the rice and they were just the opposite of what I expected.) Supper was brought in, too. It was another chicken and rice dish.

Wednesday started out with about 15 kids at VBS. On this day we had a new family. A mom brought her four children and she came with them. We found out later that she was a seeking Catholic. (Catholocism there is a little different than it is, for the most part, here. I'll probably explain this at another time.) We also found out that she had been widowed several years before by a husband who had died of lung cancer. Her circumstances, from what we could gather, were desperate. This was confirmed by another mother the next day.

On Wednesday afternoon, we ate lunch at school and then went to the Shrine at Hormigueros. This shrine had been built during the time of Colombus's visits by, I believe, some of his men. BEAUTIFUL. The shame is that the Shrine supports so much superstition among the people of Hormigueros. It is, as I mentioned earlier, a differnet type of belief that they have there. The power the superstition holds over the people is heartbreaking.

I have a lot more to say, but I guess I had better stop for now. I'll continue with the trip for a while. Now I'm going to view the CD of pictures that I have and hopefully I will jog my brain because I know I'm leaving stuff out.

Puerto Rican driving tips and other things

Goober just greeted me with happy pants, a wagging tail, and affectionate jumps. Sometimes he's the most annoying thing on the planet but you can't help but love him. He's such a people dog. (Some people could learn a lot from him, couldn't they, Ben?)

Now that I've calmed down quite a bit about the flight into Puerto Rico, guess what the missionary has sent us as far as driving in Puerto Rico:

"In Puerto Rico, the GREEN light means 'GO', the AMBER light means 'HURRY, HURRY', and the RED light means, 'FOUR MORE, FOUR MORE.' So when you get the GREEN light, ALWAYS ALWAYS, ALWAYS ASSUME that there will be at least three more cars flying past so ALWAYS look real good to your left and right before proceeding. This is NO joke!!!

"Also, don't be concerned with cars driving on the shoulders, cars cutting you off quickly without warning, turning left in front of you as they pull up past you on the right lane next to you, or any other amazingly idiotic antic known to man. Driving in PR has been called, 'Controlled Chaos.' As one person commented, 'In England they drive on the left hand side of the road, in America they drive on the right hand side of the road and in PR they drive wherever there's shade.' Everyone wants to be first and that means bumper-to-bumper traffic jams..."

Add to this assorted livestock that wander into the roadway and I think we'll have an interesting nighttime drive from San Juan to Mayaguez.

I doubt I'll get to blog from now until I arrive back home and come to once again; that should happen somewhere around the 31 of July. (I'll be home on the 16th of June; the "coming to" part is what I'm concerned about.) I'm planning to keep a journal while I'm there, so I'll catch up with my blogging at that time. =)

Dads and dogs and Dick's Sporting Goods

Yesterday my dad and my hubby teamed up to get me up before I was ready. Today Goober joined the ranks of the early-morning annoying. Gee. 6:30 AM and he wants to pretend he's a husky on a cold night in Alaska. I think I was rather nasty when I threw him off the bed. When I don't HAVE to share the other side, I DON'T!

Dave told us last Saturday (yes, the saga of the unprepared continues) that John could pick up an air mattress for anyone who wants one. Of course, I'd already ordered two to have shipped to PR, so I thought, "Hmm. I'll cancel my order." I came home and tried. I couldn't. $30+ in shipping turned a $50 purchase into an $80 purchase. I was sick, but at least I was ready. So what do my wondering eyes see in my Yahoo! box this morning? "Dick's Sporting Goods Order Cancellation." THEY cancelled my order. So now, here I am scrambling, sending a man I haven't even met yet scrambling for me. Aargh! I hate when this happens!

I've been so involved with PR that I haven't thought much about China for about a week, but last night I lay in bed thinking about it. Between insurances and the PR trip, my savings for it is drastically cut. I remember telling God it's his problem--not in so many words--right before I fell asleep. Of course, Bart owes us enough right now to triple what we've taken out, but that will be a while coming. Thank goodness he has a job to return to in the fall.

And here I go, jerking it out of God's hands again.

Car shopping and other adventures

Yup. We've done it. Brett bought a car today--a little white Cavalier. (His girlfriend has a red Cavalier. She's just learning to drive so she'll be a while before it is actually HERS.) He's mad because we couldn't get it today. Oh, boy. He has to learn patience. It took Patrick a long time to learn.

Packed ALL DAY yesterday and I'm STILL packing. Gee-whiz. Who knew a ten-day trip where we would be working, etc., would be so involved? About the time I think we're good, we're not. Will the madness never end??

Brett's room looks sooooooo good. Oh. I think I said that before.

One reason to like hospitals

No one can call you between the hours of 9:00 PM and 8:00 AM--or is it 9:00 AM? Either way, I wouldn't get two calls between 7:05 and 7:15 AM on the first day I'm taking off work--the first day I'm trying to sleep in.

Brian called to tell me to put the sticker on the car that is already gone for the morning and Dad called to ask me about some work he wants the boys to help him with this afternoon.