The view from the top of a mountain is always inspiring, but when combined with the excitement of evolving purpose and the exhaustion of an 8-hour, 8,000 foot climb, inspiration combines with pure wonder to direct the attention of the climber not only to the vastness of the expanse of land below and sky above but also inward, to the heart and soul.

It was matters of the soul that directed Dan Ramsey, a 1999 graduate of McKenzie High School and son of Van and Vickie Ramsey, to journey to Africa where he scaled the heights of Karthala, the largest active volcano in the Comore Islands with the largest active crater in the world. Grande Comore, on which Karthala is located, is the largest island in Comoros, a nation composed basically of four islands that lie in the Indian Ocean, off the easternmost coast of Mozambique along the south-eastern shore of Africa.

Trudging over the blackness of the lava-encrusted crater, with steam rising from hot spots within its boundaries adding a prehistoric aura to the barren landscape, Dan says it would not have been surprising had he seen dinosaurs enter the scene.

Adding to the mystery of his unfamiliar surroundings was the fact that he was in the company of eight complete strangers, one who was a missionary and seven who were native Comorians.

"I didn't know at that point if I could trust them," says Ramsey of his early dealings with the people he had come to serve through Baptist International Missions, Inc.

He soon learned that, other than petty thefts and the like, serious crime was rare in the culture where penalties were severe. As for the attitudes of the people, Dan says, "Their hospitality toward Americans was amazing."

He soon came to appreciate the people of the land as much as he enjoyed the pristine beauty of the white-sand beaches and jade-green waters that were as clear as the black of the sky at night which, Dan says, yielded a clearer view of the constellations than he had ever seen before due to the country's closer proximity to the equator. Seeing the big dipper inverted was a definite reminder that he was in the southern hemisphere of the world, where the differences in the African culture were as opposite as the orientation of the constellations.

Over the six and one half weeks that Ramsey dwelt among the Comorians, he was completely immersed within their society and culture, even wearing the traditional dress of the Comorian men: the long, intricately embroidered robe of thin cotton and a close-fitting cap that Dan says is more symbolic of the culture of the people than of their Islamic beliefs.

Serving as a missionary in an Islamic nation taught Ramsey the importance of detailed Biblical knowledge and a firm understanding of Christian concepts, especially because of the common historical origins among Christianity and the Moslem faith. As is described in Genesis, Abraham's wife, Sarah, gave birth to Isaac from whom the Jewish nation arose, while his servant, Hagar, was mother to Ishmael, who produced the Arabic peoples.

He gained a greater appreciation of the United States as well, seeing first hand the difference that the separation of church and state in America makes in contrast with the unity of government and religion in the Islamic regime. The absence of freedom of religion and of speech means a very real threat of persecution for those who would hear the Christian message.

Opposition to Christianity is so great, in fact, that Ramsey and other missionaries entered the country in the guise of teachers, and teach they did. "We spent four to six hours each day teaching English," he says. He and other teachers held three classes per day with around 20 students per class. The classes provided a forum for building relationships with the islanders that in turn provided the opportunity for witnessing about Christ.

Ramsey related two separate instances where an Islamic Comorian approached him at his residence, each saying he wanted to "learn more about Christianity so I can convert you." It was an opportunity to dispel erroneous conceptions the Islamic peoples hold regarding Christianity, which they view as the worship of three Gods because of the presence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, among other misconceptions.

Ramsey mused that the men's purpose in "learning in order to convert Christians to Islam" might actually be a desire to learn more about Christianity for its own sake. Remembrances of harsh punishments endured by fellow citizens act to keep most Christians silent in their faith. Ramsey related an instance in the past where four men who had accepted Bibles from missionaries were made to stand for hours in a sewage-filled hole before being brought out and publicly beaten.

In any case, he is confident that seeds were sown among the natives, some of whom may someday leave the rigid constraints of the Comorian government where they will be able to make choices regarding their beliefs without fear of retaliation.

Oppression in many forms as well as inescapable poverty are just part of the reason that, according to Ramsey, "one of the top two to three dreams (of the Comorians) is to come to America."

"They consider America to be a complete paradise," he says.

There is some promise in the fact that the younger generation of Comorians have begun an attempt to break away from the conventions of the past, discontent with meaningless customs that restrict freedoms or promote the continuation of poverty in what Dan terms a "sustenance economy", producing just enough food, goods and services for the basic needs of the people. Farmers, for instance, produce only enough food for their own families, with the day's priority being not work but socializing, game playing and praying, while their families live in huts with no electricity and frequently no running water.
  

By Joel Washburn
washburn@mckenziebanner.com

Residents along U.S. 79 (State Route 76) inspected the final drawings of a road plan to widen U.S. 79 from Milan to McKenzie, while bypassing both Trezevant and Atwood.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation on Monday conducted the first of two Corridor Public Hearings for the Environmental Assessment for State Route 76 (US 79) from U.S. 45E in Milan, Gibson County to the existing (5) five-lane section near Lawrence Street in McKenzie, Carroll County, Tennessee. The hearing was at McKenzie High School with a second hearing conducted on Tuesday at Milan High School on Tuesdays, July 24.

In Carroll County, officials presented two options to bypass Trezevant and Atwood, and three options for the approach into McKenzie from Trezevant. Charles Graves of TDOT said that this is the final hearing on these three options and citizens have up to ten days from the hearing to register their concerns with the TDOT. A final decision will be made in about two months on the

Atwood and Trezevant Bypasses - (12. 6 miles, $45 million cost for either option. No funding has been provided for this section)

Option 1: traveling north, the roadway will bypass Atwood to the east beginning at the Gibson/Carroll line and reconnect with the existing route at the "Y" in Atwood. It will then travel along the existing route until it gets near Trezevant and then bypasses that city to the east and ends at Cutlip Lane.

Option 2 - One constant bypass around Trezevant and Atwood - traveling north, the roadway will bypass Atwood and Trezevant beginning at the Gibson/Carroll line and again align with the existing route at Cutlip Lane between McKenzie and Trezevant. The roadway would go behind the new West Carroll High School. There is no plan to go through either Trezevant or Atwood.

McKenzie Approach: (This portion has been funded for survey and design).

Three options were again presented for the 3-mile section between Lawrence Street, next to Carroll Bank and Trust in McKenzie, and Sydnor Road. Whichever option is selected, right of way appraisal is expected to begin in the year 2003 and construction in 2004.

Option 1 - (3 miles, $9 million) driving south out of McKenzie, the proposed roadway is a five-lane highway aligned with the existing route for seven-tenths of a mile, then diverts east where the Connie Crocker home (14180 Hwy 79) now stands, again turns south and parallels the existing route several hundred feet east of the existing right of way until just south of Sydnor Road, where it rejoins the existing R.O.W. just south of the Half-Time Sports Bar. The route would displace two homes.

Option 2 - (3 miles, $9 million) traveling south - begins at Lawrence Street and travels along the existing R.O.W. to Rural King, where it diverts east between Rural King and Oak Manor Nursing Home. It then turns south and travels several hundred feet east of the existing right of way until just south of Sydnor Road, where it rejoins the existing R.O.W. just south of the Half-Time Sports Bar. Hamilton Street.

Option 3 - (3 miles, $12.5 million) travels along the existing route, making it five contiguous lanes from Lawrence Street to south of the Sports Bar. The travel speed on the roadway would be a maximum of 45 to 50 miles per hour. Enon Baptist Church would lose a portion of its parking lot, City Auto Sales and the former skating rink would have to be razed. The Taste of China would also be razed to realign Hamilton Street.

Between Sydnor Road and Cutlip Lane

Plans were displayed, however construction will not begin for five to six years. No funding has been provided for this section.

Milan to Carroll County Line

Property appraisals for right of way purchase will begin in the year 2002 with construction slated to begin in late 2003. The railroad overpass in Milan will be replaced to accommodate the new roadway.

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One outdated custom that is at issue between the older and younger generations is the belief that one's best match in marriage is a first-cousin, and failing that, a union with someone in the same village. Those who marry outsiders are looked down upon by the rest of the community, and options for serving in government positions and other advancements are closed to them.

Another practice that may face a gradual decline among the younger population is that of the "grand marriage". Families save for up to 30 years in order to participate in the grand marriage celebrations that take place over several days in August, the only month in which the custom is practiced. Traditionally, men who are able to afford a grand marriage are eligible for public office and other positions of status. Ramsey explains that the couple participating in the grand marriage celebration may already have been married for many years at the time the grand marriage takes place. In fact, a Comorian man may have up to four wives.

That all grand marriages take place in August - a fact that wreaks havoc in the local economy with all the money flowing in during one month - is particularly disturbing to the young man who has had a great interest in economics since high school, when he participated in two years of mock investment activities in marketing class before beginning to invest his own monies.

"I did real well both years," he says concerning his simulated investments. What is more, he continues, "I enjoyed it." After investing in the real market, he says, "I still enjoy it most of the time."

His investments have been so successful and his insights into the market so keen that he was written up recently in "Investor's Business Daily" in a review that leaves one wondering at the mind of the young man who is already so astute in his investments.

Less clear in his mind is his direction for the future with his interests split between economics and the possibility of becoming a medical doctor. Regardless of his decision, he has a view of the future for making a difference. "If I decide not to do medicine I'll find something that fits me," he says, relating financial fields such as international business, international trade, world trade, and economic development in third-world countries or through NATO or the European Union as possibilities in his future.

Having already spent two years at Vanderbilt, where he took mostly core classes as well as some pre-med courses, he leaves in just a few weeks for Harvard where he will complete his education.

His acceptance into the prestigious universities is a fact that he once would have considered impossible due to the extremely high costs as compared to other universities. What he discovered, however, is that "if you can get into the school then they'll let you afford it" through scholarships, grants and the like.

Since his graduation from high school, an underlying goal in every new endeavor has been to encounter "greater challenges." From moving away from home to attend college, to meeting diverse peoples within the larger community of Nashville, to accepting the risks of his investments, to traveling to other continents and exploring foreign lands and customs, Ramsey has met and grown from each challenge.

"It's been those challenges that have allowed me to understand myself better," he says, "Coming back home cements that and makes me aware of what has happened - how much I have changed. Everything is put in perspective."