I'm Surprised She Didn't Have Me Arrested!

   Hiking through Massachusetts in 1980 was an interesting experience. The mountains and countryside were beautiful. I passed through several small towns along the way. One day I was passing through a small town when a car pulled over beside me. The man rolled down his window and started up a conversation. He mentioned that the women of his church had a lunch group open to the community and wondered if I would be interested in attending? Just the mention of food to a thru-hiker is like a red flag to a bull. Of course I was interested.
   The man had to run some errands and would be at the church soon. He pointed me in the right direction and I walked less than a mile to an old red brick church. Sure enough, the women had some sandwiches and other lunch items put together. The seemed to be happy that I was there. I waited in line with the other people and got to the serving window. The lady asked me if I wanted a sandwich. "Sure," I said. "How about two?" she said. "Even better," I replied.
   I sat down and ate a good meal. The man who invited me did show up. He said he was a part time actor on some Soap Opera on TV. After lunch, the people began to leave. One of the women came up to me and asked if I would like some of the leftover sandwiches to take with me on the trail. I happily accepted her kind offer. Before long I was walking down the road, headed toward the place where the trail would go back into the woods. I was encouraged by the hospitality that I had received along the way. It reminded me of so many other times that Christian people had helped me on my journey. I knew that God was good and He was looking out for me.
   As I was walking I heard another car approach. It stopped and a woman stepped out. She had a young child with her. She asked me if I was the hiker who had just eaten at the church. I smiled, and said that I was. Suddenly the entire mood changed. Her face became angry, she put her hands on her hips and said, "you didn't pay for what you ate!"
   I was quite shocked on several different levels. First, no one ever mentioned paying for lunch. I didn't see anyone else pay either (although I suppose they must have). And even if there was a nominal charge, I was shocked that the guy who invited me didn't pay it (or at least let me know about it). And wasn't there a place in the Bible about Christians practicing hospitality, especially to strangers?  (see 1Peter 4:8-9) And why did she think it so important to track me down?
   My explanations fell on deaf ears. I had apparently come to a fundraising lunch and had walked out without paying. To make matters worse, I even took extra sandwiches with me (which most likely would have been thrown in the trash if I had not taken them). I dug through my pack and pulled out the ziplock bag that served as my wallet. I was completely out of cash but I had a traveler's check with me. I offered to write it to her, but she refused. Instead, she demanded that I hand over the leftover sandwiches. As I gave them to her, she scowled again, loaded her child into her car and sped away.
   I was left behind in the dust. I'm surprised she didn't have me arrested! If I had not already been a Christian then that would have been the last time I would ever walk into a church in my life. Fortunately, I realized that the selfish actions of a few do not reflect the true nature of God and His love. I had made a mistake without realizing it, but I did not deserve the hateful response from that lady. I hope her dog enjoyed the leftover sandwiches.

   2011 Update:  This morning I weighed in at 171.6 pounds. I spent some time sweating while fixing the cooling system on my old 1973 Mazda yesterday. This morning I am in a hotel (on the way to Kentucky to celebrate my wife's grandmother's 100th birthday). I got up early and went for a jog. So, even though I am out of my normal routine, I'm trying to exercise and I will try to eat right too!