In the height of the...
Illustration
In the height of the Vietnam War, a group of draft dodgers arrived in a small Canadian prairie town. The reaction was immediate. Nobody wanted these "draft-dodging hippies" in their town. Landlords were urged to refuse them accommodation, storekeepers to be rude, and the citizenship to simply ignore them.
But there was Janice. Janice was an influential person in the community. She sat on the town council, one of the few women who did, was chair of the school board, and a leading member of the largest church in town. Everyone was shocked when Janice walked up to the house of the town's newest residents and offered them a plate of homemade cookies.
Janice did not agree with the war in Vietnam, yet she also believed one should fulfill one's duty to his or her country. So she was of two minds about the draft dodgers' actions. But, as she said later, they were only scared kids and as human beings they deserved as much love and respect as the next person. She wrote several editorials to the newspaper and spoke out in church about the need to accept these new citizens.
Unfortunately, Janice was not influential in this effort. The draft dodgers' home was egged and covered with paint. Their car was vandalized. It didn't take long before they moved on.
One wonders if Janice wasn't the Noah of that town; was it she who walked with God while the rest were awash in hatred and sin?
But there was Janice. Janice was an influential person in the community. She sat on the town council, one of the few women who did, was chair of the school board, and a leading member of the largest church in town. Everyone was shocked when Janice walked up to the house of the town's newest residents and offered them a plate of homemade cookies.
Janice did not agree with the war in Vietnam, yet she also believed one should fulfill one's duty to his or her country. So she was of two minds about the draft dodgers' actions. But, as she said later, they were only scared kids and as human beings they deserved as much love and respect as the next person. She wrote several editorials to the newspaper and spoke out in church about the need to accept these new citizens.
Unfortunately, Janice was not influential in this effort. The draft dodgers' home was egged and covered with paint. Their car was vandalized. It didn't take long before they moved on.
One wonders if Janice wasn't the Noah of that town; was it she who walked with God while the rest were awash in hatred and sin?
