Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Stories from the Mission... bit 24

    At the 3:00 class, Pastor Schoenberger was discussing your God given gifts. He talked on how he was a mechanic in the Navy working on the AC systems on an aircraft carrier, so I approached him after the class. I described several of my invention ideas (The fridge vent, the sea water desalination system that uses almost no power and the no spotter needed work out bench). He liked them and said he would try to find a strong Christian along the lines of an inventor to help me out. He has always struck me as a deep Christian and probably the only reason I never got to know him better before is he is what they call a shouter, lol. For as loud as he can get, smacking the desk at times, guys still fall asleep at times. Then again, I've seen people sleep through anything here. I used to wonder why Pastors didn't get madder about it. Then one day there was a new guy that was obviously arrogant about everything and fancied himself a hood. He was sitting in the front row, where all the new guys have to be, and he started holding up a blank sheet of paper as if to block his view of the Pastor. As the pastor walked back and forth preaching, this schlump would track the pastor with that paper and I was getting mad, and so where other guys in the room. It dawned on me that the little sheet of paper wasn't just blocking his view, it had caused me and other to miss an entire lesson! The reality was that he was not there to learn, satan had sent him in to disrupt. It kind of backfired though... I learned a lot that day. Everything here is a test. God will allow satan to send in minions here to help us grow. Now I wonder how many more are here, or are they just diamonds in the rough?
9/1/11
   Watching the sunrise from my bunk... a building blocks it and I can tell how high it is by the color of the sky. The brightness a parenthesis near the top right edge of a condo, and now to confirm it comes a bit of the blazing bright disk. I recall ages ago, along a far distant shore, on the west coast of Florida, watching the sun depart. My sister Tracy and I as kids being told by an older soul to squat down on the sand and get ready to jump. We watch as the last bit of sun disappeared over the distant horizon, to lose it for a split second and then to spring up as high as we could to get a last tiny view of orange glow. We overcame the speed of the planet, yet a small child, in amazement! I've become that older soul a few times to see that same wonderment in young faces. It's nice to know that ripple of wisdom passed through me into the future along some other far off shores... blessings abound.
   Had a memorable class with Pastor Warfield today, he is a real character! A short, round faced Irish man with alligator arms, he is the fastest talking man I have ever heard! Almost like blurry letters, you have to soak in what he says in chunks and not in particulars. He specializes in the study of cults, so he is like that guy in Harry Potter that teaches them to defend against the black arts. Absolutely vast amounts of knowledge that man has! Facts and figures, he can, and has, debated anyone from other religions like a Tommy gun. He mentioned he is going to Israel next year and I thought how cool would it be to go with him? he knows how to read the old languages, knows so much about history, he would be a great tour guide. heck, from the stories he tells, you might even get into trouble, lol.
9/2/11
   Yesterday I slept a lot and today I was depressed. between the 10 year anniversary of 9/11 and all the screaming demons here, I'm wearing down a bit. I'm starting to think that the only ones to make it through this are either the quiet zombies or the big mouth, oblivious to everything types.
   A few hours later and I'm feeling better. I bought a car magazine, which is the only thing besides a newspaper that I have read in the last 4 months that wasn't over 40 years old.
   Dameon is a 19 year old kid that I am really glad he is on our side. When I first encountered him (you don't necessarily 'meet' him), I had a bad knee jerk reaction to him to be perfectly honest. I saw him as loud, obnoxious, immature and obese. he is definitely a big boy at 380 pounds and around 6'3" inches, with anger issues. In the two months since that time either I have grown or he has gotten better.  Oh sure, he still talks loudly about chain saws and calling people 'vics', but he isn't a bad guy deep down inside. One day in the Billy Sunday room I told him he looked like a Panda bear. He got up, walked to where I was, loomed over me and said "I aught to pull your arm off and beat you with it." I looked up at him and said right back, "Go ahead, if that's the only thing that will remind you that you're in a Bible program, fine!" He sat down next to me in frustration and few minutes later he leaned his forehead into my shoulder like a big dog would. Right now he is the foreman on my crew and is very fair on how things are run. Funny how perspective can change with time and prayer.

1 comment:

  1. "Go ahead, if that's the only thing that will remind you that you're in a Bible program, fine!" He sat down next to me in frustration and few minutes later he leaned his forehead into my shoulder like a big dog would. LOL!

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