Jet Streams.

2/2/2010

We leave the house at 3:40 a.m. for Sacramento International. Four hours of sleep is not a good way to start a 23-hour trip! I’m reminded that the immune system is most active when you’re sleeping and that airplanes are like bacteria test tubes,
and I resolve to nap today as much as possible. But I’m going to try not to sleep the whole time because I’m taking some GLOW tracts with me, and I’ve been praying I’ll meet some people who want to hear the good news!

United flight 410, departing from Sacramento to Denver.6:00 a.m.

The kids are up early in Sacramento this morning. I can see their flashlights glowing under the wrinkled sheet of morning fog, and I wonder what books they are reading. Joe, (I think that’s what he said his name is) in the seat next to me, is reading The China Study,the same book I have tucked inside my computer bag. The book makes for a great conversation starter about health and the original diet. Turns out Joe’s brother has heart problems, and the plant-based diet prescribed by Dr. Colin Campbell pretty much saved his life, so he let Joe in on the good news. I
mention how it’s interesting that God’s plan for our diet in the beginning still makes the most sense today.

Joe and his wife are on their way to North Dakota, the state where I was born, the Siberia of the U.S. It seems like we’re flying over Siberia as the first rays of sun light up a frozen wilderness. Joe’s wife is a kindergarten teacher and so when they ask where I’m headed I tell them a bit about UETIRG and our program there and contrast it with the memory-based Bolivian system and our own teaching-to-the-test tendencies in the U.S. I want to talk more, but its early, and I can tell they’d like to sleep. So I watch the landscape. The Rockies are beautiful! Here and there I see lakes so clear they could be windows into other worlds.
As we approach Denver we fly over textured farms with plowed fields, striped like layered cake, or stratified stone. A jet crosses close below us, sketching a white line across the sky.Strange how we can cross paths with so many people and leave only a wire of a cloud that still somehow calls attention to heaven.
When we land, Joe and his wife wake up, and while waiting to dock at the gate we talk some more and wish each other safe travels. Joe still has The China Study in his hand and I notice he’s using a pen for a marker. As we debark, I give him the Glow tract called “A Day to Remember” and tell him he can use it for a bookmark. Original diet, meet original Sabbath!

Denver to Miami, United flight 266, 10:17 a.m. mountain time.

We’re flying over a landscape dressed in polka dots. It seems a lot of people out here farm in circles, and I wonder if that’s ever a problem. Maybe it facilitates crop rotation! I laugh at my own ridiculous imagination. But sadly, that’s about as ignorant of farming as we’re becoming these days.

Miami to Santa Cruz, Bolivia with a stop in La Paz. American Airlines 922. 10:25 p.m. eastern time.

I’m surprised to discover that my seat assignment is 9C, the aisle side of the row right behind first-class. Because it’s by the emergency door, there are only two seats in our row. I’ve never had this much legroom on a plane before. There are no seats in front of us, so I have to stow my computer bag in the overhead storage, but first I take out my Bible and my water bottle.
My seatmate is standing while he waits for everyone else to board the plane. He is tall with a hard face, and hardly seems to acknowledge me when I say hello. I figure it will be a quiet ride. That’s okay, because I really want to sleep! I settle into my chair and am about to close my eyes when he asks in very good English if I’m going to La Paz.
“No, I’m going on to Santa Cruz” I respond.
“Really? That’s where I live.” He says. He starts to ask what I’ll be doing there, and then he stops, and pointing to my Bible asks:
“Are you a missionary?”
And just like that we’re into a conversation about the high school where I volunteer, and what a blessing it has been. At some point we switch from English to Spanish, and he seems more comfortable. He is surprised that the church organization doesn’t support the school financially, but I tell him that God has always provided and we’ve never lacked our necessities. We’ve had food or money arrive the very day that we finished our last meal. The flight attendants have strapped into their jumper seats right in front of us, and they can’t help but overhear our conversation and when I glance at them I can tell they are listening.
Later, when the flight attendants pass by with the supper I ask for the vegetarian meal I ordered on my reservation. The attendant apologizes and says that vegetarian meals are only provided on longer flights. My seat mate Señor Salomon asks me if I’ve always been vegetarian.
“What do you eat to replace the meat?” he asks.
“Nuts, beans, and other legumes.They have all the protein in them your body needs” I tell him.I’m surprised when Guermo, the flight attendant, brings me a whole-wheat roll and a huge salad with spinach and shredded carrots on a tray with a real napkin and real silverware. On the side is a bowl of mixed nuts! They’ve been listening to everything! I talk some more with Mr. Salomon about diet and health. He says he avoids meat during the week, (he means red meats: fish and chicken don’t count) but on weekends they still eat carne. Mr. Salomon owns a paint distribution company that’s an affiliate with Sherwin Williams. He’s on his way home from a trip to Milan, Italy. He says he’s a Christian, and that he wants to witness to other business owners.
“But for them to listen to anything you say, you have to be successful” he tells me. “When I first started, it was all about the money. God had to humble me a couple of times. Once my factory burned down and I lost everything. I had insurance, but they only covered half of my loss. Now I realize the most important things are God’s approval and the approval of my wife and family.”
When I exit the plane in Santa Cruz, I hand the flight attendant a GLOW tract. Mr. Salomon waits for me to clear customs and then offers me a ride. He and his wife ask me more questions.
“What do Adventists believe about the carnival?” they ask. It’s about a week before a big carnival notorious for its debauchery, where many people party themselves into a stupor. I tell them we believe that followers of Christ will respect their health and their bodies and will avoid putting themselves in places where they will be tempted to let sensuality and fleshly passions reign unchecked."
“Oh, that’s good.” He says. “The people here in Bolivia need to be taught that, because they grow up accustomed to the carnival, and it really is a licentious disaster.”
When we arrive at his house, Mr.Salomon has his driver José take me by the paint business, Casa Color,so I’ll know where it is. He wants me to come by later
to pick up some paint for the school.
“Make sure you send me pictures” he said, and handed me his email address and cell number. After showing me the business, José drives me right to the door of my destination.

P.S. I spent the weekend in Santa Cruz and then God blessed me unexpectedly with a flight with Pastor Gates to Guayaramerin! It was such a blessing to not have to be stuck waiting around in the big city! I’ve been at the school for a week now, helping with the construction and also helping interview new students for the coming school year. Tomorrow it looks like I will have the opportunity to fly to Colombia for a mission youth conference, so please keep that in your prayers as well. God bless you all.