Magnum Bars and Wal-Mart

You don’t have to be around me long to discover that I love ice cream. It is genetic. One of my favorite quotes from my grandfather was “I think I want to have some ice cream.” He would open an entire box and cut it in slabs with a knife. Oh, the memories, but I digress. (BTW, my grandfather had a much deeper influence on my life outside of ice cream, but the subject of this blog triggered the memory!)

While living in Kazakhstan, our family occasionally enjoyed a type of ice cream bar called “Magnum bars.” They were very yummy. Then as I’ve traveled the world over the past few years in my role of missionary oversight, I have found that many countries have Magnum bars. Yet I never have seen them in the USA. I began to tell our missionary kids to find where Magnum bars were sold in their country so when I visit, I could treat the kids to one. Those who keep up with me on Facebook will attest to the many photos I have of enjoying a Magnum bar in different parts of the world. And I always joked how backward the USA was in that we were one of the few countries where you could not find a Magnum bar.

Well, recently a Facebook friend, well aware of my quest for Magnums, informed me that she saw them at a Wal-Mart in Nicholasville, Kentucky. At first I was very happy – Magnums accessible any time. But then I began to feel a bit sad. One of the things that have made Magnums so much fun to seek is that they were not readily accessible. They were different.

I remember when a very tasty treat we sometimes got in Kazakhstan appeared in Wal-Mart in the USA. We had the same sort of feeling – it just didn’t seem so special anymore. Wal-Mart represents the commonplace. If you can buy it at Wal-Mart, then is it really a special treat? The whole idea of quest is gone. Yeah, just pick up a box of Magnum bars on the way home from the office. In fact, I’ll be less likely to enjoy them while traveling if they become commonplace here.

Well, a blog on a mission page usually is not just about something like ice cream. What happens when the Gospel seems commonplace; when it is, so to speak, available at your local Wal-Mart; when it isn’t new, it doesn’t seem to require a quest, it isn’t surprising? The Gospel is by no means commonplace – it is incredible and life-transforming. Yet we risk losing that since we have the illusion that it is just part of the landscape. Often seeing the reaction of people for whom it really is new news or where it must be sought at great risk can help us in the USA get a reminder that it far from commonplace. Those of us in places like the USA need constantly to refresh our understanding of the Gospel and never relegate it to the shelves of Wal-Mart!

No, I’ve not been to my local Wal-Mart yet to see if they have Magnum bars nor have I decided whether or not I will allow myself to enjoy one on US soil. I’ll keep you posted.

January 12 - First Anniversary

January 12 may not be a day to stick out in most of our minds. But given that I am now in Haiti, it is a day that is very much at the front of the minds of the people here. One year ago, an earthquake caused devastation, especially in the densely populated capital city of Port-au-Prince. Estimates of 230,000 people lost their lives. Many bodies never have been recovered.

As we drove through Port-au-Prince upon arrival, I was floored by the countless buildings in varying degrees of collapse. Some are only known to have existed by the rubble in the lot. Some look OK at first glance, but then you see the cracks and realize it is not usable. A full year later, the evidence of the devastation is still clear. I cannot imagine what it was like shortly after the disaster.

Most of our time in Haiti so far we have been in the interior. In an area that felt the quake, but did not experience damage. Yet it seems nearly every family could tell of a relative or a loved one that they lost who was in the capital for work or study. The ministry we are visiting lost several graduates of their grade school, who were in university.

So I hope any readers will take some time to pause on January 12 in remembrance of the people of Haiti who lost their lives and to pray for the Lord to raise up a people to Himself from the rubble of the disaster. In the four days we have been here, we have seen so many indications that the Lord is doing just that - may we, their American neighbors, be prepared to stand with them in prayer, support, and service.