It was an awkard beginning, I signed up for the duty, I felt responsible for, and I was propelled to go to the friendship centre to join the group from deep south. I talked to T the day before about my intention. He didn't exactly say 'no', so there I was. But as soon as they started, I felt embarassed because I seemed to be the odd man out though I still enjoyed listening to T.

So it was time to go out in groups of 3 or 4. A lady around my age got up and invited me to join
her group of another lady of similar age and a younger man. So we walked and talked and exchanged information on our way. They were there for a week. But their day 1 was already giving them blisters on their feet and muscle pain from hours of walking. This was their day 2, though they admitted they knew very little of anything, yet they were very cheerful , open minded and looked forward to their adventure. We walked into different stores. They striked up conversations with the store keepers respectfully and naturally, mindful of the other's interest.
There was this older man from Fiji, he was pouring out from his life history to his daily rountin to us. He could have kept us there the whole day. T was right, we don't need to go far to anywhere,
opportunity can be right next to us. I had such a good time listening to O's life story of tears, tragedies, struggle, broken marriages, redemption, success and joy. She now holds a phd in teaching and several other degrees of something else, yet she is not proud or arrogant, she is more like a child fluttering with life excitement, she treated me like I am her sister and invited me several times to go visit her where she would put me up. K was wonderful too, I could talked to her as if I have known her for 50 years. M was so kind, him and the group would not evan let me buy sandwich with my own money.


I decided not to go back for the rest of the week but we met them on the last evening of their
adventure at the Arabic family conference. They had been holding a two day program for the kids, so adults could have some freedom. The two were still swinging the skipping rope for the kids after 9 p.m. They were dog tire and still have to pack to catch the flight the next day at 6 in the morning. They were so excited about their adventure and could hardly contain themselves. I can imagine how they would spill all over their friends and relatives back home. We gave each other biggggggg hugs and vowed not to say 'goodbye'.

Oh, yeah, John and I picked a family with three young children to sit with at supper time. We were secretly informed that the buffet would not match the price. So we just sat, drink punch
and watched them eat. The youngest one in the family is three years old Johnny, he sat up straight on the adult chair eating very seriously with his fork at the most slippery spagetti I had ever seen in my life (John offered to fetch him a spoon, but his dad said it was not necessary.)
He was doing very well and cleaned up the whole plate with no help with his cap sitting on his head. Then his parent brought him another plate stagged even higher than the last one. I was shocked, thinking they were trying to kill their kid. But Johnny just keep working at it with no fuss. I looked at him, he is just an average kid, not overweight. How could he chowed down so much. Finally, he stopped after fininshing half of the plate. His one year older sister was crying at the table beyond console right from the beginning. The reason being, she just want desert and nothing else, it had to be chocolate too. She was not amuzed by the plate of chocolate squares put infront of her. They did not looked chocolaty enough. Finally she gave the darn thing a try and she liked it. I asked the older brother if he believe that she would finish the whole plate. He said 'yes'. I thought he must be wrong. Oh well, at the end, there were only couple of them left.

So now Johnny had finished his supper and wailed upon the sight of the desert, I offered to
go with him to pick up a drink across the cafeteria. He wanted to hold the cup all the way back to his table and was mad that I wouldn't let him. But he was a good boy, he sat on his chair and drank up the juice, savoring every mouthful of it. Then he wanted to go for a walk, away from the crowd. I offered to follow him, so poor mom and dad could finish their dinner. At the end, I told his dad that I feel like 'a dog with a job'. I was glad I sucessfully herd the sheep. So that explained where Johnny's spagetti went.

By the time we left the place at 10 p.m., people were still praying in the building fervently, no body seem to want to leave. May be they were stalling from reclaiming their kids :)
Jeremiah 29:13 -" You will seek me and find me if you seek me with all your heart."