ANOTHER CHURCH VISIT

We're on vacation with quite a few family members.  Being Sunday morning, most of us attended the Hope Town St. James Methodist Church.  The service began at 11:00 AM with an organ call to worship by Mr. Barry Talley, who formerly played at the chapel on the campus of the United States Naval Academy (while Travis attended there).  

The church building is a lovely, white structure built so that the congregation looks out two windows at the aqua and azure blue Atlantic Ocean.  Remarkably, it was barely damaged by the hurricane in 2019.

Mrs. Suzanne Bethel stepped forward after the prelude to give greetings, recognize guests and share announcements.  She had a comfortable, relaxed, even humorous way about her and her island accent was a delight to listen to.  She asked guests to stand and identify themselves.  I went first, followed by our family members.  Then others followed suit.  The guests had the regular attenders outnumbered significantly.  There may have been ten (mostly elderly and all white) who were actually from the island of Elbow Cay.  

Mr. C. Vernon Malone serves as the Regional Lay Moderator and Lay Preacher.  He called us to worship with a responsive reading from Psalm 126, using the United Methodist Hymnal.  Then we sang "This Is My Father's World", followed by the pastoral prayer.  

Then came the singing of "More Love To Thee, O Christ" followed by two scripture lessons read by lay people:  Isaiah 21:1-13 and John 9:24-41.  This led to a time for prayers of intercession, following which we approached the altar one-at-a-time [due to COVID] to present our tithes and offerings.  Brother Malone offered a humble expression of gratitude to God for His faithfulness.

We sang "Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me" before he gave the message based on the scripture readings.  He read a carefully prepared message that touched on both scripture lessons, reminding us that like the man born blind (in John), we too are sinners who need to be saved.  He then referenced Isaiah's vision of destruction in Babylon and Edom.  He told stories of the devastation experienced on the island.  He emphasized that our role as believers is to stand with and for Jesus and be helpers to those who have such great needs.

Mr. Malone is a humble layman who is 84 years of age.  He and his wife are islanders who run a bakery in Hope Town.  During the storm they decided to ride it out at their bakery.  It seems that God may have directed them to do so, since their home was leveled.  He has a gracious and humble manner that draws you to him.  

In closing, we sang "Rejoice, Ye Pure In Heart" and were dismissed with a heartfelt benediction by Brother Malone.  Almost everyone lingered for a bit to greet one another through masks and no touching.  

All-in-all, it was a pleasant experience and I personally felt the presence of the Lord here.  

My sister-in-law, Janie (husband, Peter) apparently leaked that I will be here through next Sunday, so I will be the speaker next week.  You all are welcome to come!  :-)

Walking on the Edge

It was early and dark, with subtle hints that dawn would come.  I was alone. The waves were gentle and barely made a sound;  I knew they were there although I couldn't yet see them.  The ocean had receded well over a hundred yards from where I walked.  Only a few condos had lights on.  A few lights scattered across the water indicated that some were fishing.  It was quiet and still and a refreshing-but-infrequent breeze delighted me.  

I cherish moments like these.

My friends in China are ending their day as we prepare to begin ours.  The sun sets in the east as it rises in the west.  I feel closer to them by being here. I wonder how my students are doing?  Most have graduated now and are moving on with their lives.  They write of the sorrow of college days ending. Some are studying furiously in preparation for post-graduate exams! Others have returned home to sort out the rest of their lives.  Still others have found jobs in distant cities and are stretching their wings.  A small fraction are already engaged in post-graduate studies.

My heart still frequently walks the streets of Changchun!  I visit Yitong He where I walked so many times along the river!  I hurry up the sidewalk along Weixing Liu as I did so many times on my way to classes.  I wander down Vendor Street (my selected name) and smell the foods being prepared by the street vendors.  I stop and peruse the items on their tables.  I listen to the banter over prices for fruits and vegetables.  I remember the feeling of adventure of being so far from home.  I saunter down the long hall to our twelfth floor apartment and reflect on the comfort and simplicity of our China home!  I look out our windows at the massive, red Chinese characters on the tops of the surrounding buildings.  I see hundreds of older people walking and talking their way around South Campus in the early morning!

It's real to me.

How glad I am that we spent those years teaching in China.  How much I appreciate the cultural experiences we had.  I miss the food!  I reflect on the challenges.  I ponder our trips!  I remember my classroom experiences and the relationships with students.  I smile as I reflect on the animated discussions that took place during my morning 'Free-Talk' gatherings.  I remember the passion and creativity of my students!

Going there was a huge and fearful adventure for us - but oh, how glad I am that we took the plunge! My life is so enriched.

We rarely talk of it now.  Very few inquire of our experiences.  We just passed a year of being back in the states.  Our lives have acclimated through many painful experiences to our present state.  We have a new home.  I've been at my new job for a year.  Life is different than its ever been before.

Because my work is over an hour away, building deep relationships is a huge challenge.  Outside of family, we haven't really developed new friendships. Relationships with old friends are awkward and infrequent.  In some ways, I feel like a transient;  three days there and four days here.  My life is new in ways I don't quite know how to handle.

I seem to be balancing between two worlds - both somewhat foreign to me. I'm struggling to find a new comfort zone.  Home doesn't feel quite like home. My heart feels different than its ever felt before.

The early hints of dawn are now broadening into full cloud cover.  No sunrise is visible this morning, but the light filters through.  I find a porch swing at the beach entrance and mull over my thoughts and feelings............
I miss Travis more than I can describe!

VACATION

The derivation of the word 'vacation' is:

Middle English vacacioun
Anglo-French vacacion
Latin vacation, vacatio , from vacare

First Known Use: 14th century

Typical meaning:  freedom, exemption

American meaning:  planned time off from work

 

Synonyms:  R&R, break, respite, leave, liberty, holiday,

Antonymn:  work

 

Vacation quotes:

"A vacation is what you take when you can't take any more of what you've been taking." 

 

"A vacation is having nothing to do, and all day to do it in."

 

"The rainy days a man saves for seem to arrive during his vacation!"

 

"We hit the sunny beaches where we occupy ourselves keeping the sun off our skin, the saltwater off our bodies, and the sand out of our belongings."  ~Erma Bombeck

Final Thought:  Only someone on vacation would take the time to write this kind of blog article.

 

Truly final thought:  For those of you who are NOT on vacation right now: 
"Laughter is an instant vacation."  ~Milton Berle

To Zip or Not To Zip!

Oh, he floats through the air with the greatest of ease,
The daring young man on the flyin' trapeze.

But I'm not a young man!  For goodness sake, I'm 59.

Deb already said "No!"

Where we're staying has a zip line nearby;  an opportunity to fly through the tops of the trees here in the Smokies.  Sounds like a rush to me! 

What do you think?  Give it a shot?  Would you do it? 

I'll keep you posted...