The Big Mac

The Big Mac? Yes the Big Mac. What I'm referring to here is the, one and only, longest suspension bridge in the western hemisphere, Mackinac Bridge. Not the popular double beef(so they say)burger with "special sauce"(thousand island dressing)exclusively sold by McDonald's. As Michiganders it is quite easy to take a landmark such as the Mackinac Bridge for granted. Thinking of it as common and uninteresting. On July 31st around 2:30 PM, being in the presence of 60 or so men, women and children who had never before seen this bridge, I gazed upon this amazing structure with new eyes. To think, all the human imagination, ingenuity and hard work it took to make the seemingly impossible possible. Each and every person from engineers to laborers were instrumental in its successful completion. Each person unique in their own way gifted with attributes breathed into them by our creator and lord Yahweh.

In late June, my friend Thak came to me with a request. Many folks from within his community of New Americans (Bhutanese refugees) were expressing great interest in going to see the Mackinac Bridge and were wondering if I could help make that happen. With the resources God has provided myself and our church, this request was a big CAN DO in my book. So after a few weeks of planning and six new tires on the bus we were on our way to Macinaw City at 9:30 am on July 31st. We stopped a couple times along the way before arriving in Mackinaw City around 2:30 pm. We parked at a local park where we all shared food for lunch. After lunch the group unintentionally split, some going to the beach by the light house and the other going to a beach just east of the bridge. After spending some time at the beach areas I led a large group to one of the ferry boat companies so they could ride to Mackinac Island and back. We all eventually met back at the bus and departed for Lansing around 6:45 pm. During the time we were hanging out in Mackinaw City I was asked several times by different folks; "is it getting too late?", "do we need to leave now?" and my favorite, "are you getting bored waiting around for all of us?" My answer was no, no and absolutely not. You see the trip was for them, not me, their joy was my joy. It was a shared experience and a trip well worth taking.

There is one specific story I would like to share. A story that tapped into my fascination with human interaction. Let me explain something first. Although I am human and I do occasionally interact with other humans, the necessity and mystery of what drives human interaction has always fascinated me. Also another important piece of information to understand. Whenever I spend time with these folks they speak English when talking with me but when talking to each other they speak their native Nepali language. This often leaves me wondering what is going on but I do enjoy listening to them. So here we go. When the two groups split, Thak went with one group and I went with the other. After awhile I went back to the bus with a gentlemen who was looking for his wife. When we arrived back at the bus there was one woman left at the park where we parked. She looked at me and said "you lost Thak" to which I responded "yeah kinda". She motioned for us to follow her and led us in the area Thak's group went. On the way she was speaking quite passionately in Nepali to the gentlemen who was looking for his wife. When we reached the beach where Thak and his group had been, no one was there. Her passion increased. It appeared she was getting frustrated. We turned around to head back to my group. On the way back we met up with a guy, Indra, whom I have met a few times previously in the past and a little girl, I assumed was his daughter. When the women saw him she began speaking to him and waving her arms around. Her array of passionate communication continued until we ran into a small group of folks from my group who had apparently been following us at a distance this whole time. Her apparent frustration now was being directed at them. Once she was done I looked at Indra and asked him "is this your daughter?" she and the others turned and smiled. He answered "yes this is my daughter and she(the passionate speaking women) is my wife." A slight pause and he continued "my wife... she is crazy". With that comment his wife and the rest of the group exploded in laughter. You had to be there. You see there is something inside us that yearns for human interaction. Whether it is kind loving words, an expression of frustration, a deep meaningful conversation or a short conversation with a stranger. Almost all living things interact in one way or another. But speech, facial expressions, the look in someone's eyes, the touch of another person and how these things make us feel are unique to human creation. Yes human creation(another tangent). To think we are all a result of random arrangements of molecules and/or evolution makes no sense to me, a rational person(some may disagree but I do consider myself rational). After all, cats are still cats, dogs are still dogs elephants are still elephants and apes(yes even apes)are still apes. All are an individual part of creation. So what drives a human, what causes us to feel and be felt? What produces passion and compassion?Could it be the breath of God that continues to breathe, move and stir inside all of us?