Rocks Out of Water

We are nearing the end of our time in New York and have been pleasantly surprised with what we’ve been able to see. Believe it or not, we have spent the majority of our time outside of Manhattan, in Brooklyn. Today we drove around Brooklyn in Kyle’s (our friend who lived in Haiti with Tim) flaming yellow 1972 Volkswagen Bug. To draw even more attention to ourselves, we were blaring kompa music while searching for a Haitian community for Kyle and Tim to wow with their mastery of Haitian Creole. We did not find a specific Haitian community, but stumbled across Polish, Hasidic Jewish, and Jamaican areas. It was very interesting – to say the least!

Though Tim and Kyle didn’t get the pleasure of speaking Creole in Brooklyn, they had the chance to banter with Haitians in the evening. Kyle kindly hosted us in his room, which is located in Freeport on Long Island. It is the home of Madame George, otherwise know as Ti George’s mother. For those of you who have been amused by Tim’s stint working at a Haitian restaurant in L.A., just imagine what his house is like!

Last night we ate at a Haitian restaurant with Taylor, who is one of Ti George’s 6 brothers. Taylor is in the chauffeur business and has driven some high profile people around New York in his slick Lincoln Town Car. Stories, laughs, and “talking big” filled the evening - it even included a call to Ti George in L.A. Haitian’s are so hospitable. This morning we rolled to Manhattan in style with Taylor in his Town Car.

We have really enjoyed our time here. Thanks to Kyle, our brilliant & hilarious friend, we have seen parts of New York that we likely never would have seen. New York is a huge melting pot and it’s amazing to see the different communities of people. We highly recommend some sight seeing outside of Manhattan…..the kind of thing you won’t find in the tourist books.

Leah and I spent today in downtown New York City. As a belated anniversary gift to each other we went and saw the Broadway musical Rent. As someone with limited musical ability, it is beyond me how performers are able to sing and dance simultaneously. I guess that is why they are on Broadway, and why we pay lots of money to go see them.

While the show was one to remember, the most memorable part of the day was our trip to the International Center of Photography. The featured exhibit this month was a collection of photos documenting the Civil War in El Salvador (1980-1992). It was a powerful display highlighting not only the violence and atrocities of the war, but also US involvement in the conflict. It is well known that many of the El Salvadorian military officers during this time were trained in the US, at the School of Americas in Fort Benning, GA. Even more astounding, the amount of US military aid pumped into the tiny country over the course of twelve years.

Leah and I left the exhibit heavyhearted, knowing the scenes we saw in the black and white photographs of yesteryears occur all to frequently in the color of today. In the glitz, glamour, and bustle of Manhattan it is easy to forget that war and conflict are daily realities for many in our world. We were appreciative of the reminder, though it was not necessarily a pleasant one.

Our thoughts too are with our good friend Phillis, currently working with the Peace Corps in El Salvador. We pray that her presence, example, and work will serve in the process of healing and reconciliation in El Salvador, and here in the US.

You and I and all of us are worth very much, because we are creatures of God, and God has prodigally given his wonderful gifts to every person. And so the church values human beings and contends for their rights, for their freedom, for their dignity. That is an authentic church endeavor. While human rights are violated, while there are arbitrary arrests, while there are tortures, the church considers itself persecuted, it feels troubled, because the church values human beings and cannot tolerate that an image of God be trampled by persons that become brutalized by trampling on others.

On August 21st Leah and I celebrated our one-year anniversary. The next day I boarded a plane for a two-week trip to the Dominican Republic. Leah remained in LA for another week before heading to Seattle to spend time with her family and attend the wedding of a good friend. Three weeks later we rendezvoused in Philadelphia for the Beyond Borders Annual meeting, followed by a weeks worth of staff and board meetings. It has been only recently that life has slowed enough to reflect upon the last month.

The past week we have been resting, and catching-up on work, and preparing for our coming departure to the Dominican Republic, this time together, scheduled for the end of October. The Beyond Borders board last week unanimously approved our findings from the August trip and proposal for future action! During the interim period we will be staying at the home of a Beyond Borders board member in suburban Philadelphia.

Because our last months in California were so hectic, filled with projects and goodbyes, we have looked forward to some time of east cost travel. This weekend we are in Princeton, NJ visiting Eric and Julie Rhoda, good friends from our university days in Seattle. Eric is attending the Seminary here working on a double masters degree. It is good to see that the Ivy League air has not made him too stuffy–no cashmere…at least not yet. Julie is from Oregon. A fact I try not to hold against her. She works as a nursing assistant in a local hospital. East coast life has given her a tough outer shell, but inside she is the same easygoing gal we have grown to love. Both are wonderful people, and being in their midst has lifted our spirits.

Julie and Eric Rhoda in the Prospect Garden, Princeton NJ