Ron’s Journal – October 10, 2007

Today is Wednesday—a rather uneventful day for me. But, in mid-morning I got a “Help! call” from Nancy in reference to the coming Hari Raya holiday (end of Ramadan) this week-end. It so happens that it is the custom at ISKL for expat staff to give gift baskets to members of their Muslim support staff prior to the holiday—and since one of her library assistants was leaving after work today for the long week-end, two gift baskets had to be obtained and given out today. (Nance just found out about this “custom” at work this morning!) So, I picked up Nancy over her lunch hour and drove her to a local grocery store where Helen, the Asian owner, was very helpful in not only explaining what was usually included in such baskets (cookies, candy, munchies of various kinds, etc.), but she dug-out the last two baskets she had available and helped us fill them … and then decorated the baskets with typical cellophane and ribbon. Mission accomplished for c. $30 per basket.

On Monday night of this week Nancy was talked-into going shopping at a Ramadan bazaar downtown with her 3 library assistants who were all determined to outfit her in traditional Malaysian (&-or Indian) dress. So, she & I walked about 1 km. to an "LRT" station (rapid transit) and were met by 2 of her assistants who took us to the bazaar on the LRT (c. 83 cents each way). It was a rainy evening and many of the "shops" were temporarily set-up out in a street with tents used as covering. It was a fascinating experience—with everything under the sun being sold, including food items. (But, the majority of booths were selling clothes in kind of a huge pre-ending-of-Ramadan sale.) Anyway, with help bargaining from one of her assistants, Nancy bought material for a tailor to make her a sari + a traditional Malaysian dress and slacks (worn underneath the dress) for 90 RM (c. $27). The material for the sari (her assistant—Indian by descent—is going to take her to her tailor to be fitted) was 65 RM. ($20). Anyway, we had eaten supper before we ever left home at about 6:15, so when the others in the party (the 3 assistants and an expat teacher who met us down there) headed for a restaurant at about 9:30 p.m., we headed for the LRT station in the rain (using our umbrellas, of course), got on the train—only to discover at the end of the line (which we supposed to be Ampang where we started out) that the line had split at a half-way point and we'd ended-up on the wrong train that went to the other end of the line which was at least 40 minutes by taxi from home! So, at the advice of a transit employee, we got back onto the same train we'd exited-from and waited c. 10 min. until it headed out of the station back the way we'd come. (Made us realize that it's important to understand "the Metro!") Fortunately, after asking at least 4 people if they spoke English (all said "no"), Nancy found a young guy who worked for the transit assn. who spoke excellent English. He told us to get off at his station—one station beyond where the line had split—and he took us to the platform where we waited c. 15 minutes for the Ampang train to arrive! So, all in all, we wasted about 45 minutes and, since it was still raining, we ended-up waiting in line for a taxi at the Ampang station for about 20 minutes (taxi fare c. $1.15), and got home at about 11 p.m. So, all in all it was quite an adventure.

We are still somewhat frustrated in not getting any clear discernment on finding a church home. We’ve been to two churches with very different worship services and have not yet had a sense that “this is it!” So, we’re continuing to pray about it and trusting that our next church visit may resolve the issue.

Since I arrived in KL I have been doing devotional reading in the Gospel of John and have been blessed in doing so. So far, in reading through the first twelve chapters, I’ve been struck once again by the very strange way in which John uses the term, the Jews. In many verses the Jews almost seems synonymous with the bad guys (referring to the Pharisees & the chief priests who come across as classic examples of unbelief). In other places the term doesn’t seem to have negative connotations but still seems strange in that John was a Jew, Jesus was a Jew, and most all others in the narrative—aside from the Samaritans—were Jews. Anyway, it’s both perplexing and fascinating to look over the passages where the term is used.

Until a volunteer or ministry opportunity opens-up, I’m continuing to have lots of discretionary time. Today I finally finished a fascinating 500 page biography of John Donne (John Stubbs, W.W. Norton & Co., 2006) entitled John Donne The Reformed Soul. Until I got into the book I had never realized that Donne, like St. Augustine in his younger years, was so committed to sexual pleasure—with multiple partners. His evolutionary journey to the priesthood in the Anglican Church was both lengthy and torturous. After a brief stint with the British Navy, for many years Donne sought a political appointment, and only when that goal seemed out of reach did Donne decide to enter the priesthood. However, once committed to the church, his spiritual life deepened remarkably and was reflected in his poetry, his highly articulate sermons, and his tireless labors. For ten years prior to his death in 1631 he achieved considerable fame and honor as the Dean of St. Paul’s in London. A central conviction of his was expressed in his most oft-quoted lines, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main … any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”