I am smiling.

Today has been full of unexpected twists and turns, but I am smiling.

My workshop went very well yesterday, except for two things:

1. I had gotten refreshments (and mentioned that they would be served on the poster) and one of the presenters invited his entrie class (he is also a secondary school teacher) which left little room for station staff (that's who the workshop is for). So, I'll have to do it again.

2. I got refreshments for a workshop that finished at 4pm...it's still Ramadan. A bunch of people broke their fast.

Today, we didn't have much going on at the office as it was 'lights out' (rotating power outages) in our area. I went in to the office in the afternoon and I was the ONLY person there, so I left to tend to a few things.

One of those things was figuring out if I really did lose my bank card, or if I just misplaced it. After a few calls to my bank, home, going back to my room to get my account number, and sending a fax, things seemed to work out. This Saturday (which is my birthday...27!), Pastor James will be travellig to Ghana. The plan is that Drew brings my bank card to RTT for Pastor James to bring to Ghana. I pray it all works out, but I'm not worried. That is much better than waiting two weeks for Scotiabank to mail a card to my house and then for my family to mail it here (another two weeks or more...if I get it).

The strange thing is that when I used the card last (Monday), I was at the bank machine and I started thinking about what I would do if I lost the card. I had the same kind of thought hours before I lost my phone in Kumasi...premenitions???

After checking a number of places where it could have been (everywhere in town that I have gone in the past two days), I went home and began some cooking. I am making pasta sauce and I was adding some hot peppers. Not knowing what I was setting myself up for, I got the juice of the pepper all over my hands. For the next hour my hands - literally - felt like they were on fire. As I type this email, they are still burning. I bought a cold fanta to hold, just to ease the pain, which helped a bit until it turned lukewarm.

While in the internet cafe I bumped into Janey, who said she will lend me a bit of money until I get my card. That is a blessing, because I am supposed to go to Accra this weekend for my birthday, to see Pastor James, and - now - to get my bank card. That would not be possible on what money I had withdrawn.

In it all, I have been looking for the lesson. When things happen, it always seems that there is a reason and a lesson. However, heading to the cafe to fax my banking information to my branch in Richmond Hill and waving my hands as if I was trying to put out a fire (nevermind holding both hands out of the window in the taxi), I had to laugh.

What were the lessons? After watching a Jet-Li Shaolin monk movie, I tried to be like one of those monks that can control their mind to keep their hands in fire or walk over hot coals. For awhile, as my hands were burning I was able to stay calm - you wouldn't have known anything was wrong. I also found it all funny. Maybe the lesson is not to take myself or life TOO seriously. I mean life is serious, but not too serious.

When Janey came into the cafe and I gave her the whole story, she was cracking up with laughter. She said, "Chris, you are a character". I agree.

Well, I have to go and get my ticket for Accra, go cook some pasta and, hopefully, I can make it to a Bible study that is starting up in my area.

Before I go, I want to share one more thought. I just finished reading The Alchemist (thanks Roxine for sending it), and I enjoyed the book (though I had weird dreams for the past few days since I started reading it). One of the parts of the book mentions this man who discovered the deep secrets of life and existence, and summarized all of what was contained in volumes upon volumes of works in a few words that were carved in the surface of an emerald. The book doesn't say what those words were. Yesterday, while I was walking through the grass in the rarely used road along the shortcut home, an idea came to me. A short sentence that I could see being carved on the face of that jewel telling us the key to life.

I'll post the words that came, like a whisper in my heart, on my next post. For now, think about what key words, just a sentence, that summarizes the key to life that you would carve on a jewel to be passed on for generations. Send me your thoughts if you get the chance.