A few weeks ago, I received a comment from Susan. Thanks to her incredible memory, and the fact that I had just done a meme which listed my maiden name, we found out we had been class mates years ago in Greenville, S.C. She remembered a red headed little girl named Rita Riffe. Yep, that was me in Mrs. Wilson's class at Tabernacle Christian School.
She is now a pastor's wife in Canada and I am a pastor's wife in Venezuela. It is good to hear of another little kid growing up and serving the Lord full time! And it is better yet that she happens to be a red head as well. We may have a little gray now, but you are born a red head for life. Being a red head is an attitude!
Then a few days ago, low and behold! I hear from the daughter of one of our Directors at our mission. He passed away last October and is greatly missed. We admired him and his life long work of missions in Brazil and then in the home office. She found me through a comment on another friends blog and...here we are! Blogging Buddies!
Just the last few days I have been trying to get in touch with another American missionary here in country and had met only dead ends. We lost contact after our move from the jungle and their furlough. I need to ask some pertinent questions and get some info from him...well, someone leaves me a comment and just happens to know his son!
I find all this to be amazing! Remember, a matter of months ago, I barley knew how to send an email. For the last ten years , I had relied on short wave radio for communication. I still want to end every sentence of a phone conversation with, "Over". I say things like, "Roger that", "Do you copy?" and want to hang up with a hearty, "Over and Out"!
But, here I am meeting old friends , and making new ones on this crazy high speed internet! And I am loving it!
I am probably the only one so impressed by all this. But, for someone who used to go months without speaking English to anyone outside of the family, who saw a newspaper once a month, who listened to the news in Portuguese because it was the only radio frequency we could pick up in the village... this is like MAGIC!
19 comments:
That is absolutely the best thing about the internet. I have reconnected with several people this year, and blogged about it as well. I plan to see my Iranian friend from high school in Minnesota this summer - amazing!
Hey Jungle Mom! I am glad to have found your blog. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I have enjoyed reading your posts ~ at least the ones in English. Tsk! Tsk!
Rita, thanks for stopping by my blog. You get the prize for traveling the farthest!! Terrific place you have here. I will be back!
Karen
I happen to be very impressed by it all. How cool to find your old friends.
Keep up the good work. You're doing great!
Great news that you can find old friends, make new ones and look for others---all at the click of a button (plus a little typing!!)...
Glad we reconnected!!
Plus, I can keep you updated on Pam's antics!!LOL
Praying for you!!
I absolutely love how small the world is, and that you are connecting with old friends.
See Jungle Mom, the Lord does work in mysterious ways. Never know who you will bump into on the net.
I have only been bloging for a few short months and I have only had a computer since 2002, thanks to my sons. They all chipped in and bought one for Father's day that year and after saying: "Happy father's Day Dad", the next thing out of them was: "Learn how to use it, because we want to chat on line." (They live all over. My oldest is in Delaware, the third oldest is in Florida, my youngest is in Virgina. Only my second oldest lives about four miles from me. Now I chat with them several times a week as well as with the grand kids. I also made a lot of friends from all around the world that I email or IM with.
With your computer, there is a whole world of friends out there.
Jungle Mom, I am so glad you are finding people with which you had lost touch . I know for years, I didnot want the internet in our home. I finally came to understand how much my husband wanted it sooo we now have it. I think I have found more pleasure in the blogging thing than anything I have in a long time. I have made so many new friends and people in places I never dreamed I would be able to meet people. I couldn't send a e-mail at first but because I am not much for taling on the phone and I saw it as a way to keep in touch with my children and grandchildren, I became very good at it. You know Just a click at the right time. Of course, that is how I lost my first blog, I clicked when I shouldn't have.lol It has been fun talking with you and learning about the ministry you all have in venezuela. connie from Texas
Hi Rita,
Hope I rightly understood that to be your name as per this blog.
Wow, it surely sounds as if you have been living in a world far removed from the rest of us, or at least from most of us. Only communicating by short wave radio, not speaking to anyone in English for months, and doing the lord's work after having attended a religios school, and all in a real jungle.
By the way, no fun, or sarcasm, intended; most of us just do not do so even if we are religious or into our work. It seems you are really out there in a remote location and situation and making the best of it. That must be truly a tough life. I applaud you for living up to your principles, and getting the job done despite the hardships. You are a better person than me, or most, for doing so.
Keep up the good work, and keep up the fine blog. I don't read every post, but what I have read, I have found quite enjoyable, and straight to the point. I like that.
As for it being a small world, the Internet certainly has made it smaller in some regards. Nice to see you are finding friends and those you need to find.
All the best,
Glenn B
Indeed JM, internet performs miracles! ;D
The short wave radio was the internet of my dad and my father in law. Back then, they had friends from all over the world.
I remember being like 4 years old, and having 'gringos' visiting our house in Caracas. Complete strangers my dad had met over the radio.
For me, the net is simply amazing. I communicate with family and friends -that are far away- thanks to the internet. But the most I like is to make new friends!
Liz
I remember how your daughter got us into this! We had a few laughs at first didn't we?? I'm proud at how far you have come in these few short months. I love blogging and am so very happy Jackie or should I say MJ? got us into it!
Small world indeed! How very fun for all of you!
Don't ya just love that internet! LOL It's a good way to make new friends and stay in touch with the ones you love as well as your old friends. Good post Rita! God Bless!
How neat that you have reconnected with some old friends. I was another person who resisted bringing the internet into our home, but I needed it for school. Now, I wouldn't be without it because of all the GREAT material there is out there to enrich our lives, and all the WONDERFUL new people I've met in the blogging world. I would love to find someone from my schooldays, too, especially if we now had a lot in common. All my friends from school in California are now feminists, career women, etc., but I think I MUST have gone to school with someone who ended up like me!! :-)
Hi, Rita! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving such a nice comment on my blog. Wow, am I ever impressed with the interesting life you must lead! I've heard that Venezuela is such a beautiful country. I've had a few 'small world' encounters since getting a computer, too...amazing how it's shrunk the world to only a click away, isn't it? Like you, I'll be back to visit again. Hope you have a blessed Easter holiday!
You went to school in Greenville, SC?? Cool, we live in Simpsonville when in the states. I came all the way to Romania and started a blog you went all the way to Venezuela and started a blog. And we were educated within 30 miles of each other.
And now even more new friends!
Saw you over at MissKris and had to check out your blog...I will be back! Neat to find another redhead! Yep we are for life, that be sure!! Though mine is not much red anymore either. Are you a plain truth, nothing but the truth, tell it as it is, kind of person? I am...and sometimes it is not accepted so well...in person I come across differently some too, I suppose...but I have enjoyed what I have seen here and glad to find you!
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