Ok, so you know you are a long way from home

I know it’s not a RTNX Race Report. i promise there are more coming. However i had a different experience this evening i want to share.

Being from NZ, one of the things i here the most, or most often is… “Why are you here in Georgia, when you come from such a beautiful place as NZ” or some sentence similar to that. I usually respond with something that is true, humorous and a little silly.

There are times though when i do feel a long way from home. Christmas is the obvious one. No America not Thanksgiving, because with the exception of Canada, the rest of the world doesn’t do that holiday, believe it or not. Other times when i am somewhere very different (like the Canadian wilderness) or doing something that has a lot of responsibility with it. for some reason those moments make me feel a long way from home.

Anyways… tonight i went to church with Robin where she is the minister. This week is Revival @ Friendship Presbyterian Church. Which for some denominations can mean completely different things. For Presbyterians (or humorously known as the ‘Frozen Chosen’) revival is somewhat subdued. And that’s ok, that’s how we roll. I went last night and tonight to revival.

Tonight however was a little different they had special music from the New Mt Calvary Missionary Baptist Church. This church is 100% African-American or Black. And Friendship PC is 100% white. That it shouldn’t make any difference and it doesn’t, and not that i am trying to make anything of that. Please don’t read into this that way.

Back to the music. The Mt Calvary people lead us in 3 songs. AND THEY SUNG THEIR LUNGS OUT!!!! amazing. But I tell you all this because of 2 reasons

1. This is something you who are from the south need to be proud of. This is a tradition that you as southerners should listen to more, be proud of and embrace.
2. I don’t have many reasons to celebrate America. I not from here, and never will be. And wouldn’t expect Americans to say the same if you lived in my country. But tonight made me proud to be in the south.

As someone not from here, you hear, read and see stories about this rich black musical culture. And tonight i experienced out loud, raw, un-polluted, worshipful and very powerful and moving in a little country church and in a setting that could only have occurred there. An experience i was glad to be there for and for that moment proud the thankful to be in the south but also realizing i am a very long way from home.

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