FaithWalk 2K8

For those unfamiliar with the IMT program, Faithwalk is one of the most highly anticipated times of the year. I will do my best to communicate my experiences, but this is really something that you can't fully understand by reading a blog. I'll tell you what happened, and what I learned, and hopefully your imagination will do the rest.

Here's what happened: Saturday morning, we all met at 4am outside the apartments, and had a time of prayer. Our director, Ryan, gave us an encouraging word and read off the list of teams. We broke up into our teams of 4 and spent some time praying for our adventure. My team consisted of myself, 2 second year girls (Whitney and Maria), and one of the Team Leaders (Stephanie, a third year). As the least experienced member of the team, I felt a little bit intimidated, but I was mostly excited. Each group was given a 6 foot wooden cross, and was assigned a vehicle. We said our goodbyes, got in our van, put on our blindfolds, and left Tulsa. Each of the 6 groups were driven in different directions and were left 150 miles from home, with absolutely no clue as to their location. Nice.

Before we get too engrossed in the story, let's review the rules:
1) You must have the cross with you at all times
2) The group must stay together
3) You may receive help but you can not ask for anything (except from God), ie. directions, rides, food, lodging
4) You may only ride with each driver for 25 miles
5) Do not walk along the Interstate or Toll Roads
6) Bring only the following items: change of clothes, water bottle, toilet paper, toothbrush, deodorant, bible, camera

When our driver ushered us from the van, we were still blindfolded, but it was obvious we were in the middle of nowhere. As the van left us, and we removed our blindfolds, we were standing on a small bridge on a red clay road, definitely in the middle of nowhere. (I know most of you think the entire state of Oklahoma is the middle of nowhere, but this was even worse.) We wanted to get off to a good start, so we took some time to read our Bibles and get our priorities straight. I really didn't know what to pray. I didn't care if I had an easy or a hard Faithwalk, or if we ate anything, or had a place to stay. I have so many questions about faith, and deep down I really wanted some crazy Bible story to happen in front of me, like fire coming from heaven, or angels coming and flying us to Tulsa. I knew in my heart that God wasn't going to make it that easy, so I just prayed that I would be open to whatever God wanted to do.

For a long time, all we saw were cows. Cows and fields and dirt roads. Eventually a guy named Mark rolled up on his 4 wheeler and wanted to know all about our mission. Apparently we were in Chickasha, OK. He gave us water, and let us use the bathroom, and I think we were able to really encourage him. That was cool. (Quick note on the bathroom: Girls need to use it every 5 minutes. No exaggeration.) We reached an intersection, and did what any good Faithwalkers would, and prayed about which way to go. This kind of prayer is uncomfortable for me, as God has never revealed himself to me as an audible voice or an arrow-shaped cloud before. Despite my reservations about the style of prayer, I had no doubt that God had our back. We walked for a while before we met Shirley and JW Fish. An awesome older couple, they lived in a picturesque little country home, but don't judge a book by its cover. They invited us in for drinks, and the first thing I see inside their house is a big screen TV showing the Oklahoma-Texas football game. God loves me. We hung out with the Fishes for about a half hour, until they realized that they could give us a ride. They drove us to the next town, Tuttle, and left us at Taco Mayo with 20 dollars for lunch. We ate lunch, and I watched the rest of the game while the girls used the bathroom.

At this point we were all feeling super blessed, and very confident in God as our provider. We kept walking, met some people, saw some animals, picked some cotton, and prayed. It wasn't long before the girls had to use the bathroom again, so we stopped at a gas station (still in Tuttle). The lady there was so excited about our story, and the next thing we knew, her boyfriend, Steve, had pulled up and offered us a ride. He drove us through Oklahoma City and left us outside Edmond at Route 66, which leads all the way to Tulsa! We were in the parking lot of a church, so naturally we decided to check it out. We met some people, decided to attend the 6:30 service, changed our minds, and left. One of the families we had met inside stopped us in the parking lot and offered us a ride. We rode in the back of their pickup (sweet), and they bought us drinks and left us 25 miles down the road. It was starting to get dark, but we weren't discouraged. The girls went to the bathroom, and we started walking. I'm not sure how, but it wasn't long before the girls had to use the bathroom again. We went into a sketchy bar, used the bathroom, and talked to the people there. They definitely needed hope. Back on the road, it was still dark. Route 66 is a creepy road at night, but we sang and laughed to keep our spirits up. Eventually a car pulled over and a man got out to ask us some questions. He was the manager of the Sonic in the next town (Chandler), and wanted to take us there and buy us food. Awesome.

Sonic was so much fun. We ate a ton, laughed even more, and made friends with all the workers. A lot of cars came and went, but not many people got out to sit down. When the girls went to use the bathroom (of course), I had a chance to talk to a group of teenage guys at one of the tables. They were very curious about our trip, and were eager to share their own stories about church. I learned they lived and went to church in Stroud, which was only 20 miles away. Perfect. One thing led to another, and soon enough we were all piled into their van heading to their house. It was great hanging out with those guys, and we got to encourage their mom, who had recently gone through a divorce. I fell asleep almost immediately, but we hung out more in the morning, eating pancakes and playing rock band.

We attended Stroud United Pentecostal Church with the family. It was a very small church, and a bit old fashioned, but it was great to be in church. After spending some time with the congregation, we got a ride 25 miles closer to Tulsa. At this point we were less than 40 miles from home, and it was only noon. We were feeling good. Then we had to walk for 6 hours. Fortunately, a man blessed us with 30 bucks to get whatever we wanted at a convenience store, so that was a nice break. Finally a suburban pulled over, and an old man with a cowboy hat started asking us about ourselves. He gave us each a Gideons New Testament. Honestly, I was not remotely interested in another Bible. I wanted a ride. As he was about to pull away, he said "I would offer you a ride, but I'm sure you couldn't accept it." I was in the car before he even finished his sentence. He bought us Taco Bell, and took us all the way back to the apartments. Home, sweet home.


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Here's what I learned: God is faithful, and he is good. I really wanted to have all my questions about God answered this weekend, but He had other plans. I still don't know how effective my specific prayers are, but I do know that God still knows best. No, my prayers weren't answered in the ways I would have liked at the time, but we were always provided for. I got to watch the football game, and we stayed with 4 teenage guys. So awesome. God knows the desires of my heart, and he wants to bless me. It's hard for me to have so many questions with seemingly so few answers, but I know God is in control, and that gives me peace. This morning as I was reading my Bible, I found a good summary of my feelings. God is awesome.

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts?
Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death.
But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
for he has been good to me.
-Psalm 13