FROM JAFFA TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH 39Had Bob Lost His Mind?
I'll never forget the day in 1970 when I came to work to
find that Bob had done something quite strange. All over
the walls of that little kiosk he had tacked little pieces of
paper with Scripture verses written on them. I thought he'd
lost his mind.
I knew he was a Christian—he told me so. But wasn't
this going a bit too far? I said to myself, "Why is he doing
this? Is it for me? I probably know the Bible better than he
does."
Finally I asked him, "What's the idea of all these pieces
of paper?" Instantly, he began to witness to me. I thought
he would never quit. And when it was over, I was
determined to stay as far away from this crazy fellow as I
could.
For the longest time I tried to avoid him. But it was
nearly impossible. After all, we had to work together. Over
and over, he brought up the topic of religion. But it was
more than that. He wanted to talk about being "born again,"
a phrase that was not in my limited vocabulary— nor in my
view of Scripture.
Bob finally quit his job at the kiosk, but many of his
friends were at my school. And for the next two years I did
my best to avoid them. I thought, "They're a bunch of
weirdos." They looked weird. They talked weird. They
were complete opposites of the nuns who had taught me.
During my senior year at Georges Vanier, for the
second time in my life, I had an encounter with the Lord.
He came into my room and visited me—this time in the
form of an unforgettable dream.
In Jaffa when I was eleven, the vision of Jesus standing
before me had left an indelible impression. But now, in