Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Africa- The Story of a Fish

A good while ago, there was a small Koi that was waiting for something. He knew not what it was, nor did he know where to look. But nevertheless, he watched with eager eyes each day. As sun set to give way to moon, he continued to wait in his shallow waters. Day after day passed, and soon month after month. Still, what it was he waited for never showed.
As the time passed on and on, the Koi began to slip deeper and deeper into the waters that acted as his home, settling more and more as he waited. His heart hurt and longed to know even a glimpse of what it was that he sought. Then, one quiet night while he was looking skyward, he heard a soft voice that settled smooth on his ears.



"What holds you back, little one?" It said, soothing and mellow. "Why do you stay in your shallow pond?"

 "I cannot leave my pond, no...not yet..." The Koi replied gingerly. "Not until I find what I am looking for..."
The voice seemed to move around him as it responded: "How can you look for something when you haven't seen?" Thinking a moment, the Koi replied, "What do you mean? I have eyes, but how can I see?"

"To see is to know what is hidden, and to discover what is hidden you must search. To search, you must fly. In turn, to fly, you must touch the sky."
"I ask you, how can a Koi touch the sky? I am tethered to my waters, and cannot leave..."
With a soft hint of laughter, the voice began to grow distant. "Silly little Koi, cannot you see? You are already seeing the sky from your pond. What type of fish searches for the sky when it swims in the deeps? Very few have the eyes you have, and very few look to what you have sight of already. All you need to do is now not only see the horizon, but start following it. Find your horizon, as it always leads ahead."
The voice faded into the deeps of his watery fortress, and left the Koi in deeper silence than before it came.

After keeping still, the Koi took a glance out of the water, back to the sky. The Sun had just begun its journey to the sky, slowly lifting into sight.
"I dont know what I am looking for...but I will never find it in the deeps."
The Koi left his home in search rather than in wait. Many adventures awaited the Koi, and many horizons. Skyline after skyline, he continued to search for many years.

Even still he is on his skyline path, the adventures he had leading to more to come, aiding him in his efforts and preparing him for his tomorrow.
Many of the the fish from the deeps say he is mad, and that he is foolish to try and reach the sky. A few, though, look on after the Koi, ready to find their own skyline path. Though he has yet to find what he seeks, he is nearer than ever to touching the sky. And touch the sky, he will.


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You know, sometimes I wonder:
What have I gotten myself into? What in the world am I doing in Africa of all places? I can only imagine what it is going to be like to look back on my days when I first arrived in Uganda and how I adapted and such.

Getting to know the kids
Alright, things have been going well. Though homesickness acts like a plague on my heart, I can honestly say that I have been getting better each and every day. The people here just talk and think so differently than what I am used to, its a bit hard at first to feel like you can really fit in. But once you figure out how the swing swings, you can get some momentum. I feel like I am at that point right now, where the train really picks up speed. Jet lag starts to where off, I start getting my feet on the ground, and from there we rock it hard.

I went out today in the field again, and while we were doing a study in the Teach book, a woman came up genuinely angry.
"HEY. YOU. Why you come and not come back??" She asked the brother I was sitting beside. Turns out that he was at her house about a month ago, but upon not finding her home again, obviously hadent seen her since. She came in complaining that he hadent come back, and I mean seriously upset. She gestures to the book and said something about not getting her own, and why not and so on.
"Oh, well do you want a bible study?" He asked her.
"OF COURSE. What, do you think I dont love God??" She nearly hissed back.
SO a bible study was arranged and we finished up with the one we already had going. Then, before we had a chance to finish, a wonderfully nice man came up and asked for his bible study. So we arranged with him as well. Thats 2 bible studies in just about an hour, not even looking for them! That was in the morning.
I went out in the afternoon as well. My first door was a mother, who invited me and the brother I was with in to her house. We sat down and started a study from the Teach book, and shared a lot of scriptuers about death and what happens afterward. She told me about how her son died 6 years ago, and she never heard from him again, thus concluding that he was not in some other place like she was told. So I shared Ecc 9:5, and mentioned how it was a problem that the churches teach differently than what the bible teaches.
Wow, said her face.
"That makes sense to me, much more than what I was told before!" She said.
So then we had to go so we could talk to other people as well, so I told her to study/mark the first 10 paragraphs of the first chapter and I'd be back in a week to go over it. Then before I left, I offered her a taste of what she can learn from the bible by having her read John 5:28, 29 and Rev 21:4. She seemed to soak that right up.

So as we left, the next house was close, so as we were walking up, the owner happened to have just arrived home. He came up to us, and at first I was a bit afraid that he was upset. Turns out, he was just very interested and was glad to have found us at his place.
Right at the start, he asked for a bible study and said that he has always wanted one but never found anyone who could explain the bible to him. So, taking a little risk, I told him the basic idea of the bible study program and said that if he wanted his own copy of the Teach book (even though I had 3 in my bag) then he would have to get it at the meeting on Sunday. There, I said, we could arrange for a bible study with him.
"Perfect!" He said! "Where do I go, and what time? Is it ok if I invite my friends??"
So there you have it. 2 hours in the afternoon and I have two potential bible studies. And it was nothing of my own ability, they literally fell into my lap.

And tomorrow is another day in service! So I guess I'll see what it brings me.

"Onward to our Horizons, we follow the Skylinepath."

4 comments:

  1. Wow...( =-=,) So beautiful. I hope to someday be able to tell stories like you! I cannot put into words! Was that Koi story about you? The experiences of Africa warm my heart and make me wish I were there with the reliance on Jehovah. You're setting such a fine example, keep it up! You will have so many wonderful memories of exercising your zeal that it's hard to perceive that you will ever look back on this and have regrets! You're right where you should be, so no need to feel out of place! (^u^) I hope you'll remember that if you start to feel out of place there.

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  2. P.S. I want to give all the kids in that picture a big hug, but the one on the right a gianormous hug!! (^U^) He looks so sad...or scared.
    I'll eventually get around to actually proofing my comments before posting them. X)

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  3. Thanks, Nautica!ありがとございます! But really, I have no actual ability to write. In fact, it was one of your blogs that even inspired me to write this!
    As for what it means, that is left to my knowledge and your guess, muwahahaha! Though to be fair, I'll confirm any correct guesses. :]
    I also appreciate your comment, but I think you are flattering me. Seriously, have you even met me? It sounds like you're talking about someone else entirely!

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  4. I know what you mean, I tend to feel much the same way about your comments. Better to think less than the best of ourselves, ne?
    It's true I don't know you that well. But your actions speak out loud. From what I've noticed, your choices are focused on kingdom pursuits rather than self-serving.
    You chose to go to a country that you surely knew did not have the same luxuries that people in the states do. You used your own resources to do it. It surely took a great deal of faith in Jehovah to step outside of your comfort zone and pursue a goal like this, without your immediate family or friends (we're still here!) by your side. How many youths are making those kind of choices today? It's not common.
    We're all imperfect, but you are surely doing your best to let Jehovah direct your steps instead of trying to lead them yourself!
    ごめんね! (^u^')\ ehheh. 私も書面で多くを表現する.

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