the last leg resumes

Back at it from this obscure spot on Heine Rd. in Stevens County, WA

It was a gorgeous day here in the Pacific Northwest, barely a cloud in the sky, but the sun was blazing hot. By evening, we had resumed what we hope to be the last leg of #TheLongWalkUSA, logging 8 miles from the broken barn on Heine Rd. to Main Street in a little “West Virginia Hollow”—esque Washington community called Addy. Still, we remain unclear about the direction, but it felt good to put one foot in front of another.

Not much in the way of Gospel encounters: there was a girl working a coffee hut in Chewelah; and we gave a Gospel tract to a postal worker in Addy. Late afternoon, we buzzed up to Colville to do a little route scouting and find some hot food at the local Super 1 grocery. Interestingly, there were two pickup trucks parked side by side, each sporting a large American flag and a large Israel flag. Hmm, I thought.

It was a hot one on gravel roads in Stevens County, Washington.

Inside, while devouring a rotisserie chicken at a table in the deli seating area, I noticed 3 elderly men, one with a Vietnam War Veteran cap. They were all packing rather large open-carry pistols and speaking back and forth about the ills of this country. While ravenously consuming that chicken, somewhat like the children of Israel when the LORD sent the quails, I overheard one of them mention the Bible and knew I needed to engage these men. Hmm … how to do it? … I wondered. We finished our supper and got up to leave. Ehh,  I just didn’t feel like talking to anyone, but … I did anyway.

I stopped, turned around, approached the table and said, “Excuse me sir (to the one in the Vietnam Vet hat). Thank you for your service to our country. You folks who were shipped off to Vietnam weren’t treated well when you returned and certainly not appreciated for your sacrifice, a sacrifice you were forced to make. I just wanted to say thank you.” I talked about the upside-down American flag. what it means, and how our country is in dire distress because we have TURNED AWAY FROM GOD AND THE BIBLE. I then shared about what we are doing and why, emphasizing that our nation’s spiritual problems cannot be fixed with political solutions. “We need to humble ourselves and cry out to the LORD.” One of the men responded, “We need to REPENT is what we need to do.” I gave him a big southern preacher HAAAAAYMEN. Anyway, it was a great encounter and all three took Gospel tracts. As it turned out, they were three brothers originally from North Dakota and all three of them had gone to Vietnam. In fact, I later discovered, the Theuringer brothers are talked about in the VFW Magazine (February 2012 Issue) in an article entitled, “A Family Affair Multiple Sibings Go to War.” They were actually five brothers: all five were drafted and sent off to Vietnam. Amazingly, all five returned and are still living today. Moreover, it turned out, two of them owned the two pickup trucks I had seen in the grocery parking lot. We talked for a long time, and I was the one blessed to learn a few things from those much older than myself. They all seemed to fear the LORD and I believe were much encouraged. They also gave us some useful route advice.

An Encounter with Three Brothers, all three Vietnam. War Veterans, in a Colville, Washington Supermarket

It was a bit of a drive back to where were are staying, but I am very grateful for the home opened to us. Unfortunately, I could barely get down the stairs last night. Please continue to pray for complete healing in my foot. It’s still nagging from that rock climbing fall back in Spearfish Canyon.

-Jesse Boyd