4:31 p.m. What?
With Bigness in Cuba for eye surgery, I'm leaving today to go to Cancun to pick up Middle Child Syndrome and Baby Girl. I'll be back on Sunday. Notice to would-be burglars, I've left the wild kittens and sand crabs in charge of security.
Perhaps you don't know my feelings about missionaries, unless you've heard me rant and rave at the giant spectacles in the village park where happy (American) teenagers are bringing "The Word" to heathen children, several times a year. Maybe you've seen me scowl at the big evangelist production shows that come here to entertain the savages and to "Save" Belize. (Given my status of Missionary
If you want to be a missionary bring: medicine and tools. Be ready to help. Bring skills that we don't have here. Build a school, build a clinic, even build a church as long as it has a school or clinic atached to it.
Well these guys are doing that. They made a side trip stop on Caye Caulker for a few days of R & R and needed to drink some Iced Cafe Mocha and Chai Lattes - that's how I met them. But are leaving for Honduras via Guatemala today. I'm sure they will find plenty to do in Guatemala.
http://www.worldmissiontour.org/
http://www.myspace.com/riversiren
Interesting kids (anyone under 30 is a kid) They aren't afraid of anything.
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9 comments:
Sounds very hectic, but it's all good and should be fun to have the girls around for a while. And Bigness will have better to see them with.
I hate people who evangelize, in general. It doesn't matter to me if someone tries to persuade me into changing religion, political party, football club or whatever, evangelizing is a drag. Yet I do have some missionary friends, most of them are teachers, they are working in Asia and Africa, and in spite of the religious bit that drives me mad they actually do a great work helping the locals and they are in fact good hearted people, although most of the time I am a bit nasty to them…
You're having a great time, eh?
Hm, sounds good, what those young folks are doing.
I don't mind religious folks as long as they don't go around acting as if they're holier than everybody else, and as if we, mere mortals, are bad, wicked people.
I wish there were more any kind organisations building schools and hospitals. AND providing teachers, doctors, nurses.
I wonder if any of the teens even thought about bringing anything usefull to help the Islanders......but I bet they brought there cameras and suntan lotion?
It was nice to not be preached at.
Hey, I´m here in Playa Del Carmen Mexico, just rolled in, ate some tacos, bought some real vanilla (for my next frozen concoction - cream you better get ready to share some recipes) and am going to pick up Middle Child and baby girl at the airport tomorrow.
Playa doesnt look too bad for a place that was just hit by a category 4 hurricane 2 months ago.
Playa del Carmen! There's one on Lanzarote (Canary Islands)
Looks like you are having a great time!
Do missionaries still cut people's tongues so that they don't speak their native language?
Happened on the Island of La Gomera (Canaries)
Geck! I have so much conflicting goo in my head about church and especially those who feel like it is their responsibility to tell me I am going to hell. These missionaries I see LOOK insane first of all, which must make religious recruitment difficult in any culture.
We're back safe and sound, more later.
Thanks for all the great coffee drinks, good conversations, and putting us up on your blog. One of the big reasons of our trip, at least for me, is just to be able to meet cool people like yourself. Giving healthcare, painting schools, etc. is extremely important, but transitory. Sickness returns, another hurricane wipes off paint, but friendship, acceptance and learning...that's what stays (and what most people look for, don't you think?), no matter where a person comes from or what beliefs he or she has.
I've met people in my travels that immediately disregard me as a friend or even someone worthy to talk to just because I've spent some time doing "mission work." Thanks for not doing that.
By the way, you are a great writer...I hope you win!
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