The drive today was, until the final 40 miles, across wide expanses of open farmland. You can see why it is tornado country! Just to let you know the advice for tornadoes - 'Get in the bath and put pillows, cushions and blankets over you!' We practised it last night, just in case - it's a great game! Anyway, back to the journey. The roads were quiet, only a few trucks around so it was an easy drive. It's great when you are not in a hurry. It gave me time to reflect a little on our stay in the United States.
It is a great, huge, country full of surprises, diversity and great hospitality. We have been welcomed so well everywhere we have been, hotels, eating places and shops, and have felt a warmth and friendliness from almost everyone. It is a nation of contrasts with strong views on both sides of the political and religious fences yet a seeming tolerance of difference as well. I guess some of that depends where you are and what you believe.
The diversity of heritage is clear from the names of the places we have driven through and past. Hanover, Dunkirk, Lima, Cairo, Andover, Holland, Tonawanda, Berlin, North Manchester, Plymouth, Hamburg, Hobart etc. etc. We even drove through Hancock County! People from all parts of the world gathered in the 'land of the free', some escaping religious persecution or famine others just following a dream. The names of places and surnames of the people show a wide diversity of background and heritage. Some of this is preserved and there is no doubt that it brings colour and flavour to communities. Last night we ate at an Irish pub called, 'Bag of Nails' in Delaware, Ohio. Their speciality was 'All you could eat Fish and Chips'. the description on the menu said this - 'If Heaven isn't a pint of ale and a basket of Bag of Nails fish and chips, then Heaven can wait.'
This diversity and tolerance seems to be held in a tension but every now and then it gets too big to handle and feelings explode. Take the recent news about a Mosque being built near to the site of Ground Zero. This has stirred up strong emotions here and when President Obama gave his support to the principle of tolerance and freedom, he was vehemently berated by many. It is a tough line to walk, but walk it we must otherwise we fall into a trap of building higher fences that no one can talk over, sit on or climb through.
It has been great to have been able to spend time in the US (and Canada - for an hour). We have so valued the opportunity to come, to attend the GLS at Willow Creek and to travel around being enriched and renewed, rested and excited by all we have seen and, especially, the people we have been privileged to meet. Thank you to everyone for enabling us to come and have a great time together. We appreciate your kindness so much.
God bless America - and England - as we seek to bring the values of the Kingdom in everything we do. May the conversation continue on the journey we make and may we seek to be available every moment to the whisper of God.
Here's a picture from our day in Chicago.
This is in Millennium Park and is called the 'Bean'. All it does is reflect the changing skyline and the people who walk around it and under it. Some reflections stay still and will never change, other images shift and change every moment. I pray that we will all listen to what God is saying each day and reflect Him to a needy, challenging, diverse, surprising and exciting world.
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