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Asian Journals Shropa, Georgia
Asian Journals Shropa, Georgia
| Shropa, Georgia |
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| Saturday, 20 February 2010 00:00 |
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Saturday, February 20, 2010 Day 82, Asia mile 932, Eurasia mile 3728 Shropa, Georgia Dear Friends! Well, we are causing a 'stir' and finding 'family' here in Georgia! Tourists seem to be a rarity here and Americans even more so. We are more like an exotic zoo animal that everyone wants to get a glimpse of. If a translator is around, they want to know all about my children, always ask my age, are totally intrigued by the camper and are very eager to show hospitality. Pale skin with rosy cheeks, dark hair and eyes they are a beautiful and precious people in a tiny land which is overshadowed by a large aggressive neighbor to the north. On Thursday, John and I stopped in a small shop in Kutaisi to buy a few grocery items. The owner’s 16 year old English speaking daughter, Tamuna, came home as we were shopping and she invited us to stay for coffee. They pulled stools up to a small table in the shop (which had cats and baby chicks running in and out the door) and the next thing we knew, we were being served wonderful Georgian soup and soft flat bread followed by cookies and coffee. Tamuna wrote out some Georgian words for me so that I can at last greet people and then invited me to their home behind the shop to use her internet. We also had a wonderful talk about how important it is to love the Lord Jesus with all of our hearts. Tears came to my eyes as I shared with her and when I finally left their home after hugs and kisses on all cheeks, I felt as though I was leaving family. Friday, on a quest to find milk, I stopped at a shop in Zestaponi and soon was the center of attention again as a large group of ladies wanted to know all about me. Eka, a precious 15 year old girl, was our translator and questions were fired my way left and right for quite a while. They crowded around to see photos of my family, couldn’t believe that I was living in our vehicle and pulled up a stool, wanting me to stay for the evening. Poor John was out trudging in the rain however, so again after hugs all around, off I went, leaving more family. Then last night we parked at a small restaurant and went in for some spicy Georgian mutton soup (the only thing on the menu!) We met Awto, Manana, and several others who invited us to pull up chairs around the wood stove, where we proceeded to be the evening’s entertainment. Through hilarious charades we began to learn each other’s languages, about each other’s families and we did our best to communicate why we were in their country, sharing about our love for the Lord Jesus and about prayer. This morning they all came out to the camper for a ‘tour’ which they really seemed to enjoy and after hugs, kisses and hand shaking all around we said goodbye to yet more family. God is so good to us. We are aware of Georgia’s heightened level of military security as well. In 2008 this small land received an air attack from Russia which took many lives, left 100,000 homeless and destroyed many buildings along this route to Tblisi. As a result any foreign guests who do unusual things are cautiously monitored by the military police. On Thursday, I unwittingly parked the camper at the pull off to what appeared to be an abandoned airport and spent an hour walking with John. Shortly thereafter, both John and I were stopped by vehicles full of military police. Someone had thought that we were Russian spies taking photos of military sites for another air strike. (We found out later that the airport I had parked at had been destroyed in the 2008 bombing.) Thankfully, we have Portuguese not Russian license plates on the vehicle, have American passports and only had photos of cows, pigs and fish markets on our cameras! The soldiers were very polite and we were able to share about the walk with one who spoke some English. He told us that this would be “den you rose”. “Ten Euros?” I answered him. “Are you talking about money? I’m sorry, we don’t have any Euros.” Finally, several tries later, we figured out that he was saying that the walk would be “dangerous” and was concerned for our safety, not trying to charge us a fee. That was a lesson in International military communications! After being detained for over an hour, having our passports scrutinized, many phone calls being made, a translator being procured from a nearby town, giving tours of the camper, handing out our cards and making friends all around, they decided that we weren’t a threat to the national security and cleared us to continue to walk and pray through their beautiful land. We continue to be stopped by friendly local police at least once a day if not more, who ask to see our passports and then wave us on our way, but as of yet we haven’t met our militia friends again. Thank you for your prayers for our safety on this strange journey! This morning I was on the road alone and having a bout of fear. I was reminded of Psalm 23:4 “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me…” and I was instantly comforted and brought to tears by that knowledge. Our God loves His world so much and wants it covered in prayer, and I am so grateful for His presence with us, even through areas where the shadow of death has fallen. Pray too for our son, David, who is joining us in Tblisi on March 3, and also that we will be led in our decisions about the route forward to the Chinese border. We have to have some visas in place very soon and need to have the guidance of the Lord about which lands He would have us go through. We thank you so much for your encouraging letters, financial gifts, love and emotional support. We need each other so much along life's journey. When we are weak, He is strong! Love, John and Sandy |
