Wyoming  

Wyoming



Isa 42:11-12
Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the LORD, and declare his praise in the islands. KJV


Wyoming is full of wide-open spaces where you go for miles without seeing a person, car, or house. That makes it difficult to find people to talk with. At Douglas, Wyoming KOA, I noticed how many campers were pulling horse trailers. Wondering if there was some kind of horse convention, I asked, “Why are there so many horse trailers?”

The Camp Worker looked at me like I had lost my mind. He was silent for a moment and finally he said, “It’s Wyoming. We have more horses than people.” When the owners of the horse trailer parked next to me dumped their horse trailer waste right onto the ground without even looking guilty, I knew I had entered another world. I did wonder why horses, deer, and rabbits were allowed to roam the Wyoming campgrounds, leaving whatever deposits they chose and yet I had to clean up after Belle.

The Camp Worker and I got to talking and eventually the topic came around to Jesus. “Are you a Christian?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said. “I consider myself to be one.”

I could tell he was hedging so I gave the definition of a Christian. When I used the words, “believes in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus and has asked Him into their life,” he quickly shook his head. “I guess I’m not a Christian. I just meant that I try to live by Christian principals.” About that time, someone else walked up and I never got to talk with him again. There is so much I wish I could say to him but the moment had passed. I prayed that God would send someone else to finish the conversation.

I kept getting in trouble in Wyoming by asking insulting questions. State Parks don’t like to be asked if they have water and electric hookups. Water and electric hookups aren’t natural. Also, it is not a good idea in most cities to ask if they have malls or shopping centers. And for goodness sakes, never ask if they have cell coverage or Internet access.

I passed through a small town in Wyoming and saw a sign that said “The Best City in the World.” The town had 1 gas station, a small grocery story with minimum supplies, a few buildings, and no cell or Internet coverage. That about summed up the attitude of most people I met in Wyoming. They live in Wyoming for a reason – they want to live in a world undisturbed by the noise and chaos that is so typical of American cities. Their definition of “The Best City” is different than that used by most of the world.

I always enjoy Wyoming but I reach a point where I’m ready for e-mail, cell phones, and malls. When I finally got to Cheyenne, Wyoming and spotted a mall, I almost cheered. Besides, I had a $100 Dillard’s gift card that was burning a hole in my pocket.

When I walked in the mall, the first thing I saw was a giant slide in the middle of the mall. (See pictures in the Photo Gallery – Cheyenne) Sitting at the bottom of the slide was a young woman with blue hair and Snoopy pants. There is a woman after my own heart, I thought, liking her right away. While I would never dye my hair blue, I like interesting things and you have to admit, blue hair is interesting. “You look bored,” I said.

She sighed. “I am!” The kids are back in school. I was supposed to work in the store today but the person who mans this slide had to go home. I don’t have anything to do.”

“Have you worked the slide before?” I asked.

“Yes, but I only like it when it is full of children.” Her name was Kim and she was more than willing to talk with me. I told her about Pocket Full of Change Ministries.

“Are you a Christian?” I asked.

She lifted her hand, palm flat to the ground, and rotated it back and forth. “Sort of kind of,” she said, looking guilty.

I laughed at the answer. “I’m not sure you can be sort of kind of a Christian. A Christian is someone who believes in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus and has asked Him to be a part of their life. Have you done that?”

“Yes,” she said. “I asked Jesus to be a part of my life as a child and I was even baptized. I guess what I meant by what I said was that I’m not living like a Christian.”

“Are you feeling bad about your lifestyle? Is it not reflective of Christ?” I asked gently.

She thought for a minute. “No, not really. I just stopped going to church. I go when I am back home in Kansas.” I looked at her blue hair and wondered what her Kansas family thought about it.

“Do you miss church?” I asked.

Again, she thought about it. “I miss working with children. I used to teach young children,” she said wistfully.

About that time, her boss wheeled up in his red electric wheel chair and started talking to her so I left. I didn’t feel like the conversation was over and I went back later. Sure enough, Kim was still sitting there with nothing to do. I decided to be blunt. “Kim, I get up every morning and ask God where to go and who to talk to. I think He sent me to you today and I think He wants you back in church.” I gave her one of my cards.

“You’re probably right,” she said. “I’ll look into churches here.” I prayed that she would find one that accepted the blue hair.

“Can I take your picture for my website?” I asked.

“Sure,” she said.

As I left Cheyenne, I said one last goodbye to Wyoming and rolled into the hustling bustling beautiful state of Colorado, where I found traffic jams once again. If you’ll take a moment to look at the pictures of Wyoming in the Photo Gallery, you’ll see the colorful mountains, interesting animals, and the wide-open spaces of the grassy plains. Wyoming also contains my favorite National Park, Yellowstone – where the deer and the buffalo really do roam. I must really love Wyoming because I have visited it on every mission journey.

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Cheryle M. Touchton is the Director of Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information or to schedule a speaker for an event, go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Cheryle Touchton at 904-614-3585.

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