Colored People

It's the week of the NC State Fair!!!  This is one of my favorite times of the year in North Carolina!  I love the fair!  This year I went 3 times!  Yes, most people think I'm crazy, but I had a really good time.  Each time I went I walked through different sections and saw different things.  Last night I got to show some friends that there is more to the fair than the carnival rides, games and food.  They had no idea!   

Last weekend I went to the TobyMac concert at the fair, which led to pulling out old DC Talk albums for a time of reminiscing.  (My first DC Talk albums were on cassette!)  Our trip to the fair last night made me think of their song "Colored People".  It's strange to me that people find it so strange when I go somewhere with a group of all hispanic friends, but I frequently hear comments about it.  It's very normal to me, but even my friends usually expect me to feel weird.  Apparently observers also think it looks strange.....

Sully saw some friends from school and went on a ride with them.  Later she relayed this conversation to me: 

Friend: "Is that white lady with you?!?!"  Sully: "Yeah"  Friend: "Who is she?"  Sully: "She's kinda part of our family."  Friend: "Oh????"  Sully: "Well, she's not a blood relative." Friend: "Oh!  So she married your uncle?"  Sully: "No!  Not like that." 

The friend was still confused.  Her confusion and surprise is a reaction that I encounter frequently.  The comments and such don't bother me, but the racism they reflect is sad.

silence

When I logged on to write this update I noticed Scott's last post had the same theme.  I have not been out of the country, nor have I been sick (the latter for which I am extremely thankful!), but the past month has been a whirlwind.  The Lord has provided a full-time job and I am readjusting to bi-vocational ministry after 3 years of serving full time in Mission Raleigh.  One huge change for me personally is going from being a night owl to now at 8:20 pm trying to finish this quickly so I can get ready for bed!  As I was searching for a job I set some expectations; a consistent monday-friday schedule, being off for evening ministries and hopefully afternoon homework help (which I did not expect to happen), health insurance, and a salary I could live on.  I now work monday-friday from 6 am to 3 pm, will soon be eligible for health insurance, and am receiving a salary in the range I had set!  On top of that, my boss is very kind and I'm working in a super pleasant environment.  The Lord answered all my prayers concerning employment and also provided for some details I had not considered!  I am extremely grateful for His provision and enjoying my work.  I have not yet adjusted to the very different sleep schedule!  I have been spending very little time on the internet, but I will try to remember to log on more frequently to write here.

Good Night!