Hello,
I just got back from Key West
Florida having been on a mid-winter vacation with my wife. We decided to go to Key West for no
other reason that it is the furthest southern point of the continental United
States where we were hoping to find warmer weather and sunnier skies than
Southwest Pennsylvania….and we did!
On our way down and back I heard something in the airplane that I had
never heard before. Every time
that we took off, the flight attendant got on the P.A. system and said, “There
are two lavatories on this plane.
One in the front and one in the back of the plane. If you are sitting in the front section
(first class…my clarification) you may use the forward lavatory. If you are seated in the back section
(coach…my clarification), please use the lavatory in the back of the
plane. You are not allowed to
congregate in the aisle, so please stay in your seat until the lavatory is
empty.”
I don’t do a lot of flying, so maybe I have missed it before, but in
previous flights I don’t remember being told which lavatory I was allowed to
use…..and for me it was the one in the back of the plane. Being one who had to use the lavatory,
I discovered a dilemma with my relegation to the back lavatory. I found that I was sharing my lavatory with
over twenty rows of travelers with 4 seats per row, while the front lavatory
was being shared with 4 rows of travelers with 3 seats per row. Because of this I found myself
responding to the call of nature with multiple glances over my shoulder to see
if “my” lavatory was available, and noticing that the other lavatory…which was
off limits to me….was going unused.
Me, and my bladder, felt discriminated against.
But as the hair was rising on the back of my neck, and nature’s call
yelling louder from my bladder, there was a still small voice whispering in my
head that reminded me of something that I had told the kids at church last
week.
Every year our church does an Advent and Lenten project, a focused
congregational response to the graciousness that God has showered upon us in
Jesus. Buying pigs to send around
the world. Gathering supplies for
school packets to send around the world….and this Lent….directing our
thankfulness in giving to build latrines throughout the world. I told the kids, who lead us in these
projects, that over 2,500,000,000 people in the world lack proper sanitation
and thereby suffer from disease that takes the lives of children and older
adults. So, as a congregation we are
seeing how many “Lenten Loo’s” we are going to be able to build around the
world at $150.00 per Loo. In years
past, our congregation that is composed of moderate to low income people has
gathered together $8,000.00 in our efforts to make a dent of thankfulness
during Lent. If we are able to do
likewise this year, we should be able to build over nearly fifty “Lenten
Loo’s”. Many of these “Lenten
Loo’s” will be shared by 5-10 homes….and if there are 5 people in each of those
homes we will make it possible for 250-500 people to be free of life ending
disease. I know that that is but a
drop in the bucket for the 2,500,000,000 people who need a “Lenten Loo”, but
for those who we do help it will be far more than just a drop in the bucket!
So, what does this have to do with my lavatory discrimination that I
experienced on my airplanes?
Well, as I was getting indignant about the fact that I had to share a
lavatory with over 80 people compared to the sharing of the lavatory of only 12
people in the first class, it occurred to me that in a world were 2,500,000,000
people don’t have access to a proper lavatory at all, I have multiple “loo’s”
in my house in which two people (my wife and I) live. The snubbery that I felt, I realized, was nothing compared
to the snubbery that all of those loo lacking people in the world fill from me.
It may seem a bit banal for a church to gather funds to build “Lenten
Loo’s”, but my indignant bladder in those planes opened my eyes to see just how
important this gathering is, for the sake of the world….and for my sake. For the sake of the world….to rid the
world of preventable deaths. For
my sake….to rid me of my snubbery.
When Lent is over in 40 days, I’ll let you know how many “Lenten Loo’s”
First Lutheran Church of Greensburg will be building all around the world. If, by chance, you would like to be
part of this Loo building….just e-mail or message me.
All of this “Loo” awareness has led to a whole new appreciation for the
grace of God that has come to me in something as simple, but as important, as
flushing my toilet.
Have a great week.
God’s grace and peace,
(ggap)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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