A Greyhound Guide to Community?

Well our plans have switched a little. After two days of waiting for a ride in Sacramento Trevor and I were getting impatient and worried that we wouldn’t make it to DC in time for Lindsay and Chaune’s arrival. That’s not to mention the three and four hour waits we did in the rain throughout California.

Like our sign?

Now to many it may seem like we have given up but Trev and I are just switching gears. I like to think of it as kicking it up a notch. We both purchased two month long Greyhound passes today (with the help of our gracious parents). This way we will be able to visit more communities and take our time getting to know them. I hope none of you are to disappointed in our decision. I know it brings a little peace of mind to those back home. We still plan on keeping our blog. This trip is by no means over. We really have just changed the fashion of it a bit. Hope you all are still interested! Until we meet again.

The Wonderful Welchs

Kellee and I got stuck in a quaint town by the name of Dunnigan where we were informed “[people] fuck sheep.” Stranded at a Pilot/Wendy’s, we dug up an obscure connection with Kellee’s brother-in-law’s boss, Kevin Welch. But this ended up being anything but a last resort. Deb and Kevin are basically saints. Kevin picked us up in a warm cadi, almost an hour north of his house in a town he was afraid to venture to in the past. That “above and beyond” attitude continued throughout our stay. Deb and Kevin took hospitality to a new level, not only were we cleaned, fed, showered, sheltered and comforted, but we were respected in our stage of life, something truly rare to experience around adults. Kell and I get plenty of headshakes and safe wishes, but no one that defends our view verses our parents, no one that encourages us quite like the Welch family. They have prepared us for the journey ahead. Not just because our clothes are clean, our bellies are full and we smell a lot better, but our direction is restored and our motivation replenished. Thank you Kevin and Deb.

The first time I met Kevin was at the wedding and we definitely connected. Even though Kevin is extremely chill and an old time hippy I still felt a bit uncomfortable calling him and asking to stay with him. We practically stalked him online for his number. All we knew was his name and that he lived in Sacramento. At first, it was near impossible to not feel intrusive. But from the moment he picked us up in hick-ville, the environment was nothing but welcoming. Kevin spoke of us as family and it was incredible how caring and generous both him and Deb were. After driving far out of his way and giving us a place to rest our head, we woke up in the morning to find breakfast prepared and everything. That started our day off great. But after waiting eight hours, in decent weather, Trevor and I still ended up disappointed. Good ol’ Sacramento didn’t bring us much luck. Once again we asked Kevin for help and, once again, him and Deb were nothing but great. Kevin thought in was written that we spend more time together. As the night grew older we enjoyed each other’s company AND an incredible homemade macaroni and cheese. While Deb and Trev prepared the food, I got the opportunity to sit back and simply enjoy conversation. Kevin and I came to the conclusion that we were kindred spirits. We shared stories and thoughts with that I’ll definitely cherish. Anyways, enough with the mooshy. What I’m trying to say is that Kevin and Deb are the very definition of awesome. We’ve had a great stay with them and are definitely prepared to continue our journey. I mean, we’re practically ready to conquer the world.

#9

Well todays post will be short. Trev and I went in and explored San Francisco a bit. His Aunt Elaine treated us, Dave, Caleb, and Riley to dinner. It was terrific! But that’s pretty much all we did. Now that I’m mostly recovered we’re hitting the road again tomorrow… it’s about time. Well I suppose you’ll hear from us again soon, hopefully you’ll see pictures again… haha.

Nice People on Day Eight

Oh goodness…literally. Kell and I slept in…again. No morning prayer for us. My defense is the name is oxymoronic. Morning Prayer. Prayer=Good, Morning=suck balls. It just doesn’t compute with me. Six thirty may as well be a foreign phrase. We did get some church activity in though. In addition to being TAKEN OUT TO A THAI RESTAURANT (Thanks again Tim), merely because Kell and I mentioned to Tim Otto that we enjoyed the ethnic cuisine, we got to sit in on the first half of a apprentice teaching and discernment meeting. Potrero, the house we stayed at, is the house where the apprentices live. So, the people we spent the most time with were the ones that were at this meeting. Unfortunately we did not get to listen in on the discernment part, but we did participate in the teaching discussion. Couldn’t tell you what they were reading, but it was a good discussion. Good people tend to have those. Then with a bittersweet farewell, Kellee and I were off to Elaine’s building about a mile and a half away. It was almost a mini Walker reunion here tonight. I can’t even remember the last time I saw Erin Walker, and I’ve never met her two kids. And Moser happened to be here too and I have seen her in four years. Crazy. We got some good family down here.

Church of the Sojourners… Day 2

Uuuuuummmmmmmmmm. Well we apologize again for having another late post… and still no pictures… it’s not always my fault although it seems that I’m the one who does catch up. Yesterday was really great. We had a pretty slow morning seeing as Mondays are pretty slow days for the community. Most people are either at work or enjoying a nice, slow last day of their weekend. But around eleven or twelve Adam walked us over to the Florida house so that we could meet a woman named Edith. She is one of the founders of the community. We ate lunch, baked potatoes and vegetarian chile, and talked with her for hours. She gave us a book that her husband wrote called, How to become a Saint. Everyone in the community says that it’s a horrible title for such a great  book. After our long discussion with Edith we joined a few of the other members of the community in God Squad! It’s sort of a children’s bible study or small group. Trevor and I split up and even though I haven’t been feeling great I had a blast. There is something about children that is just unexplainable. They are just so free. From the moment Trevor and I walked into the kids room I knew it was going to be great. Three of the boys were literally jumping and climbing on top of John. They had the courtesy to at least put pillows down before leaping on his face. I went with the seven and eight year olds. We had a girl name Gigi and a boy named Leo. Both were incredibly rambunctious and destructive in the best possible way. Gigi giggled constantly and Leo is totally different story. I was told he used to drink soy sauce plain… didn’t believe it at first, but i was definitely proved wrong. From the way Leo shoveled popcorn into his mouth to him licking plato off his fingers, he was a character to say the least. After walking the kids home form God Squad I rested up a little before dinner. They were having family dinner which consisted of nearly twelve including Trevor and I.

Adam and Amanda's daughter Lily

And a few people were unable to be there. We had spaghetti and salad made by Robert, Adam and Renata. Absolutely delicious. Things kind of wound down from there. We finished the night watching a documentary about corporations with Robert and Levi. IT was really long… I definitely fell asleep… haha. I guess that kind of explains why I’m blogging today. Well Trevor will catch you up with todays on-goings a little later tonight. We’ll be staying with his Aunt Elaine tonight who lives in Petaluma, it’s a little north of here. This really has been a great experience so far. We’ve met some incredible people that we’ll never forget.

Check out our “Words of Wisdom” page… We added a new one from yesterday

Church of the Sojourners!!!!

It was a long way to get here, but it was well worth it. We waited about two hours for a ride out of Eureka. (Signs help ladies and gentleman). Christine took us the whole way and that was a great car ride. We even got to ride the bart here. (I WAS UNDER WATER!!!)

This place reminds me a lot of Church of the Servant King, but in the same aspect they have their own unique beauty. Unfortunately did not get here in time for worship and caught about the last 20 minutes, which included some singing, communion and passing the peace. Most people have this view of me that I’ll do anything socially, but I have to admit I was a little uncomfortable with just how many people came up and gave us hugs. But, uncomfortable in a good way. After conversations began to disperse, Levi took us to one of their houses, (the one he lives at), and Kell and I hung in the kitchen talking to them about what’s going on here. Kell went to bed early, in fact, she’s sleeping now so be quiet guys. She’s not doing too hot. Two days on the road have taken a toll on her body. I hope she recovers quickly. Hitchhiking is almost intolerable without physical ailment. I love how diverse and varied peoples’ lives are here. They differ so much in occupation and personality and service and even diet, yet remain a tight Christian community. And I continue to be amazed how humble they are about themselves. And hospitality is just assumed. It’s so crazy how practical they are about living as a Christian. It really feels like it has been fused with their everyday live by changing the setting of church from a sunday meeting to a living and breathing community. Sojourners may have the humility to not preach for this way of life, but I cannot help but think that the Church should move in this direction. It just makes sense.

And on the Fifth day…

Kellee and Trevor were still not in San Francisco. Although we met some really great people Trevor and I were a little dissapointted in our difficult to hitch rides. Sorry about not posting last night, we were both pretty exhausted. But we are within reach of San Francisco and we’re persevering. I’ve been feeling a little sick and hope to overcome it soon. Our rides were great and from very kind people. One couple was extremely kind and even offered us their e-mail so that they could read about us on our blog. And once again we just want thank them for their kindness. 🙂 After we waited two or three hours we hitched our second ride of the day from a young woman by the name of Jennifer. She drove us all the way to Eureka, about eighty miles. So now were camped off the rode a bit and hoping to get a little bit of weather protection from the trees around us. Hope to write you from San Francisco soon!!

Day Four.

The Arc (Where we stayed)

When asked if we needed a quick breakfast ready for us early or a late breakfast at the Salon, we opted for a some good coffee and home-made blueberry pancakes with Suzie. That turned into a good conversation and kept an easy pace on our day. (It may be no surprise to anyone who might call themselves my friend that I have not got up before 8 any day we’ve been on the road). She sent us off with a hug and some books she had duplicates of, so Kellee and I were off to Theos for a quick goodbye so we could hit the road. We got lots of smiles. Hopefully it was because they liked us and not because they were excited for us to leave, because Kell and I would have loved to spend more time with each of them. But DC calls us south, so we took off around 11.

Yup, that's what that is...

So my mom told me that this is  the weed capital of the northwest.Good ol’ Grants Pass… hahah. That’s just a picture of a drug bust back in November. 200 POUNDS of marijuana!! It was for a medical marijuana clinic, they are only allowed 20 pounds for their nine patients. I think they went a little over their quota.

DENNYS!!

Anyways, that’s just a little town history for you so this is where we’re staying for the night. We’re actually planning on camping inside Denny’s for the night… It was a pretty cold day and the night, of coarse, only got colder. So that’s where we are now, sipping coffee and writing our blog.

Church of the Servant King

The gospel is a real thing here. I mean, obviously it’s a real thing everywhere, but these people have incorporated it into their life in a way I have never experienced before. I am reminded of Shane Claiborne’s charge, “What if Jesus really meant what he said?” The members of the Church of the Servant King have really begun to answer that and incorporated it into their lives. As far as radical goes however, they’re not too bad. Income is all separate. However, most members are employees at the Church businesses, including Theos Cafe, Windows Book Sellers, and their publishing company. Even though these businesses are owned by specific members of the Church, I was informed that they are a mere afterthought of the community. And what a cool thought it is. Multiple members thoroughly enjoy the non-evasive contact with the community, as the Church is conscious of not being too inwardly focus. They seem to balance support and church activity with service pretty well. Two of the members volunteer in a youth hangout in a local church basement. Not a lot of Evangelism, but a whole lot of presence… which is basically awesome. Kellee and I got to join for dinner at one of the houses, of which two families, one single member, and another visitor live. It was home-cooked by Christian and Suzie, and tasty. Another thing I love about this community is hospitality. Every place we go is clearly an example when they welcome us in to stay, but we are not alone. There are specified rooms reserved for visitors. God is clearly at work here.

Stud.

The back of a Toyota pick-up.

On my end of the spectrum… Mark from catholic worker gave us a great ride out of portland so that it would be easier for us to start our daily travels. We left portland around eleven and arrived in eugene no later than one. It was a quick day. We only got two rides. One was from just outside of Portland to Salem. Another Mark and Shari drove us that distance. They were this hippie couple. We rode in the back of their old school Toyota pick-up. It was a little tight but an enjoyable ride none the less. And the other ride we got was from a guy named Bruce. I believe he was twenty-two and had just graduated from UPS. He had actually passed us on the freeway and turned around to pick us up. He was really chill. He was headed home to San Francisco area and had his dog in the back of his car with him. Not to anyones surprise, I chose to sit in the back with Forest. But since we’ve been in Eugene people have been nothing but kind. As Trevor said hospitality is extremely present in many ways. Even as two drop-by hitchhikers, we were served a delicious dinner and welcomed whole-heartedly into both their homes and discussion classes. We talked with many community members and with each one God’s love shinned brighter. Everyday continues to amaze me.

Day OREGON!!

Mark and us in front of Catholic Worker House

Soooooo Day 2!

We left Seattle around noon today after enjoying a great breakfast, compliments of Alena. 🙂 It took quite a while to get a ride out of Seattle, I suppose the city folk don’t take to hitchhikers well. But when we finally got a ride it was from a mexican man named Dave. He was very generous and drove us all the way to Tacoma. We hitched a ride shortly after that to Olympia from two women by the names of Veronica and Donny. We also got a few short rides from a  some people by the names of Bill and his baby Nikki, Kelly, and Jeremy. But our last ride was by a couple of the coolest people I have ever met. Their names were Debbie and Alan. They drove us an hour and a half out of their way to PORTLAND. So now we are in Oregon!! It is nearly impossible for me to tell you how authentic and sincere to two of them were. Debbie was extremely kind and caring. She prayed for us after dropping us off in Portland and wished our travels be enjoyable and safe. And Alan, her son, had a lot of his own advice to tell us from his traveling experience, good routes to take, places to stay, cities to see. So now we’re in Portland with a lot of our journey still ahead of us. And I’ll  let Trevor take it from here…

Our Luxurious Quarters...absolutely not being sarcastic...couches are AWESOME

Kellee and I took a bus with the money that Alan gave me a block down from the Catholic Workhouse. When we walked to the door, a man named Mark answered. Mark is a resident here. After briefly explaining who we were and what we were doing, we were immediately offered a place to stay and a meal to eat. We later learned that a small project on the house would be the price for the hospitality. But it shouldn’t be too much work, and Kellee and I are happy to help this community in any way possible. They are housing three guests as of right now, some who were in great need when they were invited off the streets to live here. Hospitality is the way of life for the residents here, and social justice is the mentality, with a dash of anarchy I suppose. All decisions are made by consensus, and most of the residents have some sort of faith. Even though I have only met a few of the residents, and have only really had a chance to talk with one, I’m sure each is as chill and compassionate as Mark. What an awesome trip this is already turning out to be.