Of A Curious Life and Anticipating Weekend Pleasures...

My life has been rather curious of late. Overseas adventure, being in limbo with my job, and a sudden and delectable romance, blossoming, as it were, overnight and with such fervor and sweetness that I and my entangled maiden are struck with simple awe at the developments. Neither she nor I could have possibly imagined as we awkwardly met at our friend's wedding, just three and a half weeks ago, that the first weekend in November would be spent with Sara actually wanting to come and see me and my family. And further, that this particular weekend would have followed three weeks of prolific emails and a visit to her home town to spend time with her and meet her parents.

Truly, truly amazing.

So, this post is to make it known that the fair Sara Davis will be making an appearance in Boone this weekend. I would love for as many of you that can to meet her, but I also want to make it clear that time is like precious stones...it is precious and limited. If some of you would like to meet her, we'll be attending Alliance Bible Fellowship on Sunday. Can't guarantee much...

Darfur is still on the agenda, although the hopes of ever returning there are fading. When I consider this weekend, I cannot help but realize that God has moved the heart of a king (president Bashir of Sudan) to make it possible. It is his decision about Americans traveling in Sudan that is keeping me in the States. I know that is a selfish perspective. But I'm entitled to my opinion, and Sara is worth moving the heart of a king for. So, thanks God.

By the way, I put the photo I took of bougenvillae blooms with this post because they are beautiful, and this weekend is beautiful and Sara is beautiful. Makes sense to me...

Regards,

Jonathan

Of Politics...

As far as I know, I am registered in the State of North Carolina as a voter in the Republican party. Voting is easy for me, if I want it to be, as all I have to do is push one button and, like magic, all the boxes next to the names of the Republican sanctioned candidates are checked, and my powerful voice as an American voter is made known. I don’t really have to pay attention to the plethora of names that litter our highways on the ‘coraplast’ signs that dutiful ‘party gnomes’ scatter liberally. I can just check the box. Not that I do that...but it is an option.

I don’t really like to pay attention to the political world anymore. Part of my reasoning behind this is that there is ample postulating and posturing by the candidates to try and prove their sincerity in ‘helping’ their constituents, but the fruit of their actions proves, eventually, that they are just as easily sucked into compromise as any other man, and all their words come back to haunt them as a gigantic ‘humble pie’ that they usually refuse to eat. It also bothers me that the masses are easily swayed by a speech that A. the candidate didn’t even write (he pays people to make him look good), and B. is filled with fancy rhetoric designed to create an emotional appeal and attachment to their cause.

I also don’t like the political world because it allows people to take valid issues, such as helping the poor, abortion, land conservation and so on, and hijack them for their own political purposes. The issues that the Church of Jesus Christ should be on the forefront on are instead heralded by greedy men who, once they reach office riding high on the confidence of those they have duped, abandon their ‘base’ in favor of a better pension plan, or political positioning that guarantees their re-election.

I know that there are exceptions to the rule. I think that all political candidates should be required to watch ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’, with Jimmy Stewart. If you have not seen it, then you must rent it and watch a man of integrity stand up to the ‘establishment’, and the ‘party machine’, and take part in an action that constitutes a true ‘filibuster’. It is a rousing performance and a good lesson in standing up for honesty and integrity. Would that there be more men in Congress and the Senate like Mr. Smith…

I say “as far as I know” about my political ties because today I received in the mail a political advertisement ‘paid for by the North Carolina Democratic Party.’ Cullie Tarleton is appealing for my vote in favor of State Representative Gene Wilson. He says that:

“Gene Wilson can’t solve our problems if he’s more interested in getting gifts from lobbyists and powerful special interests.”

“Gene Wilson should spend more time working for us and less time enjoying perks.”

“Cullie Tarleton is interested in solving problems, not taking gifts.”

Well, he’s got my vote. After all, he’s got a catchy campaign slogan, “He’ll move Western North Carolina forward – the right way.” Really? What does it mean ‘the right way’?

I suppose that a person’s decision about politics might be swayed by a handsomely designed campaign flyer. Mine isn’t. I guess that being a cynic about the integrity of anyone with political power or who aspires to political power keeps me from being simple minded about what they say. I could be wrong in my approach, and I’m sure that as I grow older and more savvy about the ways of this world I might alter my views and become more interested in what goes on in the sancta sanctorum of the legislative gurus.

Until then, I don’t want to hear about ‘moving forward’, as I believe we should ‘move backwards’ and fix our social problems from the ground up.

Oh, and I don't want to receive unsolicited campaign propoganda in the mail. Democrat or Republican. Just for the record...

Of Developments...again

Of Sara...
Sara and I met at a friend's wedding. She was the Maid of Honor, I the Best Man. She was strikingly beautiful, I devilishly handsome. One thing led to another and shortly after the wedding we began to write to each other and have since cumulatively produced over 65 pages of correspondence, as our desire to get to know each other blossomed and bore the fruit of prolific communication.

After a little over a week, it became apparant that there was more than just a 'surface' friendship in the works, and so I called her to explain myself and where I was on the page of this bizarre adventure. She was at the same place, and before we knew it I was buying a ticket to fly to see her and her family.

We spent the weekend together, something which proved to be supremely good, and now we are settled into enjoying our courtship as best we can over distance. As I said, we are both blown away at what is happening, thanking God for what is happening, and looking to trust Him for the future.

Of Sudan...
I am currently in limbo about my return to Darfur. Due to the infantile nature of current international politics, Americans in Sudan are restricted to the city of Khartoum. As my work is solely in Darfur, this means that I cannot get back to work. I was going to travel and hang out in Khartoum until this situation blew over, but my superiors decided it would be best if I do said 'hanging' in the comforts of my own home, and more importantly, not on Samaritan's Purse's tab. I am still being paid according to my contract, but meals and such, which are covered for us while on the job, are not included while at home.

I have a buffer of two weeks, and if I cannot get back to Sudan in that time, then I will have to seriously consider contingencies. I have a few options open to me, and I am currently investigating them, but right now I cannot plan anything definitive. It is frustrating to be held in such limbo, but I have no doubt that God brought me back from Sudan, and I certainly am not dissatisfied for having to have come back, so I can take what I see to be Divine intervention and then trust Him to provide similar guidance for my future. I could play the 'if I had not come back...' routine, but the outcome of that venture would leave me in a position that is distinctly less pleasant than the one I find myself in now. Alhumdel'allah.

Developing...

Jonathan

Of Developments,

This is Sara Davis. We are officially courting. We are happy. She is awesome, beautiful and smart. We are thanking God. It was very cold when we took the picture. More to come...

Of TSA, Idiots and One and the Same...

I was traveling recently. And I almost got arrested while doing so. Air travel has become increasingly ridiculous to me since the advent of the terrorist and his evil schemes. There seems to be an urgency to make sure that something devastating doesn’t happen again, and while maybe in the higher echelons of the committees designed to ‘keep us safe’ there are people who demonstrate intelligence and a sense of intuition that would render my concerns about the supposed security measures void, there certainly is not displayed such ‘character’ on the ground or in the fingers of the poorly paid and tired hands that rifled through my bag at the Chicago airport.

I was sore already from having to have left a lady who has grown very dear to me, and was not in a disposition to look on idiocy with the grace and perseverance that I normally exude. The gloved hands snatched my bag from the scanner belt and a worried expression on her face revealed that she thought she just might be in possession of something supremely dangerous. There was also probably a glimmer of glee hidden in there, born from the desire for something, anything, to break the monotony of dealing with the public all day long in a very personal way. After all, I think that one of the most detrimental aspects of the job as a TSA agent would be to discover time and time again what brand of deodorant each passenger prefers, or what toothpaste they employ. Some things deserve to left private.

But that glimmer of glee shone through, ever so slightly, and the announcement went out that, yes, there are liquids in this bag and we will now perform a full search. My poor backpack. It has been around the world with me, from the shores of Galilee, the winding streets of Old Jerusalem, to the sandstorm afflicted wastes of Darfur, to the grinding miles of my trek around my country on my motorcycle. It has been the faithful bearer of my belongings since I was fifteen years old, and now this TSA cretin was desecrating its holiness by prodding and probing like it was just some ordinary ‘carryon item’.

Vindicated and proud of herself, the TSA cretin pulled with a triumphant flair a small bottle that contained Olive Leaf Extract, a natural antibiotic and a member of a large array of alternative health products that our country is fast falling in love with. “Sir, you cannot have liquid on the airplane from outside of the sterile area. If you want you may put this in a Ziploc bag and then you will be allowed to take it with you.” I did not have one and inquired if I could get one from her. No. Oh.

So what this boils down to, in my mind, is that Ziploc has gone in with the government and has somehow convinced a committee somewhere that the safety and security of all US passengers rests solely on their product. The evils of liquids on an airplane are alleviated and rendered harmless when they are clad in plastic with a nifty closing mechanism.

Oh the look on her face. A bullet! “Sir, you cannot have a replica, or any part of a bullet or a firearm in your carry on bag. It is against federal regulations.” What she had found was a keychain made from a spent pistol shell. It is not a bullet, or part of a bullet, as a bullet is the object that is projected down the barrel of a gun. The casing is harmless by itself, especially when there is a hole drilled in one end and a key ring is stuck through it. Oh, but you cannot have this.

I was getting irritated. Finally I was allowed to have the ‘bullet’, but I started grousing. Then I was threatened with a call to the police to arrest me. Can you stand it? The sheer idiocy! What I had in my possession possessed all the harm-causing agents found in an empty tube of lipstick. Walking away without speaking my mind entirely was so hard. It was so tempting to let go of a five minute rant about the inadequacy and tepidity of the TSA that I would have probably ended while being cuffed and dragged away by dutiful men in blue uniforms. It would have been worth it.

Of Visas, Stress and In the Meantime...

Something so simple as a piece of paper with a stamp. That’s all I need. A visa for Sudan. So simple, and yet so complicated. The arena of international politics seems very childish to me right now, except that instead of a ride on the swing the stakes in these playground antics are people’s lives. Life is easy to dictate when you’re living in an office and never encountering the dust and grime of the real world. Being a jerk and refusing a visa is such an easy thing, and it is easy to be heartless. But when you get your toes in the sand and stick your nose in the stink of life, donning that heartless attitude isn’t as easy.

It always frustrates me that a government that is dubious about the safety of its own people refuses access to people who want nothing but to help those in need. I have no political agenda, I have no sway in the international scheme of things, so why should you blame me for international policies? Give me the visa. I’m learning your culture, your language, I love your people, many of them are like family to me, I’m facilitating the improvement of the way of life for thousands of your people…so I’ve got two words for you: come on.

Before Sudan, I would have poo-pooed the affects that these kinds of situations have on the human psyche. Being held in limbo is stressful. Stress hurts. I have learned this more deeply in the last two years than I could ever have imagined. Stress is real. I’ve decided not to ‘mess around’ with it anymore.

So here’s the deal: I am supposed to fly out of the country this Friday, the 13th, but due to the fact that I do not have a visa yet, I will probably not be sticking to that itinerary. I really do not know when I shall return to Sudan. It is my hope that it will be soon. I’m already itching to be back at work, I miss my team, I miss the sense of adventure, I miss being in the thick of it all. Insha’allah I will be there soon.

In the meantime, I am home, seeing folks I care about, riding my motorcycle, reading the news on Sudan (www.sudantribune.com is a good one by the way), enjoying the fall colors, trying to relax, reading, etc.

I’ll keep you all updated as I know it.

Regards,

Jonathan