A letter from Nick Appel, Lay Director for Men's Walk #37
“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.”
Acts 20:24
Two weeks have passed since Men’s Walk to Emmaus #37, and I’ve finally had some time to slow down and reflect back on the past 5 months of Emmaus preparations and the retreat itself which has all passed in a blur.
The apostle Paul often illustrates our faith journey as a running race, urging us to persevere with eyes affixed firmly on the finish line. In the hubbub of Hong Kong it seems like we are constantly racing, but unfortunately it is often not with the same purpose or towards the same destination as the runner described in Paul’s epistles.
My family moved flats back in September – just three days before the beginning of Walk 37. It was certainly a test of my multitasking capabilities and I’m afraid my poor darling wife Terri shouldered more than her share of the burden. Rushing to find some clothes to pack for the Emmaus weekend I tore through a few boxes in search of t-shirts, shorts and sandals. In rummaging through the contents of these boxes I came across a pair of badly torn trousers that I decided would make the move from our old flat to our new flat. For me this pair of shredded and oil stained trousers serve as a humble reminder of just how abundantly graced I’ve been in my life.
Just a day after agreeing to be the lay Director for Walk #37 back in April I was making my normal evening commute home from work on my motorcycle. Travelling at 60 KM per hour westbound on Connaught Road, I was once again in my “racing to nowhere” mode, when I decided that I should accelerate between two cars merging ahead of the turnoff for Western Street in order to make my ride home that much shorter. Unfortunately the car on the right side decided to merge more quickly than I had anticipated and before I knew it I was sliding along the pavement.
Miraculously the driver of the car that hit me veered back right and came to a stop, the car to my left doing the same. Although shocked by my near fatal experience, I quickly rose to my feet and with nothing more than a few scratches and a pair of oil stained and torn trousers, walked away unscathed. I was even able to ride my motorcycle home.
Having been spared of what could have been a very serious if not fatal accident made me realize “once again” that the Lord still has plans for me in this life. While I may at times not consider my life very important, there is an important purpose for my life that he is calling me and every other Brother and Sister in the Emmaus community to and that is the race to complete the task of testifying to the Gospel of God’s grace.
De colores!
Nick Appel
Lay Director Walk #37
October 2007
|
