This is my first time reading a book by Sam Bourne. It is in a similar genre like Da Vinci Code. It is obviously fiction. Yet it was written in a believable prose.
I know very little about Jewish culture. Perhaps that is why it is interesting for me to read about the orthodox Jews in Crown Heights, New York city in the book. Many years ago I visited a Mennonite family in Virginia. It was eye opening to see a small community who were not dependent on any council, not for water supply, nor for electricity, nor for education. The men were dressed in an old fashion way. The women were conservative and pious. Both groups are religious. Both are in the world but not of the world.
For those who attend Sunday School or read the Bible, the story of destruction of Sodom would not be new. For want of ten righteous men, the city was covered in volcanic ash. It is therefore not totally far fetched to imagine that our world is kept alive because at any one time, there are at least 36 righteous men living somewhere in the world. Should any fanatics locate the 36 and kill them off withing a short span of time, perhaps it would bring about the end of the world!
Like Da Vinci Code, a guy (journalist) and a girl (former resident of Crown Heights) run around, had their lives threaten many times and ultimately saved the day. Many lives were sacrificed but then millions were saved at the end. The book was given to me. I enjoyed reading it. There is no point in keeping it as I probably will not read it a second time.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
(383) Zelda's evangelistic effort
Zelda came back, reported verbally to her church. Pick up her profession and started to work again. But she is putting solid hours into door to door evangelism in her off time. She partnered her sharing buddy, two women above thirty five, they would talk to men, women and teens who would give them the time of the day. One Saturday she told me she and her buddy talked to five parties.
While I applaud the fire and the dedication, I pray that they are protected by angels. After two weeks, they jointly led a man from a different continent to their care group. That led to a heated discussion on the internet on week nights. The leader said one thing. The hostess said another. The Assistant Pastor expressed a third view. Meanwhile, the visitor came for two care group gatherings in two house holds, and he attended two Sunday celebrations.
In all my twenty two years of attending church, I had not encountered any similar event in the three churches I attended. The closest I came to is hosting a girl under psychiatric treatment. There were three families hosting the meetings then, we all agree to open our homes to enable this girl to hear the good news in a small group setting. I took due precautions and sweep all downstairs rooms and remove all sharp objects from sight before every meeting in my house. I sent the younger ones to bed behind locked doors. All we achieved was that we showed love and concern, we presented the gospel in a simple and unthreatening manner. She was with us for one and a half years. A hospitalization of this young girl interrupted her visits, as she was recovering her friend retired and relocated out of town. My husband and I visited her and her family, at that point of time she was not comfortable with going out of her home. Shortly after that, we returned to our home town.
Here I have to bring in a background factor. As there are many colleges and institutes in our neighbourhood, there are many international students in our midst. We have students of all colours and faiths. Just two nights ago police cars came to break up a noisy fight down the street. Seven medium sized police men were literally pushed around by three tall and burly men who were loud and abusive. Now, that visitor Zelda and buddy befriended was from the same country. No wonder the hosts and hostesses in Zelda's care group were nervous about strangers being brought to their homes.
Another week passed. Zelda and buddy went to their new friend's college and managed to sort out his major problem. It seemed that this young man paid full fee to his agent in his country for a year's English training, he arrived late in my country. The course that he paid for has started. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have been sent home on the next plane. However, there was a foreign advisor there to receive him. This college official was able to grease certain palms and brought him in. The poor guy either did not have the cash or refused to pay for the item that bears no receipt, as a result, his passports was with held. Without his passport, it was difficult to prove his identity to claim remittances from banks.
It looked possible such as described above could have indeed happened. But if there are to be continued episodes of sob story, I would personally begin to wonder if Zelda and buddy had been swindled. I would like to believe that the young man, due to whatever circumstances, was indeed stranded in my home city. It was wonderful that two good samaritans came along to bail him out. It would be good that from this point on, he walks in the straight and narrow.
Read also (749), (361), (401), (487), (520), (994), (9)
While I applaud the fire and the dedication, I pray that they are protected by angels. After two weeks, they jointly led a man from a different continent to their care group. That led to a heated discussion on the internet on week nights. The leader said one thing. The hostess said another. The Assistant Pastor expressed a third view. Meanwhile, the visitor came for two care group gatherings in two house holds, and he attended two Sunday celebrations.
In all my twenty two years of attending church, I had not encountered any similar event in the three churches I attended. The closest I came to is hosting a girl under psychiatric treatment. There were three families hosting the meetings then, we all agree to open our homes to enable this girl to hear the good news in a small group setting. I took due precautions and sweep all downstairs rooms and remove all sharp objects from sight before every meeting in my house. I sent the younger ones to bed behind locked doors. All we achieved was that we showed love and concern, we presented the gospel in a simple and unthreatening manner. She was with us for one and a half years. A hospitalization of this young girl interrupted her visits, as she was recovering her friend retired and relocated out of town. My husband and I visited her and her family, at that point of time she was not comfortable with going out of her home. Shortly after that, we returned to our home town.
Here I have to bring in a background factor. As there are many colleges and institutes in our neighbourhood, there are many international students in our midst. We have students of all colours and faiths. Just two nights ago police cars came to break up a noisy fight down the street. Seven medium sized police men were literally pushed around by three tall and burly men who were loud and abusive. Now, that visitor Zelda and buddy befriended was from the same country. No wonder the hosts and hostesses in Zelda's care group were nervous about strangers being brought to their homes.
Another week passed. Zelda and buddy went to their new friend's college and managed to sort out his major problem. It seemed that this young man paid full fee to his agent in his country for a year's English training, he arrived late in my country. The course that he paid for has started. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have been sent home on the next plane. However, there was a foreign advisor there to receive him. This college official was able to grease certain palms and brought him in. The poor guy either did not have the cash or refused to pay for the item that bears no receipt, as a result, his passports was with held. Without his passport, it was difficult to prove his identity to claim remittances from banks.
It looked possible such as described above could have indeed happened. But if there are to be continued episodes of sob story, I would personally begin to wonder if Zelda and buddy had been swindled. I would like to believe that the young man, due to whatever circumstances, was indeed stranded in my home city. It was wonderful that two good samaritans came along to bail him out. It would be good that from this point on, he walks in the straight and narrow.
Read also (749), (361), (401), (487), (520), (994), (9)
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