Wilko and me.
I basically started this blog because I wanted to write about Star Wars and Jesus. For two years I have kept true to that desire while mixing in some Avengers, Battlestar Galactica and a little bit of preaching. I didn’t know that my desire to write about nerdclinations and Jesus would lead to a friendship spanning thousands of miles.
One of the first regular readers at TheChristianNerd was Wilko, a nerd living in the African country of Namibia, who has also written this blog’s only guest post. He and I first interacted with each other in the comments section and later through Twitter and Facebook. At some point we went from Internet acquaintances to Internet friends, checking in on each other’s lives and ministries. This past December we went from Internet friends to actual friends as Wilko and his brother visited the United States and we got to meet each other in real life.
It’s not often that people plan their first trip to the United States and want to spend time in Rancho Cucamonga. The suburban lifestyle isn’t that exciting but Alycia and I were more than happy to host Wilko and his brother. Actually we were pretty much trusting in God. Most stories about inviting people you meet on the Internet into your home don’t end that well. Thankfully God knew what he was doing in bringing Wilko and me together.
Not only did Wilko and his brother visit Rancho Cucamonga but they also went on an inner-city mission trip with our high school group. It was amazing to know that even though we come from opposite sides of the world, we were able to partner together in serving our one true God. God’s love doesn’t know any borders and apparently nerdom doesn’t either.
I can’t say that I’ll invite everyone who comments on this blog into my home. I can say, though, that I was blessed to have Wilko and his brother in my home. I was blessed through our Internet friendship and I found deeper blessings through our real life friendship. A friendship I hope to continue through many years and sequels to The Avengers.
How has a friendship surprised you?
What a blessing for both of you. Yes, Grandma and I hosted a friend in Ecuador which changed our lives, bringing us to Mt. Miguel. This, in turn, pretty much determined a lot of your life. More later.
I can’t wait.
I’ve actually had several Internet friendships become real friendships. A salsa friend in Miami, a blogging friend in DC and a blog reader in LA 🙂
That’s awesome.
I like this. often my friendship with Wilko has surprised me! Closer than a brother and a fellow warrior of both the Nerddom and The Kingdom. It makes me happy that you could have met… and of course that he wasnt an axe murderer.
Yeah, the trip would have turned south had he killed Alycia and me. When are you coming out to Southern California, Morgan?
What a blessed time with Scott and his wife, while we we were over in California!
Also, although 500+ posts on this blog should be sufficient to convince anyone, meeting Scott has confirmed that he is indeed at the forefront of all things nerdy and Christian. For anyone who’s still doubting.
That must have been a wonderful experience. I have found that my virtual friends have been a life saver. Its funny and difficult to be the odd ball of the family. I was that way growing up and I’m that way now in the church. Finding cyber friends with similar interests has helped me to resolve the Geek and the Christian. I’m very thankful for my Cyber friends!