...and as we say goodbye to 2016. I'm asking - How in the world did I get here?
Actually, I've had many moments in my short life when I've asked - How in the world did I get here?
I was terribly homesick.
The assignments for the next 6 weeks had been handed out, I was completely overwhelmed and I wanted to go home. Everyone around me seemed to be having a good time. And they were really good at Volley Ball too. I had to be the shyest kid on the Bible school campus. Could I really survive 6 weeks of this? I was only moderately OK at Volley Ball and didn't even really like playing Rook at all.
"How in the world did I get here?"
I stayed 12 weeks.
A few months later:
Homesick again. Seriously, you'd think I'd either learn to stay home or not be homesick but there it was. I cried - really I did. I tried to hide it but...
I was surrounded by Beachys and I didn't know anything about the Beachys except that my brother had told me "to be a Beachy, all you have to do is grow a beard and like to party." I wasn't really interested in growing a beard so did I have any chance of fitting in?
Somehow I had to learn to take care of the elderly. I knew more about chickens than the elderly at the time. I, coming from a chicken farm in West Virginia had to deal with Beachys from Ohio, and Indiana, who had completely missed out on the fine culture of West Virginia. This became apparent by the thrill they seemed to get in telling West Virginia jokes, they thought for my benefit, but I already knew about the fine people who made up my state.
After the homesickness wore off I learned to love the elderly and made friends with the youth. One of these youth eventually declared about the West Virginia in me - "It wouldn't be so bad if you weren't so proud about it". The way I see it, when you came from somewhere so amazing what is there not to be proud of?
But again I ask - "How in the world did I get here?"
From there...
I got a night shift job. Still caring for the elderly doing things that at one point in my life I thought I could never do. Now I was wondering - how in the world do you learn to stay up all night?
And then it was the Machine Shop.
The stories could go on and on...
Eastern WV Community College
Caring for Grandma
Believers Mennonite School
And then came Asia...
It started fairly young. I wanted to go to China. Hudson Taylor went to China so why shouldn't I? Then later I was given a book about Gladys Alward and told to report on it at church. She became one of my Hero's. If Gladys Alward could go to China why couldn't I?
But then - vision lost. West Virginia was good. I'm doing alright. I'm fairly comfortable and I kinda like comfort. If God wants me in missions maybe I can just go to the city. Language learning just isn't for me!
Enter Vision trip - 2006. (was it really 10 years ago?)
The vision trip did just that. It gave me back my vision.
China - I'm going back. Actually, I think I'll try for Tibet. Or at least the Tibetan people. (I seemed to have forgotten, I'm a shy kid from a chicken farm in West Virginia who can't speak Mandarin much less the Tibetan language! I seem to have forgotten that I'm not interested in learning a language just so I can communicate with my next door neighbors) At this point I think my dreams were more down the line of living in a yak skin tent and drinking yak butter tea. Oh, the confidence of youth!
But alas, I did not go back to live in China. Or Tibet. In fact I never so much as tasted yak butter tea.
I went to Laos.
I learned a language.
I taught English (I don't even really like English).
And I remember sitting in staff meetings thinking, "what in the world am I doing here?" Seriously, shy kid from West Virginia - of all the people in the world who could be here how can it be that it's me?
I remember being in a little village. I arrive at my friends house, the only white person around, neighbors hanging in the windows. Chatting with my friends. Sharing a rice mat for the night. When washing my hair became a village project...I remember thinking "How in the world is it me that's here?"
Now... today...
I wasn't going to live in Virginia. Not anything permanent. Of course all I knew of Virginia consisted of the Shenandoah Valley which is actually really pretty if you look above the buildings. Nope, not Virginia.
So why in the world do I have a Va address, phone number, and drivers license?
"How in the world did I get here?"
Actually, I've had many moments in my short life when I've asked - How in the world did I get here?
I was terribly homesick.
The assignments for the next 6 weeks had been handed out, I was completely overwhelmed and I wanted to go home. Everyone around me seemed to be having a good time. And they were really good at Volley Ball too. I had to be the shyest kid on the Bible school campus. Could I really survive 6 weeks of this? I was only moderately OK at Volley Ball and didn't even really like playing Rook at all.
"How in the world did I get here?"
I stayed 12 weeks.
A few months later:
Homesick again. Seriously, you'd think I'd either learn to stay home or not be homesick but there it was. I cried - really I did. I tried to hide it but...
I was surrounded by Beachys and I didn't know anything about the Beachys except that my brother had told me "to be a Beachy, all you have to do is grow a beard and like to party." I wasn't really interested in growing a beard so did I have any chance of fitting in?
Somehow I had to learn to take care of the elderly. I knew more about chickens than the elderly at the time. I, coming from a chicken farm in West Virginia had to deal with Beachys from Ohio, and Indiana, who had completely missed out on the fine culture of West Virginia. This became apparent by the thrill they seemed to get in telling West Virginia jokes, they thought for my benefit, but I already knew about the fine people who made up my state.
After the homesickness wore off I learned to love the elderly and made friends with the youth. One of these youth eventually declared about the West Virginia in me - "It wouldn't be so bad if you weren't so proud about it". The way I see it, when you came from somewhere so amazing what is there not to be proud of?
But again I ask - "How in the world did I get here?"
From there...
I got a night shift job. Still caring for the elderly doing things that at one point in my life I thought I could never do. Now I was wondering - how in the world do you learn to stay up all night?
And then it was the Machine Shop.
- Stocking shelves
- placing orders
- helping customers
- making bills
- I learned a bit about u-bolts and spring leaves - that had nothing to do with the season of spring or the leaves on trees.
- I learned important things like a Grade 8 bolt is better than a Grade 5 and I could identify which of the two grades it was. If I was uncertain about whether it was metric I had my ways of figuring it out without looking like a fool. (I'd probably just look like a fool now).
- I learned to to make bills for customers that they could understand from cards that said things like - "Grease Elwood" and "2-1/4-20 angels". I never asked Elwood how he liked the grease but it's always good to have angels around.
The stories could go on and on...
Eastern WV Community College
Caring for Grandma
Believers Mennonite School
And then came Asia...
It started fairly young. I wanted to go to China. Hudson Taylor went to China so why shouldn't I? Then later I was given a book about Gladys Alward and told to report on it at church. She became one of my Hero's. If Gladys Alward could go to China why couldn't I?
But then - vision lost. West Virginia was good. I'm doing alright. I'm fairly comfortable and I kinda like comfort. If God wants me in missions maybe I can just go to the city. Language learning just isn't for me!
Enter Vision trip - 2006. (was it really 10 years ago?)
The vision trip did just that. It gave me back my vision.
China - I'm going back. Actually, I think I'll try for Tibet. Or at least the Tibetan people. (I seemed to have forgotten, I'm a shy kid from a chicken farm in West Virginia who can't speak Mandarin much less the Tibetan language! I seem to have forgotten that I'm not interested in learning a language just so I can communicate with my next door neighbors) At this point I think my dreams were more down the line of living in a yak skin tent and drinking yak butter tea. Oh, the confidence of youth!
But alas, I did not go back to live in China. Or Tibet. In fact I never so much as tasted yak butter tea.
I went to Laos.
I learned a language.
I taught English (I don't even really like English).
And I remember sitting in staff meetings thinking, "what in the world am I doing here?" Seriously, shy kid from West Virginia - of all the people in the world who could be here how can it be that it's me?
I remember being in a little village. I arrive at my friends house, the only white person around, neighbors hanging in the windows. Chatting with my friends. Sharing a rice mat for the night. When washing my hair became a village project...I remember thinking "How in the world is it me that's here?"
Now... today...
I wasn't going to live in Virginia. Not anything permanent. Of course all I knew of Virginia consisted of the Shenandoah Valley which is actually really pretty if you look above the buildings. Nope, not Virginia.
So why in the world do I have a Va address, phone number, and drivers license?
"How in the world did I get here?"
