As Matthew sat in the semi-darkness of his study, he thought; “A I reflect upon all of that,
I must admit that I was not honest. But I saved my butt that day. I had to put on a “mask”
And pretend to be the good and perfect student. Yes, I saved my butt that day by lying.” As he sipped
His coffee, he continued to reflect on his past, and the events that had lead up to his present situation.
The school year at the seminary finally came to a close. Matthew received an assignment to serve as
Pastor of New Hope Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For Matthew, it was the fulfillment of
His dreams. He was delighted with the assignment. It was over; yet during the school year, Matthew had
To deal with the glances and the whispers. He had to ignore all of that and focus on his school work. Now,
With this assignment, he had reached his goals. Nothing could derail his hopes and dreams.
A week after receiving the assignment to pastor New Hope Church, Matthew heard from the contact
Person from the church. His name was Phillip Yang, a twenty year old Asian American. This person was
To help Matthew make arrangements to visit the congregation and get settled in the city, For some weeks,
The two communicated over the phone and through e-mails. When Matthew had finished his course
Work and had graduated , he was able to make the trip to visit his new congregation. He first went home
To visit family in St. Louis, before flying to Milwaukee.
When the plane landed at General Mitchell airport in Milwaukee. Phillip was there to meet Matthew
In the baggage area of the airport. All that Matthew knew was that he was to look for an Asian man
Holding a sign that said, “Matthew Payne.” Sure enough, he spotted Phillip Yang. Phillip seemed like
A nice looking young man, with short black hair, with a average build and height.
“Phillip Yang? Nice to finally see the face behind the phone calls and the e-mails.” As they shook
Hands, each sized up the other. Phillip said, It's nice to meet you after all this time. Let's go and get
Your bags, and then we'll be on our way. We've got you in a hotel in downtown. It isn't far from
Here.”
While they were riding to the hotel, Matthew asked Phillip about himself and about his family.
What Matthew was able to learn was that Phillip was unmarried. He was from the Chicago area and
Worked for a computer software company. The two men exchanged small talk for some time. It
Seemed that they were becoming fast friends. There seemed to be an attraction between the two
Men.
Matthew rubbed his eyes; he was still tired from his flight, and he was looking forward to a nice
Dinner before going to bed. As they were riding in the car, Matthew realized that for some reason, he
Could not take his eyes off of Phillip. There was something about Phillip that attracted Matthew. It
Was during all of this, that Matthew thought to himself; “ I'll be a pastor in a few weeks. I need to
Remember what happened back at the seminary with David Ball. I can't let anything move me from
My goal of serving as a pastor.” He thought that he was imaging things, it almost seemed that Phillip
Noticed him as well. Matthew felt that Phillip might have been flirting with him. Matthew thought to
Himself. “O crap!”
When they had arrived at the hotel, they decided to have some dinner before Matthew turned in
For the evening. Matthew checked his schedule of events that would occupy him for the week of his
Stay. It would be a full schedule of visits and meetings with church members and church leaders. There
Seemed to be little time for rest or to see the city. He had never been to Milwaukee before, and he wanted
To see some of the city before he returned to St. Louis.
Dinner went well, and the two men carried on as if they were old friends. “So, Phillip, the old women
At the church haven't tried to marry you off yet?” “No, but it hasn't been from a lacking of trying.. I
Just haven't found my type yet.” Matthew asked, “What is your type?” Phillip winked and said, “I'll
Let you know.” Matthew thought about his own situation. He knew in time that the old ladies of the
Church would try to set him up with a wife. He thought that might not be too bad. At least He put the
Relationship with David behind him and move on with his life. Both men enjoyed each other's company,
And when supper had ended, it was time to go to bed. They said their goodbyes in the hotel lobby and
Matthew went to his room to prepare for bed. As he got ready for bed, he thought, “ Phillip is really a nice
Looking man. I'd like to get to know him more.” He climbed into bed, turned out the light and went to
Sleep.
