Peace, and rest

In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety.

— Psalm 4:8

It’s 3:40 am – eleven xprods gather near 77 Mass Ave, some teetering back and forth as if sleepwalking, others bidding them “Good morning!” as if there were nothing better than to be up hours before the crack of dawn on the first day of spring break. Sadly, I’m in the former category. We tread to the edge of the crosswalk and stuff about 10,000 bags into the trunk of a rideshare vehicle – the adventure hasn’t even begun, and we’re already faced with a puzzle!

From left to right: Jessica and Matthew learning to fly, xprod-1 in Terminal A of BOS, Michaye and her suitcases that happen to match her hair

Around 6:37 am a plump sun bids us “Good morning” for real, peeking out above a fluffy texture of clouds. Now we’re 11 thousand meters up, and it’s good to be reminded that His compassions are new every morning, whether in land or in air.

Then we’re back on the ground – navigating the highways from the Raleigh-Durham airport to the little town of Four Oaks, where John lives. Outside, there is more grass than we have seen all winter in Cambridge. But the greens are fading into browns and golds – or perhaps, the browns and golds are fading into greens. It’s more reminiscent of a fading summer than a breaking spring. It’s not glorious, but it’s so very comfortable. Peaceful.

This spring break, xprod is divided between two houses: the Bond house and the Salhoff (‘selhaf) house. The Salhoffs are a long-time family friend of John’s, and all of us are touched by their generosity in sharing their home with us. We’re also touched by resident pupper Walker and his feline friends, Princess and Daisy.

 
Barry the pupper-whisperer. me too.


Helen, Yeye, Matthew, Craig, Alex, and I spend most of the afternoon engaged in a “cooperative yelling” game called Spaceteam. It’s a cute 16-bit-style mobile game involving aliens and button pressing and absurd technical-sounding terms and yelling. For a duration of time, the agitated voices of xprods echo around the two-story atrium. “Engage nanoprism! disable flex handle! set noise flap to two! DISABLE FLEX HANDLE, COME ON GUYS! ASTEROOOOID! SHAKE!!! shake shake SHAKE shake SHAKE!! HYPERSPACE, WOOHOO!”

In the evening, we head over to John’s church for a mini-gig. Over a hearty southern meal prepared by John’s father (including sweet tea!), John’s family and friends have an endless wealth of stories to share. In my head, I still have lines of code flashing at me with an urgency – but talking to John’s family and friends sedates those thoughts. The pace slows – there’s no hurry, just good stories and good food. Everyone here runs at 0.9 speed. Just that tenth makes such a difference. I’m put at ease, despite my droopy eyelids and pounding forehead.


Brief Interlude
Context: Darian, one of John’s family’s BFFs, enjoys working at McDonald’s as a part-time job.

Me: Why do you like working at McDonald’s?

Darian: Because I get to say funny things to the people at drive-thru.

Me: What’s the funniest thing that happened?

Darian: So a guy pulls up, and I’m like, “Thank you for choosing McDonald’s. You’re hungry, I’m hungry, so let’s make a deal.” And the guy, with all the enthusiasm in the world, said, “ALRIGHT!”


from left to right: Chris, John’s littlest brother, smiles for the camera! Michaye and Alex laugh at something mysteriously off-screen. Darian, subject of the interview above. Helen, Yeye, and Dongho engage in engaging conversation.

We perform a few songs for a hearty audience of Bonds and their friends and family. “You know what they say: full stomach, full sound,” says Yeye.


Brief Interlude
Matthew: Sometimes I run into walls and they befriend me.
Jessica: Uh, how much sweet tea have you had!?


From bags of groceries, to warm beds, to 11 fluffy pillows – we have received so much kindness even in this first day, from the Bonds, the Salhoffs, and all their friends and church. It’s so complete. I must remind myself we’re here to serve, not to be served.

But first – a night of rest.

<3,
Erica

In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety.