It’s My Birthday (Part 1)

It’s my birthday!  Another trip around the sun completed successfully!

And what a great birthday it was.  Every one here at Koinonia stopped me and told me “Happy Birthday”…I got quite a few emails and some cards from folks.

Everyone sang Happy Birthday to me at lunch and while I tried to pretend to be embarrassed, secretly is was kinda nice to have it happen.

Big difference from last year.

Last year on my birthday I was on the bike trip.  I spent my birthday on the side of a mountain in north Georgia…alone.  It was kind of a relaxing day.  Slept late and when I finally poked my head out of the tent it was snowing.  Not snowing hard, but that soft gentle snow that just seems to absorb all the sounds around you…know what I mean?

I built a little fire to heat some coffee and sat there drinking a cup and smoking a cigarette or two and just watching.  Watching the snow fall, watching the gray sky, listening to the silence.

Early afternoon I rode my bike ten miles to the closest town and had a hamburger.  Took my time eating it and was busy watching everyone else as I ate.  People coming…going…rushing around.  I had the blessings to leisurely eat my burger in peace before heading back out to the tent.

It had stopped snowing by the time I got back to the tent and the moon had come out.  It was a full, big, white, bright moon.    And with the light reflecting off of all that fresh snow, well, almost seemed like daylight.

The perfect birthday…almost.  I’m not an “alone” type guy.  Oh I like my times of peace and quiet, but I prefer to be around people… activity… noise…things happening.

That’s what made this birthday special.

After work, I was invited to a friend’s house for my birthday dinner.  Guess she didn’t think I’d be good company by myself, so she invited Craig…another friend.  So the three of us sat around and ate my chosen birthday meal…hamburgers, carrots and baked potatoes and laughed…and chatted…and gossiped…and laughed some more.

After dinner, we settled in to watch a movie.  Can’t remember what the movie was exactly, my mind was elsewhere.  I kept thinking about how much better it was to be in a warm house on a cold December night with a pretty lady and a friend.

*Yah, I know this is a couple days late.  But it took a few days of thinking about how great this birthday was for it to sink in.

Here’s What I Want for My Birthday

Well, I’ve been giving alot of thought to what I want for my Birthday.  I’ve gone window shopping through some of the finer stores in Americus…no luck.

I’ve thumbed faithfully through what my father used to call “wish books”.  Nothing there either.

I’ve been fortunate in life to have all the “toys” that someone my age could want.  So there’s no gadget left unturned.

Walking across the commons this morning on my way to phone-duty in products, I was looking around.  Not at anything in particular, but rather everything.

And then I realized why I’m having such a hardtime finding out what I want for my Birthday…I already have everything a guy could want…and I have more than many people in the world have.  So I started taking an inventory.

I’ve got a roof over my head and a nice warm, dry place to sleep each night.  More than I had a year ago on the bike trip when I was in north Georgia mountains.

I’ve got plenty (some would say too much) food to eat…not having to stop at convenience stores and load up on the banannas and Snicker bars for energy.

I’ve got access to a washer and dryer so I don’t have to do my clothes in the sink at a gas station.

I’ve got a DVD player and TV for the few times during the week that I want to just “veg out”.  And since so many folks here at the farm have DVD’s, it’s better than having my own Video Warehouse.  Just knock on someone’s door and I get to go through their collection of movies.

Each morning at 7, I can bang on Jo’s door and there’s always coffee waiting on me…donuts too…sometimes.

When the noise of living with 30 some people gets to me, I have over 500 acres to wander around in seeking peace-and-quiet.  And when I start to get on people’s nerves…which is often…I have over 500 acres to wander around on giving THEM some peace-and-quiet.

Hungry for a snack in the middle of the day?  Just wander down to the garden and grab some fresh carrots or lettuce that is growing there.

Want to talk?  There’s almost always someone hanging out somewhere that’s ready to solve the problems of the world with me.

I think I could go on, but I believe you get the picture.  God has been good to me during my 50 some trips around the sun.  Not much in life I haven’t done.  Not much I haven’t seen. 

I’ve gotten none of the things I’ve prayed for, but I’ve gotten everything I wanted.  So what would be the ONE thing I’d like for my birthday?

Well, to sit back on someone’s sofa…sip eggnog and watch “A Christmas Story”.

It could happen

Are Morons Like Michael Vick a Hero?

I don’t know why, but I woke up this morning thinking about Wally Schirra.  Unless you’re older than 50 or just a science geek, you’ve probably never heard of him.  But back in the day, he was well known in America.

You see, when the space program first started taking off (pun intended) in the 60s, NASA selected a group of guys to be the first ones in space.  They were called the “Mercury 7″.  The earliest model spaceship was called “Mercury” and there was 7 of them, so…Mercury 7.  Guess it didn’t take a rocket scientist to come up with that name.

Anyway, along with Gus Grissom, John Glenn and a few other renegades, Wally was selected.  He flew for a little over 9 hours onboard Sigma and then splashed down only 4 miles from the recovery shp.

Wally went on to become the first space pilot to get a cold in space as well as the only astronaut to fly in the Mercury, Gemini AND Apollo missions.

Wally finally died in 2007 after a long career that is fascinating to read about.

I actually had the opportunity to meet Wally and spend a few hours with him one night some time ago.  I walked into a little bar to rest and relax on a Friday after work.  The place was crowded with people almost everywhere.  Over in the corner, at a little table in the back I noticed him.  The place was smoky, so I couldn’t be sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me or not.  So I moved closer and yah, it was him, Wally Schirra.

I got two beers from the bartender and then went over to him.  Sitting one beer infront of him, I stuck out my hand, introduced myself and told him it was an honor to meet him.  We chatted for about 30 seconds and I figured he’d want his privacy, so I started to move away.  He stopped me and invited me to sit and talk for a few minutes.  Well, Wally was one of my childhood heroes, so I couldn’t say no.

Our “few minute” conversation turned into about a three hour visit.  The man had lived a fascinating life and had some fascinating stories to tell.  To hear some “insider” stuff on the space program from someone that had been an “insider” through the glory days of the space program was incredible.

Here was a man who at one time had been a household name.  He had been honored by Presidents, Kings, Queens and even had a ticker tape parade or two done in his honor.  His flying career was highlighted in the movie “The Right Stuff”.  Now here he was, in the flesh, chatting with me just like I had been a long lost friend.

Like I said, this morning I woke up thinking about him.  Him and who we call heroes in this country today.  I think some how we’ve gotten the definition of heros a little screwed up.  We call sports celebrities “heros” when all they can do is hit the ball or run a little better faster or better than the rest of us.  We called Wally and the other six guys heros when they didn’t really do anything other than ride into space with a rocket strapped to their back.  A monkey could do that.  Oh wait, a monkey DID do it before man did.

No, real heros are the folks that we never hear about in our day-to-day lives.  Heros are the folks that have actually done something to change the way people think and live.  Clarencce Jordan is someone that comes to mind.  Millard Fuller fits that category also.  And then I get to thinking about some of the other people that I know.

Seth and Nichole who run our home school and seem to have a special anointing for working with kids.  Sarah who manages products season and manages to do it with a smile…usually.  Kathleen who just goes quietly through the day doing the 1001 things that need to be done.  Brendan who has taken a forgotten piece of ground and is slowly transforming it into a farm right before my eyes.  Amanda who is responsible for getting the word about Koinonia out to folks.  Kathy who manages the budget to make sure we can continue to operate.  Bren whose job has to be something close to trying to herd cats.  And alot of other folks around here who go quietly about their day…making Koinonia just a little better for me and the thousands of folks who visit here each year.

And my Mom.  She’s my hero too.  I’ll have to write about her some day soon.

Well, that’s about it for today.  I’m gonna grab a cup of coffee and get ready to see what the day brings.

3…2…1…blastoff!

Buy a Postcard, Support Koinonia

Windsor Hotel

In Americus there is a neat hotel called The Windsor.  It’s been around awhile and definitely has character.  It was built in 1892 which is long before the sterile, cookie-cutter styles of hotels and motels today.

You can read more about The Windsor here.

Last night I was in town and noticed how pretty they have the building decorated for the holidays and doing what I do alot of…I stopped and took this picture.

I sent it to the Tourism folks here in Sumter County and they thought it was kinda neat also.  Seems like they’re going to put it on postcards for sale in the gift shop and other places.

So when you see this postcard somewhere, please make sure you buy tons of them.  Proceeds go to help support Koinonia Farm.

Open Letter to President Bush

Dear Mr. President:

I know you don’t remember me.  I had the opportunity to visit you in your office last summer.  A lady who works for you in the faith-based initiative department set it up for me.  We chatted about my bike trip while your photographer took pictures.

I just thought I’d take a moment and drop you a note now that you’re about to become like of of the hundreds of thousands that you’ve helped create — unemployed.  Not that you’ll be hurting any.  I bet you won’t ever have to worry about your unemployment benefits getting cut off or going to a food pantry for a free handout.

Well, maybe you do know just a little bit about welfare in this country — after all, you have been living in public housing for eight years.  But moving day is almost on you.  And I wanted to share some ideas with you as you saddle up and head back to the ranch.

First, try being a little kinder to folks.  You and I both know that the only reason for going to Iraq was for the oil.  Oh yah, I remember that Saddam had threatened to kill your daddy; I’d get a little upset too if someone had threatened mine…but was that really a good reason to go in and kill millions of innocent men, women and children?  i don’t think so.

I guess your buddies in the defense department were all ready to get rich off your buddies in the oil industry and vice versa…so you had to rattle sabers to keep everyone happy.  And who is it that’s getting our money?

I’m sure you know that the war is costing us $720 million dollars a day.  Was that a prudent use of our tax dollars?  Nope.  But neither you or that gang over at the Capitol ever asked me what I wanted.  If you had’ve, I could’ve given you a bunch of great ideas to spend the money on.

Next, try getting a little dirt under your fingernails at the ranch.  Yah, I know that photographers have taken your picture in jeans and a flannel shirt while holding a shovel.  But we both know that was just for a photo op. I bet you’ve never gotten your hands dirty in your life — spilling Budweiser on your hands when you’re drunk and driving does NOT count as getting your hands dirty by the way.

And finally, come on down here to Koinonia and visit for a spell.  You and Laura could stay in the guest house…I think the Gandhi room or the Nelson Mandela room would be best.  Spend some time with Brendan in the garden…listen to his ideas of how this country could be straightened out.  He’ll make you pick Okra until you can’t stand the stuff any more, but his ideas are pretty good and you should listen to them.  And while you’re in the garden, Laura could be in the bakery with Geneva.

Or maybe we could get Laura to climb a ladder and help Jo paint some?  And I know that Sarah would love some help in products — lots of stuff to ship out this time of year.  Come to think of it, I bet Craig could use some help in the pecan plant.

Listen, I know you’re busy packing and sorting things into the “keep” and “give-away” piles, so I won’t hold you up anymore.   Feel free to take me up on my offer of staying here for a spell.  There’s something deeply spiritual about being here at Koinonia and rubbing shoulders everyday with folks who, for the most part, aren’t perfect, but are perfectly loving.

Best regards as you move on to the next chapter of your life.

Jerry Nelson
Koinonia Farm
Americus, GA
877-738-1741
jnelson@koinoniapartners.org

PS  When you come, make sure to bring your own dishes.  Ms. Ellie won’t appreciate you taking any out of the Dining Hall

Death by the Thousands

Jake, Kurt and I loaded up the car this morning and headed out to the School of Americas Watch (SOAW) at Ft Benning in Columbus.

Didn’t know what to expect…I think of the three of us, only Kurt had been there as a participant before.  Jake wanted to see what all the fuss was about and I wanted to get pictures.

For awhile it seemed like it was some type of commercial venture pushed up against the Carnivale in Buenos Aires.  Heck, it cost us $10 just to park and I’m betting the guys we paid the money to didn’t even own the lot that we parked in…capitalism at it’s best I guess.

Well, we forked over the $10 and walked on.  The street leading up to the Main Gate was blocked off and vendors were lined up on both sides of the road.  Really gave everything the air of a street festival.

This is the protest I thought?  Sheesh…what happened to REAL protests like we had in the 60s and 70s?  Where was the marching, the chanting, the in-your-face-taunting?  Someone needs to teach these folks how to protest.

We walked on.  Then I got the first shock.  Standing right infront of me was this man that was painted up with “Study War No More” on him.  You can see a picture of him here.  Wow…this is getting real.  Well, the impact of seeing him there was dulled by more street vendors.  Folks selling t-shirts, buttons, bumper stickers, hot dogs, coffee and general “stuff”.

Ok, I can deal with it.  I’ll wander around and get some photos and be ready to go.  And I got some cool shots.  I quit counting at 1100 pictures, and you can see more of them at the blog I set up to show them.  Wandered down past the vendors, up infront of the stage and then back down the other side of the street.

And I saw “her”.  And not just “her”, but others dressed like “her”.  Actually, I almost ran into “her” before I saw “her”.  She was standing there as you see her in the picture with this blog.

Damn…this stuff is getting real.  And then the most amazing thing happened.

A procession of all the participants started.  Someone or several someones on the stage started reading off the names and ages of people that have been killed in Latin American countries.  When each name was called off, the folks in the procession would call out “Presente” and hold up a small cross they were carrying.

Slowly, almost imperceptible at first, the vendors slowly hushed.  The crowd become quiet.  All you could hear was the voice of the speaker reading off a name and the procession calling out “Presente”.  This was repeated…again…and again…and again.  My skepticism didn’t matter.

I felt chills first.  And then I felt like someone slugged me in the gut.  This was powerful.  Beyond words…beyond my expectations.  And then it hit me in the face.

Regardless of what a person believes is or is not being taught at the School of Americas, the names being called out were real people who had died real deaths.  Suddenly, instead of being nameless and faceless victims on CNN or in The Washington Post, these were people who had been alive.

They had families that grieved their death.  They had friends that mourned their passing.  One moment they were breathing, talking, maybe laughing or crying and the next moment they were hurled violently into eternity.

Yah…this protest was different than any I remember in the 60s or 70s.  Then we had noise without substance.  Today the protestors had substance without noise.

Alot Can Change in 365 Days

The past several days have gotten me to thinking.  It was a year ago October 31, that I left Washington D.C. and continued the trip that had started in Capitan New Mexico in December 2006. 

The whole trip was special, but something about the last “leg” of the trip was even more special.  And I’m not sure what it was.  Something a friend of mine in D.C. calls “trail magic” I guess.

Anyway, coming down through the mountains of Virginia, enjoying the fall colors and freezing my butt off was a bag of mixed blessings.  Ever wake up in the morning and find your bicycle tires AND your tent floor frozen to the ground?  Not a fun thing.

Moving on into the Carolinas, the day times warmed up slightly, but the nights were still colder than “a well diggers nose”.

Then I traveled to Georgia where I spent Thanksgiving weekend with some friends that I had met on my way to D.C.  I followed that up with a month long stay in Gainesville…catching up with some friends, working a little part-time job and spending some time with my daughter.

Then in February it was time to head out again.

Somewhere in my travels I had heard about this little farm in southwest Georgia called “Koinonia”.  Didn’t really plan on visiting the farm, but when I found out that the American Legion and Rolling Thunder had me booked into some places close by to speak, I contacted them to see about visiting the farm for a week or so.  Ann Karp, community member working in the area of hospitality, emailed me and said I was more than welcome to come…just let her know when I’d arrive. 

Now when you’re traveling long distances on a bicycle, you can’t always predict with certainty when you’ll arrive at your destination…so she was patient, kind and understanding when I explained to her what I was doing.

The afternoon I rolled into Americus Georgia, I found a CVS pharmacy.  Thinking that would be a good place to find out where this “Koinonia” place was, I pedaled onto their sidewalk, turned the corner and literally ran into two people…a man and a woman.  After cursing them under my breath for being in my way, I parked the bike, locked it and was heading inside the store for some warmth and directions.  Guess who approached me as I was heading into the store.  Yup, the same two people that I had just nearly bowled over on the sidewalk. 

The guy stuck his hand out and said, “Hi!  I’m J.  This is Beth.  Are you looking for Koinonia?”

Several thoughts went through my head.  Mmmm…what exactly is this place called “Koinonia” about?  Why do these two rednecks think I’m looking for Koinonia?  What is there about me that makes them think I would be looking for it?  Being the sensitive guy I am, I kept my wits, just nodded and grunted…”Yah”.

Well, J. and Beth gave me great directions and I pedaled on another 8 miles to the farm.

Ever been somewhere that you knew you hadn’t been before but you had this strange sensation that you had?  That’s the feeling that I got when I rolled onto the farm again…after looking at the feeling a little and trying to wrap my brain around it, I realized what it was…I was home.

And home was pretty cool.  Lots of compassionate folks around.  Lots of hospitality.  Lots of love, caring and fellowship.  Even though there was a lot about me that didn’t really fit in, they welcomed me and quickly made me a part of their family.

The week or so passed too quickly and it was time to hit the road.  But before I left, I talked to Bren Dubay, the director, about the possibility of coming back in September and doing an internship part.  She smiled, nodded and told me what I had to do to apply. I put in an application even before I headed out.  It was a hard decision to leave…but I knew I had to get away so that I could make an objective decision about coming back.

Well, the trip took me through Alabama, into Tennessee and Kentucky; then on into Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin.  I met hundreds of people after leaving Koinonia.  I spoke to thousands.  I was interviewed by numerous TV stations and newspapers…I found out that Tami Ryan’s book about my trip is to be made into a movie.  A postage stamp based on the picture Jennifer Kaleba took of me is being sold by the post office with the proceeds going to help support homeless veterans.  In short…a lot of stuff swirled around me.

But in the back of my mind, was this little farm in SW Georgia called Koinonia.  So I made a few calls, turned the bike around and headed back to the farm.

It’s been an awesome year since leaving Washington D.C.  I’ve met a former President, reconnected with some old friends and made some new ones, got hit by a car, almost drowned, have become the subject of a movie and have found a new family.

Koinonia is an oasis of sorts.  An oasis from whatever troubles of the world are dragging you down.  The folks here aren’t perfect, but they are perfectly loving. They don’t expect you to be perfect, but being around them inspires you to try and be.

On the bike trip, I raised money and support for homeless veterans.  Today I’m asking for your help in support of my new home – Koinonia. Koinonia is a non-profit 501 c3 and depends on donations to help us carry out our ministries. The 501 c3 is a fancy way of saying that any gift you give this place is tax deductible if you’re into taking tax deductions. Everybody knows the world is in an economic crisis. When you’re a community like Koinonia founded to serve others, donations are essential. We need to raise $200,000. Fast. We raise $200,000 and we meet the budget for the year. Now, according to my calculator, if everyone (all 17,500 of you) who is subscribed to this blog gives $11.43, we get this amount — fast. Give more if you can. Give less if you can’t give $11.43. Just give by clicking here. Make a donation and sleep easy. Koinonia has been here since 1942 doing good, living peacefully even when others were attacking the place.  It’s home to me and my home needs some financial assistance. Thanks for assisting.

 

*You’ve seen this picture on this blog before.  CNN emailed me for permission to use it in a feature they are doing about Veterans’s Day.

The Wall, McDonalds and Groupies

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Been thinking alot lately about the past year.  It was a year ago October 31st that I left Washington D.C. on the last leg of my trip.

It was a good trip.  Made alot of friends (you can read about some of them at www.couchsurfing.com/people/janelson ), saw alot of things, met a ton of folks, spoke at alot of churches, schools and civic groups and raised some money for homeless vets.

The picture here was taken by Jennifer Kaleba, VP of Rails to Trails in Washington D.C.  She got up early to meet me at “The Wall” to take the picture AND she brought me a cup of coffee. 

Someone in D.C. saw the picture and it’s landed in the hands of the postal folks.  It’s my understanding that they are issuing a stamp based on the picture and I’ve had some folks up in the northeast tell me they’ve already seen it.  The proceeds from the sale of the stamp goes to help support the National Homeless Coalition for Homeless Veterans.

I’ve seen the picture show up in a couple things besides the post office.  It was used in a November 07 issue of Newsweek or Time or one of those weekly magazines.  It accompanied an article about the 25th Anniversary of The Wall.

Several American Legion posts and VFW posts have used it as a fundraiser, which is kinda cool.  And I walked into a diner in Missouri and saw it taped to the wall next to the cash register.  Seems like the owner of the diner is a veteran and he kinda liked it.

One of the neatest things about the picture happened this spring in Illinois.  I spoke at an American Legion post while passing through.  The next morning after taking the tent down and loading the bike, I stopped at a McDonald’s for a biscuit and a cup of coffee.  A couple tables over, I noticed that two women kept looking at me and then at something that was laying on the table infront of them.  Well, seems like they had seen a promo spot on TV a few nights before I spoke and the TV station used the picture from The Wall in their spot.  The ladies liked the picture and had just bought a copy online before heading to McDonald’s.  We chatted a few minutes and then it was time for me to hit the road…but there for a few moments, I had two groupies.

Now I’m at Koinonia in Georgia…I believe I’m home.  If they’ll let me, I think I could see spending the rest of my life here at “the farm”.  Be on the lookout sometime over the next several days for an update and some information on how you can help support Koinonia!

The Gloryman

The Gloryman

Here’s an item from “The Koinonia Chronicle” about an upcoming play about the farm.  Now I know that many of you don’t live close enough to Virginia Beach to see it, but I also know that many of you do.  So make plans to attend the play while you’re in the Tidwater area. 

I understand that we might have a few current day residents in attendance, and I’m going to try my best to be there for at least one night.

I enjoyed the leg of the trip that came through Virginia and I’m looking forward to seeing many of you again…if I can make it. 

Here’s the article:

We’ve mentioned our dear playwright friend Dennis Hassell in previous editions of Koinonia Briefly. Now we’re thrilled to invite you all to the world premiere of his play about Koinonia, “The Glory Man.” This play tells the story of Koinonia, our co-founders Clarence and Florence Jordan, the inspiration behind Habitat for Humanity, and Clarence’s ground-breaking approach to Christian service. We’re excited to see our story on stage and hope you can join us there! “The Glory Man” opens at The Regent Theatre in Virginia Beach, VA on Friday, Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. The show runs through D ec. 14, with showings on Dec. 5, 6, 12, and 13 at 8 p.m. and on Dec. 7 and 14 at 3 p.m. To buy tickets and for more information, visit www.regent.edu/theatre. Thank you, Dennis, for all of your hard work getting the story on stage! We can’t wait to see it.

Peeking

Peeking

Just finished lunch and got back to the office to check my email before the infamous products season continues.  Got the usual stuff in my inbox.  Some spam…some emails from friends and one kinda good one.

Apparently one of the pictures I submitted back during the summer to a photo contest has been selected as a semi-finalist in an International Photo Competition for amateurs.

Guess I define the word amateur…I can’t define what makes a good picture.  When I took the picture this summer [it is Jo's cat, Fort Knox, peeking in the screen door to Jubilee], I just took the photo.  Didn’t have an “aha” moment or anything…just point and snap.

Well anyway, according to the email I got, I’m definitely eligible for one of the $1000 prizes now.  If I win the grand prize it’ll be $10,000.00.  I’ve already decided what I’m going to do with the money.  I’m going to buy me the biggest rarest hamburger I can find in Americus and then….donate the rest to Koinonia.

Now, where did I put that camera?  I’ve got some more photos to take.

Participate in an online co-op devotional I’m starting.  Visit www.KoinoniaBW.Blogspot.com for details, or email me at jnelson@koinoniapartners.org and I’ll tell ya how you can join in the effort!