random thoughts.

so, i'm listening to a sermon from southland christian church (yeah, kentucky!) and catching up on other people's blogs. i was checking out randy jones' blog and can't help but "steal" a random quote from him:

Eventually, all holidays will become one. America will have one big day when a black Abraham Lincoln dressed in a Santa suit will carry a flag door to door begging Easter eggs from people who throw firecrackers at him while eating pumpkin pie and singing Christmas carols.

so, i'm back in norway like i said in the last post. i came back and found letters (even one from my very cute grandma) and a package. so nice. i spent my first day back doing laundry, shopping and going to the new cafe here in town (sitt ned) with my lovely roommate, ruth silje. i also went to see "the da vinci code" with my movie friend, evan. like kristen said, coming back from outreach makes everything seem whiter. i can walk and just stand and stare at something because it may seem so foreign - candy at the movies, a tree, people. i know you probably won't believe this is being typed by my fingers, but the sound of Norwegian is like music to my ears now. =)

i just have to write about my experience going to the Johannesburg, South Africa airport. we drove 4 hours to the city and had several hours before the plane left, so the driver suggested we go somewhere. he took us to a section of town and we asked him if it was safe (Jo'burg is the most dangerous city in the world) and he said sure. it was broad daylight, about 15.00. we began walking and had just crossed the street (very busy street), lots of people standing on the sidewalks. what happened next was just surreal. we walked to the other side of the street and suddenly several guys stepped in our way and it was like they just couldn't move - that they were stuck. suddenly i hear the guys begin yelling and i'm watching the whole thing happen and am thinking, "we're getting mugged. this isn't good." but my feet couldn't move. the guys were being pushed around, people shoving their hands any place anything of value would be, trying to take the bags off their backs, grabbing everywhere. i don't know how in the world i got through without even being touched. i felt helpless. suddenly, thomas ran to me and shoved 2 cellphones and a wallet at me and said, "put these in your pockets. take the girls and run." those were the magic words. at that, i woke from my stupor, grabbed the girls and we began running back to the van, praying the whole way. people were just standing on the streets, watching the whole thing, but no one moving to help. we got back to the van and waited 5 minutes before the guys came back, escorted by 3 men. they were safe, had only been slapped around, and only a cellphone and camera had been stolen. it was a leader's worst nightmare. we talked through it and i've been thinking about it for days but can't think of anything we could have done differently (besides not stop). helpless. yet protected.

we had been talking that we didn't have any "real" outreach stories (besides me finding my toiletry bag in the toilet and having to use the toilet water toothbrush for 4 days before i could get a new one). now we have a story. not exactly the story i want, but a story nonetheless.

next blog will have a few more "happy" stories. =)