Second chance

At one point last semester while waiting for my bus to Benicassim a young man came by and asked if I spoke English. His name was Stanley and he was trying to get to a certain bus stop in Benicassim but wasn't sure which bus to take, when the bus left, nor where to get off. And he didn't speak Spanish. I helped him out and while waiting for our respective buses to come (he needed to take the other one that went along the beach instead of mine that goes through the center of the town) we chit-chatted about where we are from and what we study. He is from Nigeria and is here for a two-year Master program in Peace, Conflict and Development Studies. During the conversation I felt the urge to share with him about Christ, or at the very least to mention church or ask him if he was a Christian. But, as too often happens, I resisted and didn't bring it up. Afterwards I felt as if something were quite unfinished and prayed for another opportunity to speak with him (though slightly unwearily as I was worried I would again chicken out of saying anything).

Fast forward some months...

I have a friend Jitu who is here to finish his thesis for the Master of Peace program. He is a Christian and goes to the same church as I in the Grao. At some point last week a student that he did not know came into his room while he was talking with his professor, looked at the books on his desk, saw "Come Holy Spirit" and asked Jitu if he was a Christian. This student's name is Stanley (yes, the same one).

Apparently Stanley grew up in a Christian home but his beliefs have been rocked by his time here, especially under the influence of the professors in the Masters of Peace program. Last week he prayed that God would bring a group of Christians into his life. When walking past Jitu's room he saw his professor and went in, though not sure why he was doing so. When he saw that book he knew that he had found a Christian. He stayed and talked with Jitu and came to church with him this Sunday where I saw him again. He was amazed that I had remembered meeting him before and is very excited to have found a group of Christians. We didn't have much time to talk but he collected our email addresses (and shortly after I got home I had an email from him). I am not sure if he is lost and searching or if he is a Christian and just hungering for fellowship. But either way I'm excited to see what God will do and thank Him for another chance to speak with Stanley.

Greek House!!

So, soon I am off to travel for eleven days or so. Part of getting ready for this length of trip includes getting rid of food from the fridge. Since this is a process, as the departure date nears, the creativity level on meals often must go up. This was the case for me this evening. Wandering about on one of my well worn recipe sites (allrecipes.com, if anyone wonders), I found a recipe for "Sean's Falafel and Cucumber Sauce". Looking through the ingredient list, I had everything except an egg and an onion. Those are cheap and should last until I get back... So, I decided to try it out. At least, I would try the falafel part of the recipe. For the "cucumber sauce" I quickly ditched the recipe given and decided to attempt to re-create an old friend and staple for many years...the tzatziki sauce of Angelo Dimas, co-owner of THE GREEK HOUSE. Having worked there four years or so, plus many more years as a loyal customer, I had seen Angelo make the sauce countless times so I know the ingredients pretty well. What I don't know are the proportions. So, according to what I remember, mine turned out a bit more garlic-y than his, but otherwise pretty much the same (and the extra garlic reminded me that much more of the sensation of just having eaten a meal from the Greek House). I miss the Greek House!! Can someone go by and ask for me when they're going home for the summer? I get back in Norman around the seventh of July and want to know if I should go by the first week I'm back in order to not miss them... The gyros here just aren't the same... They all call them kebabs...so confusing....

The falafel turned out decent, as far as falafel goes and it made a handy amount of leftovers that will keep me from having to cook again before I leave, except for maybe a salad and/or some rice to act as a side. Actually, I've never had falafel before, so I have no idea how it compares with that of someone who knows what they're doing. But, it was a nice way to use up some garbanzo beans and dried out bread...

Some of you might be wondering...."Of all of those ingredients, the only ones you lacked were onion and egg? Those would be the only ones I would have...." This just goes to show that I'm weird. When I am "low on food" I have things like cucumber, old bread, beans or lentils, plain yogurt, and lots of spices....

And, in case anyone doesn't know why I am having to use up random ingredients before a trip....I shall tell you. In one day and about twenty hours I will arrive in Pisa, Italy. There I will meet up with the wonderful Joel Pastor and we will start our adventure to southern Italy... I will be gone eleven days and when I get back I will have seen two volcanoes, wandered about cities like Syracuse home of Achimedes, Rome, Napoli, Palermo, Catania, and others, and will have spent lots of time with the wonderful Joel Pastor, whom I miss quite terribly. I am quite excited. :-)