Day One Revisited

If you want to see a complete dork in action, you should have been at the Gospel Pig Roast and Sing Along. I was wandering around in this big crowd of Mennonites and Amish - there’s a difference, I learned! - like a fish out of water, hands in my pockets, but completely unable to wipe the smile off my face. When I got in line to get some delicious barbeque, I made the little girls behind the tables laugh because I was so excited about sour cream and potatoes. Every time they asked me if I wanted something, I answered "Yeah!", with this tone of surprise and joy like they had just offered me a million dollars. Before I got food, I started talking to a man who ended up being a Mennonite evangelist. He explained a brief history of the religion, the differences and why the differences are, and answered a lot of questions I had. He surprised me when he told me the reason the Mennonite and Amish women were slow to talk to me - he said, "When they see you dressed as you are, they assume that you are worldly-wise and that they are not. So they are shy. But if you approach them, they’ll be glad to talk to you." This shocked me a little, because I always thought the reason they were standoffish was because they were silently judging me.

So I tried it. When I got my food, I sat down at one of the long tables in the food tent (separate from the worship and auction tents) and said hello to the few couples and one single woman who were there. They are all much older, elderly even, but adorable in that way that old people are adorable. We got to talking and became fast friends. They’re actually waiting for me inside as I type this - we sat down for the worship and singing together. I came outside to take a break and post to the blog. I wanted to be outside to do it while it was still light enough outside.
I’m learning so much and having so many mini-revelations each minute I’m on the road, especially here at the revival. Most of them here have been related to God and religion - so much I’ve picked up and thought about that I couldn’t possibly write it all out right now, especially with my fingers being as cold as they are. And my friends, the Mennonite Hefners (I know, isn’t it too ironic?) waiting for me inside the nice, warm tent.

But I will say this: I think I’m making my peace with religion. Not God, because our peace has been made long before today. But religion.