As I mentioned in my previous post, I and several others from my church will be going on a mission trip to Africa this summer. We are all in the process of reading a book called "Where We Have Hope, A Memoir of Zimbabwe" by Andrew Meldrum (who is a journalist). The Washington Post describes the book as "A gripping first-person account of life in Zimbabwe from 1980 to 2003...with a sharp political edge...and a chilling authenticity." So far, the book has been interesting. Because I am a person who has always longed for a sense of community...people finding common ground, caring for one another and taking care of each other, being there for one another and so on...there is one part of this book that I've read so far that has stuck out in my mind.

The author is writing about a time that he and some other journalists had gone to cover an event and he had forgotten his press card and had no sort of identification with him. He was held by armed guards and was not allowed to cover the event or leave when the other journalists left. By the time the other journalists left, he had grown very uneasy. The following is what unfolded next...


Night fell, and through a small window I could see a star in the sky. Without thinking, I said to myself, "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight..."
"What was that?" barked one of the guards. "Who were you talking to? What did you say?"
My throat was suddenly dry. "It is just a childhood saying," I rasped. "You say it to make a wish on the first star of the night."
"Say it again," ordered the guard. I repeated it. "It rhymes," he said.
"Yes," I answered warily, "it's just a little poem. It's silly."
"I am a poet," he said. "I do poetry for the soldiers in my unit. I want to hear that again."
So I taught him the little ditty and we talked about making a wish. He hoped there would be peace and that he could go back to his family. His poems were in Ndebele, but he wanted to learn more in English. I said I wanted to learn more about Zimbabwe and to write about it.
The guard in charge told us to stop talking, but the atmosphere had relaxed considerably. I was no longer viewed as a spy but an inconvenience.
Later that night I was released and the police returned me to my hotel. I was shaken by the incident, but also buoyed by my close encounter with Zimbabwe's freedom fighters, by the rapport we had developed in the most unpromising circumstances. Once we had begun talking, I found their hopes were easy to understand. And they could understand my motivation, too. Although the incident was little short of a fiasco, it gave me confidence that, under the right circumstances, I would be able to connect with Zimbabweans and effectively portray their aspirations.


I know a tight bond was not formed through this encounter, but if in this situation these two men could go from a journalist and an armed guard to just two men talking about poetry, of all things, then how much easier should it be for Christians to come together and find common ground and form a bond with other Christians...and with non-Christians. That is one thing I enjoyed about my time in Africa last year. By the end of our trip, our group was a close community of believers and we had met several Africans that are also a part of our comunity. Although, they are thousands of miles away, they are our brothers and sisters and we have a special bond!

I am the last person who should be talking about finding common ground with others. I have always had walls up around me. It's not very often that I'd step out and "invest in others" (see previous post). I have always seemed to do something that would keep a lot of friendships from forming. Thankfully, I haven't managed to mess up on all my friendships so I do have some really good friends! But I can't help but know that there are some others out there that I did make a mess out of. And I realize that and I realize that until I'm gone, or until Jesus returns...which ever comes first, nothing is a done deal. With God, I can change. With God, those walls that I've built to "protect" myself and that has kept me from investing in others, and others from investing in me, can be knocked down. It's not an over night thing. It's a mind thing...something I have to consciously make an effort at, but with God, things are starting to change.

So, this is a challenge to everyone who happens by and reads this...If I am able to open myself up to a community, anyone can.
Step out of your comfort zone. Stop "protecting" yourself. Meet some new people and find common ground. Before long, we'll be one big community....

So, I have decided to make another attempt at this blogging thing. I stopped writing before because I felt like I didn't have much to say...much less the time to sit down at the computer to try and fight through writers block. As much as I don't like a lot of the things that I write, I realize that my writing is a gift from God. He has given me the ability to share some of my deepest (and not so deep) thoughts through my writing. I may have a different style of writing, but I write from my heart.

Buddy talked yesterday about Matthew 6:19-24 and of how we should invest in the eternal rather than the temporary. Money, homes, cars, school, jobs, fishing equipment, traveling and any other thing that we can't take with us to Heaven is temporary. Rather than being a workaholic, invest time in your family. Rather than spending every penny you have on a new home or car, help someone who is hurting. Our relationships with others are eternal. Our focus is to be on God and His people and not on the materialistic things of the world.

I was convicted by what Buddy had to say yesterday and he helped me to know that I made a good decision a couple of weeks ago! It was a decision that I struggled over! One of my biggest struggles in life has been overcoming my debt from when I was younger. I was not prepared for what a credit card could do to me. Now I am paying!! I was working at Kohl's part time to try and get the suckers paid off. When mission trip meetings started up, I knew I was going to go to Africa and that I had to be at the Sunday afternoon meetings. But a problem came up when Kohl's also wanted me to be at work on Sunday afternoons. As much as I want to pay off my credit cards, I had the face of a little boy at Nhowe Mission in the back of my mind and I knew I had to quit Kohl's so that I'd be able to see this little boys face again. As this little boy and I were walking down a dirt road in Zimbabwe last year, he helped to remind me of how I need to keep my eyes on Jesus and trust Him to lead me through life. I no longer work at Kohl's.

I am invested in the lives of these people in Africa!! They bring a smile to my face...at Kohl's I wanted to rip the arms off of the inconsiderate customers who made my job more difficult (just kidding...kind of).

People and the time we invest in them is worth so much more than any thing that is temporary. Yeah, we live in this world and we are going to invest in homes and cars and jobs and the fun things in life; but we have to have our priorities in the right order. Which is something I'm reminded of as the credit card bills are coming in and I have no paycheck from Kohl's to help cover them. But God will provide...and I will be in Africa in 5 months enjoying time with my brothers and sisters. Praise the Lord! :)