It was two years after Ireland and I was sponsoring a symposium in Chicago and had closed out the day's sessions. Retiring to the bar to see if any of my groups were still around, I sat down and ordered a Pepsi. The Spook about scared me to death when he slid in next to me.
I looked at me and said, "Uhm, you are not here for a repeat of Ireland are you?" You see, his business in Ireland had been somewhat devastating in the news and although he was quite innocent as to what happened, he had liability in it. I was not pleased with him over this, too many had died.
He smiled, "Nope, here on family business." And I was to learn that he did not have family in America but a Jewish museum was opening and he was there to see that some Eastern European artifacts were donated which had been in his family. Odd, I thought.
After many hours of catch up at dinner, we retired to the bar and he eventually brought up why he was there. He wanted to know more about God, Jesus and how to turn his life around. He just about floored me with that one! I had just figured witnessing to a drunk would have not been a waste of time - but that moment in Ireland had a been a teachable moment and so had been used.
And, right there in the bar, he gave his life to Christ and insisted on praying out loud - confessing the whole of his life. Make no mistake, there was not a dry eye within ear shot. And though I do not know this for sure, I am guessing two others did the same.....
As we parted at the end of my trip, he invited me to visit him at his home and to share my testimony with his family - that very next weekend.....
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Spook's Night Out
About a week later in Ireland, Spook showed up at my hotel for breakfast. Apparently, whatever his business, he was done and thought he would drop by and see what was up. After my meetings were over that day, we spent the evening at the local bowling alley.
Well, string bowling that is. Yeah, the lanes had strings which ran down to each pin and you pulled on them to reset the group. There was also one teenager per lane whose job it was to return your ball and move dropped pins to the side. It is a very humorous way to play the game and I had a great many laughs as Spook would try and spin the ball so a pin would leap up at the pin resetter. Ok, the teenager probably did not think it was as funny as we did.....
Afterwards, Spook and I walked back to the hotel, and he was telling me about this rare bottle of Whiskey he had found from a distillery which had gone out of business several decades earlier. And then, just my luck, we were jumped by five of the local toughs. I am not real sure I even had my hands out of either of my pockets by the time Spook had one on the ground (maybe dead) and the other four flattened as well!
With his massive right hand he had taken out the four by slamming all of their heads together but the leader he reserved for the 'finger'. Amazingly, with his left index finger, he drove it forward into the guys chest and then twisted/flicked it slightly. Don't ask me I know nothing of the art of fighting except for boxing. But that guy went down hard and I honestly thought he was dead.
He came to several minutes later and started to give the Spook some lip, but Spook just extended his finger and made a move closer. Instant silence from the guy. The other four were holding their heads, one crying loudly - he was the one whose shirt Spook had grabbed and used his head as the bat on the other three. He lectured them about respecting their elders and then was very unceremonious in kicking their tails down the road - especially the leader's.
I commented I had never seen anything like this. He grinned and held up his finger as if examining it, "My boys all hate this as well!" And we laughed.
Back at the hotel, we ate a meal, which tasted exactly like mutton because that is the only fat they had to cook with. Bleech! Spook of course drank way too much and I had to half carry him half drag him back to his room, with the assistance of one of the waiters. We may have been the only two guests so it was a nice tip for him and sure helped me out.
Tossing Spook down on his bed, he looked up at me with his blood shot eyes and was barely able to say, "Kris, what do you want from me?"
"Nothing, just your friendship and to know you eventually will make your peace with your Creator....."
And so, for the first time in our years of crossing each others' paths, I told him about my Christian faith and answered what few questions he had before his hypoglycemia took him to a very deep sleep.....
Drunk or no, I was certain by now that God wanted this man.
Well, string bowling that is. Yeah, the lanes had strings which ran down to each pin and you pulled on them to reset the group. There was also one teenager per lane whose job it was to return your ball and move dropped pins to the side. It is a very humorous way to play the game and I had a great many laughs as Spook would try and spin the ball so a pin would leap up at the pin resetter. Ok, the teenager probably did not think it was as funny as we did.....
Afterwards, Spook and I walked back to the hotel, and he was telling me about this rare bottle of Whiskey he had found from a distillery which had gone out of business several decades earlier. And then, just my luck, we were jumped by five of the local toughs. I am not real sure I even had my hands out of either of my pockets by the time Spook had one on the ground (maybe dead) and the other four flattened as well!
With his massive right hand he had taken out the four by slamming all of their heads together but the leader he reserved for the 'finger'. Amazingly, with his left index finger, he drove it forward into the guys chest and then twisted/flicked it slightly. Don't ask me I know nothing of the art of fighting except for boxing. But that guy went down hard and I honestly thought he was dead.
He came to several minutes later and started to give the Spook some lip, but Spook just extended his finger and made a move closer. Instant silence from the guy. The other four were holding their heads, one crying loudly - he was the one whose shirt Spook had grabbed and used his head as the bat on the other three. He lectured them about respecting their elders and then was very unceremonious in kicking their tails down the road - especially the leader's.
I commented I had never seen anything like this. He grinned and held up his finger as if examining it, "My boys all hate this as well!" And we laughed.
Back at the hotel, we ate a meal, which tasted exactly like mutton because that is the only fat they had to cook with. Bleech! Spook of course drank way too much and I had to half carry him half drag him back to his room, with the assistance of one of the waiters. We may have been the only two guests so it was a nice tip for him and sure helped me out.
Tossing Spook down on his bed, he looked up at me with his blood shot eyes and was barely able to say, "Kris, what do you want from me?"
"Nothing, just your friendship and to know you eventually will make your peace with your Creator....."
And so, for the first time in our years of crossing each others' paths, I told him about my Christian faith and answered what few questions he had before his hypoglycemia took him to a very deep sleep.....
Drunk or no, I was certain by now that God wanted this man.
Crossing Paths with Spook
So, for about 15 years I kept stumbling across Spook's path. Although the amount of coincidence was mind numbing, I suspected God was up to something and it did make my travels more interesting. Nothing like being gone from home 85% of the time with nothing to do where you end up and no one to even yak at over a meal. Really boring and lonely. If nothing else, Spook was entertaining when we crossed paths. And you never knew when or where he was going to turn up!
So, I was clearing customs at Heathrow, in England, on a flight from Holland, in route to Ireland, and I suddenly hear my name! I was just entering the tunnel for the Irish flight when I turned and saw Spook wave. I dropped my bag and moaned. Really, I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep but now I would have to have my game face on. Plus, he was always strip searched at airports.
A guard was standing there next to me and asked what was up. I told him that my friend was coming through behind me and it would be at least 45 minutes before he cleared the metal detector - as one of the bones in his forearm was stainless steel. Seems he cheesed off one of his older sister's boyfriends when he was 12, whom as able to trap him inside a folding ladder, and yup - SNAP, end of forearm. So they replaced one of those bones with a steel beam (and that was in 1957, wow!).
So as expected, the detectors went off big time and three guards appear from nowhere, all carrying Uzi's. The guard by me said something into a mike on his jacket and this was apparently relayed to the three, whom then turned around and told him to put his clothes back on - which by instinct he was already removing!
The guard had seen my Swiss passport and commented how odd it was that I should be traveling with a Yugoslavian... Hmmmmmm.
So, we made the flight to Dublin. I told him I was headed to Cork and he was going 'else where'. Yeah, I figured I would read about in the paper or on the news. He was never somewhere that lots of excitement did not happen.....
So, I was clearing customs at Heathrow, in England, on a flight from Holland, in route to Ireland, and I suddenly hear my name! I was just entering the tunnel for the Irish flight when I turned and saw Spook wave. I dropped my bag and moaned. Really, I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep but now I would have to have my game face on. Plus, he was always strip searched at airports.
A guard was standing there next to me and asked what was up. I told him that my friend was coming through behind me and it would be at least 45 minutes before he cleared the metal detector - as one of the bones in his forearm was stainless steel. Seems he cheesed off one of his older sister's boyfriends when he was 12, whom as able to trap him inside a folding ladder, and yup - SNAP, end of forearm. So they replaced one of those bones with a steel beam (and that was in 1957, wow!).
So as expected, the detectors went off big time and three guards appear from nowhere, all carrying Uzi's. The guard by me said something into a mike on his jacket and this was apparently relayed to the three, whom then turned around and told him to put his clothes back on - which by instinct he was already removing!
The guard had seen my Swiss passport and commented how odd it was that I should be traveling with a Yugoslavian... Hmmmmmm.
So, we made the flight to Dublin. I told him I was headed to Cork and he was going 'else where'. Yeah, I figured I would read about in the paper or on the news. He was never somewhere that lots of excitement did not happen.....
Friday, December 10, 2010
Spook Has A Problem
It was not exactly anything more than a dark, dank and fairly disgusting pub. But, it was a local's watering hole and given the politically climate in Nicaragua at the time, probably one of the safer places to be - especially with Spook.
My idea of drinking is to sit down with a beer and sip it over two to three hours. Spook's idea involved both whiskey and beers - in vast quantities during the same time period. We are talking possible alcohol poisoning levels here! Of course this level of drinking is going to go one of two ways, Spook is going to become violent or Spook is going to pass out at some point. Well, that is what I expected; reality was a bit different - Spook started talking.
He told me about his family when he was growing up and life at his uncle's dacha. He told me about meeting Mrs. Spook and all of his little spook-ettes, and his beloved hunting dogs. It was interesting to see this man in fuller dimension, not only as someone I had come to know as a semi-friend (however evasive our friendship had been) but as a family man and someone drawn into a life he did not exactly like - due to the politically influence of his uncle. But, it did gave him the lifestyle needed to live very well off indeed and so he continued, even though all he wanted in life was to hunt, fish and be with his family.
It was springtime and I am not sure Nicaragua is ever a nice place to be, but I noticed that I seemed to be handling the humid heat far better than him. Given the profuse sweating and developing shakiness of his hands, something was not right. I eventually was able to help him away from his glass and into a taxi. Searching his pockets I found his hotel, so could tell the driver where to deliver him, but also discovered a Bulgarian passport.
No, he was not Bulgarian. I knew that from our first meeting. But, why use a Bulgarian one, if you did not have to? Something to think about I guess. And whom am I to talk, I have three passports myself!
Back at the construction site, I hopped on my remote monitor and sent a PROFs message to the doctor in my company asking what caused the symptoms I had observed.
Hours later, after several questions from the doctor, his diagnosis was hypoglycemia. Spook had a problem it seems and alcohol was probably his absolute worse enemy.....
My idea of drinking is to sit down with a beer and sip it over two to three hours. Spook's idea involved both whiskey and beers - in vast quantities during the same time period. We are talking possible alcohol poisoning levels here! Of course this level of drinking is going to go one of two ways, Spook is going to become violent or Spook is going to pass out at some point. Well, that is what I expected; reality was a bit different - Spook started talking.
He told me about his family when he was growing up and life at his uncle's dacha. He told me about meeting Mrs. Spook and all of his little spook-ettes, and his beloved hunting dogs. It was interesting to see this man in fuller dimension, not only as someone I had come to know as a semi-friend (however evasive our friendship had been) but as a family man and someone drawn into a life he did not exactly like - due to the politically influence of his uncle. But, it did gave him the lifestyle needed to live very well off indeed and so he continued, even though all he wanted in life was to hunt, fish and be with his family.
It was springtime and I am not sure Nicaragua is ever a nice place to be, but I noticed that I seemed to be handling the humid heat far better than him. Given the profuse sweating and developing shakiness of his hands, something was not right. I eventually was able to help him away from his glass and into a taxi. Searching his pockets I found his hotel, so could tell the driver where to deliver him, but also discovered a Bulgarian passport.
No, he was not Bulgarian. I knew that from our first meeting. But, why use a Bulgarian one, if you did not have to? Something to think about I guess. And whom am I to talk, I have three passports myself!
Back at the construction site, I hopped on my remote monitor and sent a PROFs message to the doctor in my company asking what caused the symptoms I had observed.
Hours later, after several questions from the doctor, his diagnosis was hypoglycemia. Spook had a problem it seems and alcohol was probably his absolute worse enemy.....
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The Spook
For some reason, my mind on Sunday strayed during the sermon and faded back several decades to when I was where I should not have been.....
I was in a less than exciting country, in a less than exciting town and walking up to a dirty little pub on a winter's day. I was supposed to meet a guy from a company in the US whom was having problems with an operating system I knew well. I had been hired to sort of help him along by answering some questions. A man stood outside the pub door, black trenchcoat on, one foot resting on a foundation stone, while his body rested against the door frame. He was smoking a pipe with a very pleasant blend of tobacco - very unusual in these parts.
Probably police I figured, they were everywhere in this country and all of them dressed exactly alike. He also had an air about him of complete and total control - the kind of guy whom others fear either physically or politically.
He waved his pipe towards the door I was almost at and said, "Don't want to go in there." And, in darn good English too!
I looked at him in question and he continued, "Been a fight. Five men killed. A very big clean up."
He offered to take me to lunch at a better place. Pretty much, in that country, if a man in a black trenchcoat offers to take you anywhere, you go - or someone will be cleaning you up off the floor in short order.
My mind raced through this information. Police blocking door, guy I am supposed to help was supposed to have been in there, lots of dead bodies to be cleaned up. Yup, Kris got snookered by whomever employed one of those dead men. He must have been hired to hack a system I had written the operating system to. I was shafted, he must have been a spy, killed four others sent to detain him, and this policeman? He probably was the one whom had just killed him and now he wanted to have 'lunch' with me!
We had a very interesting lunch. He had no real interest in me. I was just passing through the area and going for lunch after all, and I really did not know anyone in town. To him, I was just a westerner to practice his English on. Then he discovered my hunting interests and we became almost instant friends.
In the strangest of circumstances, we not only ran into each other often every year after this, but also all over the world. Now in my life, there are no coincidences - only God's opportunities. In this stranger's life there were also no coincidences, but opportunities for conspiracies to be ferreted out. I have no doubt he came to the conclusion I was a spy or on some sort of intelligence gathering mission, so he played along. From his viewpoint at the time, that first chance meeting might have been his ticket to promotion. From my viewpoint - he was a mighty hard rock to witness to.
Across the years I was to learn he was actually a member of the Security Services - spell that one S-P-Y and hysterically enough his name actually translated in to English as Spook! He thought that quite funny when I told him several years later. But, I had him dead to rights when we crossed paths in of all places, Nicaragua. This time I was there as part of a mining venture and he, well, let us say he was heavily armed with something I am also quite good with. So, I think he understood now that I was not a member of a foreign power but a businessman - and well yeah, he actually flushed when he saw me - he was so surprised. He bought the drinks that night.
Yeah, I think I am going to tell you more about him this week. It is bringing back all sorts of pleasant memories.....
I was in a less than exciting country, in a less than exciting town and walking up to a dirty little pub on a winter's day. I was supposed to meet a guy from a company in the US whom was having problems with an operating system I knew well. I had been hired to sort of help him along by answering some questions. A man stood outside the pub door, black trenchcoat on, one foot resting on a foundation stone, while his body rested against the door frame. He was smoking a pipe with a very pleasant blend of tobacco - very unusual in these parts.
Probably police I figured, they were everywhere in this country and all of them dressed exactly alike. He also had an air about him of complete and total control - the kind of guy whom others fear either physically or politically.
He waved his pipe towards the door I was almost at and said, "Don't want to go in there." And, in darn good English too!
I looked at him in question and he continued, "Been a fight. Five men killed. A very big clean up."
He offered to take me to lunch at a better place. Pretty much, in that country, if a man in a black trenchcoat offers to take you anywhere, you go - or someone will be cleaning you up off the floor in short order.
My mind raced through this information. Police blocking door, guy I am supposed to help was supposed to have been in there, lots of dead bodies to be cleaned up. Yup, Kris got snookered by whomever employed one of those dead men. He must have been hired to hack a system I had written the operating system to. I was shafted, he must have been a spy, killed four others sent to detain him, and this policeman? He probably was the one whom had just killed him and now he wanted to have 'lunch' with me!
We had a very interesting lunch. He had no real interest in me. I was just passing through the area and going for lunch after all, and I really did not know anyone in town. To him, I was just a westerner to practice his English on. Then he discovered my hunting interests and we became almost instant friends.
In the strangest of circumstances, we not only ran into each other often every year after this, but also all over the world. Now in my life, there are no coincidences - only God's opportunities. In this stranger's life there were also no coincidences, but opportunities for conspiracies to be ferreted out. I have no doubt he came to the conclusion I was a spy or on some sort of intelligence gathering mission, so he played along. From his viewpoint at the time, that first chance meeting might have been his ticket to promotion. From my viewpoint - he was a mighty hard rock to witness to.
Across the years I was to learn he was actually a member of the Security Services - spell that one S-P-Y and hysterically enough his name actually translated in to English as Spook! He thought that quite funny when I told him several years later. But, I had him dead to rights when we crossed paths in of all places, Nicaragua. This time I was there as part of a mining venture and he, well, let us say he was heavily armed with something I am also quite good with. So, I think he understood now that I was not a member of a foreign power but a businessman - and well yeah, he actually flushed when he saw me - he was so surprised. He bought the drinks that night.
Yeah, I think I am going to tell you more about him this week. It is bringing back all sorts of pleasant memories.....
Friday, December 3, 2010
People To Find
You know they say there is something wrong with people whom search the internet for their name. Hmmm. At my company we used to look in the new issue of the phone directory in order to get a heads-up as to whether or not we were going to be laid off. Of course, whom uses a phone directory any more?
This is my list from 2009 showing that I actually did find some old friends!
So maybe you looked your name up and voila!, you find you are listed here. If so, drop me an email, I would love to hear from you and catch up:
Kim Carroll – FOUND but then lost again!
Diane Cash – last seen 1965 in Portland
Ruth Cleek – last seen 1970 at Hillcrest
Daniel/Danny /Dan Ersig – FOUND
Dennis/Denny Ersig – FOUND
Pamela/Pam Derrick – last seen 1970 at Hillcrest
Debbie Feather – last seen 1974 in Aurora
Donna Feather – last seen 1974 in Aurora
Connie Gates – last seen 1970 at Hillcrest
Clarence Gunn – last seen 1970 in South Carolina
Chuck/Jill/Scotty Lundy - last seen 1975 in Portland
Diane Pender – last seen 1965 in Madras
Tom Pender – last seen 1965 in Madras
Carolyne/Carolyn/Carol Plummer – last seen 1967 in Landstuhl
Ruth Rouse – FOUND
Randy Ruark – FOUND
Dean Spencer – last seen 1963 in Portland
Thomas/Tom/Tommy Warren – last seen 1965 in Portland
Robert Warmath – FOUND
Stan Zeidell – last seen 1967 at Ramstein AFB
Of course some I never knew their last name or perhaps how to spell it!
Cathy/Kathy W ? – last seen 1973 in Aurora (went to Utah?)
Dodi Gibson/Gipson – last seen 1972 Aurora
Laura from Hillcrest High moved to North Carolina 1970
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Christmas Tree
Christmas' of my youth were a bit odd. Mother's family were all either Mormon (grandfather's side) and did not celebrate Christmas or gnostic-Jews (grandmother's side), not real big on Christmas either. Father was just a plain God hating Jew.
Luckily, father was German so we had St. Nicholas Day on December 6th - so a chance for candy for my sister, whom might share a piece with me. But, hey, I'm a boy so all I ever got was sticks and coal (seriously!).
So, the whole Christmas thing was a little lost on me.
After I became a Christian and spent time in Christian homes, I was able to share in some of their seasonal activities. Like getting a tree and putting it up. Seeing their happiness as they baked, went shopping for presents and wrapping and of course parties! It was quite an eye opener for this young man.
When I flew home for that first Christmas, after becoming a Christian, I had quite high hopes of making some real changes in my families holiday spirits. Yeah, young and naive but still one can always hope.
And, those hopes are still alive that Christmas might still come to mean something in their lives - like the concept of FAMILY versus their idea of me, me, me, me!
Yeah, still young and naive I guess. But, I went and bought a tree yesterday. In MY family, I have tried to model for my children that first Christmas I saw lived out. And, like my children, I look forward to those shared family times of laughter, love and giving. Who knows, I might even invite mother this year.....
Luckily, father was German so we had St. Nicholas Day on December 6th - so a chance for candy for my sister, whom might share a piece with me. But, hey, I'm a boy so all I ever got was sticks and coal (seriously!).
So, the whole Christmas thing was a little lost on me.
After I became a Christian and spent time in Christian homes, I was able to share in some of their seasonal activities. Like getting a tree and putting it up. Seeing their happiness as they baked, went shopping for presents and wrapping and of course parties! It was quite an eye opener for this young man.
When I flew home for that first Christmas, after becoming a Christian, I had quite high hopes of making some real changes in my families holiday spirits. Yeah, young and naive but still one can always hope.
And, those hopes are still alive that Christmas might still come to mean something in their lives - like the concept of FAMILY versus their idea of me, me, me, me!
Yeah, still young and naive I guess. But, I went and bought a tree yesterday. In MY family, I have tried to model for my children that first Christmas I saw lived out. And, like my children, I look forward to those shared family times of laughter, love and giving. Who knows, I might even invite mother this year.....
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