You know that quiet voice in your head, the one that tells you not to do things because they might be dangerous, harmful, or make you miserable? Well, I’m beginning to think mine is broken. If it’s not broken then mine is way too easy to ignore! See what happened is this…
Yesterday we went to camp with Fairview Park Christian Church. There were almost 50 people associated with the church that ended up going for an overnight trip to a quiet little place next to the sea. It was so picturesque; there was the inlet, the boats, people sailing, green grass, and the fellowship of other believers. Sounds wonderful, right? Well maybe I should have also mentioned it was over 100 degrees with very little breeze and very high in humidity. We enjoyed some time just sitting and relaxing and then we started the bbq. In a Chinese bbq everyone grabs a skewer loads it up with food and then sits around the fire and cooks. When the food is done you reload the skewer and start over. Did I mention it was over 100 degrees and we were sitting around a fire?
Normally heat and humidity don’t bother me. But then……..one of the church members decided we should walk to the nearby town to visit some of the older places. I tried to decline, it was hot, I was tired, I think I may have heard that voice saying this was not a good idea for me. He said it would be a 15 minute walk. I tried listening to that voice, but the man asked again and I didn’t want to be rude. So I went for a walk. The man was wrong, it was 45 minutes of walking next to a busy road. The buses were putting off exhaust fumes, it was 100 degrees and then we got to the destination. He also forgot to mention the destination was a fish market.
So now, I’m hot. I’m tired. I’m slightly nauseous from the fumes. And now the air is full of the smell of fish and durian (a fruit that I believe smells like a banana left on the back porch in July for a few days). All I could think is that I should have listened to that voice. That voice was telling me that the walk was not a good idea. That voice was giving me a hint that I would eventually feel like puking over the pier, but once again I failed to listen…maybe my voice is broken.
On a deeper note: The church at Fairview Park is a wonderful melting pot of cultures. My home church has been supporting the mission work here for as long as most people can remember and it was so wonderful to worship with Fairview Park yesterday. I’ve been hearing about the church and this work for so long and now I get to witness it first-hand. Yesterday in church there were people from China, the Philippines, the United States, Australia, and Colombia. It was an interesting mix of languages and worship styles. The church was so warm and welcoming and I am already looking forward to worship next week!
4 comments:
Sometimes that little voice is a little hoarse : ) Praying for you to have a wonderful time, but not too wonderful, I'm not ready for you to be globe hopping for Jesus just yet : )
April, you know us all to well. After our trip to Mexico last year we both got the bug. No telling what Andi will say after this trip!
Was it at least an outdoor fish market so the smells had somewhere to go? Most of the "meat" markets in Japan are in the basements of malls, and the smell is gag inducing. There are days I simply cannot go down there!
I am relieved to not have read that you ended up in the hospital for heat exhaustion. I was a bit worried by the way that post was going!
Yeah, it was an outdoor fish market/restaurant. You would go to the market and pick your fish then you would go to a table and they would cook your fish for you.
I do remember those basements in Tokyo. They didn't do that where we lived and it was quite a shock to the system!
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