Here’s the latest Murrell news: Jonathan, our fifteen-year-old, got his first #1 buzz cut since 2001. Many did not recognize him on Sunday at Bethel. Here’s the long and short of it.
Since we will be in the States for about five weeks (working on the re-structuring of ENLI and the Every Nation School of Campus Ministry), Coach Rice Broocks recruited James and Jonathan for his YMCA winter basketball team along with his fifteen-year-old son, William. James played the first game with his hair tied back in a ponytail, tennis-player style. Jonathan had his hair in his face, sheepdog style. Needless to say, Jonathan missed a few shots because he could not see the trees for the forest, or the goal through the hair, or something like that. After several air balls, or hair balls, the decision was final. The tennis hair had to go.
Immediately after the game, he went back in time and got a #1 buzz. His mother let out a bewildered gasp when she saw his bald head. She loved that wild, curly, long hair—probably because her husband has no hair to run her fingers through. Last time Jonathan had a #1 buzz, he was a cute huggable little kid with fat cheeks, the kind grandmothers like to pinch and kiss. According to his mother, he now looks like a Marine. I think he looks like Vico, or Pastor LA, or Josh B. He definitely does not look like Jonathan, at least not the Jonathan we have looked at for the past three years. Think of all the money we will save on shampoo. James is keeping his Nazirite hair thing until summer.
Since Deborah liked their long hair so much, I am thinking about growing mine out and sporting a wrap-around hairdo to cover up all my scalp. Either that or a wig since it is colder here in Nashville than in Manila, and I don’t want to get brain-freeze.