Remember when told you about an upcoming sandstorm, but it never came? Well - we got hit HARD! I tell ya - I'll take a snowstorm any day of the week over a sandstorm! It came quite suddenly. One moment it was sunny and hot outside, then one person ran inside and said: 'look how dark it is!' It's true - it turned quite dark... and the sand was blowing hard! It was like a snowstorm, except that it stung... and got caught in everything! The sand around here is quite a bit like talcum... very fine. Remember how I said the dust here is partially fecal matter? Mmmm - well, I'm sure not all of what was stcking to me was good clean sand. We got hit again with another sandstorm, and it really turned as black as night outside... They're furious! Along with the sand came a pretty decent rainfall. Anyhow - after each sandstorm comes tremendous heat the following day.
I had the opportunity to travel to another province - by military flight. It was neat sitting in the belly of a military aircraft. They're not like in the movies where the ride is quiet and spacious. We're all crammed in there, hot and sweating because of the heat - sucking water out of a Camelbak... which was pretty warm. When they let air in - it was quite a relief... but everybody's uniform got to be soaking wet with perspiration! Running to the plane in the dark was weird... the wind blast from the engines in your face, while you try to follow the person in front of you as best you can. Travelling in the belly of a military plane in the dark is also a real experience, with kit hanging all around you, hanging on to your weapon and gear, and a loud drone of the engines. When these flying beasts land, you feel everything! Weird - somehow, you can lull yourself to sleep... if you have earplugs. (I learned this the hard way).
I went to a place that was even HOTTER than here! Ugh! Anyhow - the people I was with were real massive guys who spent alot of time at the gym... ALOT. Being with them, their conversations were pretty much 50% about getting fit, being fit, or what to eat to be fit. If it wasn't about that, it was mocking someone for not being fit, or that a kind of food makes you less fit! Whoa - it was surreal, but inspiring. One thing I got from them was their motto, of which they said to each other all the time: 'Hey bro... STAY MOTIVATED!'.
I had the opportunity to personally accompany and be the escort to a Mullah. He said to me: 'I hope you will show me how you pray'. I said to him, 'only if you show me how you pray!'. We made friends there. I was able to ask alot of questions of him about the Islamic faith, but he never asked me anything about Christianity. I was even able to observe a 'Jumaat'... a service where there is a sermon followed by prayers. I was impressed by the young men who attended, their attention to what was being said to them by the Mullah, and their facial expressions and concentration in the prayers. After the Jumaat, I thanked them for allowing me to observe. When the people began to disperse, the group of young men grabbed a young serviceman (a Christian... apparently from his tattoos) who seemed to have backed himself into a corner of being quite unsure of just who Our Lord is. Anyhow, all these guys pushed him toward the Mullah, and they all told him to ask the Mullah about Jesus. I was standing beside the Mullah while through an interpreter, he explained who Jesus Christ is. He went on and on how Our Lord is not the Messiah, and how Jesus brought indication of the Islamic Prophet's coming to be the ultimate in God's revelation. After all of this, the words in my head kept ringing out: 'there's a fire, so you should not delay in this emergency and yell 'FIRE!''. I stuck up my and and said, please allow me to clarify and give you the Christian perspective of who Jesus is. I began by saying about how our one, common God is one, and how He would not want us to be separated and fragmented. I also told them of how our Holy Fathers (Jphn Paul II and Benedict XVI) have asked us to pray for each other, and how JPII made the apology. Then I launched into who Jesus was. I was quite impressed of how respectful and attentive the majority of them were. In the end I reiterated the fact that we should pray for each other, because for us to fight each other is a great dishonour to God. Throughout this all, I thought I was going to get an explosive reaction, but I didn't. They all agreed with me, and in the end we all shook hands and greeted each other: 'Asalaam alaikum' (Peace be with you), and me with 'God Bless' or 'Peace be With you'.
As you can see - all of your prayers are paying off over here. You wouldn't believe the amount of questions I get from all sorts of people who thirst for truth. I throw this up to all the prayers you are making for me and for the people over here. Thank you!
I will try to post pics of my travels over the past little while. I haven't been able to get to a 'drop' from where I can use my SD card. I'll get to that when I can, so you can see some of the things I see.
OK everybody... 'Stay Motivated!' ;)
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