Even though I don’t know your name, I will never forget you! Do you have a hard time remembering people’s names when you first meet them? The struggle is real, especially when you are all the way around the world and most of the names are not very common.
Marlin Jones-Foster and I were about to get on a boat with a few other teammates during our day off. We were waiting for them to row across Phewa Lake to pick us up, when all of sudden we got swarmed by 20+ high school girls and boys. The first question many people ask us is, “where are you from?” Now after answering that question 100+ times over the the past two months, I have started to tell people that I am a local. You should see their reactions. They looked at me and start laughing and say “no way, you don’t look or sound like us.” That is what hooks them into the conversation and makes them trust me. After a few more minutes of conversation the group of high schoolers proceeded to take pictures with me. (I have posted one of the pictures as my new profile picture in my WR blog homepage.) It was then that my friends arrived to pick us up on the boat and Marlin and I got on and paddled away.
The boat ride was wonderful and it was great to catch up with other racers on our squad. The sun set over the snow-capped mountains and the group of us started walking the strip at Lakeside to find dinner. Marlin and I knew that we had dinner plans with our 5 other teammates, but we were not sure where the restaurant was located. After walking around for 10 minutes, we stumbled across the group of high school boys again. We were both so excited to see each other again! We picked up the conversation where we left off and continued walking down the street. What happened next touched my heart and is the reason I am writing this blog.
Midway though our second unexpected meet-up, one of the boys asked me if I smoked. Now if this question was asked in America I would have thought they were asking me for a cigarette, but because we were in Nepal I knew they were asking about something else. You see, when you walk the streets at night in urban areas of Nepal you will find many young boys, the same age as these boys, trying to sell you all kinds of drugs. One night, I walked less than a mile down a crowded street in Katmandu and was asked 12 times if I wanted to buy marijuana, pills, or sex. This is a very heartbreaking experience for me because I too struggled with these things at their age and even struggle still to this day. Back to the conversation, though, I answered and said, “no I do not, do you?” They answered very quickly, saying, “no, that is not the life we want. We like things like football and Clash of Clans!” I was very proud of these seven boys. They were able to do something that many of there friends did not do: saying no to drugs. This reminds me of Romans 12:2, which says, “Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing, and perfect will.”
We walked and talked for another couple minutes and then had to leave each other again. But wait, Joe, why is the title of you blog “Hugs not Drugs?” Good question! The group of boys turned and asked for our Facebook names so they could stay in contact with us. Normally when you say goodbye in Nepali, you put your hands together in front of your chest and say, “Namaste”–this did not happen, though. I went to shake the first kid’s hand like a typical American, but he went in and gave me a hug. The same thing happen for the next guy. Not only did this cycle repeat for all 7 of the guys, but they each gave me another round of hugs, and then to top it off they gave me a group hug at the end of it.
If you know me, you know I love hugs. To me, a hug is an expression of warmth and friendliness with arms outstretched around the other. I imagine that Jesus was a hugger, and He was the ultimate example of how we should live our lives (John 13:15). These teens made a choice to live a life that is not full of letting the world’s pleasures consume them. They showed me how the group of guys you hang out with really shapes the person you will become.
Think back in your life to when you were growing up into a man/woman. Did the people you hung around with affect the person you became? Is it to late to change these lifestyles or habits?
Are you a hugger or a hand shaker? If you are a hand shaker, maybe you should think about switching sides, It might just change your life??
Shoutout to my brother Matthew and my sister-in-law Whitney! I can’t wait for baby Rhys to be born! I also can’t wait to meet him next September!
