Culture Shock

I arrive in Beckville around 7:30 pm, after unloading my kittens and walking around the house, I call John (a member of the church) to let him know I have arrived. He tells me he will be right over. I proceed to unload some of my stuff from the car. I have a bedroom that is furnished with furniture and I have brought sheets, towels, a clock and some personal items so that I can at least know that I will have a bed to sleep in. The moving van is scheduled to arrive around 7am the next morning.

Shortly, there is a knock at my door...it isn't John or his wife, and I don't know who it is. I open the door and she introduces herself..."Ruth." She tells me that John had called her because she was closer than he was and she could get there a little more quickly. She also tells me she has prepared some spaghetti for me, and asks would I prefer to eat it here, or go to her house. I tell her I was pretty well exhausted, and although I appreciated the invite, I thought I would prefer to eat it here.

John arrives just momentarily and the three of us make a quick walk through of the parsonage. We look at the living room and I ask if I need permission to paint. You must understand. The furniture in the living/dining room is really nice, but the walls are painted dark forest green and about every 6 inches there is a 6 inch gold stripe. Then on the green stripes at either end of the room are gold paint stamped 6 inch dragon flies!!!

"Do you not like dragonflies?" Ruth asks. Oh dear...first issue.
My response: "Well, I don't mind dragonflies, I just don't really like them on the living room wall..." (Cross my fingers, hoping I am not stepping on any toes before I have even gotten moved in!)

Ruth states, "I don't like them!" (Whew! OK! First disaster averted).

Ruth says she will run home and get the spaghetti and while she is gone John and I talk briefly about the church service coming up on Sunday. He shows me the church keys, explaining which is which. Ruth returns with the spaghetti, a lettuce and tomatoe salad and a half loaf of toasted French bread.

Both of them bid me goodnight, and I am left with the kittens. I am actually kind of hungry and suddenly realize: I HAVE NO SILVERWARE, NO DISHES, NO GLASSES to use for the spaghetti. I burst into tears and call my folks. I just can't believe this. "I don't have any dishes or silvverware and I can't even eat my spaghetti! (my favorite!) I guess I am going to run up to this little Texaco station and see if they have any plastic dishware."

My dad very gently says, "Kim, remember where you are..."
"What do you mean?" I know where I am.

"That Texaco station is probably closed."
"Oh dad, it is only 8:15..."
"Kim...remember where you are...in small towns things close early!"

Again, I respond, "But it is only 8:15, just barely dark!"

I bid them good night, jump in the car and head to the Texaco station just about 0.5 miles from the house, and to my surprise...IT IS CLOSED!!! It closes at 8PM. Talk about culture shock...! Coming from a city that is constantly buzzing, where there are 24 hour gas stations along with 7-11's, coffee shops, restaurants, and drug stores, I am floored! It is CLOSED!

I again, burst into tears and head down the road to see if by chance there is a store open in Tatum, or at the worst, if there is any fastfood place where I can get something to eat.

The small grocery store is open (til 9, and it is now 8:45)! I grab some plastic silverware, plates and cups, along with some kitten chow and soft drinks and head home. The road is very dark and there isn't any moonlight; in fact, about the only light is an occassional lightening flash.

I return to the parsonage, dip up a bit of spaghetti, which is by now cold! Put a little salad on the plate and break off a piece of the bread and sit in the middle of the den floor tears streaming down my face, and praying... "God...I am trusting you...You got me here, and I am trusting that you will show me the way."

I hold each of my kittens, telling them they are in their new home and that we will get through this together...and then after making up the bed, I set the alarm for 6:00 AM and fall into a deep sleep...

God had brought me to this point, this place in my life, in my ministry and I was trusting that I would be led to whatever it was that God had planned for me!