Remember that ride at Disney World?
You know, the one where you ride a boat through a dark building, while brightly adorned statues of children from around the world dance and sing celebrating their unique cultures.
The one where the same song plays over and over and over and over again, until the tune and words are permanently burned into the minute recesses of your brain.
Yeah, that's the one I am talking about.
It's true.
It is a small world.
Need proof?
Last Sunday, at our church, was family fellowship Sunday.
After a shortened service, we eat and fellowship. Not a bad thing.
Looking around, Carl and I saw a fellow teacher sitting with his youngest son. I had the son several years ago, while my colleague, suffers with not just one Dingus, but two this year. Different classes, of course. We decided to join them.
After settling in to eat and chat, another family began pulling up chairs to the table. A young man, beautiful wife, and two adorable sons.
Introductions ensued, and to my somewhat amazement, he shared they had just moved to Taiwan from Columbus.
Hmm, small world.
"Oh," I exclaimed, "we lived in Columbus for awhile, but had moved out toward Mechanicsburg before moving to Taiwan."
To my surprise, he not only knew of this out-of-the-way town, but he and his wife visited there often. He asked if I knew their friends and gave me the name of a couple. I didn't recognize the name, but when he mentioned a coffee shop, I nearly dropped my jaw.
Living so close to Mechanicsburg, Carl and I had stopped in several times to buy coffee and chat with the missions oriented owners. And even more surprisingly, Abbi and I had just been discussing this coffee shop a few days earlier.
Hmmm, small world.
Abbi and her close friend back in Ohio had been discussing the likelihood of them working at this coffee shop next summer. Before we moved, this coffee shop mostly sold roasted beans. While we've been gone, they've moved to a larger facility and now do more on site business.
So hearing our new acquaintance share his business, as well as personal relationship, with the owners was quite shocking. I took the opportunity to introduce both Abbi and Jacob. Abbi was delighted to hear of the connections and even more pleased when he offered to mention her to the owners.
But wait, it gets even better.
My new friend then mentioned he grew up in Taiwan and lived at a place called Chung Tai.
Chung Tai was the seminary campus/English school/OMS headquarters where I lived/worked during my previous stays in Taiwan. Checking the dates, we realized we both lived on the campus at the same time. The houses were just down the lane from each other. He was just a boy, however, while I was a young adult.
His family moved to Ohio when he was around ten so his father could attend the seminary at Ashland. He graduated from Ohio State where he met his wife, an international student from Cambodia. Recently, they owned a restaurant in downtown Columbus which was just three or four blocks from Carl's place of employment.
And there we sat.
In a church, with about 150 people in attendance, in a city of 2.72 million, and he sat next to me.
Yes, Mr. Disney, it is a small world after all.
The one where the same song plays over and over and over and over again, until the tune and words are permanently burned into the minute recesses of your brain.
It's true.
It is a small world.
Need proof?
Last Sunday, at our church, was family fellowship Sunday.
After a shortened service, we eat and fellowship. Not a bad thing.
Looking around, Carl and I saw a fellow teacher sitting with his youngest son. I had the son several years ago, while my colleague, suffers with not just one Dingus, but two this year. Different classes, of course. We decided to join them.
After settling in to eat and chat, another family began pulling up chairs to the table. A young man, beautiful wife, and two adorable sons.
Introductions ensued, and to my somewhat amazement, he shared they had just moved to Taiwan from Columbus.
Hmm, small world.
"Oh," I exclaimed, "we lived in Columbus for awhile, but had moved out toward Mechanicsburg before moving to Taiwan."
To my surprise, he not only knew of this out-of-the-way town, but he and his wife visited there often. He asked if I knew their friends and gave me the name of a couple. I didn't recognize the name, but when he mentioned a coffee shop, I nearly dropped my jaw.
Living so close to Mechanicsburg, Carl and I had stopped in several times to buy coffee and chat with the missions oriented owners. And even more surprisingly, Abbi and I had just been discussing this coffee shop a few days earlier.
Hmmm, small world.
Abbi and her close friend back in Ohio had been discussing the likelihood of them working at this coffee shop next summer. Before we moved, this coffee shop mostly sold roasted beans. While we've been gone, they've moved to a larger facility and now do more on site business.
So hearing our new acquaintance share his business, as well as personal relationship, with the owners was quite shocking. I took the opportunity to introduce both Abbi and Jacob. Abbi was delighted to hear of the connections and even more pleased when he offered to mention her to the owners.
But wait, it gets even better.
My new friend then mentioned he grew up in Taiwan and lived at a place called Chung Tai.
Chung Tai was the seminary campus/English school/OMS headquarters where I lived/worked during my previous stays in Taiwan. Checking the dates, we realized we both lived on the campus at the same time. The houses were just down the lane from each other. He was just a boy, however, while I was a young adult.
His family moved to Ohio when he was around ten so his father could attend the seminary at Ashland. He graduated from Ohio State where he met his wife, an international student from Cambodia. Recently, they owned a restaurant in downtown Columbus which was just three or four blocks from Carl's place of employment.
And there we sat.
In a church, with about 150 people in attendance, in a city of 2.72 million, and he sat next to me.
Yes, Mr. Disney, it is a small world after all.
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