En Route . . .

*Author’s note: I was exhausted when I wrote this after a full day of emotion and adventure. Good times, but there are a ton of mistakes in here. Consider this fair warning.

Probably wasn’t the greatest idea, but it was senior chapel today and I’ve been at Simpson for four years now and figured I should have some wisdom to pass on. This is how it went to the best of my knowledge . . .

“Hello, my name is Emelia and I am an English major. And as an English major I have come into contact with all sorts of authors and all sorts of literature, and most were not Christian. In fact a large majority were down right pagan! It’s ok though,I work for Prof. Slane (he’s the high and mighty intellectual theo prof at Simpson) and I’m leading a missions team this summer so my salvation is pretty much secure. So, at over the course of this last year there was a point where I got to read Darwin’s The Origin of Species . As I was reading it one day a guy walked up to me and said, “Darwin?” To which I replied “Yes . . .” and before I could get another word in he interrupted me with “I HATE that book.” Naturally I had to ask him what was it in the text that made him so angry, but he answered me quickly with, “oh, I haven’t read it.”

. . .ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! That is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard and this was not a one time occurrence. Needless to say, the poor guy did not get a number . . . Keep reading →

In accordance with tradition, I have a very legitimate and unavoidable compulsion to write, and it may be partly due to the fact that I have a paper due tomorrow. But tonight was SUCH a good night.

Here’s what happened:

Abednego, a student here at Simpson from Kenya, and one of my closest friends (one of three) Sara P. spoke at my team meeting tonight. In a word: inspiring.

Abednego spoke about his home, Africa. Good golly I want to go there. I wish you could hear him talk. He validated everything that Blood:Water Mission says about the water crisis in Africa as well as a plethora of other issues. We have no idea what it is like to be without convenience, or basic essentials, like so many people around the world. He said that he was thankful that he had been born to humble beginnings, such as living in a leaky hut for the first years of his life, because then when he came in contact with others who were suffering he knew what it was like and could understand their suffering. And I have to mention that if you saw the way his eyes lit up when he smiled you would know there is hope for the world. He was the epitome of thankfulness and grace. Putting a voice, to a person, to a face, to a problem meant the world in realizing why this trip is worthwhile. Everyone needs to meet an Abednego in their journey.

Sara painted a beautiful picture of the humanity that is suffering from this ravaging disease we call Aids. She helped us catch a glimpse of the pain of losing a loved one to an often misunderstood disease. The disease itself, however, was not the topic for the night, it was the person. The parent forced to realize that they may never see their child walk or get married. Her uncle lamented the awareness that he would not be around to make her prom dress. That’s concrete my dear reader. Can you imagine coming to grips with that sense of loss? It’s unrealized potential in every aspect of life.

As a semi-elitist English major I try to steer clear of over-sentimentalized causes etc. but when you hear truth, there is an undeniable emotion that tags along. Within truth dwells a force that compels us forward, towards action, and emotional connection with the subject is part of that force.

I’ll ride 3200 miles, because people like Abednego and Sara assure me it’s worth it. I have faith in their story and the God who loves them. If we are compelled by love there is no fear of burnout (so long as one is careful) . . .I’ll admit to not having that love and it’s had me in quite a panic. Tonight helped like you wouldn’t believe.

“If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames [or sacrifice my summer and common sense to go on a philanthropic bike ride], but have no love, I gain nothing” 1 Corinthians 13: 3.

. . . Nineteen days until I walk across the podium and pray to God they let me take that holder home with a real diploma. Only a few more papers stand between me and post graduate life. I do not yet know if that will include graduate school, credentialing, mountaineering in Tibet, or starting up that community house and getting involved in local developments.

I’m leaving the structure that I have intrinsically fought and secretly loved for the last four years, and I cannot seem to feel anything mediocre about this ultimate separation. The emotions are strong in both directions. When I have to defend myself for reading Darwin against ridiculous attacks by the illiterate, or fend off the chauvinistic degradations of young boys that are in a sad disillusioned state and assume they are men, I leap for joy at the thought of leaving this ultra-conservative Christian bubble.

And then I jump onto Karissa’s bed and tell her about getting in trouble for talking in the library, but that the talking was an hour long conversation with a guy and a math prof. that gave me hope for people in general (even if I couldn’t construct a full and worthwhile thought of my own, it was great to hear others actually carry a conversation! AND it was about things I WANT to learn about after I leave. I LEARNED, it was grand). She laughs at my jokes and tells me about her day. I interrupted her scripture reading and then got to read it to her–hey man, I wasn’t going to interrupt her and Jesus and then assume it’d be OK, I had to make sure those two talked at least through the Bible. I don’t want a millstone around my neck, no sir.

Ambivalence is rough.

P.S. The cross-country ride for clean water wells in Africa starts in six weeks. It’s a good stresser, but an added stresser none-the-least.

If you’re not prepared to be wrong you will never come up with anything original.

-Sir Ken Robinson

Also, “Shakespeare was in someone’s English class wasn’t he?… How annoying.”

Love it.

I may not be analyzing my article, but TED talks are amazing.

Clifford Stoll has stolen my heart.

Tonight it’s just me and the Intro to Theo Exams . . .