I do have a beard. It’s tradition for men not to shave during our Latin American trips. So I grew one while in El Salvador. I’ve let it grow up for 2 weeks now. It’s got a red tinge to it. I’ll probably shave it once I go up to Kentucky tomorrow. Friends up there haven’t seen it and I’m interested in their reaction to it. My sis hates it. Many people hate it. The perverbial answer I give when I am asked why I’m doing this…. Because I can.
Personally I think my beard was much more noticeable compared to others in the group (minus our bearded ladies…those sideshow showoffs). I’d never had a beard before, whereas the rest of our crew either couldn’t grow a noticeable beard….or they already had one to begin with.
The beard is nice, but I think its not me. Besides, there are plenty of bare spots which should have grown over by now. It isn’t even that thick.
In other news…
The real reason for war: To Show America’s Power.
Asking How and Why
I got these wooden wall hanging key holders from El Salvador. After I got home, I found that they are probably cheaply made….using decals. So I probably paid too much for them. These type of wall hanging decorations are plentiful among the souvenir stands and its hard not to buy them in the rush of trying to find cool souvenirs.
Meanwhile I’m trying to write up an article about the El Salvador trip for the Mt. Juliet News (local newspaper). I sent out an email to everyone asking for experiences and stories about the trip. I’ve only gotten one back saying the best part about the trip were the 22 baptisms….which is all well and good, however I’m not sure it would play well in a secular newspaper. Emphasizing the religious aspects of the trip rather than the medical aid part might mean the difference in being buried deep in the religious section rather than being put on the front or 2nd page. I’m going to emphasize the medical mission part of the trip….how many people saw a doctor….how many prescriptions were written….how many teeth were pulled….etc. Joe User doesn’t really care how many people were converted…unless he himself is a Christian himself.
This may be the one and only time I go to Latin America. Its difficult work. I know there are souls to minister to….but who is really to say which is more important….a soul here in the US or a soul in El Salvador? The truth is both souls are just as important….with different degrees of accessibility and openness toward the Gospel. A potential convert in the US might be easier to get to….more difficult to convert….whereas a soul in El Salvador is difficult to get to…and easier to convert. What will probably happen is that I’ll have a greater deal of sympathy toward the Latin American mission effort….to through more support their way….yet at the same time not really having the desire to go back myself.
Yet as far as conversions go, I am left scratching my head thinking can a person really be converted after a one hour Bible study? Yet it happened time and time again in El Salvador. I’m not questioning these people’s sincerity. I’m asking “How?” and “Why?”
General Tommy Franks, Elder?
I received the following in my inbox. I’ll let you read it first, then give my thoughts.
GENERAL TOMMY FRANKS, ELDER
Just received this notice from Keith Shepherd the minister of the Alma School Rd. Church of Christ in Chandler, AZ where I worshiped while there after the 9/11 attack.
General Tommy Franks, who is directing the war, is an elder of the Church of Christ in Tampa, FL and was called out of retirement to head our forces. Our preacher told us last night.
Yes, and Gen. Franks married a girl who is from Memphis and graduated from Harding Academy here. My wife taught her in school.
In reference to you letter about General Tommy Franks. He has a sister living in Stillwater who is married to Dr. James Carley and they attend the Duck Street Church of Christ. So I would not be surprised if he were an elder at a church. We hear he is a very nice man. A quiet man who does not like the lime light.
shortened from a letter received from Jim Mettenbrink.
This could easily be an urban legend spreading rapidly through church of Christ circles. It sounds so rambling. 7 degrees of seperation, ya know. “I know so-and-so who knows this dog who shares the vet with Tommy Franks’ dog….”
A quick search for Alma School Road church of Christ popped up this webpage – http://aschurch.faithsite.com I’ve thought about emailing this Keith Shepherd for confirmation, but there is no publically listed email address.
But just because somebody in Arizona says Tommy Franks is a member of the church of Christ doesn’t make it true. I’d like to get official word from the church of Christ in Tampa which Tommy Franks is a member of. Not surprisingly the specific church isn’t mention…possibly due to security reasons. Some crazy terrorist might want to blow up Franks’ church.
Consequently a Google search for “Duck Street Church of Christ” showed no results.
I continue to remain skeptical, yet I’m not motivated enough to dig deeper into the query. I can’t exactly email all of the Tampa area churches of Christ to find out if its true.
Just like the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop, we may never know if Tommy Franks is a member of the church of Christ. Not that I’m loosing sleep over it…
****UPDATE**** 04/29/03
I found this quote from an article on the net. It doesn’t shed anymore light on it.
�My faith in God is important,� Franks said in an interview, however, it is not known which faith he belongs to. Although it has been said that Franks is of Russian Jewish extraction, the son or grandson of Khazar Jewish refugees from the Soviet Union, like Gen. Wesley Kanne Clark (who was raised as a Protestant in Little Rock), the religious and ethnic background of Tommy Franks is simply not known.”
Two Local Soldiers Seriously Injured
I’m posting this here because I went to school with Greg, although I didn’t know him personally.
By Laurie Everett
Mt. Juliet News
April 23, 2003
Two Mt. Juliet families anxiously await further news of their loved ones seriously injured in America’s war against terrorism.
Greg Mathis, 26, was seriously wounded last week in a land mine explosion in Iraq. Mathis is a Sergeant in the 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade (RAKKASANS) with the 101st out of Fort Campbell.
Nancy Mathis, Greg’s mother, said Greg was working in south Baghdad with two American and three Iraqi soldiers when an Iraqi soldier stepped on a land mine. The explosion killed all three Iraqis. Greg and his two fellow soldiers were seriously wounded.
Mathis’ wife, Jennifer, received the dreaded phone call from her husband’s captain immediately following the accident.
“He allowed her to speak to the doctor,” said Nancy Mathis. “She was told Greg was serioulsy wounded but not critically with the shrapnel wounds from the waist down,” said Mathis.
Greg Mathis was deployed to Iraq in February and has served in the military almost eight years, both in Kosovo and Afghanistan.
“We knew it might be bad this time,” said Mathis. “I say Praise the Lord, he could have been killed. It’s serious but could have been a whole lot worse.”
Mathi’s left leg as also fractured in the explosion. He was flown to a hospital in Kuwait and has had two surgeries to date. Monday night he was transferred to an Amry hospital in Spain where he will undergo further surgery and skin grafts.
Nancy Mathis said the news shocked her.
“I was so worried the whole time he was more concerned about possible chemical warfare.”
Mathis has call his wife three times since the accident, the last communication on Monday.
“He said he loved everyone and was so grateful for all the prayers and we should continue to pray for all the soldiers,” said his mom.
The huge yellow ribbon will remain tied around the tree in her front yard until he comes home. Mathis said that might be in the next few weeks.
“To me Greg is not safe until he touches U.S. ground,” she said. “I’m so proud of him and all the soldiers doing their jobs so we can be free to do what we want.”
Greg Mathis is a graduate of Mt. Juliet High School. he is married with a 10-month-old daughter, Sarah.
While the Mathis family still waits, the Barkalow family anticipates their son’s arrival home. Scott Barkalow, an Army Reserve soldier with an undisclosed rank, was stations in Afghanistan when his truck drove over a land mine in late February.
Ann Barkalow, Scott’s mother, had just spoken with her son a few days before she got the frightening phone call.
“A medic called to say that he had just been with my son Scott,” Ann Barkalow recalled. “And I said ‘What?’ Not thinking, I thought it was like a joke. I had talked to him two days before that. I said ‘Is he alive?’ It shocked me so.”
Scott Barkalow, 40, was alive, but in need of surgery.
“That had gone on an overnight mission,” Ann Barkalow said.
“While they were gone there was a light snow and the car veered slightly and over a land mine and the explosion hit his part of the car.”
The accident and explosion injured Scott’s right leg. It required amputation up to the knee. He is in recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
Ann Barkalow said now that he shock is over, everyone is doing quite well, especially Scott.
“His spirits are real, real good,” Ann Barkalow said. “Sometimes I think they are better than ours.”
Scott Barkalow graduated from Mt. Juliet High School in 1980. He is married with two children and lives in West Tennessee.
Greed
What did annoy me in El Salvador? Apart from the dirt and the heat, it was the greed I saw. Greed wasn’t everywhere. It was just in a couple of instances. Beggars can be choosers….or at least try to be.
Example: On the last night we were in Usulutan, I was asked 3 times by people for bandanas. It wasn’t the fact that they liked bandanas. It was how they were asking for them. As if our main purpose for the trip was to give away bandanas. “Wealthy Americans are giving away stuff? Well that means I should ask for bandanas.” Pure old American greed. Maybe one person in our group gave away their bandana which signaled the great bandana giveaway sale at the Anita Guerrero school.
If you have to ask for something, then maybe you don’t need it after all. It feels much better when I give away something to someone who didn’t even ask for it. I preferred it that way. I enjoyed the one time I gave a boy a small matchbox-sized skateboard toy unexpectantly, rather than having a whole group of kids come up to me each holding out their hands expecting a toy. The boy with the skateboard toy must have thought it was Christmas day the way he played with that toy.
Another example: On the 2nd to the last night, they gave away toys to the children who participated in the children’s class. Laura, one of the teachers, described it as “a complete disaster,” because some people weren’t happy with the toys they were given. We were pestered by unhappy parents wanting another toy. Another example of pure old American greed filtered down to Latin American standards. I told Laura that next year they will just have to get 2 sets of toys…one for the girls and one for the boys. Or even just have one toy for everyone, so that there will be no fighting about it.
I know that I am just as guilty as not being satisfied with what I’ve got. I’m always looking for something bigger and better in the computer world. I just saw this particular aspect magnified more and more when it was in-your-face type of greed.
And I don’t feel guilty for what I’ve got. Guilt involves doing something wrong. I feel blessed. I’d be guilty if I didn’t use what I had for God.
The Surreal Salvador
What a long strange trip. Many many times during my El Salvadorian trip I have been left scratching my head wondering what happened here. Its the surreal El Salvador. Some examples:
- Manhole Covers – Would you believe I saw some manhole covers in Usulutan which said “Walbash, Indiana” on them? Initially it looked as if these were made for the streets of Walbash, but not I think they could have just been made in Walbash and distributed elsewhere. Who knows. I would have expected to see manhole covers marked as “Usulutan” rather than Walbash.
- Trucks with English Writing – On at least 2 occasions I saw trucks with English markings on them indicating they were from the states. Such as the truck I saw in the heart of Usulutan which had a furniture markings on it indicating it was from Virginia. Makes me wonder how and why this US truck made it to this El Salvadorian town. Driven through Mexico? Dropped off from a boat?
- Girls in Easter Dresses – Here we are the “rich” Americans wearing borrowed clothes and scrubs….trying not to sweat to much in the heat….while the Usulutanians are wearing their best clothing….dressing their children up in Easter dresses in order to make a good impression on the doctor. Going to see the doctor for the first time? Wear your best clothes, even if the medical care is free. What they don’t realize it that Easter dresses don’t make an impression on us. Rather it just comes across as strange.
- TV Antennas from Shacks – This must be the El Salvadorian equivalent of satellite dishes in mobile home parks. Can’t afford a decent home? No problem. Just get some electricity to your shack and find a TV. Do TVs come that cheap or is affordable permanent housing that expensive?
- Strange Currencies – I’d halfway expect to see local currency in El Salvador. Not so. I only saw dollars. Dirty US coins. When we came across a peso or whatever they have, it is a novelty to us because it rarely happened. Yep, they used our currency. They drove on the same side of the road as us. If I didn’t know better, I would have forgotten I was in another country and could have imagine I was in some depreciated part of South Central LA. El Salvador is a dirty little country and probably is a testimony to what the US could have been if it had not rose the living standards in the 1800s.
- Animal Farm – Similar to the movie 12 Monkeys, the animals roam the streets. Cows at the bus station. Pigs on the streets. While having a Bible Study in someone’s home, it is not unusual to see a chicken run through the house.
- I Wish I Was in Dixie – On the top of our tour bus, I noticed there was a painted rebel flag. You never can go too far from the south. KnowWhatImean, Vern?
El Salvador is indeed a strange place. At times I forgot I was in another country and thought this was some weird strange Dr. Suess parable.
Church Selection
There is a camp meeting at Corinth church in Portland this Sunday afternoon. I’ll be going to the meeting, and possibly church somewhere in the area. Definitely church in Scottsville for the PM service since a friend of mine will be speaking.
As far as the AM service, who knows? I’d like to go to Corinth, but if I go there, the kids will automatically insist on being taken out to lunch, something which I hope not to get in the habit of doing. So it’ll either be Fountain Head or Scottsville. Most likely Scottsville for the AM service too.
Anytime I have an excuse to get away from my home church, I usually take advantage of it. I have my reasons. Maybe its me not wanting to have things too monotonious with the same thing over and over again. Or maybe its me wanting to visit friends whenever I can. Or maybe its not wanting to carry around the extra baggage of old folks’ memories of how I’ve been attending the same church since I was 2. People remember me and have their own built up prejudices or admiration of me before I even say one word to them on Sundays.
And those people who keep tabs on me wondering where I am on certain Sundays? Well apparently they have too much time on their hands. Anytime I am out on Sundays, I am worshipping with God’s people somewhere on the planet. I hold no official office at church, which gives me the freedom not to stick around 52 Sundays a year.
Many many times I have thought about moving my membership over to a different church in the area. I’ve visited them, but I don’t feel as though I am a good fit for them. People know me at Mt. Juliet, which can be good or bad in a way. I’m comfortable there. Some people like me there. I have my friends there. So I guess I’ll stay there for now.
And I’m not bad mouthing my church. It is a wonderful place for some people. My gripe involves several levels, many of which you will find at other churches, just on smaller levels. So don’t read this the wrong way. I’m just saying my own church may not be for me.
By the way, I did find out today that there is at least one person down the the unemployement office whose job is to make people feel stupid. Yep. Just make me feel stupid after having lost my job just a few months ago.
While You Were Out
When you are out of the office for any significant amount of time, you get those “While You Were Out” notes. I’m just now catching up to what was going on.
- Things are a whole lot greener. What a difference a week makes. When we were using coats just a week ago, now things are mild and the skies are sunny. Looks like summer again.
- The War: When we were leaving Baghdad had just been taken and our forces were moving toward Tekrit. Now it looks as if the war is over. Gas prices are falling, the alert level has been dropped to yellow and the world is a better place. Or at least I hope so. While I was in El Salvador I saw a bumper sticker which said (in Spanish) “Stop the war in Iraq.” On a similar note, I saw in one of the classrooms, a student’s essay on the WTC. Big events like that are truly world events, even in the remote area of Usulutan.
We did get our first substantial news when we reached the hotel on April 17th. There was a USA Today from April 14th in the lobby area. We had already heard of the rescued P.O.W’s via our group leader who had a laptop and internet access. So the days old USA today was sorta old news by then. We had internet access at the hotel and CNN International on the TV. CNN International was fairly boring. They showed the same thing over and over again. It was either SARS or the Iraq War coverage. No domestic US news. - Friends: Scott updated his weblog. He seems to update it only when he has something to gripe about. Meanwhile Todd updates his weblog constantly, with no rhyme or reason. Scott’s main concern these days is Bluecoat DCI stuff. I’m not sure if he realized I was out of the country. Anyways I think Todd is going to volunteer for DCI stuff this year. Those crazy college kids. Who knows what they will get upto next. DCI is so much smaller compared to the big picture of things. I’d like to see Todd volunteer at MJ’s church camp because he was a good positive force last year. But to each his own.
That’s pretty much it for changes to my little world for these past few days.
Acceptable by El Salvadorian Standards
I’ve seen those shabby looking buildings made from aluminum siding along the roads of El Salvador. Dirt floors. I asked a friend of mine “Do they know how the other half lives?” He said they probably do because ever so often you will see a television antenna coming out of the roof of some of these shacks. Its very sad because these people are so poor and are forced to live this way. Even the poorest of the poor in the US still live better than those in these aluminum siding shacks.
I’ve seen the modest church buildings in St. Agustine and San Francisco. Unacceptable by American standards, but by El Salvadorian standards these are adequate buildings. So while we spend more money renovating our old auditorium and try to decide what color our new church van will be, these El Salvadorian bretheren are content with having just enough paperback songbooks and plastic lawn chairs. I think our priorities are messed up. Still when I point the finger at my church’s spending habits, there are 10 fingers pointing back to me as I post from my computer less than 2 years old (which I plan on replacing in another couple of years) while watching my 25 inch television.
Seeing the earnest faces of the St. Agustine congregation….. I know that they didn’t join the church because of the wrong reasons…whether it is to gain a higher social standing among their peers….or to please their spouses. Nope they joined the church because they love God. Many of them came from Catholic backgrounds and would only face negativity from family members once they drop the religion of choice and join a new one.
And I’m not saying that we in America join churches for the wrong reason (at least I hope not). I’m just saying that the people of St. Agustine have a greater burden to carry when they change religions. Sometimes family completely disown you if you are not Catholic.
Still it was a little awkward being there. Especially when our church leaders spoke to the St. Agustine congregation. As if to say their church was in subjection to us. We pay your bills, now do what we say. My hope is that maybe 20 or 30 years down the road, the churches we help establish will be partially self sustaining….perhaps even have elders appointed. But that is very unlikely. These new churches look toward their preachers for leadership and to us for financial backing.
We never worried much about germs in China. I guess maybe I should have. The aluminum can tabs in China are the type which come completely off the can rather than sticking down into the soda when you open them. So you really didn’t have to worry about contamination. I don’t recall ever washing off a can in China in order to drink it. I rarely used straws there.
I have noticed a trend with instant messenger services throughout the region. In China ICQ was big. Honduran users tend to stick to Yahoo and MSN Messengers…never really an AOL address. Yahoo apparently has done a good job marketing to Latin America, which may be resulting in more of these locals using Yahoo Messenger service.
I rarely use ICQ. The one and only person who is online via ICQ is always classified as being away. Personally I think it is a dying religion. ICQ used to be big. Now, it�s cumbersome. Its software is bloatware.
El Salvador Redux
Reflecting back at the trip, I don’t know if I really contributed enough than what I should have. I mean the trip was completely paid for by donations and I feel as though I might have wasted it. I took plenty of pictures, but maybe I could have used up more film. If I had brought back 10 rolls of used film and used up all my digital cards, could I have called the trip a success on my part? Could I have helped more people? Given out more smiles? Counted more pills than the bare minimum I had done before? Camera work was a wimpy job. Just point and shoot. Nothing like filling up 100s of water bottles each and every day.
I’m disappointed in a way because I could have done more. I could have been a better force in getting things done instead of staying in the background. Was I vital to the trip? Nope. Things function without me.
And I was able to recover about 75% of the pictures which I previously thought were lost….using a friend’s Norton disk recovery utility. I may try going to a specialist, but I’m pretty satisfied with the results now, if nothing else can be fixed.