Thursday Oly Walk

Last Thursday part of the crew (Claire, Winter, Esa, Jeremiah, and I) got together for a walk downtown. Olympia is so lively and unique I never expect a dull walk. On this particular venture though, two encounters particularly excited us. 

My goal for the walk was to pray. Specifically, I intended to pray for the businesses, buildings, sidewalks, and any other spot that caught my eye. Though I'm certainly not opposed to praying with people, my focus was Olympia itself.  By ushering blessing and peace into our town's very structure, I have no doubt people are positively effected in turn. When I think about how odd we probably looked strolling along constantly muttering, I can't get over how awesome it is to have friends willing join me on walks such as these.

Somewhere, our dog, came along that evening as well. We had no plan when we set out, so we jokingly prayed that she would be our divining rod. Our dog is only six months old and not exactly adept at walking on a leash yet; especially not in an area with so many new smells. Tonight she was even more impatient than normal and practically dragged us from our car in Reality's parking lot to the bus station on State Ave. Once there, she calmed down just long enough to test the comfort level of the grass and relieve herself before we were off again. This time not far, our destination was just across the street. 

Just past the bus station, in a vacant parking lot behind the food bank and Union Gospel Mission, around 100 people were gathered. To the side were several large vans and a small tent where kids were blowing bubbles and getting their faces painted. In the center was a man with a microphone, loudspeaker, and a Bible. We were slightly incensed when he called for silence and so maintained our muttered prayers at a more audible volume. Perhaps its the rebel in us, but we had no idea who this guy was or if he ought to be shouting at people to be quiet and listen to prayer like that. 

Jeremiah and I stuck around after the closing prayer to observe and pray some more, while the rest of our group took some laps around the block. The people gathered lined up at the waiting vans. The doors opened and everyone was offered food, clothing, and other essentials. Many received prayer along with their supplies. Before long we met the guy with the mic - Phil. He's a very kind, energetic fellow and was stoked to see some young faces interested in his group's work. Phil works with City Gates Ministries (http://www.citygatesministries.com/Home_.html), a collaborative effort of people from various churches who seek to help people in need. Those familiar with City Gates would not have been surprised at the gathering we happened upon, but our jaws dropped. Apparently this has been happening every Thursday since 1995 and draws a crowd of 50 to 190 folks. 

We spent about 40 minutes with the City Gates folks getting to know Phil and taking in all that was going on. We left unsure whether to get involved in the future and to what extent, but were excited about the turn of events (and that Somewhere had indeed led us to divine encounter). 

On our way back to the car we walked past Dumpster Values. A pair of travel-worn people about our age were sitting on the wall. With them were two big dogs, a puppy, and their backpacks. As we passed, the boy said "Excuse me sir, I believe I left my dollar in your wallet." I scrounged a dollar in change from my purse and handed it to the girl next to him. After some very brief small chat, I explained why we were walking and asked if they had any requests for prayer. And herein lies the second exciting encounter of the night.

Rather than a nice simple prayer and a clean get away, we had an amazing conversation with the two travelers. We discussed our opinions, beliefs, and personal experiences with God. What made me extra happy was that we were not talking at them, they weren't talking at us. The discussion was a shared experience and no one seemed uncomfortable expressing their thoughts. We shared our "church" histories and why we tend not to frequent such buildings. We talked about who we thought Jesus was and his purpose on the earth. We shared dreams, life goals, moral standards, and conspiracy theories. Throughout the conversation, several people came and went. For a few minutes there were just under ten people on our corner. We learned our acquaintances' names,Christopher and Ruby, just before we left.We talked a little more about their travel plans, posed for a group picture, and parted ways. 

This walk was so rad, we plan to do it more often. Thursday evenings are now dedicated to gathering and walking, all who are available are welcome to join. We've been rolling cigarettes to hand out, and hope to have some iced coffee and baked goodies soon. Still no set game plan, but that's how we like it.