Sarah needed to rest her ankle today so I was on my
own. I successfully took the bus to the
convention center, chatted with a couple people, and then walked over to the
LYNC lunch—baked potatoes and salad.
Afterwards I entered the convention center. I had planned to catch the communion service
but ran into a couple of pastors I know and chatted too long. Instead I went back to the exhibit hall. I talked to a woman with Global Ministries
and she showed me a large map of where in the world our church does
ministry. Impressive! She pointed out all of the icons representing
the various areas of ministry. There
were buttons for most of them and I chose a justice one. And of course I got a bag of stuff. While talking to her, I heard an amazing gospel
choir. I walked over to check them out
and was amazed to find they were from Denmark.
I sat and rested my feet for a while. Today I had bandages on the bottom of my feet
to cover my blisters, plus socks and walking shoes. There was no Jericho Walk for me today. I walked out to the grassy area where we held
our flash tabernacle. The climate vigil
was being set up and I was there to volunteer.
My first assignment was to check the solar lights for the lanterns. I was glad when we were done with that job
because the sun was hot on my back.
Next I helped with the paper lanterns. Churches from all over had sent decorated
lanterns with prayers attached. The
organizers were totally overwhelmed by the response. They had bought 600 sticks for the lanterns
and they were soon gone. Our task was to
pull open the lanterns and insert the metal pieces that hold them open. Next we added the solar lights. There was such a variety in size, color, and
design. Some were obviously done by
children while a few others looked professional. Finished lanterns were spread around—attached
to poles and bushes, laid on the ground or put in baskets.
I was preparing to take a dinner break before the event but
food was brought in for us. I love free
food! I changed into my rather large
green vigil shirt. As people arrived we
invited them to take a lantern on a stick.
The program was opened by my bishop, the Oregon-Idaho Conference
bishop. The Strathdees led us in singing
songs about the earth. We had speakers
from various countries who spoke about how climate change is affecting where they
live. We had fabric “salmon” that danced
on poles held by the Danish group that I saw earlier. They sang for us, too. I was a communion server and stood near three
of the “salmon” while people approached and took communion from us.
By this time all of the lantern lights had come on. People placed their lanterns into the center
of the circle. We were reminded that the
only light source around us was solar and that we can work toward renewable
energy. People admired the beautiful
lanterns and gradually left.
I took apart a few lanterns but I was rather worried about
traveling alone in the dark back to the church so I left. Between the bus app and the GPS, I made it
back okay. Sarah was already
asleep. I think I’ll sleep well tonight.
Written on 5/12/2016
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