What A Day

Me very smiley at the Capitol.

Written on the road...

I was not expecting this.

Isn't tomorrow supposed to be where all the exciting things happen?

Well, that is not the case.  After a very early morning, we landed in DC, checked in to the hotel, and registered our names for the breakfast.  We grabbed a quick bite and mentally prepared for the day.  In the middle of paying for our incredibly over priced, in true Washington fashion, lunch, we were approached by a man that recognized Dad from his work with Prison Fellowship.  He turned out to be a former president of the organization and was a really good talker.  We caught up with Gordon and wasted some time before heading off to the capitol building for our tour.

The tour was pretty cool, I got stopped by security, it was a little boring and my feet hurt, but everything was so beautiful.  I was having flashbacks from my trip back in grade school the entire time.  

When we left, we simply walked across the street and straight into the building that holds offices of each House Representative.  We found Peter Roskam's name on the directory and hopped the elevator to his office on the 5th floor.  Peter is the 6th District Congressman of Illinois.  My parents met him through some friends and were very impressed with him, as was I when we met today.  We were warmly welcomed into his office, which looks exactly like the offices in "Charlie Wilson's War".  We sat with him in his chambers for a good 40 minutes catching up on life and I got to listen to him and my Dad talk politics that I don't understand.  

When the conversation turned to me and my travels, Peter was so kind as to offer his services if anything were to go awry while I was over seas.  I thanked him and we talked a bit about the trip and what I might be doing.  When Peter asked me if upon my return I would be at all interested in coming back to DC and working in politics,  I told him "absolutely not".  Immediately after saying that, I realized I could shoot myself for not banking a possible future job opportunity.  Then again, I would really suck at what he does.  There is no way that I have the room in my brain for the amount of knowledge needed for politics.

Peter really did a number on me, though.  I was so impressed with his nature, his reliance on God, and his honesty.  He shared his heart with us and some things that he would like us to pray for him.  He showed me how politics is not all about gossip and lies, that there are good men fighting the good fight for our country.  He put a lot of faith in me that good things can come out of Washington.

After that incredible hour we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner with the Parton's.  Stenn Parton is a good friend of mine from USC and has been a fantastic spiritual motivator for me.  When I met his parents for the first time I just knew that I had to foster a relationship between them and my mom and dad.  I knew that if I could get them to have dinner together, just once, that they would be hooked on each other and that is exactly what happened.  A few months ago we were all able to go to dinner and it was only a matter of time before they realized how perfect they all were for each other.  It was a match made in heaven and I can't wait to see what more comes out of their relationship as they get to know more about one another.

But dinner tonight was something I didn't see coming.  Lindsay and Laurie Parton invited a number of people to a gathering of old and new friends with the intention of purposefully bringing each person into the lives of the others.  There were a total of 22 of us and I was honored beyond belief to be there.    He had prayerfully asked each one of us to be there and even planned the seating arrangements.

Here is what our table looked like.

Lindsay spoke with heart about his reason for bringing us all to dinner.  He wanted to give his friends the most valuable thing in his life: his friends.  He opened the floor to others throughout the evening and the stories we heard were both moving and hilarious.  God was so present and so involved in the evening, I can't explain it other than being the epitome of fellowship.  It was truly an invaluable experience and the highlight of my trip.  I can't thank the Parton's enough for having me there, it was an encouragement and total joy.

Here are some thoughts from Stenn on the evening.  Emmanuel Moody sits next to him and also spoke, but My mom's camera died so I wasn't able to get everything that was said.  I still wanted to put up what I managed to get.  I was so moved by everyone's hearts, so humbled to be in a room with such incredible people.