I really don’t like cats, and “really don’t like” is me trying to be gentle to those of you who do. While we were dorm parents at the missionary kid boarding school in West Africa, one of our fellow missionaries gifted my wife with two cats. I love my wife who liked the cats, so I tolerated them. However, God used those cats, especially the one we called Peaches to teach me a valuable lesson that in someways guided the trajectory of my life. You see, as we were preparing to leave the field, my wife said the dreaded words, “I want to take Peaches back to America with us.” I reminded her that there were thousands of homeless cats in America, which she reminded me, “but not this one.” It meant trips to the vet, health check, documents, additional travel expense but as I said I deeply loved my wife…and well… The day came for me to take the cat for its health check-up at a local vet and secure the necessary paperwork. One of the young men in our dorm, Stan (whose dream was to be the business manager for his mission) asked if he could go with me. “Sure, your French is much better than mine and you can do all the talking.” Stan was excited for the opportunity. As we were driving into town, Stan looked and me and said, “You hate this don’t you Uncle Neil.” “Does it show that much? I’m really sorry,” I replied with a shame tinged voice.“Don’t be,” Stan broke in, “you are teaching me how to be a good husband.”Stan, through Peaches taught me that my actions needed to be stronger than my words. I wanted to use Stan and Peaches’ lesson with other young people. I wanted to care even when it was inconvenient and sometimes out of my comfort zone. I have often said that once you have fully committed to Christ there are no more sacrifices. Over the decades now I have been a speaker. In all honesty, my skill as a speaker mediocre at best. But whatever minimal impact I have had in the lives of young people, it is not my speaking, but the simple interactions with students in ways that demonstrated love and care. I have always had this love for nostalgia. I love talking about the “good old days.” Do you know what my parents talked about …their “good old days”. I realized that these will be part of our ETEAMers “good old days.” Since ETEAM’s beginning in 1992, I have had the honor of being on ETEAM staff. Just like Stan’s comment, “you are teaching me to be a good husband.” I want the ETEAM experience to be as good as it possibly can be for our students, which means I must model what it means to be a good team member, how to care about people and how to serve…not be served. I want these “good old days” to be good. I don’t want to be a grumpy old man that squashes dreams and make students cowl to my way of doing things or my preferences. I want to be a servant and cheerleader for the ETEAMers. While I am looking through the rearview mirror, they are looking through the windshield. I want to sit in the front seat with them and help them dream. Stan dreamed of being married and a business manager for his mission. Today he is in the country of Senegal. You see that day in the car with Stan and Peaches forged a path for me to even more pour myself into the lives of high school and college students. In these sunset years of my life, I wonder if I’ve done enough. By the way, Peaches lived another 18 years.
-Neil Gillilandformer IM Missionary & former Director of Mobilization |
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