Traveling home II
Wow. This has been quite a trip! I maintain that you always meet interesting people while you travel, but being on a train just seems to facilitate that really well, since you’re in a confined space, but for quite a long period of time, so you have time to talk to the people you meet.
We stopped for dinner, which was nice. Z and I talked about OJCL for a while and then started to play ERS, but then we were called for reboarding, so we paused our game. We played some pretty funny “quiet” ERS at our seats, trying not to disturb other people or hit the tray table too hard. Then, when the cafe car was opened, we went back there to sit at a table. we played a bunch of different games, including this game she calls “Top It”, which is like 24 (the math game, not the TV show), but with regular cards. Strangely addictive. And nerdy. So lovely! At some point the large group of guys (and one girl, we discovered), came in, too.
When we ran out of card games to play, Z asked me to teach her some more ASL. That was fun, but it lasted all of two minutes, before one the guys who signs noticed us and jumped into our booth to introduce himself and talk to me about sign language. I think we met/talked to at least 5 of them over the last 3 or 4 hours. They all seem like fantastic guys (we didn’t talk to the girl much). They’re from a small Christian college in West Virginia (getting off the train in Ohio, though, and driving down), and they are on their way back from a spring break trip to do mission work in Massachusetts! Go figure! God, it would have been something if we’d had more of ST here, actually on our way from Massachusetts to do work in Ohio.
We talked all kinds of church and God with them, we played more ERS (much better with a group), talked about our majors, saw what we think was part of a movie being filmed, explained Quidditch (♥), and probably some other things I’ve forgotten. It was pretty amazing.
What was most intriguing, really, was how on-fire they all were for Christ. People use that phrase all the time, but I really saw it in these guys, and it was kind of incredible. I’ve been struggling with my faith for a long time, and it was just a blessing to meet these guys and hear their stories. I don’t know if I’ll ever be a real out-there, talk-to-you kind of Christian; I’d like to be, I think, but I’m not prepared in any way to do that. But these guys have it, and they love what they do, and the love Christ a lot, and it meant a lot to me to see that such people exist.
Last night, K told me that Lucy wrote this song: “Every girl is a princess because her daddy is the King. His name is Jesus and He’s very handsome so we read the Bible for Him.” I feel like I should feel like between these two things, this is God speaking to me. I’m not sure I do. But I do believe in prayer. So, God, help me figure this out, please?
I’d love to tell these guys what an impact they made on me tonight, but of course, I’m awkward about it. I’ll figure it out somehow.
I’m going to...read or listen to my iPod now, or something.
-fin-
P.S. You should all check out the computer program f.lux. It’s AMAZING. It adjusts the way your screen is lit at night in a way that’s better for your eyes. As my friend Ed said, “How have I not been searing my retinas out for the last ten years??” (Or something like that)
We stopped for dinner, which was nice. Z and I talked about OJCL for a while and then started to play ERS, but then we were called for reboarding, so we paused our game. We played some pretty funny “quiet” ERS at our seats, trying not to disturb other people or hit the tray table too hard. Then, when the cafe car was opened, we went back there to sit at a table. we played a bunch of different games, including this game she calls “Top It”, which is like 24 (the math game, not the TV show), but with regular cards. Strangely addictive. And nerdy. So lovely! At some point the large group of guys (and one girl, we discovered), came in, too.
When we ran out of card games to play, Z asked me to teach her some more ASL. That was fun, but it lasted all of two minutes, before one the guys who signs noticed us and jumped into our booth to introduce himself and talk to me about sign language. I think we met/talked to at least 5 of them over the last 3 or 4 hours. They all seem like fantastic guys (we didn’t talk to the girl much). They’re from a small Christian college in West Virginia (getting off the train in Ohio, though, and driving down), and they are on their way back from a spring break trip to do mission work in Massachusetts! Go figure! God, it would have been something if we’d had more of ST here, actually on our way from Massachusetts to do work in Ohio.
We talked all kinds of church and God with them, we played more ERS (much better with a group), talked about our majors, saw what we think was part of a movie being filmed, explained Quidditch (♥), and probably some other things I’ve forgotten. It was pretty amazing.
What was most intriguing, really, was how on-fire they all were for Christ. People use that phrase all the time, but I really saw it in these guys, and it was kind of incredible. I’ve been struggling with my faith for a long time, and it was just a blessing to meet these guys and hear their stories. I don’t know if I’ll ever be a real out-there, talk-to-you kind of Christian; I’d like to be, I think, but I’m not prepared in any way to do that. But these guys have it, and they love what they do, and the love Christ a lot, and it meant a lot to me to see that such people exist.
Last night, K told me that Lucy wrote this song: “Every girl is a princess because her daddy is the King. His name is Jesus and He’s very handsome so we read the Bible for Him.” I feel like I should feel like between these two things, this is God speaking to me. I’m not sure I do. But I do believe in prayer. So, God, help me figure this out, please?
I’d love to tell these guys what an impact they made on me tonight, but of course, I’m awkward about it. I’ll figure it out somehow.
I’m going to...read or listen to my iPod now, or something.
-fin-
P.S. You should all check out the computer program f.lux. It’s AMAZING. It adjusts the way your screen is lit at night in a way that’s better for your eyes. As my friend Ed said, “How have I not been searing my retinas out for the last ten years??” (Or something like that)