My dad likes to tell about a time when he was in the US Navy and put into port somewhere along the Mediterranean coast. He was given shore leave along with a bunch of other sailors, and as they walked off the submarine one of them, a newer and less experienced one, proclaimed "Look at all them foreigners!" Who's the foreigner???

As it happened, Friday I had a co-worker fly in from St. Petersburg, Russia. He had never been to the US before and while he had been told what to expect, you and I both know that talking about something and doing it can be two very different things.

I waited for him to arrive, watching the "international" folks arrive through the one door that Logan airport has for such visitors. You could tell those who were US citizens returning from far-away countries, for the most part. They had their heads up high, looked very glad to be here, and confidently strolled out and into the arms of waiting friends and relatives. Those who were visiting, such as my Russian friend Oleg, had a sort of shyness about them. When I got to this spot in the airport I wondered why there was not some kind of big banner welcoming these people to the US, but this part of the airport is just as unadorned as the rest, perhaps to prevent "Americana overdose".

Oleg turned out to be a very meek and friendly fellow. He "clung" to me as a friend in a strange land, and never let me out of his sight if he could help it. I navigated him from the terminal to the car rental, and then led him through the detours and twists and turns that is Logan/Boston, all the while he staying close behind my Metro in his canary yellow rental. Eventually I got him out of the city and to his hotel near our company campus, where he showed obvious distress that I was about to leave him to check in and get back to work myself. So I stayed and helped him check in, watched his eyes glaze over as the lady behind the desk explained the many many visitor perks that were available to him, and led him to his room. Even then he was anxious for me to not leave him, so I showed him where the campus was and got him settled in front of a computer (where at last he seemed very comfortable and relaxed).

One side note about Oleg - when he got off the plane he handed me a huge bottle of vodka for helping him out. Now, I wasn't sure what to do, since I don't drink and never ever have. Refuse it and make the already nervous guy offended or even more out of sorts? Or accept it and let him think I drink. Hmmmm... Well, since he assumed I was a drinkin' fool regardless I figured it really didn't matter what he thought, only that he was not made uncomfortable. Maybe Sandy or Janet have some good advice for me here for any future similar situation I get myself into!

The point is, Oleg is a lot (and I mean a LOT) like us as Christians. We've become strangers in a strange land, where we want to get along but don't fit in. When Oleg heard someone else at the airport speak Russian, he was visibly relieved and helped them out. Shouldn't we behave the same way when we run into fellow Christians in this world? The gifts we offer folks as we travel through life - honesty, integrity, truth - they don't always know what to do with and some partake of them while others do not. But as we rise from the waters of obedience, the doorway that baptism provides us, there is Christ ready on the other side. To be there for us, that we might follow him around the twists and turns life throws at us. Likely to many we stick out like a canary yellow rental, but we don't care. The point is we are going somewhere and looking strange should not stop us. And once we get there, checked into our heavenly room... we can finally be comfortable and relax! It's traveling through all them "foreigners" that's the trick! Whoops, who's the foreigner?

Randy