Lookie here…a white guy in church…
OK, im certainly not acting my age, and im not sure if that is a bad thing or not. On the weekend the social scene on Bahrain is clubbing. I made an observation last night amidst all the smoke and drunken people on the dance floor. I don’t like clubbing. There are a multitude of reasons, not the least of which, im a sucky dancer which I said again and again. But, there really aren’t a lot of alternatives other than going to coffee or out to eat for social activities. The whole sub-culture of the island resonates within these clubs and there are many. I don’t drink, and I don’t dance, but its better than being at home watching TV. It gets me out in the social environment. Im actually starting to recognize friends when I drop by these places…so hey my network is actually growing.
So I was out at a club (it’s the weekend so im being responsible somewhat) til 2:30 last night, and I got up at 6:00a for church. If you remember from a couple of blogs away, I was questioning whether or not I was an actual missionary. Because, im not handing out tracts, preaching, or going door to door. So I was really worried about this. If I am called to be a missionary, is there something else I should be doing other than forge relationships? The timing was interesting this week. I was listening to a sermon by Steve Madsen on the Parable of Jesus sowing the seed into four kinds of soil. 3 out of the 4 soils were bad. That is 75% where the seed won’t take root, blossom and do any good. So Steve’s take was that we are all supposed to be sowers of seed. Our job is not necessarily to harvest the seed, others are called to do that. I believe our job is not to argue or debate someone into the Kingdom. That is the job of the Holy Spirit. Our job is to plant and let the Holy Spirit harvest the seed. I mention that message I heard on podcast this week, because it was echoed by the pastor of the church I went to today.
It turns out Reji, our IT guy, is a strong Christian as well. God had laid it on his heart as well to start a Bible study. So now, when I get it going, I’ll have at least two people (including myself) to let it grow and see how God wants it to blossom. It was also kind of confirmation for me that im indeed called to be here. Its no coincidence that Reji and I are working together. That’s important for me to realize and remember. My kids think that I have abandoned them, which is absolutely not the case. That’s why your prayers are still coveted. The church last week was full of Filipino worshipers, which was cool. The church this week was larger, about 400 people and all Indians. I was joking to Reji, that I must be the only white believer on the Island. Then as we were leaving we spotted another White guy. But since he married an Indian, I tried to convince Reji that it shouldn’t count. The service was interesting. There was a guest pastor speaking today. I can probably say, that none of you might have ever had the opportunity to listen to a Uganda preacher share in a Indian church. Overall the church was exciting, refereshing and inspiring. I think there needs to be a stronger church presence here to cater to the many westerners. Im sure some might be uncomfortable with an ethnically centered style of worship.
After church…I took a long nap. I finished my video project for the Demo for KSDI. Now, im just waiting on Manu to do the finishing touches on the open. Its going to be incredibly when he’s finished with the open. I’ll post it when its ready.
Later that night, I went with Khalifa to see Body of Lies. If you haven’t seen this movie, I highly recommend it. I told Khalifa I related to the DiCaprio character. He chose to stay in the Middle East after his tour, because he fell in love with the culture. There’s a line from his handler played by Russell Crowe. “Why would you want to live in the Middle East? No one wants to live in the Middle East.” Dicaprio responds: “Maybe that’s the problem right there.” That is exactly how I feel. There is such an underappreciation of the good things of this culture. I chose to stay, come back, because A. God told me to, and B. Im really starting to fall in love with the people and culture. Its cool being able to invite your boss to a movie especially since he’s passionate about movies too. I think he felt honored.
Im tired…its 5 am…I went to another club tonight. Im certainly not acting my age…and that’s not a bad thing.
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