I kept walking and listening to some praise songs on my MP3 player. I thought about going around the park a 2nd time, but I was weighing the pros and cons of such: "Should I? The police are there. Maybe I should just avoid this area for now. I don't want to get mixed up in anything. I don't know this culture and how the policemen feel about criminal situations and "onlookers" or nosy people wondering what's going on." Although, as I was passing by the area and continuing on around the park, I was noticing several people stopping and looking and talking together. So ... since I had noticed some other walkers going around the park I thought, "I'll just go around one more time and pay attention to myself and not appear "nosy" about whatever that situation is with the mom and the son and I should be fine."
As I headed back around near to the roped off section, I noticed more people looking and talking. I looked over and saw what appeared to be a bundle of stuff near to the front gate of the fish restaurant, I thought: "Oh no -- that boy WAS trying to rob the place and that's the stuff that he was trying to get away with."
BUT ... as I walked closer to the area, I looked over again and saw legs and feet sticking out of a covered up head and torso. I kept walking. Then it actually dawned on me -- that was a PERSON, NOT a bundle of "stuff!!" Oh my goodness!! That was a man laying there covered up!! (I assumed it was a man from the appearance of the pants and shoes.) AND ... from the way they were covered, I believe they are DEAD!!
Then a flood of thoughts came into my mind -- as I was still walking and listening to my music. Oh no!! This is a "dead person" situation -- NOT a young man trying to rob a fish restaurant. The police are here -- I don't know how they feel about onlookers and gawkers. Get away from here!! BUT I also had the thoughts of how my appearance -- just walking by and listening to my music -- may appear to those others around: I had on my Virginia Tech T-shirt on, so I figure I looked pretty "American." Also -- I'm a Christian, and if anyone knows that Julio and Miriam house Christian missionaries -- I'm a representative of Christ here -- and I'm not appearing to look very compassionate or "feeling" in this scenario -- I'm just walking along, getting my exercise walk in for the day. I didn't stop and talk to anyone -- because I am not confident in my current ability to converse in Spanish -- especially in this type of "atypical" moment!! I couldn't even think of how to say "What happened?" at the time! Plus, I didn't want to appear to be a "gawker" and possibly frustrate the police and then get into some type of trouble. But yet I felt so troubled in that I wasn't appearing to be "moved" at all. I just kept walking. However, at that point I was praying -- praying for the man's family and others around. From my initial glance of the pants and shoes I wondered if he might be a homeless man. And I was wondering - will anyone miss this man? Will anyone notice that he's gone? Hmmm.... just a flood of thoughts and questions and concerns as I was in a foreign culture in an exremely "foreign situation" and not at all confident in being able to talk to anyone about what I had just seen or to give an appropriate expression of concern!! Wow....
An uncanny thing about the situation too was that I was listening to a Point of Grace song called "Any Way" that talks about seeing God in unexpected places. And the singer was singing about "unexpected places" right as I looked over and saw that the "bundle" was actually a person and not "stuff." That also caused me to think and question, "God how am I too see You here? How am I to "be" You here (ie. Christ in me) in this moment?" And as I kept walking -- wondering, questioning, thinking, praying I just felt so inept like I didn't know WHAT to do -- except pray. Which IS indeed important, but, as a witness to others ... they can't see that you're praying ... they just see an American walking on by, appearing like this has not phased them in the least. Sigh .... I felt like I was possibly giving the USA a "bad reputation" too as they might see me and my reaction and think: "Jeapers -- that lady's not phased in the least -- they probably see this kind of thing all the time in the USA for her not to be affected or to stop and look and talk!"
So I returned home and talked with Rick and another missionary friend in our house. Then, I saw Miriam, our house hostess, and told her -- as best as I could with my limited Spanish. She said that she would go over to the park and see what was going on. I asked to go with her -- to possibly redeem myself in the situation, so that others would know that I DID care and that I DID notice that this is a person laying here -- dead.
Sure enough -- the body was still there -- now uncovered -- and the police and inspectors and examiners were dealing with him. He was a younger man -- probably in his late 20's or early 30's and the assumption at the time was that he had a heart attack or fell and bumped his head and died at about 6:00 a.m. this morning. (I had taken my walk at about 7:30 a.m.) He lived in a home 1 block over -- and was possibly taking a walk this a.m. His brother was there talking with the inspectors, etc... (Miriam gleaned this information from a young lady that was standing nearby.) There were still quite a lot of people standing around looking and talking. Apparently, the police do not mind people standing and looking on and in this Peruvian culture, it's okay.
I left to come on back to the house as Miriam stayed behind. I was thankful -- one man that had been there from earlier in the morning -- whom I had walked around twice -- was still there and saw me return. I felt like maybe my earlier, seemingly "uncaring" manner of walking on by might be redeemed in his eyes. I don't know. Even thinking in this way is awkward to me. Like: "Am I more concerned over my reputation than the fact that a man dropped dead this morning?" It's all so weird. As a Christian, I'm a representative of Christ in the world -- we are to be salt and light -- showing His love and compassion to others. I wanted to -- but in that moment, I did not know how -- and then as a result, felt like a bad example of Christ and a negative reflection of Him to my world around me. I thought, "In the USA would I have done anything differently?" I believe I would have at least stopped and talked to others around and asked "What happened?" and maybe prayed with some of those around. In fact, I HAVE done that before. But here -- in a foreign land, in a foreign culture, and in an "unknown tongue" I was just "stuck" with not knowing what to do. It's a very weird situation. I am still left with some questions about it all.
But -- all the more reason to learn the language and continue practicing conversation in "neutral" sorts of moments -- so that in crisis moments, the words will be there. And ... to be more mindful of my actions and how my behavior may appear to others. I wish I would have at least stopped this morning -- to show some sort of concern, or respect, as when a funeral procession goes by and cars stop out of respect for the dead. But again, as a foreigner, I wasn't too sure about stopping with the police presence there. But others had stopped and looked, so I probably could have too. Sigh...
As Rick says -- "you'll learn from this experience (hopefully) and proceed differently next time." (Hopefully there won't be a "next time" of this type of scenario!) But ... I know he's just talking about being "ready" as I Peter 3:15 speaks about -- AND being ready to be salt and light and to show Christ's love to the world around me.
I've SO MUCH to learn! Wow!
AND --- this was also a good, stark reminder for us all that one never knows when your time on earth will be done. All the more reason to be SURE that you are "READY" to meet Jesus and that you have received His gift of eternal life. I sure hope that man had trusted in Jesus. I imagine when he woke up this morning, he had no clue that it would be his last.
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