Yesterday we drove a beautiful stretch of road from Mountain View to Mountain Home, Arkansas. We were hoping to have a repair completed on our water heater and an inverter remote and be on our way toward Missouri and the Worldview Bible Conference later this week, but plans change and so did ours. We spent the day on the south side of the shop and moved to the north side of the shop and spent the night. The repair will probably take until tomorrow and then, maybe, we can head to Branson and being with our good friends Larry and Kari.
Part of the day we spent at the ma-and-pa restaurant across the road, talking with people about our ministry and the hope we have for a repair-free eternity. That will probably be our "pulpit" for part of today as well. We have been blessed by God with caring and capable repair people and the means to meet the expenses of those repairs. As I wrote to a friend in Fort Collins, we're "helping the economy and serving God". We have tried to resist the tendency to "bemoan our fate" and just take the opportunity to meet people and minister when there are few miles traveled. Our ministry is much more than miles on the odometer or new places to visit. There is less urgency in the daily destination and more care given to the person in front of us and the conversation in that moment. "Seizing the moment" means something different to me now.
While we were in Mountain View, AR over the weekend, we were able to experience the flavor of a simpler time: candle making, dolls made from corn husks, whittling, gun smithing, herb gardens, weaving, spinning wool, one-room school, acoustic music, Easter church in the Pickin' Shed, ten or more folk music groups in a city block area and no beer or alcohol in sight among the listeners or the players, Mary, a just-turned nine fiddle player with amazing ability and a proud papa, kettle corn and ice cream and an old hippie band with no marijuana (medical or otherwise) celebrating nearly 40 years performing at the Folk Music Festival. We made new friends, including Bear and Shorty, bass player Ron from the glass shop and his twin brother Don, and we shared our lives with a host of people. Some of these people we may meet again and some not in this life, but will in the one to come. We find the people of our age group generally have a deep faith and are at peace with the "trials" we endure and rest on the promises of God and the Hope He offers. Denominations seem to pale in significance to the Person of Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit and our Heavenly Father and a desire to be at peace with a world that doesn't tolerate us as we are called to tolerate them.
It's been an adventure, this Ministry of Miles, and even though we are behind the shop once more, we know that we have this bright, sunny day and this moment to enjoy and be thankful for and that's what we plan to do. Thank You, Lord. We trust You and what You have for us "up the road".
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Having read this blog I extremely appreciate the notation of capable repair people. I am one of those repair people. I must say it has been a joy to have met these wonderful people. In a way I wish that their rv was never repaired so I could continue to have daily interactions with both of them. They are remarkable people.
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