Tonight I met Josh and Naomi, which has truly been one of the most delightful experiences I have had on this trip, and indeed for a while.
Josh and Naomi (or 'Nay' for short) happen to be the married couple with whom my mate Andy lives, and so I have the privilege of staying here tonight and tomorrow night, and while I have only known them for less than two hours, I have decided that they are two truly wonderful people.
Josh and Nay seem (as far as appearances go) to be hardcore hippie-hips. Dreads from here to eternity, funky clothes, piercings; you name it, it's there. As for the house, it's decked out in wonderful colours, various pieces of art, and there is even a lingering smell from incense that has been burned in the corner many times before. There is also a fish tank, which instantly caught my attention. Natural cleaning products and other 'organicky things' can be found around the house, and having forgotten to bring toothpaste with me, I tentatively made the decision to brush my teeth with something called 'HerbalFresh'. I may have wound up with more green things in my teeth than when I started, though I haven't been game enough to check yet.
Tonight, Josh, Nay and their dreads returned from a week or so of camping at a hippie 'Rainbow' festival, just west of the Blue Mountains; a get-together which, from their stories, sounds like it plays host to all sorts of heresy, paganism, and other dubious activities.
Despite all this, and the conclusions you may draw, Josh and Nay are long-standing, dedicated and mature Christians.
At 27 years of age, Josh and Nay have been married for five, and together for the five before that. They are currently expecting their first child. Both have trained at Sydney Missionary and Bible College, and Josh is the Christian chaplain at the Ultimo TAFE here in Sydney, while Nay works in retail at a hippie-style Tree of Life store.
Together, they share and live the Gospel in the hippie and spiritual communities, and are moving to India next year to proclaim Jesus among the ashrams to the multitudes of spiritual seekers which traverse the country.
I was very encouraged by their ability to 'live in the world, but not of the world', as they are able to live and share in select ways of'hippie living' while holding firm to God's truth, and declare Jesus as their Saviour. They are a great reminder that Christianity transcends mainstream culture.
Please remember them in your prayers this week; particularly for the safe arrival of their little one in the coming month, and their preparations to travel to India next year.
Sadly, I cannot find a link to a profile of them. I'll update if I find one. SG
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