Saturday September 29, 2007, Day 23
. . . Ben went to visit his childhood friend, Fred today. Together they went to try to buy a new tire for the trailer. Because it was a trailer tire, and an older model, it took them many tries to find someone who could help them. Finally one tire shop did say they would make calls and try to find/order one for him. I am feeling sort of sick these last couple of days.
. . .Everyone in the neighborhood here is so loud ALL the time -- day and night. The people right next door have been yelling/arguing off and on since this morning. I was trying to take a bit of a nap earlier and I heard the mother yell at her little boy who was playing on the sidewalk and say the most awful things to him. How in the world can anyone live this way -- it's beyond horrible/wretched. Even now as I write it is 10PM and the sirens are blaring/people next door are arguing loudly once again, a helicopter is flying overhead. Oh! How I am going to double up on my prayers for those who live and minister in the cities of the world. I found myself these past couple of days crying for those who must live like this. Several people from our church back home in Seattle have been in Uganda helping to build an orphanage for the Ugandan children. I found myself wondering if those young people from our church cried when they saw the poverty there. Maybe it was a different kind of poverty though. I have read about places/countries in the world where there is deep poverty BUT hope -- poverty with hope. And then there are places like here and a hundred other cities just in the United States alone where there seems to be deep poverty but without hope. Sara says the attitude in the neighborhood seems to be: "You leave me alone and I'll leave you alone." No one seems to know their neighbors names or anything about them except for the most casual wave or verbal "hi". Oh how these people need Jesus! Please pray that I would have many opportunities to encourage not only Sara but her friend Lee to go to church and to give their life to our precious Heavenly Father.
I will write more about today in tomorrow's entry, but just quickly, I would appreciate your prayers as I was feeling very poorly and Ben took me to see a doctor. He diagnosed that I had a urinary track infection and I am taking antibiotics once again.
Tomorrow Ben and I leave for New York -- really looking forward to it!
2 comments:
Mum
I love you and am really enjoying reading your journal. I just wanted to point out that part of what you are experiencing is culture shock. You had similar reactions when you and dad first moved to Sultan--remember? I mean to say it's not necessarily so much that rural and/or wealthy is better or easier than /urbuan and/or poor. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. It's just that you are more *used* to one than the other. Does that sound right?
Morever, as my friend Dave Sellers used to point out, according to the Bible, all of creation *began* in a garden, but it *culminates* in a city. which kind of indicates that the God of the Bible thinks city is a pretty brilliant idea.
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