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When I don’t listen, I don’t end up being eaten by a whale like Jonah. Instead, I usually end up in a car accident. Don’t ask to see my driving record: trust me on this one. Last time I had an accident, I had just ended a very important relationship. I had not one, but TWO car accidents in a period of less than 3 weeks. After my first car accident, which was about a mile from my house, I …
Thanksgiving 2008. My family went to my sister’s in Boston and I stayed home to work on my grad school and to attend youth ministry events that I had scheduled for around Thanksgiving. There was no way I was spending the holiday with my still-less-than-5-years divorced parents, 4 siblings, plus a friend or two, all staying in my sister’s home in Boston. That was too many people in a too small space. But see, I found out from my sister …
Nearly 6 months ago, I journeyed to Guatemala with International Samaritan , an organization that specifically works with those who live in garbage dump communities. There are several places where I’ve written about life in the garbage dump: here , and here , and here are some of them. When I left, I knew that more than the effect I would have on the people (through building roofs, working with kids, etc), the transformation in my own life would be immeasurable. I gave the gift …
…You learn that a machete is actually much harder to work with than it appears–pick axes, too, are much harder than I’d ever imagined. The ancient supervisor who was guiding us, showed the teens how to use machetes: to watch him work them, you would think that machetes were simplistic yet sharp. When I finally put my hand to the machete, I was stymied. It was awkward and the bending over to swish it as you flicked your arm/wrist quickly …
Jennifer and me holding the machetes after a day’s work! Thursday (for those of you keeping track) we worked with children in the morning and machetes in the afternoon. First, let me tell you a bit about machetes. I grew up in a suburban neighborhood in Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C: one would think that machetes would be few and far between, and yet, we were familiar with them. Ask any of my family members. There was a day …
