Neighbors

Since moving here I have made friends with my next door neighbors. I live in an apartment building and they live across the stairwell from my flat. Now this may not seem like that odd, other than the fact that really the only people I have befriended from this family is the children. They are two girls one 10 and the other 8. They are cousins and part of the nuclear family that lives in the house. They have been great neighbors as they are jumping to saying hello and always watching out for me as I make my way around town. They are also pretty incredible little girls. They both speak English well and the older speaks at an advanced level. She also speaks at least four other languages. That is right, a ten year old girl speaks five languages fluently. Recently though something happened that allowed me the opportunity to meet the rest of the family.

The grandmother passed away from liver failure. This was the first time since I have been here that someone I have had some sort of relationship with has passed away. I was not prepared for the emotions that would follow. The first were feelings that I have felt before, when someone you care about loses a loved one, you always hurt with them. You do not hurt in the same way, but you still hurt for them. You want to take their pain, and that was what I felt. I then began to think about the consequences of this death as well. I have known people to die without Christ as their Savior and it is a gut wrenching experience, but this was different. This grandmother had died and if she had heard of Jesus, she has probably never heard a presentation of the Gospel. That means that this woman is dead without Christ and never heard Him preached. The cold reality is that she is suffering eternal punishment in hell. This is hard to say and hard to think about, but this is the truth. The Bible is clear that the only way to heaven is Jesus Christ and those that have not heard are without excuse. This family though feels other wise, and the puja began, a type of worship centered on paying for your sins. They burned incense, offered food to the gods and prayed that she would find favor in the after life. All the while Christianity teaches that her fate is already decided. My beliefs were tested, do I truly believe that she is in Hell? I would be willing to preach it from the pulpit, but I had never been on this side of it though. I have never seen someone die without hearing the Gospel. There is no doubt though. I believe it to be true. I know what the Bible says. That does not make it easy.

The next step was to find out what to do about helping them. My culture teaches that when death happens with those you love bringing food is always a good start, and here the same rings true. I went down to the fruit stand and bought a good supply. I placed it in a basket and the fruit basket was born. This lead to another emotional roller coaster. After knocking on the door the mother of my friend answered, she being daughter of the woman that had just died. She like most at the death of a parent was hurting, and it was written all over her face. What can I do? What can I say? How can I make a difference? The only thing I knew to do was stand and wait. She takes my offering and invites me in for tea with the rest of her family. I sit down quickly drinking my tea and then begin to head for the door. I say good bye and my experience this day is over. This is where more reality begins to hit me. I hopefully over the next year here will have opportunities to share with her about my King. This family accepting though comes with some dire consequences.

Their accepting of the Christian faith is to accept this matriarch is dead and in hell. Wow. What now? Where do I even begin? Where do they begin? Would you be willing to admit your father or you mother was bound to a Christless eternity? I know that some of the truths of the Bible are not always easy. I wish everybody just went to heaven, but this cannot be the case. What kind of God can be gracious without being righteous, show mercy without judgement? Could hot exist without the cold? Noise without silence? This truth is hard to deal with, but one I must understand. Would it be easier to admit your parents are in Hell after you balked at telling them about Christ or to tell them about a Savior that loves them now?

Giving Up

I often look back and think about what God did in my life to bring me from the small town of Lawrenceburg to Kathmandu. I can look back at events that happened or conversations that were had, and now know the purpose of them. Originally though these would seem as random as the weather on a spring day. I remember slowly giving things over to God until I was ready to, in borrowing a phrase from Nike "Just Do It."

Family and friends were hard good byes, but one thing that was incredibly hard to give up was the game of kings, baseball. This did not happen overnight or even over the course of a month or year. You may ask why this was hard, well in my family baseball was and is and will be for generations what we do. I felt like giving up on this was giving up on one of the things that held my family close.* You see a love for the game that had been given to my father was given to my brothers and I, and it continually links the generations of our family. We did not have to play, but if we were going to we were going to have a passion for it and play it the right way. So many childhood memories both wonderful and sad involve baseball. All those great weekends staying in Murfreesboro playing baseball and swimming in the hotel pool. I will never forget along with my older brother hitting back to back home runs with the same ball. They did not go and get the ball the second time. Chris, as a sophomore, hitting a ball at Franklin County that he swears would have been a home run at any other park. He is probably right (just don't tell him that after all these years I am admitting to it). I also remember watching Matt pitching in a thirteen year old state tournament game and making the other team look like tee ballers seeing live pitching for the first time. I also remember wishing my dad was sitting within earshot instead of a car as he fearlessly fought and beat cancer. I also still stand by the fact that I should have made the nine year old all-star team and recollect very clearly that the tears I cried were from the dust stirred up on the field getting into my eyes. I must also mention my incredible mom at this point, who I stand in awe to this day, for her ability to consistently get four sons to practices all over town and never missing a game until she stood by my father as they together beat cancer.

I love the game, my family loves the game and it has loved us back. I will miss it over the next few years and maybe a lifetime if my God calls me to it, but I know it is worth it. Baseball in my opinion is the greatest game ever played, but for the sake of the cross I joyously give it over to the King, and I have no regrets. God often times calls us to give up things that we hold dear for His glory. Is there something He is asking from you? What if what you are holding on to is what is keeping His Word from being heard by those He is preparing? I promise it is worth it. It is hard, but He deserves that which we would give up for no one else.


*Mom please don't worry I know that if baseball wasn't part of our life that we would still be close and that the rest of the family will not shun me from table if I never talk about baseball again.

Welcome

So I have decided to start a blog. I have no doubt few people will read this but hey I have stuff to say so I will say it. I hope this blog can be a source of stories that would never make a newsletter but will be found amusing to the readers. The mood of the blog hopefully will cover both funny and sad and will be as random as actions of my good friend and once Seminary roommate. I hope you can read this for what it is and hopefully the Lord will inspire you by the joys He brings me on a daily basis. Thanks for checking it out, enjoy!