Burma, but not Myanmar

This week Scott started his job as pastor of a two-point charge: Heath Chapel and Mt. Dearborn UMC -- both located in Great Falls, SC. Although he did not have the intention of taking a position this early in his seminary career, the opportunity came available, and after much prayer and consideration he took it. I went along with him, somewhat unwillingly. I recognized the incredible juggling act this would take: our homebase in Columbia, but with his commuting 43 miles at least twice a week, most especially during this 11-week chaplaincy internship (CPE) at the Lowman Home.....which is the opposite direction from Great Falls! He will spend every Saturday night there, with or without us. Each week.......wow.

His introduction to both congregations -- correction -- our introduction came Wednesday, June 18 at the Wednesday Night Supper at Mt. Dearborn, but members of both churches were invited. While we thought it would be a spaghetti supper, we ended up with a traditional Southern meal of fried chicken, brown rice (as in the recipe, not the grain!), macaroni and cheese, green beans, potato salad, rolls, and three different kinds of cakes. Pizza for the kids......from a local establishment, the House of Pizza. The welcome was genuine, friendly and downright hospitable, and the folks are fun. With Heath Chapel's membership around 20 or under, and Mt. Dearborn attendance at perhaps 30-50, if you're there, you're family. One of the first folks we met was Burma -- a wonderful, smiling woman who dubs herself "the Hugger" and loved us up quickly. Burma, along with Sonny and Sallie, also coordinated the addition of an entire living room set and washer and dryer to the parsonage on Saturday.

So at the dinner, we met folks -- several slips of paper were pressed into Scott's hand with names, emails, phone numbers, reminders.......and I held court with my notebook and pen, taking more notes, writing down names, and noting who was kin to who. Trying hard to remember that Kaylen's surgery is in July at Richland Memorial (she's 13 and her grandmother goes to Heath Chapel), and that the Stroud sisters have a cousin, Judy, whose dad is Lawrence. While standing in line for my plate, Pam quickly admired my "real" Vera Bradley bag, but I added that I had bought it used......"I did not pay full price for this thang." Another couple, Rhonda and Ralph, are the parents of a former co-worker of Scott's, Blake Garris. I found myself forgetting completely about Kate while Ralph and I talked about our mutual love and admiration for Don Fowler and Andrew Sorensen. Rhonda wanted to put a yard sign at our house in Columbia that read, "You've Been Flocked by the Young Adult Sunday School Class, Mt. Dearborn UMC," the words accented by pink flamingos -- FUN! Their Sunday School Class is probably what the Joy Class at WSUMC will look like in about 10 years.

Kate was a trooper, trying hard to use her manners with so many faces smiling down saying, "isn't she precious?" "She's a beautiful little girl," with a few pokes and prods and fingers under her chin.......she came around to a few folks and eventually handed out some high fives. Mostly, she liked seeing the children there, who were older than she, and running around outside in the grass between the parsonage and the church -- which is quite literally a stone's throw, or toss, from one another. What Kate loves about the parsonage is twofold: it has steps (two-story house), and hardwood floors. She likes to hear her shoes go "clickety clack." We left Wednesday night, a sleepy Kate deposited in her bed, and returned on Saturday.

After packing the cars Friday night with boxes retrieved from my dad's workshop behind our house, we left for Great Falls Saturday. We never found "box 2" -- the one with our drinking glasses in it, per my meticulously transcribed record of the number boxes holding the contents of our lives from Stonewood Drive. Scott left early, and I took Kate to her swimming lesson, World Market, Target (where she got a Hannah Montana t-shirt -- a treat for a big weekend of good manners to come), and also Goodwill. I love Goodwill. What I love about it is that I often get a premonition of when they have some Mis Tee V-Us clothing for Kate. This is a brand that I really love, but it's a compromise for Kate and myself: she loves T-shirts, and I love nice, boutique T-shirts for her. Although I will not pay full-price for Mis Tee V-Us shirts, I often find them at Goodwill. On me came such a premonition, and alas, we found a sleeveless top, and also some shorts. It was a good Saturday.

Kate and I drove to Great Falls, and I used my directions and on them I added the mileage between landmarks, in hopes that some of our friends will say, "wow, those are really great directions." Of course, the real hope is that some of our friends will USE the directions and come out to see the churches sometime, finding the directions useful. On the ride down, Kate said she wanted to stand up in church with Scott. "Daddy will say, 'this is my daughter' and I will say 'I'm KATE'." I told her to ask Scott about this, to see if she could be worked into the worship service.

When we pulled up to the parsonage (for you non-Methodists, the parsonage is the house for the preacher to live in), the Badcock Furniture truck was in front, and furniture was being unloaded. I knew they would be providing us a living room set (couch, chair), but what NEVER once crossed my mind is that it would be brand new, and would include a couch, loveseat, recliner, end tables, coffee table and two lamps. BRAND SPANKING new. Not only new, but somewhat mystical, as Kate slept on the sofa Sunday afternoon from 1:30 pm to 3:45 pm, so it has some kind of strange powers too. The day was spent cleaning counters, putting new contact paper on kitchen shelves, buying up mostly frozen items at Piggly Wiggly, and also from our household list, a trip to Family Dollar was in order. For dinner, we went to the House of Pizza, where Scott had spent his lunch time with Burma, Sonny and Sallie. House of Pizza is a hotspot, and the food is good: pizza, pastas, subs, salads, gyros.........and I drank a full-sugared Pepsi and was happy. On the way there, we stopped at Heath Chapel because Scott had not actually ever been INSIDE the building, which is remiscent of a country Baptist church --understated wood......cozy. Comfortable. Small. It was here Kate decided she wanted to be the preacher.

Later, we got Kate showered and into bed. She and I shared the bedroom upstairs with the twin beds, and Scott slept down the hall. While Scott and I did not sleep well, Kate really did! I am hoping to find some used sheets at a garage sale this weekend.......read: I need soft sheets. I felt as if I was sleeping on steel wool.

Sunday morning came, and Kate decided she wanted to be the preacher, but Scott told her he'd allow her to introduce herself during the children's moments at Mt. Dearborn....and when it came time, she just couldn't muster the courage. Both worship services went very well: I think Scott did an excellent job at both -- he came across as confident, happy to be there, willing to listen, and ready to love. He even got a few laughs, which is a good sign. It was very nice. At Heath Chapel, Kate played with the 10-month-old baby, Kinsley, behind us, and at Mt. Dearborn, she sat with an older girl she met in Sunday School, Karly, and then later moved to sit with Geni and McKenzie -- more of her age, also in her Sunday School class. Of course, she went barefoot during the service, and at one point, she walked up the steps to the altar and plopped down behind Scott in one of those BIG chairs. What are those chairs called, I wonder? I tried not to be aghast, although I was. One of the church members reassured Scott later it was all okay, and we're trying to help Kate understand she cannot do that every Sunday. Or, preferably, ever again. She's just working her PK magic already (preacher's kid). Scary.

After church, Scott met with the treasurer, while I stayed at the parsonage putting up more stuff, warming up some frozen lunch, and eating Buffalo Ranch Doritoes -- this was my stress snack for the weekend. How good are those? I easily ate half the bag. Easily. Kate traipsed from the church, to the parsonage, and back 50 times. I can look out the window at the sink, and see the church, just feet from us, and felt like I had gone back in time. It was a neat feeling: of being away from the city, internet, Starbucks, multitasking. That morning, Scott and I had some coffee outside, and it was very cool......and you can hear the roosters crowing. Nice living in many ways. Okay, delete Starbucks from above. I did miss that.

Since Kate slept so long, we left Great Falls later than planned, and once home, gave Mimi the update from the kitchen table. "Sounds like you might want to live up there" was her immediate response, but I corrected her with, "no, our life is here, for at least 85% of the time." I knew that any positive energy I might bring back would be incorrectly translated, so I was ready. The neat part of returning is that I did feel rested, energetic, and ready to plan for the week ahead. I had not expected that.....I was expecting some tiredness, exhaustion, and urge to melt into the sofa, but the trip to the country and the country folk was restorative, and I hope that is God's indication that in the coming weeks, months, years.....it will all be okay.