Future World Leader
I met a future world leader yesterday. She may be young, 4 months old, but I see the potential. Sarah, our future leader, and her mother sat down next to me on bus 21 as I headed into Jerusalem. Wide eyed with a smile that could charm the coldest heart, I had to start commenting on how beautiful she was to her mother. We talked a little in Arabic while I explained what I was doing in the area. She asked if I was Russian but I said no, I’m from America. She continued: is your father Arabic? No. Well, then is your mother Arabic? No. (At this point I was almost laughing, do i look Arabic?). Oh, but your Arabic is so good, I thought one of your parents must be Arabic! Yay! Victory! But back to Sarah. Sarah is Jewish, Arab and English. She is the meeting point to three dense cultures, peoples and backgrounds which, despite the tension and personal identity conflict it may produce, it will place her at a very strategic point for dialogue and interaction in the future. She embodies the beautiful potential for interaction and coexistence among divided people. So between making ridiculous faces to illicit her smile, I told Sarah that she was going to change the world. Her reaction? Her small little hand reached out and grasped my finger. And she held on. Tight. We rode the next 5 minutes, finger in hand, and I glimpsed hope for the future and for our future leaders. Children like Sarah are the future, I hope we can create a world where, in the face of conflict, rather than pursuing violence or conflict they will seek dialogue and interaction with those they do not agree with.
I spent the day in Jerusalem welcoming in new participants. There, I had the ultimate “small world” experience. My friend’s friend, an Arab Israeli, came along to entertain us while we waited for people to show up. He asked me where I went to school and when I said Wheaton he commented “oh I know someone who goes there! Wait, well I don’t really know her, but I know her dad…Al” Immediately I knew who he was talking about! It was my good friend’s family, the same family I stayed with in Jerusalem when I first came here! It turned out he was going over to their house for dinner that night and he insisted that I come. After the last participant came, the three of us headed over to a wonderful dinner with my friends family. We ate, sang worship songs, practiced our Arabic dancing skills and just had a wonderful evening together. It was very refreshing and very needed. God is good.
