We will not soon forget the fascinating characters that we encountered on our sabbatical in Hawaii.
We will remember the rotund, shirtless man sitting on a lava rock wall overlooking the Pacific Ocean at every sunrise, surrounded by the feral cats that he feeds everyday. Whenever we ran around Diamond Head Crater we could count on a smile and the shaka sign, the Hawaiian "hang loose" gesture of welcome.
I will remember the man praying and preaching out loud in a bathroom stall. As I stood at a urinal his loud voice proclaimed the mercies of God, quoted Bible verses and thanked Jesus for his love. All I could see was a pair of feet underneath one of the stall doors. I should have yelled, "Preach it, brother!"
We will remember Manu, with his braided headband and wooden cross, who challenged us to always choose a positive mindset. "I've got a bunch of lazy relatives always looking for handouts from me. That's a bad choice, right?" He was so sorry to see us catch our bus when there was so much more of his world and life view that he wanted to share.
I will remember Doug, the security guard who tried to convince me that motorcycle helmets are useless because they make you risk more, and that being intoxicated is the best way to survive a crash. "I missed a curve once and my buddies thought I was dead. But I was drunk, and when I came to, I just needed a few stitches."
Then there was the guy sitting in a pickup truck with two Chinese swan geese. As he brushed the feathers of the swan goose on his lap, he explained that they were orphaned. "I adopted them seven months ago. I take them to the beach every other day and let them swim. They always come back, so I take them home again." Did he name them? "Yep. This one's Aflac and the one in the passenger seat is Waklac."
So many memorable characters, all created in God's image. Just like you and me.
- Pastor Peter
We will remember the rotund, shirtless man sitting on a lava rock wall overlooking the Pacific Ocean at every sunrise, surrounded by the feral cats that he feeds everyday. Whenever we ran around Diamond Head Crater we could count on a smile and the shaka sign, the Hawaiian "hang loose" gesture of welcome.
I will remember the man praying and preaching out loud in a bathroom stall. As I stood at a urinal his loud voice proclaimed the mercies of God, quoted Bible verses and thanked Jesus for his love. All I could see was a pair of feet underneath one of the stall doors. I should have yelled, "Preach it, brother!"
We will remember Manu, with his braided headband and wooden cross, who challenged us to always choose a positive mindset. "I've got a bunch of lazy relatives always looking for handouts from me. That's a bad choice, right?" He was so sorry to see us catch our bus when there was so much more of his world and life view that he wanted to share.
I will remember Doug, the security guard who tried to convince me that motorcycle helmets are useless because they make you risk more, and that being intoxicated is the best way to survive a crash. "I missed a curve once and my buddies thought I was dead. But I was drunk, and when I came to, I just needed a few stitches."
Then there was the guy sitting in a pickup truck with two Chinese swan geese. As he brushed the feathers of the swan goose on his lap, he explained that they were orphaned. "I adopted them seven months ago. I take them to the beach every other day and let them swim. They always come back, so I take them home again." Did he name them? "Yep. This one's Aflac and the one in the passenger seat is Waklac."
So many memorable characters, all created in God's image. Just like you and me.
- Pastor Peter
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