End of the World

Judy and I are in Asia visiting family. Yesterday, my first day in Asia, (after spending 32 hours in transit the very long day before) I traveled with some new friends to look for a unique people group. We traveled some rough roads. Now that I think about it, I traveled almost as much distance vertically (as in bouncing up an down) as horizontally. We congressed (if pro is positive and con is negative, what is the natural opposite of progress?) through roads. We began with smooth highways, congressed to cobblestone, then to dirt. Each step of the congress slowed us down exponentially (been waiting for an opportunity to use that word). We saw georgous scenery and interesting people. A couple of the villages we went through were having market day. You should see market day in a small village in Asia. I can't begin to describe all the things for sale, nor adequately convey the smells of the street-vendor food. My memory took us to a scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indiana Jones was looking for a kidnapped person. Remember how the street vendors just closed in on them? That is a reasonable comparison to market day in a small village in Asia.
We finally arrived at our desired location by late afternoon. We'd stopped for lunch around 2:30 and had some very tasty food. When we arrived at our location about an hour after lunch, we looked up the side of the mountain and was able to see our restaurant. It wasn't far away, distance wise, but over an hour by car. We found some villages situated on the side of the mountain, unaccessible by car. We hiked up the side of the mountain and attempted to visit with the villagers. They didn't speak the same language as the rest of the people of the country. After several attempts, we finally found a man who could speak the common language.
While my friends communicated with him, I stayed up on the high ground to pray for the contact. As I surveyed the scenery, it occured to me that these mountains were more than mountains. While they were indeed beautiful and provided a livelihood for the residents, they were also prisons. These folks were totally unaware of things taking place in the rest of the world. Because they were so remote and isolated, they knew nothing of the things we take for granted. They had no knowledge of our Lord--hadn't ever heard His name before. They had no knowledge of the things taking place in their world. Their world consisted of their mountain pass. Now I realize some will think this is great--to have a self-contained world. But the experiences they are missing are mind boggling.
Yesterday my world vision was expanded by our trip while I realized other folks will never have the opportunity to expand theirs. I am a blessed man.
Last night I got a good nights' sleep. When I awoke this morning, everyone else was in the living room talking and laughing. I really wanted to get up but couldn't find a way to get uncomfortable in bed. Really, every way I turned was comfortable. Finally decided to just suck-it-up and get out of bed. Glad I did. Our daughter had make pumpkin bread out of butternut squash and it was AMAZING. Thank you, daughter, for taking care of your father. Judy and I are thrilled (and stiff and sore and dealing with jet-lag) and so happy to be here.
I'll blog as often as I can while we're here in Asia. Oh, I titled my post "End of the World." What I didn't mention is that we really didn't travel to the end of the world yesterday, but we could see it from our final destination. It was beautiful, but very remote.