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We never spoke until we were exiting the plane, and I cannot even remember what American city we landed in, but I do remember very clearly thinking that this man possessed a special quality. I wondered if he was an athlete, since all he carried was a gym bag. He was curious about what I had been doing in Congo. We spoke maybe three sentences and I handed him my card, expecting nothing to come of our encounter.Over the years, he has made me aware of atrocities that need addressing on the African continent--and there are many we never hear about.
Our first connection was email, then my website, and finally, Facebook. I have not seen him face-to-face since those moments on the Airbus.
A message came in today on Facebook that was lovely and unexpected. It is worthy of sharing, and he asked me to do so. I learned along the way that this man is a minister and works in a world far from my faithless existence. We do not necessarily share the same political, religious or intellectual beliefs, but we do share a great respect for one another. Our dialogue unites our common purpose, which is to somehow, someway help to relieve suffering. Our paths are different, but parallel.
February 10 at 11:12 am on Facebook
The Reverend wrote:
This morning as I woke up I received a note from a very lovely brother and a friend saying, "Pastor I am seeking Gods direction." He needed a word, and as I wrote this I thought also to send it out to you to ponder on it.
Hi Brother,
I will commit you in prayers, but I have a small story.
One day a small Boy got lost in the city and could not find his way home because there were so many activities going on in town, and he tried and tried to find his way again but in vain finally he got afraid, tired, and frustrated and sat down--looking helpless.
A stranger and good Samaritan came around and saw this young boy sitting on the roadside and asked him, "Young man why are you sitting here all alone it is very late aren't you going home the festivals are over in town?"
To this the Boy replied, "Sir I am lost and can't find my way home."
So the man said, Come I will help you find your way back home. So they started walking around with the explanation the young man had given to the man, but still of course the explanations were very vague. After going in circles for a while, the man got tired and asked the boy, "Is there any particular thing that you can remember about your house/home?"
To this the boy replied, "Yes, if you can only take me back to the cross I will find my way back home easily. The boy was talking about the big cross that he knew all too well that was at the local church he used to go to every Sunday from the time he was young. They arrived home safely because the man knew exactly where there was a big old cross in front of a Catholic chapel.
This story shows me that sometimes when you feel you are lost or have lost the direction of God in your life, there is a sure place where you can rekindle the fire and find your direction back to your original purpose, because it has never changed.
Blessings.
I will also keep you in prayer.
Keep well. Your friend.
Rev. Paullycárp
