So, what if you're late for tea?

So I’m a bit late to the discussion. I read Three Cups of Tea, finishing it in early July, but never added anything to the discussion. So now, I feel some strange need to write about it before I can go on to write about Jane Eyre. So, appearing “so last-month,” here are my thoughts:
I am so very impressed and inspired by Greg Mortenson and his work. I think sometimes people are placed at the right place, at the right time, for a very important reason. Greg happens to be one of these people. Greg finds himself lost and on the verge of death & by chance ends up walking lost into a village where the people take care of him and nurse him back to health. Through this experience he was able to bond with the people of Korphe and make a HUGE difference to MANY people not only in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but here in America. I don’t think he would’ve been able to tell the same story, if he had just walked in to Korphe lost, but healthy. I also don’t think most people would have been able to do what he did/does. . It makes me wonder how many times we are faced with an opportunity, hardship or trial that we just struggle through & are so self-absorbed we just move to the next thing, when it could be an opportunity to make things better for others.
He’s doing so much more than just building schools. Greg truly loves the children and people he helps; he is a “super-hero” of sorts. I think many of us, as Americans, hold ourselves above the rest of the world and somehow by just being American, we’re making the world a better place. We take so many things for granted, not excluding our education. How ignorant and selfish we are. Greg helps put things into perspective and opens our eyes. He puts EVERYTHING into his work (and yes, I agree, his wife must be an amazing woman!).
It was refreshing to read something so heartwarming and much broader view of the Muslims than what is so frequently shoved down our throats by our American media (and books I’ve read recently). Ignorance is the enemy (and yes, it works both ways!) It’s amazing to see what just ONE person can do to make a change to so many lives. I am so inspired and humbled by his devotion to serve and make things better. I highly recommend this book. If you didn’t get a chance to read it, please pick it up! If you have a copy, pass it along to a friend!