During our time in the Foreign Service, we have been assigned to many of the capitals of the world. In each of these places we were provided with a safe and secure place to live. We stayed two or three years at each location and became very familiar with what we could see from our window.
Mexico City is extremely crowded with over 30 million people. The neighborhood we lived in was less crowded and often protected by extra police because of the influential residents and Embassies located there. We had a small bedroom window that looked out over a concrete security wall, topped by razor wire. During the weekend the tree-lined street was quiet and only had a few cars parked on either side. There weren’t many people walking along its shady sidewalks because our wealthy neighbors didn’t walk anywhere. Hasidic Jews, with their black hats and single curly locks of hair hanging down each side were a common sight, because they don’t drive on the Sabbath. During the week, the street became a parking lot, with double and triple parked cars slowing passage to a crawl. It was interesting to watch as hoards of people made their way through our once quiet street. In this city known for high crime, we safely watched the world go by from our 3rd floor apartment window.
Moscow was very different. Our dining room window framed a view of the Russian White House, looking past the front of the U.S. Embassy. We watched many fireworks displays through that window. The big picture window in our living room was much more interesting. That window had a great view of the rear of our old Embassy building, painted white with mustard colored trim. Depending on the season and weather, the building was rather dull looking or would practically glow in the bright sunlight. We had a good view of an apartment building and a small street, where busloads of Russian police would wait during larger protests in front of the old Embassy. We could also see the Embassy parking lot, where we watched as employees battled tons of winter snow.
Vienna was different in a better way. Snow covered everything as we moved into our 2nd floor apartment. In the front we had a great view of cars making their way through the snow and it was common to see Bentleys and Porsches parked along the street. It wasn’t too busy, with a huge cemetery across from us, but during the week people used our neighborhood as free parking and would take the bus downtown. The rear of our apartment had full-length glass windows and doors that overlooked a well-kept yard, trees, and the neighbor’s pool. That brightened our living and dining rooms during the winter, the frequent rain showers, and mild summers. Though we couldn’t use the yard, we shared in its beauty.
When we moved to Majuro, the Marshall Islands we had great expectations, but what we got was much more. Our house was 30 feet from a 175 square mile lagoon. The other side of the atoll was a faint line on the horizon, 2 miles away. We watched this spectacular view through three full sliding glass door sets that covered one end of our house. Every ship that entered Majuro passed within our view. To us “land lubbers” all of this was new and interesting. The crashing waves, coconut trees and tropical plants completed the memorable view.
In Brussels our 6th floor apartment overlooked a playground and a beautiful park. The small playground was a center for youthful activity and the well-maintained park was a pleasant hangout during the few sunny days. In the summer the parks looked much nicer, but the trees blocked some of our view. It was a nice neighborhood but being a block from the European Union Headquarters, the busy streets took away some of the shine. During the week, masses of vehicles and crowds of people competed for space in the narrow streets. It was amazing the huge buses could get anywhere unscathed. Saturdays were much better, but the largest Mosque in Europe was a block away and its patrons clogged the streets again on Sunday.
Beijing is also a big city, and we have a big window, with a view of the Embassy compound and a building that is under construction just across the street. We can see the small Iceland and Mozambique Embassies and a busy street that is just beyond them. A covered market can be seen from our kitchen and tall buildings are all around us. The biggest variable affecting our view is the fluctuating pollution levels. On the few clear days, the blue sky and well-kept green spaces are very appealing. On bad days, we can’t see far and what we see looks dreary. Most of the time we get “normal nasty” levels which would cause panic in most cities, but here you get used to it. On those days Beijing doesn’t look too bad, but not too good either.
In each of the places we lived, we didn’t stop at just the view from our window. No matter how great that view was or how safe, warm, and comfortable we were looking from inside our home, we had to go outside to get the full benefit of the great places we lived. If we had stayed inside, we would have missed the Aztec pyramids, the Bolshoi Ballet. Vienna Christmas markets, the warmth of the Marshallese people, Belgian fries and waffles, and the Great Wall of China. It also gave us an opportunity to interact with people from these very different places.
That is the way we should see our role as Christians. We should not be just watching the world through our “window” whether that window is other people’s opinions, through the television, or from the safety, warmth, and comfort of the Church. We need to get outside and interact with the world and see what we may be missing. If we get involved, instead of just watching, we will see the full benefit of our Christianity as we fulfill the Great Commission and find some new “neighbors” to love as ourselves. Go out there and tell them about JESUS! They are part of that “world” GOD so loved!
Wayne Lance – That’s Good News to Share!