Well, I’m in Fairfield, Iowa tonight, preparing to resume my walking in the morning. My feet are now healthy, but still very tender, so I’ve them taped up with athletic tape and gauze, and I’m going to be watching them carefully.
My new hiking pants are wonderful; I think they’re going to solve the abrasion problem on my hips, although of course the proof will be in the pudding. And I’ve found ways to lighten my pack a bit; it’s down under sixty pounds now. Things are looking good!
My hoped-for route these next three days is the one you see on this map.
If you’ve looked at my schedule, you already know that tonight was the night I was hoping to meet for discernment with the first Friends community on my route, Fairfield Friends Church. But this was the most total failure I’ve had, of all the Friends communities I’ve reached out to on my route. I’d written them a letter a month ago, asking for a called meeting; I’d followed up the letter with a phone call. But I got a phone call back from the pastor on May 8, saying that the church was flatly refusing to meet with me.
“I will be honest with you,” the Fairfield pastor said. “We discussed this and decided not to invite you to speak to us. We’re not sure we agree with your plight. We thought your journey was too expensive for the purpose.” He added, “Besides, this will be the graduation day at our local high school; we will all be at parties for our kids.”
I wanted to leave the door open to a change of heart, so I told him I would spend the evening in worship and prayer near his church, in case anyone did want to meet with me. And so I did, but no one came.
I am struggling to resist the temptation to be judgmental. No doubt they were doing what seemed right in their own eyes.
But let’s face it: the environmental problems that could all too easily ruin the lives of these kids graduating here tonight, cannot be solved if we pass up opportunities to work out meaningful responses, whether it’s because we have negative preconceptions about one another or because we want to party instead or for whatever cause. There are good reasons why Christ talked so much about not letting opportunities slip through our fingers when they come. We have only a short time on earth, and only a limited number of chances to do it right.
And it’s not that I think there’s anything special about me personally. But here I am offering to do this work of getting corporate discernment on this matter going across the lines that normally divide us. When is the next volunteer going to come this way?
And I keep blaming myself — thinking that there must have been something I did wrong —
Oh, well. Fortunately I have twenty more Friends communities on my route that I can meet with. And thirteen of them — sixty-five per cent — have already said that they’re looking forward to it. Given that I couldn’t offer any of these communities a choice of dates, that high percentage of enthusiastic acceptances is very impressive!
And I am continuing to pray for Fairfield Friends, even as I write this — I don’t know them, but I think they must be good people.
Fairfield Friends Church
Well. Tomorrow will be the first night that I have to find a place to spend the night by knocking on farmers’ doors and asking permission to pitch a tent. I’ve had several letters from veteran cross-country walkers saying, Don’t worry about it, it’ll turn out okay. But of course my heart is still in my throat! I’m not used to depending on charity this way.
So I’m going to stop here, and pray a bit more for the Friends in Fairfield. And then I’m going to go to bed, so I can get up early in the morning. God willing, I’ll let you all know how the adventure unfolds from here.
Dear friends, my heart is with you all.
