In the last post I described how in 1980 God answered prayer in a powerful way, giving me a ride into Buchanan just in time to get my box from the post office before noon on Saturday. I took the box across the parking lot underneath a big shade tree. I carefully unpacked the box and re-packed all the items in my backpack. I read the mail I had received and stowed it in my backpack.
Next door to the post office was an old red brick church. After my powerful experience with prayer, I was drawn to the church building. I left my backpack on the front porch and tried the door--it was open. I entered the old, traditional sanctuary. My eyes adjusted to the dim light as I looked at all of the stained glass windows. It felt good to be in a church building after a week on the trail.
I also heard a vacuum cleaner going. Some guy was cleaning the carpet, getting ready for Sunday morning. I tried not to startle him and waited for him to see me. He soon spotted me and turned off the vacuum. We struck up a pleasant conversation. At that time I was Episcopalian and this happened to be an Episcopal church. The guy with the vacuum was also the Priest! I asked if he knew of a park or other place in town where I could camp for the night. I said that I would be ok even if there was a flat place in the back of the church to camp for the night. He said that would be fine for me to camp out back.
Then the priest asked, "are you hungry?" EVERY backpacker is ALWAYS hungry. It was just after noon, and I was ready to EAT. Trying to hold back my enthusiasm for food, I said, "yes." The priest told me to go to the diner a couple of blocks away and order anything I wanted. He would call ahead and he would also pick up the tab for the meal. He also warned me to get as much as I wanted and not to worry about the cost. I was extremely grateful and marched off to have an enormous feast (at a fairly reasonable price too).
After the meal I went back to the church to thank the priest for his generosity. He said he was glad to do it. Then he asked me if I liked steak. Well, who doesn't like steak?! Then he said I would not be allowed to camp behind the church because he and his wife wanted me to be their guest for the night! Not long after that we were in the car, headed towards his house (after a quick stop by the grocery store to pick up another baked potato for me).
If you ready my last blog post, then you will know that all I asked God for was a ride into town. Now I had a free meal and was headed to a steak dinner followed by a real bed in a real bedroom with real sheets and access to indoor plumbing. Believe me, after living in the woods, you learn to appreciate the comforts of home! I don't think any of this was by accident. I think God was speaking to me, reminding me that He is able to do... "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20). Tomorrow I will wrap up the story of what else happened in Buchanan, Virginia!
Here in 2011 let me give you a status update. Yesterday I weighed 179.8 pounds and this morning I weighed 179.6 pounds. Sorry I did not post yesterday (it was quite a hectic day). My right calf muscle is almost healed and I hope to be able to run in the 5K road race on Saturday for the "Henry County Cancer Services" organization. I have eaten out a lot in the last couple of days but have tried to be careful not to overdo it!
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