Cali Day Four

Sunday morning . . . we were up at dawn, and dressed for church. Dad came home to get ready, and we all piled into the Escalade for the short ride to his church. Inside, several musicians and their leader were already on stage and in the sound booth. Caelan went to the piano, Gabby headed for the bass, Buck ran home to get Brennen the guitar we’d commandeered from grandpa’s office the day before because the kids (Caelan) were craving music so much. Brennen took this instrument over when Buck returned. Graysen wasn’t sure where he fit, because it takes him longer to practice a song before he’s ready to play it. I told him if he even went on stage and pretended to play an instrument and sing, grandpa would love it. Buck too tried persuading him, then went to get coffee at Jose’s invitation (he’s the youth group leader, a former police officer, and apparently my adopted brother-in-law :) In the meantime, a sweet little girl wearing a cat-ear headband came up to Graysen, who was sitting by me in the church chairs, and introduced herself.

“Are you going to come up there with us?” she asked.

“To sing or play an instrument?” Graysen wondered.

“Well, we still have the shakey thing,” the cat ears girl offered, kindly.

“Sure, okay,” replied Graysen enthusiastically, and off he went. I love her welcoming little heart. Graysen needed an invitation from the kids to feel comfortable, and that soft-spoken child was the one to offer it. When we heard her story from my dad later, I was even more grateful to God. There is some MINISTRY happening at this church.

The kids rehearsed for about two hours, figuring out chords, talking that foreign language of music, setting up microphones, printing off sheets of notes. Usually, the band leader (the kitty girl’s dad) plays guitar and about 10 other kids sing along. They have a great little drummer, he’s only been at it for a year or so, who is Jose’s (the youth leader) son. About this time I met my “sister” Rebekah. My dad said he adopted her, she’s Irish, so I’m okay with it : ) It turns out, she’s Jose’s wife and the mom to the drummer and two of the singers, to whom she introduced me as their aunt, and they my niece and nephews.

I felt a bit famous that morning. EVERYONE seemed to know who I was, and was delighted our family was there. A couple folks thought I was my mom, and were delighted SHE was there :) Grandma J arrived to see the kids in the worship band and to hear dad preach. The kids played an upbeat song that Buck and I knew all the choreography moves to, na-na-na-nana-na : ) Then dad’s sailing friend, Hal, started up a prayer/announcement time. Jose took the microphone to introduce all of us by name, ending with a joke about our last name that triggered a beautifully-timed rimshot from his drummer son. That made everyone laugh!

The worship crew led several more songs, which the congregation enthusiastically supported with their own voices. One lady behind us had that old-timey chortle singing voice that I remember from hymns in our little church from childhood. I just don’t think anyone sings like that anymore, and I wonder why? Was it taught to that generation and not to any since? Intriguing!

Dad started into his sermon, which we probably distracted him somewhat from writing, and Buck felt the Holy Spirit sending dad some support through him. It was a unique experience that he didn’t have a name for, but dad seemed to receive it. His church is such a picture of God’s power and ability to take a broken story and mend it into a meaningful present. People who we might otherwise be extremely cautious to have interact with our kids were looked at through God’s eyes, and the present health covers the sickness of the past.

And then there was lunch! The kids went outside to play in the grassy space, the smell of ribs and chicken smoking on a giant outdoor grill. Jose can cook! His wife was busy setting out fruit, rolls, side dishes, desserts, a feast in the dining hall. Dad prayed, and we all jumped into the meal. What an amazing meal! Our kids sat with the worship team kids and had a great time. They all went back out to play in the sunshine (with a little rain) while Buck and I got to know couples in the church better. We so enjoy real people. It’s so easy to talk to them and connect with them and laugh with them. We were thankful for that time of fellowship.

So were our kids, they couldn’t wait to go back! We went to the farm after lunch. Pretty much all the grown-ups took naps, while the kids watched crash after crash on the Indy 500. Late in the afternoon, Grandma J decided to head home, but first we drove to a kiwi grove to see how kiwi grows. Apparently, this little town is the kiwi-growing capitol of well, California, or the U.S., or the world, I don’t know which : ) Rice, too—Rebekah said their area grows more rice than some of the countries in Asia famous for growing rice. Who knew?

And who knew kiwi grows on treey-looking vines, supported by thick wire and wooden trellis, so the fruit hangs below and is easy to harvest? They look like giant old grapevines; it would be neat to see them growing, but agriculture looks pretty quiet this time of year. We did get to see a rainbow, well, and some hail, while we were out kiwi-sightseeing. We were glad we decided not to walk : )

When Grandma J set out for her hotel and to check in with Mr. R, who had decided to rest that day, the kids all turned eager eyes to us. We had 15 minutes to get to the youth Bible study, and so, to their delight, we loaded into the Escalade and drove back to the church. The kids and the leaders were excited we were there. Within minutes, our Crew was in the middle of an intense game of dodgeball (in the dining hall). Buck became line judge, and I headed into the kitchen to talk to Rebekah and another mom. Rebekah told me a little about the kids who were in the youth group. Amazing! One young man has his atheist father drive him to church and Bible study from 30 miles away; his Mormon-religion mother lives in a town north of dad’s town, and grandma somewhere in between. This kid keeps coming to spend time studying the Bible, sing with the worship team, and to learn about God. So rad!

After dodgeball, the kids pounded some water and popcorn while Jose and the band leader lead them in the book of Acts. The kids said that Jose is more like a Bible coach than a leader, and they thought that was really cool. He told us later that when their youth pastor left, he felt God say, “If you don’t lead these kids, who will?” And he decided, as a former officer, that he was going to protect the kids from a potentially dangerous youth pastor who could step in for the wrong reasons. Isn’t that amazing? His protective nature made him the shepherd to this little flock.

We said our good-byes again (but received friend requests on facebook soon after : )and headed back to the farm to try to make a dent in the Chinese food. We didn’t. We couldn’t! There is so much left. Only three of us even felt like eating after that amazing lunch. The kids watched the first How to Train Your Dragon on t.v. while I tried to upload and caption pictures in the wifi corner. Boy was I bummed when they ALL disappeared and I had to start over. I was so tired. I half-heartedly condensed our suitcases into two, so they would be easier to carry for our little mini trip to San Fran and up the coast the next day. We went to bed early as per usual, and slept well. We are really keeping ourselves busy, whew!