On my journey, I stopped at a Burger King in La Vega near Santiago. And 3 shoe shine boys and a boy selling CD copies of music all gather at the door of this Burger King to shine shoes, sell music, and beg. Mostly beg. Clothes dirty, worn, and smelly. They are so close to the door, that the manager runs them off, and they go scurrying away, only to come back in a few minutes when he's not looking. Scenes you just don't see much of in the States.
One of the boys eventually sneaks inside to ask some of the customers for, what I was assuming to be, food or money. All of the customers turned him down. I watch, but am not approached, much to my surprise. (normally grengos are the first target!) I'm sitting there watching and wondering if they (probably about 10-14 years of age) had ever had a Burger King meal, while I stuff my self with something I take for granted whenever I want. They probably have never eaten a whole meal there, since we're talking about $6 to $8 US for a Whopper Combo or chicken sandwich combo; possibly scraps and left overs.
So, after a short prayer of what to do I finish my burger and walked outside. Again, they were at the door, but again, they did not approach me, just kinda stared at me. I kinda stared back; just trying to get a feel for what I (& God) wanted to do. Then, after a few minutes I motioned for all of them to come inside.
Immediately their eyes lit up like Christmas morning! And they walked into the restaurant with shoulders back and heads high, and approached the counter, and announced (even though I couldn't understand their Spanish, I did understand) that the man behind them (me) was paying for their meal and they wanted to order! Their postures straight as a soldier, and smiles from ear to ear. The lady at the counter seemed skeptical and I motioned that yes, I was going to buy their meal. They looked back at her like "I told you so, now please take our order." And order they did. Nothing extravagant. Just burgers, fries, and cokes. But, I'm guessing it was extremely rare, if not the first time they had such a meal. I paid for the meal, said "enjoy it and I'm leaving" as best I could in Spanish, and watched 4 boys anticipating a few moments of pure pleasure as I walked away.
It is so rare to be blessed to be in a situation that you just know in your heart how fortunate you are to share God's blessings with someone else. And their eyes tell the true gratitude. I guess that's the true rarity. Even though I am reminded of my blessings so often here, I still loose my eyes of gratitude.
3 Shoe shines boys and cd salesboy (beggars) show me the eyes to have, once again.
I wanted to take their picture and even possibly watch them enjoy their meal, but I thought that would spoil the moment and make it into some circus show. So, I blog about it as a memory photograph. And just imagine the memory photograph they have of the day they got to eat at Burger King.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
From the Mouth of Babes
Paul (12) and I were having dinner together last night. And he summed up what I think several of us think about life. Certainly me.
Remember Marsil is his 15 year old brother.
His quote, "I'd love Marsil more if he was my sister!"
If we had things just a little different, then we'd love more?
Remember Marsil is his 15 year old brother.
His quote, "I'd love Marsil more if he was my sister!"
If we had things just a little different, then we'd love more?
Saturday, October 13, 2007
I Finally Passed It On
We had a great Mexican dinner planned for this evening. And we pulled out all the stops. Bought 2 lbs of ground beef, cheese, taco seasoning, chips, salsa, refried beans, all the fixings. It was a huge dinner. And we stuffed ourselves. And stuffed ourselves. Paul said it was the best dinner he had in a long time. We all enjoyed it all; maybe too much. See, the dinner was not the real story.
The real story was after Marsil stuffed himself with all the above, grape soda, and more things than I can remember.
And to top it all off, we’re having brown outs, meaning the lights are going off for hours at a time. Normally not a problem, but our inverter is not working properly, so we’re sitting in almost pitch black when it happens. And it did happen again just as we were finishing dinner.
About the same time, in the darkness Marsil gets up and heads down the hall to the bathroom. And the next thing we know, he’s making sounds of major heving (vomiting); up chucking everything he just ate. And then, in the pitch blackness there’s silence. I hear him running the bathroom water; hear him rinsing his mouth. (Stay with me on this….) I’m thinking, okay good, weak, but he’s back on his feet.
He comes back into the dining area and within minutes the lights come back on. He then dismisses himself back to the bathroom. I’m thinking, what else could he possibly deposit? But, he’s soon back to the table and announces, “NO ONE go into the bathroom; it’s unbelievable”.
I begin to get the picture that during the brown out, he’s throwing up in the bathroom, but it’s pitch black, and finding the porcelain target was not easy. Nope, better stated…. It was impossible!!
And for some strange and I promise, as unbragging and humbly as I know how to tell you, I knew for whatever reason I was going to clean it up. I got up from the table and made sure he was okay; he said he was okay and I suggested he go lie down; and told him I would clean it up. He said, “Not even Rosa (meaning our former housekeeper) would do that for me.” I said, “I promise it’s not a problem.” And walked into a war zone, called our bathroom. Vomit was EVERYWHERE. On three (three!) walls, shower curtain, sink, commode, floors, and some (a little) actually landed in the toilet. And I proceed to clean it up. I think you get the picture. Nasty!!
And that’s when it hit me. I was simply passing it on. See, years before I had left my dog in the care of a good friend (David Berg… sorry David, your secrets out). And I had also left my dog inside my master bedroom for him (Lucas) to feel more at home while I was away. And one day while I was gone, Lucas (all 145 lbs of him) decided that his upset stomach could no longer hold all the yuk he'd eaten, and it all came out in my master bedroom. Not from the front end of Lucas! It came out the back end of Lucas! And poor David walked in to find it. (And I’m miles away.) Perhaps David’s first thought was, “when’s Norm coming home??!!”, But, soon David proceeds to clean it up. And clean up he did. Spic and Span. I would have never known it happened if his wife had not told me later. See, David is quiet, even in his service to others. And he did serve me that time. And did incredibly well; with no “you owe me” or no “Norm, you need to know what I did.”. Just did it. I’m sure it was quiet unpleasant (to put it mildly), but did it none the less.
Well, David, I just want you to know that I knew then, and I know even more now how much that meant. And I truly appreciate it. By God’s grace, tonight I had the chance to pass the service on. I’m sure it was not as humbly or as quiet as you did it, but thank you. And, as weird as it sounds, it was truly a privilege to pass it on.
I hope Marsil gets the chance. I’m glad I did.
(You might want to send a search and recovery party, I’m pretty sure I must be crazy. Or maybe growing a little. Being around kids 24/7 changes EVERYTHING. Even vomit.)
The real story was after Marsil stuffed himself with all the above, grape soda, and more things than I can remember.
And to top it all off, we’re having brown outs, meaning the lights are going off for hours at a time. Normally not a problem, but our inverter is not working properly, so we’re sitting in almost pitch black when it happens. And it did happen again just as we were finishing dinner.
About the same time, in the darkness Marsil gets up and heads down the hall to the bathroom. And the next thing we know, he’s making sounds of major heving (vomiting); up chucking everything he just ate. And then, in the pitch blackness there’s silence. I hear him running the bathroom water; hear him rinsing his mouth. (Stay with me on this….) I’m thinking, okay good, weak, but he’s back on his feet.
He comes back into the dining area and within minutes the lights come back on. He then dismisses himself back to the bathroom. I’m thinking, what else could he possibly deposit? But, he’s soon back to the table and announces, “NO ONE go into the bathroom; it’s unbelievable”.
I begin to get the picture that during the brown out, he’s throwing up in the bathroom, but it’s pitch black, and finding the porcelain target was not easy. Nope, better stated…. It was impossible!!
And for some strange and I promise, as unbragging and humbly as I know how to tell you, I knew for whatever reason I was going to clean it up. I got up from the table and made sure he was okay; he said he was okay and I suggested he go lie down; and told him I would clean it up. He said, “Not even Rosa (meaning our former housekeeper) would do that for me.” I said, “I promise it’s not a problem.” And walked into a war zone, called our bathroom. Vomit was EVERYWHERE. On three (three!) walls, shower curtain, sink, commode, floors, and some (a little) actually landed in the toilet. And I proceed to clean it up. I think you get the picture. Nasty!!
And that’s when it hit me. I was simply passing it on. See, years before I had left my dog in the care of a good friend (David Berg… sorry David, your secrets out). And I had also left my dog inside my master bedroom for him (Lucas) to feel more at home while I was away. And one day while I was gone, Lucas (all 145 lbs of him) decided that his upset stomach could no longer hold all the yuk he'd eaten, and it all came out in my master bedroom. Not from the front end of Lucas! It came out the back end of Lucas! And poor David walked in to find it. (And I’m miles away.) Perhaps David’s first thought was, “when’s Norm coming home??!!”, But, soon David proceeds to clean it up. And clean up he did. Spic and Span. I would have never known it happened if his wife had not told me later. See, David is quiet, even in his service to others. And he did serve me that time. And did incredibly well; with no “you owe me” or no “Norm, you need to know what I did.”. Just did it. I’m sure it was quiet unpleasant (to put it mildly), but did it none the less.
Well, David, I just want you to know that I knew then, and I know even more now how much that meant. And I truly appreciate it. By God’s grace, tonight I had the chance to pass the service on. I’m sure it was not as humbly or as quiet as you did it, but thank you. And, as weird as it sounds, it was truly a privilege to pass it on.
I hope Marsil gets the chance. I’m glad I did.
(You might want to send a search and recovery party, I’m pretty sure I must be crazy. Or maybe growing a little. Being around kids 24/7 changes EVERYTHING. Even vomit.)
Two, For Those That Like the Pictures
Marsil wanted everyone to see that he won at Monopoly. I usually win but then again I'm an American capitalist. The kids have not learned to be that mean... (opps, "competitive"), yet.
If you google "tarantulas in Dominican Republic" you'll find that they are "rare" sightings, especially in urban areas. Wrong!! At least, that's my experience. Had another one yesterday! Four if you're counting! And, this time I wanted you to see exactly how big they are. So, grab a bic pen and see for yourself! For those with a high speed connection, you should click on the spider for more details. Really actually interesting. And believe it or not, I really didn't want to kill him (her), but seriously....
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Six Weeks
Yep, I did skip blogging last week. For the faithful few, I'm sorry!
Lots of travel and more adventure. Went to Santo Domingo with a bunch of my new amigos here in Santiago. Was a little apprehensive because none of them spoke much English and I speak little (but growing) Spanish. Guess what?? Had a great time. But, I'm sorry to say that if Santo Domingo is the diamond city of the DR, there's problems. From what I saw, it was EXTREMELY dirty and very crowded with cars. The breach front was full (I mean full) of trash. I was very surprised it was that dirty. But the people I went with made it all worth while.
But, here's where you may find a diamond just about anywhere - went to visit a family there in a relatively poor part of town. Wasn't expecting what I found. The master bedroom, with meager furnishings, actually had a working AIR CONDITIONER!! Only my second encounter in a home (plenty of stores have them) since I left Florida. It was a Kodak moment; me and two other adults (a tall man and average size woman) all three took a nap on the same bed with this amazing cool air blowing on us. In their broken ingles (English) I think I understood them to ask me if I wanted to join them for a nap on the bed. Well, this was one time I'm going to assume the best in what they were trying to say. I thought I could never relax if I didn't have a bed to myself. Well, things change quickly when the anty is upped with A/C! When I actually learn more Espanol I may find out that was NOT an offer to join them, but I don't care! It was so nice!
Rented a car and went to Rio San Juan, area where more of the DR missionaries are based, for the weekend. Good to catch up with TJ/Holly. Good good peeps. Also met the new team, Laura Beth and Corey Lamb. And what a great couple. Young and wide eyed, but amazing amazing, with spiritual maturity. Their sponsoring congregation is Henderson C/C in Henderson, TN. And, if this is any kind of sign of what that congregation of believers is producing, I'm extremely impressed. And of course time with Tammie Wallace was just the detox I needed. She reminds me of my aunt Jan. Amazing listeners.
The trip over the mountains between Santiago and Rio San Juan is almost indescribable. Bonito. Bonito. (beautiful!) And, past Rio San Juan, near a town call Nagua (I think) there's a forest of coconut palms you drive through. I'm talking forest. It was so beautiful. My favorite tree is a palm of any kind, but this was actually what I'd call a forest. Just tons of coconuts. And all hanging over the road, so the sky was almost somewhat covered. Never seen anything like it before. And, as I was driving, I was thinking, sights like this are exactly what I was hoping/praying for. And, that's exactly what this 6 weeks has been.... sights, sounds and experiences AND AMAZING PEOPLE I could never have experienced anywhere else.
Speaking of people....
The boys are great. We had what I'd call a (another) break through last evening. We've started a nightly family time where we all get together at the table and share about our day (yep, my Corny idea, but it's been really good). Well, this night both boys were more comedians than usual, and their mom was trying to share about a hard day she had, so I gave them a pretty harsh (but short) lecture about how hard their mom worked and how they should be more respectful and stuff like that. And, it went right to their heart. (which I didn't expect, as many of my "talks" seem to bounce right off their heads) So much so that Marsil let out some really deep emotional stuff about how hard it was to be the man he is trying to be, and work as hard as he does at school and how he does this all because he loves his mom, and telling it all through tears streaming, streaming down his face. It was a really really good night. It was good to hear Marsil express his deep emotions and good to see him let out some of the huge stress he's under. He's like 15 going on 25. Sometimes barely 15; sometimes carrying the load of someone much older.
And guess who volunteered to help me with the dishes. Paul!!! (yep, not a typo!) He's growing. Boy, it's slow, but he's growing.
The stories never end. Went out this morning with a friend. Ask her what is the best, very best place to have lunch in Santiago? Keep in mind, this is a married women of about 35 I'd say. She and her husband fast becoming good friends. This woman is no kid. And, I suggested a few good restaurants (The Pasta House, etc.) of places I wanted to treat her. And there are some decent restaurants here, but what did she consider one of the best restaurants in Santiago?? McDonalds!! My mouth dropped, but I closed it quickly and we proceeded to McDonald's where we had a great time. It again made me appreciate something I take for granted, to say the least. American Fast Food! It was good. Most excellent to see her enjoy it so much.
It blows my mind that these people, even those that have a little tiny bit of money, have never traveled more than 75 miles from their home their whole lives. And all their experiences and their entire world is in the radius of 75 miles. But, they see the world, through internet, TV, etc. But, they will probably never see the world. Still, they are no less happy (perhaps no more) than we are. Perhaps more "happy", whatever that means. So, the secret cannot be in the things of this world, or the experiences of this world, or the place you live.
If the next two months go by this fast, I'll be leaving sooner than I think, or perhaps want.
Yes, there are days, times, that I really miss what was familiar and comfortable and "controllable". But, I look back and ask myself, where do I want to be now. Do I want to go back to the job I had? Do I want to go back to anything I had? Not that it was bad; it was awesome, blessed blessed. But, it's past. And it's not something I want to go back to, or recreate or repeat. So, all I know to do is go/grow forward. And this is the life I choose to grow forward to/with. So, I don't really have a choice. I move forward because I have to and I don't really have a life to go back to (or want to go back to). And that's the choices I made. And I'm at true peace with that. As alone as it is at times; or strange; or just not "home", it is home, for this is where God has planted my heart, in this season. And thank you God for planting my heart deep here, even for a season.
Lots of travel and more adventure. Went to Santo Domingo with a bunch of my new amigos here in Santiago. Was a little apprehensive because none of them spoke much English and I speak little (but growing) Spanish. Guess what?? Had a great time. But, I'm sorry to say that if Santo Domingo is the diamond city of the DR, there's problems. From what I saw, it was EXTREMELY dirty and very crowded with cars. The breach front was full (I mean full) of trash. I was very surprised it was that dirty. But the people I went with made it all worth while.
But, here's where you may find a diamond just about anywhere - went to visit a family there in a relatively poor part of town. Wasn't expecting what I found. The master bedroom, with meager furnishings, actually had a working AIR CONDITIONER!! Only my second encounter in a home (plenty of stores have them) since I left Florida. It was a Kodak moment; me and two other adults (a tall man and average size woman) all three took a nap on the same bed with this amazing cool air blowing on us. In their broken ingles (English) I think I understood them to ask me if I wanted to join them for a nap on the bed. Well, this was one time I'm going to assume the best in what they were trying to say. I thought I could never relax if I didn't have a bed to myself. Well, things change quickly when the anty is upped with A/C! When I actually learn more Espanol I may find out that was NOT an offer to join them, but I don't care! It was so nice!
Rented a car and went to Rio San Juan, area where more of the DR missionaries are based, for the weekend. Good to catch up with TJ/Holly. Good good peeps. Also met the new team, Laura Beth and Corey Lamb. And what a great couple. Young and wide eyed, but amazing amazing, with spiritual maturity. Their sponsoring congregation is Henderson C/C in Henderson, TN. And, if this is any kind of sign of what that congregation of believers is producing, I'm extremely impressed. And of course time with Tammie Wallace was just the detox I needed. She reminds me of my aunt Jan. Amazing listeners.
The trip over the mountains between Santiago and Rio San Juan is almost indescribable. Bonito. Bonito. (beautiful!) And, past Rio San Juan, near a town call Nagua (I think) there's a forest of coconut palms you drive through. I'm talking forest. It was so beautiful. My favorite tree is a palm of any kind, but this was actually what I'd call a forest. Just tons of coconuts. And all hanging over the road, so the sky was almost somewhat covered. Never seen anything like it before. And, as I was driving, I was thinking, sights like this are exactly what I was hoping/praying for. And, that's exactly what this 6 weeks has been.... sights, sounds and experiences AND AMAZING PEOPLE I could never have experienced anywhere else.
Speaking of people....
The boys are great. We had what I'd call a (another) break through last evening. We've started a nightly family time where we all get together at the table and share about our day (yep, my Corny idea, but it's been really good). Well, this night both boys were more comedians than usual, and their mom was trying to share about a hard day she had, so I gave them a pretty harsh (but short) lecture about how hard their mom worked and how they should be more respectful and stuff like that. And, it went right to their heart. (which I didn't expect, as many of my "talks" seem to bounce right off their heads) So much so that Marsil let out some really deep emotional stuff about how hard it was to be the man he is trying to be, and work as hard as he does at school and how he does this all because he loves his mom, and telling it all through tears streaming, streaming down his face. It was a really really good night. It was good to hear Marsil express his deep emotions and good to see him let out some of the huge stress he's under. He's like 15 going on 25. Sometimes barely 15; sometimes carrying the load of someone much older.
And guess who volunteered to help me with the dishes. Paul!!! (yep, not a typo!) He's growing. Boy, it's slow, but he's growing.
The stories never end. Went out this morning with a friend. Ask her what is the best, very best place to have lunch in Santiago? Keep in mind, this is a married women of about 35 I'd say. She and her husband fast becoming good friends. This woman is no kid. And, I suggested a few good restaurants (The Pasta House, etc.) of places I wanted to treat her. And there are some decent restaurants here, but what did she consider one of the best restaurants in Santiago?? McDonalds!! My mouth dropped, but I closed it quickly and we proceeded to McDonald's where we had a great time. It again made me appreciate something I take for granted, to say the least. American Fast Food! It was good. Most excellent to see her enjoy it so much.
It blows my mind that these people, even those that have a little tiny bit of money, have never traveled more than 75 miles from their home their whole lives. And all their experiences and their entire world is in the radius of 75 miles. But, they see the world, through internet, TV, etc. But, they will probably never see the world. Still, they are no less happy (perhaps no more) than we are. Perhaps more "happy", whatever that means. So, the secret cannot be in the things of this world, or the experiences of this world, or the place you live.
If the next two months go by this fast, I'll be leaving sooner than I think, or perhaps want.
Yes, there are days, times, that I really miss what was familiar and comfortable and "controllable". But, I look back and ask myself, where do I want to be now. Do I want to go back to the job I had? Do I want to go back to anything I had? Not that it was bad; it was awesome, blessed blessed. But, it's past. And it's not something I want to go back to, or recreate or repeat. So, all I know to do is go/grow forward. And this is the life I choose to grow forward to/with. So, I don't really have a choice. I move forward because I have to and I don't really have a life to go back to (or want to go back to). And that's the choices I made. And I'm at true peace with that. As alone as it is at times; or strange; or just not "home", it is home, for this is where God has planted my heart, in this season. And thank you God for planting my heart deep here, even for a season.
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