“Jon the Chinese Baptist” at the Jordan River

“We don’t have a car for you for tomorrow. You can call back in a few hours to check,” said the person on the other end of the phone.

“I called few days ago and you said that you have a car for me,” I asked with desperation.

“Sorry. The renter has not returned the car. You probably should consider other places,” the car rental person told me in a matter of fact manner.

“Oh….” I ended the phone call not sure what to do next.

Continue reading “Jon the Chinese Baptist” at the Jordan River

The Great Divide

“Show me your passport,” a soldier demanded, carrying an automatic rifle and wearing full military combat uniform who was standing in the middle of a deserted street intersection.

“I didn’t carry my passport but I have photocopies,” I replied as Joani and Olivia held tight to my arms in fear.

After looking through the photocopies, the soldier handed the papers back to me and said in a surprisingly casual tone of voice and pointed at different directions, “You can go anywhere you like.” Continue reading The Great Divide