A Jon Post

So I live in Angola for now. I’ve started noticing differences in how I live as I move from place to place. You just start seeing things differently. I’m not talking about the big “Oh… I just appreciate things so much more now!!!” kind of ways of seeing things. Everyone likes to talk about those things and I think people aren’t as honest with themselves as they like to pretend when they say them. I really do like to eat good tasting things, I like comfortable couches, I like fast internet, I like nice clothes. Now, I’m willing to live without all of that but to try to convince everyone (including myself) that I really don’t want those things anymore is just a bit disingenuous I think.
No… I’m talking about the funny little ways you start seeing things differently.

  • Spider webs on my ceiling are very good things. They function as a natural mosquito net that catches the bugs that want to enter my house when the lights are on. “Plague” is a good word to describe what it starts to look like if you clean those spider webs out.
  • Snakes are friends around (though not in) the house. They keep the mice and rats away.
  • Soap is really an amazing thing. I can work hard hard hard all day and then run water over myself and rub myself with soap and the emotional, psychological, and physical difference is simply astonishing.
  • Cold drinks are to be savored.
  • People all over the world are really just after the same things. Culture changes how they pursue them but, in the end, we really are desperate, lonely, frightened creatures that long for love, belonging, and to be part of something greater than ourselves.

I wrote the following down earlier this week. I hope, I hope that I can learn from what happened and see Christ in a person sooner than I did in this story.

A man came early this morning. I wasn’t here and I was told he was belligerent, demanding, and even threatening. Being the only male on the property I gathered myself up for a fight and was ready in case he returned. Suddenly a shout came that he was returning. I puffed out my chest, spoke to myself of my strength and walked out to meet him before he could get all the way to the house.
“Good afternoon sir. How are you today?” I ask, trying to slow him down if, indeed, he is on some kind of warpath. I had been told he disagreed with this ministry’s ownership of the land and was ready to fight for a piece of it.
“Good afternoon,” came the reply, “My name is Isaac and I am the son of…” and he began listing his genealogy and where his father, grandfather, uncles, great-uncles are/were/have lived and why they have a right to be where they are. Placing himself in a long, great list of men who are proud to be a part of the land and the country of Angola.
I prepared myself to answer his dispute of the land, but as I listened… I realized my pre-conceived ideas of what he wanted were wrong. He began to tell me of how he is in the military and stationed far from here and before he left he built a small house just OFF of this ministry’s land. Leaving for a few years he has returned just for a week to see family and has found his house destroyed.
“Why” he pleads “have you destroyed my house when I saw your fence, I had permission from the state and I built on my OWN property?”
I am overwhelmed. Seeing from his point of view I nearly begin to weep for him. ”My friend Isaac,” I respond, “I hear you. I am so sorry. If I knew who had destroyed your house I would help you. I too am angry at what has happened. You are right, you are not on our property. If this had happened to me, I too would be angry and seeking to find out why it had happened. I am angry with you my friend. I see you well.”
“Jonathan my friend,” Isaac looked at me with sorrow, “I too am sorry. When I came earlier I thought people were telling me that I had no right to this land. I am sorry that I blamed you for this. I see that we have no problem with each other. My name is Isaac. I live just there,” he says pointing, “and you may ask me for anything you need in that neighborhood.”
“My name is Jonathan. Thank you for speaking with me today.”
A man came today. He looked ready to fight, but he simply wanted to be heard. He simply wanted to be loved.

Here was Christ. Here was a stranger that I am glad I was able to invite in and welcome and love (Matthew 25:35).

[flashvideo file=/blogpictures/house.flv /]

Layne took this short video and gives a brief tour of our house. I heard that there was some interest in seeing the inside of it so here you all go.

We love you all. Thanks for reading this long post.