The active part of the weekend started Friday, when Beka and I went on base to see Station2. They had been playing music and discussing the problem of evil at our school all week, with a few concerts thrown in for good measure. This would be the last one before their flight back to the US.
We went to the bar where they were playing, bought some cokes and bottles of water, and settled in for the show. Someone from a local pottery shop came to see them play. Beka and I introduced ourselves and promised we'd keep in touch with her.
Station2 sounded great in concert, but of course, that's not the point. They shared the meaning of their songs which all explored the search for meaning and how we find our answers. They were genuine about why they were here, but as far as I could see there were no beatings with Bibles.
A few years back, waaay before Korea, I joined some friends to help set up a Christian concert at someone's home church. A brand new group named Kutless was the opening act for the opening act. We liked their show best, because we had met and talked with Stu, their drummer, earlier. Every time they played, we cheered "Go, Stu!" He was our favorite because he sat, had dinner, and talked with us. He was approachable.
The point of the story is, Station2 is a band full of Stu s.
We hung out until 12ish, said goodbye and went home.
Early-ish the next day, I met six high school students at the subway station to go to a grandma house and visit. One of us was armed with a guitar, and we had a few songs we were prepared to sing. We called a couple of cabs and made our way there.
On arrival, we learned this visit would be a bit different than we had planned. The ladies who ran the place said the residents wouldn't be able to visit until later. We were handed some rags and started cleaning.
We heard some excitement in the middle of the cleaning. A couple of huskies were wandering around the property outside the building. The ladies in charge were trying to get them to move, but they were stubborn. I put my cleaning rag aside and went outside to help.
One lady tried to call the dogs to her. I tried the same in English and Korean, but neither worked. Running didn't work either. Nothing worked. They were content to hang around and trample plants.
Finally, we began to lead one by taking his front paws. The other dog followed his buddy. Before long, we got them through the gate and off the property. After that, they ran off to wherever they had come from. Crisis averted.
We finished cleaning, and we were offered fruit. Declining was not an option. We enjoyed some pears, then took the guitar and sang some songs. The ladies seemed glad to hear us, even if it was too slow for clapping. We added some more upbeat ones which went over better.
It was time for lunch, so we said our goodbyes and offered to help again next time we come. We strolled through the gate and called for a couple of cabs. I thanked the students for being flexible, and soon our cabs arrived. Then, we returned to our respective homes.
One of the students said the ladies were hesitant to ask us for help at first. I hope we made it clear that's why we were there in the first place.
Earlier this week a new movie opened mocking all religion. It's primarily a comedy, and received good reviews for being funny. But at the end the movie's host calls for religion to be banned. This won't happen, but his basis is that faith is ridiculous and does no good. After all, even many religious leaders don't actually believe this stuff.
It's a matter of faith, and scoffers will always fail to understand. But one thing that continues to encourage me is the Stu s who are out there. I pray that we be counted among them.
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