We attended Thrasher United Methodist Church in Vinton, VA. I don’t have a story for the name, but it seemed like an active, welcoming place. The summer‘s message theme is the Lord’s prayer.
Then we drove to nearby Roanoke to meet Trevor Hudson, just in town from Johannesburg, South Africa to be the “Conference Preacher” at the annual gathering of Virginia United Methodists. What an honor and a pleasure to have lunch with the author whose book we had so recently studied! We spent the afternoon listening to stories from each other’s countries, so wishing we could see more of this person who was becoming our new friend. He also showed us photos of his wife Debbie (who teaches high school biology) and his children Joni and Mark (who are similar ages to our children).
Trevor gave us some perspective and advice and names of people we “must” contact in his country. It is always remarkable to me when people see more than they need to, beyond themselves. Trevor, for instance, spoke of “living in a bubble”. But what does it take to recognize a bubble? He also spoke of being very nice individuals “allowing our institutions to sin for us”. I hadn’t thought in those words before. “ Allowing our institutions to sin for us…"
Not long ago, in reading one of the South Africa guidebooks in preparation for the trip, I just stared at a picture of a baobab tree. I wanted to use one in my website, but I wondered if I should just find a photo on the web, or if I should wait until I could take a photo of one myself? I decided it would be too long before I saw one myself, and to just use one from the web. But as I stared at that picture, the space between imagining a baobab and actually seeing a baobab became smaller in my mind.
There seemed like a children’s fairy tale lesson (which must be how I think). Here will always be “here”, and there will always be “there”, but maybe there is a way they are not so far apart. And I will always be me, and you will always be “you”, but maybe the space between us does not have to be so far.
And now that we have met Trevor, a faraway place has become as close as a friend’s heart.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Laura;
This is so exciting, to travel along with you. You have done a beautiful job on your site. I especially enjoy the baobab tree. I have long been fascinated with the tree, also. My guess, my interest came from a biology class, but it might have come from the same story in high school.
Safe travels,
Kip Tull
Post a Comment