Okay...it sounds like the start of a good joke.
You've got a (self-described) Indian, a South-African, a Brazilian pilot, a frisbee-loving landlord, an about-to-be-married college kid and his engineer father, a former High School basketball legend, an extreme sports loving computer guru, the owner of an inexplicably large lifesaver (candy) stash and me -- a complete and total goofball -- all in the same room.
It's an odd lot, I know...and begs the question... What on earth could bring such a motley crew together?
A United Nations meeting? Well, if you know me, you'd know I'd rather eat my own eyeballs than attend anything affiliated with the U.N.
A Softball team? No, South-Africans play cricket and Brazilians play soccer...gotta scratch that one.
Prison? Good guess... and I think that's just a matter of time with this group before that's a reality.
How about a church outing to Staunton, VA to fix up some houses for members of the community in need of some help? Bingo.
Yes, it's true... our rogue group descended upon the Shenandoah Valley (my adopted 'hometown') and helped fix up some houses. And, thanks to numerous trips to Walmart and Klines (the local ice cream joint), we also helped energize the local economy by spending our hard-earned Northern Virginia dollars in these fine establishments.
It was a good time.
I had not met the majority of these guys before going on this trip. We are fairly new to the church and it is huge. My neighbor could go there and I'd probably not know it. So, it was good to get to meet each of them. I didn't get to work alonside all of them....but here's my (slightly embellished) take on those that I did work with:
There was Marius. He's South-African and works for the World Bank. I picture a Saturday Night Live skit where Marius is a teller and his customers include a bunch of current and former world leaders and dictators I can imagine Jacques Chirac smugly receiving his free toaster for opening an account. I can equally picture Kim Jong-Il getting ticked off for receiving not receiving his. Fidel Castro would stroll in and make a withdrawal. Hugo Chavez would be 1/2 angry and 1/2 caaarrrazy. And Marius would be there. Polite to a fault and exceedingly cordial, trying to sort the mess out.
The "indian" was Chris. He's really not a Native American...but he could pass for one on TV if he wanted to. Together, Chris and I pioneered the "eyeballing" technique for installing vinyl siding. It's fast, it's efficient, and it looks great. I'm certain contractors will be calling us for tips in a few days.
The Brazilian pilot was Marcelo. I had met Marcelo before and really admired him. He's a commercial pilot. He's Brazilian. He's good looking (Jeff H. told me this). He is a stud Christian. And, yes, ladies...he's single. Pay me $20 and I'll give out his email address.
Our high school basketball legend was Jeff (mentioned above). His jersey is retired. I'm not kidding. His stinking jersey is retired. The church we stayed at had a gym. I challenged him to a game of one on one. Though he was hesitant to take me on (he must have been afraid of my skeeelz), he eventually obliged. I used my mad crossover to blow by him, then threw down a vicious two-handed hammer dunk -- shattering the rim in the process. Err... maybe that's not all true.
Their was the engineer (Ron) and his soon to be married Son (Andrew). It really made me happy to see a father and son work together. They had one obvious mutual interest.... and that was the complete and total destruction of any errant tree branches on the property. You should have seen the look in their eyes when they would spot an out of control tree. Where you and I would see a rat's nest to be avoided....they would see potential. And though they put a ton of hard work into trimming those trees... it really did look a thousand times better. And the fact that they did it together was really cool to me. I pray that I can have that kind of relationship with Luke when he gets older. I have great admiration for both of them.
There were others... and I wish I could have worked with each and every one of them. There is something about manual labor (isn't he the President of Nicaragua?) that brings out the best in guys and I enjoyed each and every one of them....
We had nothing obvious in common, really. We all had our passions and hobbies. Some were married with kids and others single. And all of us are coming from different backgrounds and histories.
But one undeniable thing we all had in common was a desire to serve Christ. Each and every one of us have placed our faith in a loving and caring Savior. We did this trip not out of a desire to do "good things" to impress God. Rather, we served out of humble reverence to the Almighty who was has blessed each and every one in this group greatly.
On a closing note... I have a singular test for "friendship" that has never failed me. I simply ask myself, "Would I go to battle with this person?" If faced with real bullets flying and coming under attack, would I want this person next to me. Would they be cowardly and abandon me? Or would they have honor and integrity? Would they sacrifice for me and I for them? I think it's a question that really cuts to the chase and provides a vivid indicator for true friendship.
Thankfully, I can say that I came out of this week with 9 guys that I would not hesitate to go to battle with. And for that, I am grateful.
You've got a (self-described) Indian, a South-African, a Brazilian pilot, a frisbee-loving landlord, an about-to-be-married college kid and his engineer father, a former High School basketball legend, an extreme sports loving computer guru, the owner of an inexplicably large lifesaver (candy) stash and me -- a complete and total goofball -- all in the same room.
It's an odd lot, I know...and begs the question... What on earth could bring such a motley crew together?
A United Nations meeting? Well, if you know me, you'd know I'd rather eat my own eyeballs than attend anything affiliated with the U.N.
A Softball team? No, South-Africans play cricket and Brazilians play soccer...gotta scratch that one.
Prison? Good guess... and I think that's just a matter of time with this group before that's a reality.
How about a church outing to Staunton, VA to fix up some houses for members of the community in need of some help? Bingo.
Yes, it's true... our rogue group descended upon the Shenandoah Valley (my adopted 'hometown') and helped fix up some houses. And, thanks to numerous trips to Walmart and Klines (the local ice cream joint), we also helped energize the local economy by spending our hard-earned Northern Virginia dollars in these fine establishments.
It was a good time.
I had not met the majority of these guys before going on this trip. We are fairly new to the church and it is huge. My neighbor could go there and I'd probably not know it. So, it was good to get to meet each of them. I didn't get to work alonside all of them....but here's my (slightly embellished) take on those that I did work with:
There was Marius. He's South-African and works for the World Bank. I picture a Saturday Night Live skit where Marius is a teller and his customers include a bunch of current and former world leaders and dictators I can imagine Jacques Chirac smugly receiving his free toaster for opening an account. I can equally picture Kim Jong-Il getting ticked off for receiving not receiving his. Fidel Castro would stroll in and make a withdrawal. Hugo Chavez would be 1/2 angry and 1/2 caaarrrazy. And Marius would be there. Polite to a fault and exceedingly cordial, trying to sort the mess out.
The "indian" was Chris. He's really not a Native American...but he could pass for one on TV if he wanted to. Together, Chris and I pioneered the "eyeballing" technique for installing vinyl siding. It's fast, it's efficient, and it looks great. I'm certain contractors will be calling us for tips in a few days.
The Brazilian pilot was Marcelo. I had met Marcelo before and really admired him. He's a commercial pilot. He's Brazilian. He's good looking (Jeff H. told me this). He is a stud Christian. And, yes, ladies...he's single. Pay me $20 and I'll give out his email address.
Our high school basketball legend was Jeff (mentioned above). His jersey is retired. I'm not kidding. His stinking jersey is retired. The church we stayed at had a gym. I challenged him to a game of one on one. Though he was hesitant to take me on (he must have been afraid of my skeeelz), he eventually obliged. I used my mad crossover to blow by him, then threw down a vicious two-handed hammer dunk -- shattering the rim in the process. Err... maybe that's not all true.
Their was the engineer (Ron) and his soon to be married Son (Andrew). It really made me happy to see a father and son work together. They had one obvious mutual interest.... and that was the complete and total destruction of any errant tree branches on the property. You should have seen the look in their eyes when they would spot an out of control tree. Where you and I would see a rat's nest to be avoided....they would see potential. And though they put a ton of hard work into trimming those trees... it really did look a thousand times better. And the fact that they did it together was really cool to me. I pray that I can have that kind of relationship with Luke when he gets older. I have great admiration for both of them.
There were others... and I wish I could have worked with each and every one of them. There is something about manual labor (isn't he the President of Nicaragua?) that brings out the best in guys and I enjoyed each and every one of them....
We had nothing obvious in common, really. We all had our passions and hobbies. Some were married with kids and others single. And all of us are coming from different backgrounds and histories.
But one undeniable thing we all had in common was a desire to serve Christ. Each and every one of us have placed our faith in a loving and caring Savior. We did this trip not out of a desire to do "good things" to impress God. Rather, we served out of humble reverence to the Almighty who was has blessed each and every one in this group greatly.
On a closing note... I have a singular test for "friendship" that has never failed me. I simply ask myself, "Would I go to battle with this person?" If faced with real bullets flying and coming under attack, would I want this person next to me. Would they be cowardly and abandon me? Or would they have honor and integrity? Would they sacrifice for me and I for them? I think it's a question that really cuts to the chase and provides a vivid indicator for true friendship.
Thankfully, I can say that I came out of this week with 9 guys that I would not hesitate to go to battle with. And for that, I am grateful.
1 comment:
I knew it was the church outing! I'm a future "Deal or No Deal" millionaire so I totally own multiple choice questions.
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