The Adventure

I was part of a church that had for its motto, “Share His Adventure”.  It was a reminder that God was doing something and we could be involved in it.  It was God’s adventure and we were able, if we chose, to join the journey. His journey, His adventure. Now, this adventure journey that we can go on, can and will lead us to great experiences and encounters.  And sometimes, the journey that we are on will intersect with a journey that someone else is on.  This story is about such an intersection.

The last week of July found us in eastern Washington visiting T.’s parents for a few days.  They live on one side of the Snake River and Idaho is on the other.  One day, we all went to a park along the riverfront on the Idaho side. This would, hopefully, be a good spot for me to take photographs and a great place for our little one to run and play and swing. 

The riverbank was and easy little climb and at the top there was a paved walkway.  I took a few shots, but all in all, there wasn’t a whole lot to photograph.  I found a bench facing the river and sat down.  I guess I was hoping something might catch my eye.  And something did.

As I was sitting there, I noticed that there were three teenagers, two girls and a guy, angling their way up the riverbank heading toward me. As they were approaching they said hi to me. And then they asked me this question.

“Do you know where we could buy a Frisbee?”

I told them that I did not, because I was not from here, but there might be some shops down the road.

Them:  “Oh.  Well we’re not from here either.  We are on a mission trip.  Where are you from then?”

Me:  “Oregon.  From the Salem area.”
One of Them:  I have an aunt who I think is from there.  I visited there a long time ago and went to the ocean.”
Me:  “Where are you guys from?”
Them:  “Nebraska.”
Me:  “My dad was from Valentine, Nebraska.”
Them: “Cool.”
Me:   “So, you said you are on a mission trip?”
Them:  “Yeah, have you heard of YWAM?” 
Me:  “Yes, Youth With a Mission.  That’s neat.  So what church are you from?”
Them:  Trinity Lutheran Church.”
One of Them: “So, are you a Christian?” 
Me:  “Yes.  I go to Capital Baptist Church. And my wife and I work with youth and college age group”
Same One of Them:  “ So, you’re a strong Christian then?”
Me:  “As strong as I can be, being me.”
Still Me:  “How’s the mission trip going?  And what are you doing for it?”
Them:  We’ve been at an Indian reservation.  Talking and playing with the kids.  We leave tomorrow.  It has been a neat experience.  We’ve been gone two weeks.  The first part of the trip was a little spiritual retreat reading the Bible and strengthening our relationship with God.”
Me: “It is very exciting to see you guys serving the Lord like this.  Just understand that once the emotional feeling starts to dissipate and you are back home, don’t forget the work and encounters you have had.  Even though the excitement has gone, you did good stuff by  sharing your faith in Christ.”

We then exchanged names and talked for a while about different things.   I could tell that this mission trip had made an impact on A., M., and J.’s life and they were going back to their homes different. 

One of Them:  “I still can’t believe how beautiful it is here. With the mountains and trees.  It’s just gorgeous.”

At this point, I look at the surroundings as well.  All I see is brown dirty hills and scrawny little trees.  Coming from the Northwest, my standard of beauty is Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainer, the Cascade Range, the mighty Columbia River, evergreens side by side, packed together like sardines, and the great Pacific.  Eastern Washington, compare to that, is wanting.

But coming from Nebraska, as they were, and coming from flat, this is a welcome and noticeable change.  If they liked this, they would love Oregon.

One of Them:  “Can we pray with you?”

Me: “Yes, and I want to pray for you guys as well.”

And there we were, a high school sophomore, a junior, a senior, and an adult standing in a circle on the edge of a riverbank holding hands and bowing our heads. Three Lutherans and a Baptist joining together with one heart and mind praying for one another.  We were just four people from the Midwest and from the Northwest, together with our God. I would argue that this was no coincidence.  After we said goodbye, I couldn’t help but wonder if their initial question of wanting to buy a Frisbee was their way to open up a conversation about Jesus to a stranger.  

As they were on their journey sharing His adventure and I on mine, we were, for but a moment, put together.  And even though they came west for one purpose and I came east for another, we met.  And we rejoiced together.  And we encouraged each other.  And I believe we, in some way, recognized that even though our Christian journey takes us on different paths and experiences, that journey will always lead us to one place.  At His feet.

What a journey!  What an adventure!