Oregon, Oregon. Portland, Oregon.
We left Marc’s cousin’s house in Washington on Thursday morning and arrived in Portland after a 15-20 minute drive. Portland is right on the border of Oregon and Washington, so it didn’t take long to get there. We started off in downtown, driving around trying to find free parking, one of our many plights in life. Finally we found free 2 hour parking, so we got out and began our quest. Firstly, we came across a record store that was pretty sweet. They had a lot of old CD’s for anywhere from $1.95-3.95, definitely a price I could live with! But as always, we are just window shoppers. Moving on, we came to what we were in the area to see: Powell’s City of Books. This bookstore is HUGE! Seriously. It took up a square city block and had 3 or 4 levels. We spent as long as we could there, but our van beckoned to be moved, and off we went.
Friday was a bit more exciting-it was Marc’s birthday! Last year, we had a little bit of money when it was my birthday so we had an awesome time in Maine. We were able to go out to eat and get ice cream and coffee, it was wonderful and perfect. Then by the time Marc’s bday came around 2 months later, we didn’t have enough money to do anything and I felt terrible! So this year I tried to do everything in my power to make it super awesome! In the morning we used our gift card to Jack in the Box to get him his favorite breakfast sandwich and have a place to sit and have our study. Breakfast was delicious and then we were on our way! We also had $11 worth of gift cards to Regal, so we went to the matinee and only had to pay $5 out of pocket for 2 tickets. I’d say that’s a pretty awesome deal! We watched Gravity with Sandra Bullock and I felt like having an anxiety attack the entire time! It was intense! After that, we walked over to the train to see if we could take it into the city. It ended up being $10 for both of us which wasn’t bad for an all day pass, but we figured we’d probably spend less than that in gas to get there, park and walk around, so we started back to the van.
As we walked, there was this skater boy in front of us that Marc began a conversation with. He grew up going to Catholic school, which he actually liked, but got kicked out and hadn’t gone to church since. Marc got to talk to him about repentance and following the Lord, to which he replied that he smoked weed, but knew he needed to stop. All in all, the conversation went very well. He seemed very grateful to have run into Marc and had that conversation.
Meanwhile, in creepy town (located 10 feet away on a bus stop bench), I was sitting, praying for Marc and minding my own business, when a guy sat on the ledge to the right of the bench. “I like your hair,” he started with. Had I been thinking logically, my reply would have been, “it’s in a bun and I haven’t washed it in 3 days. You don’t like my hair.” But caught off guard, I mumbled off a cordial, “thanks,” and continued not talking to him.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
Ugh, I thought, I haven’t been hit on by a stranger in quite some time, but I told him my name and didn’t look at him, hoping he’d get the hint.
“That’s pretty,” he replied. “Where’s Clyde?”
I’m so glad you asked. “He’s right over there, in the red shirt.”
As Marc wrapped up his conversation with the skater boy, he came over to where we were sitting and started talking to Victor, the Russian, who made sure to note he had a girlfriend. As Marc asked him about his life and beliefs, he said that he believed in God but was probably going to hell because of the things he had done. And yet, God’s grace is bigger than that! He still had views of God and the gospel that were a bit off, but Marc was able to explain it in ways that made sense. At one point, he interrupted Marc to say, “Let me ask you a question. I know your views of God, but what is your opinion on God and cannabis?” Seriously? Who says that?! Marc started to answer him and say that it’s not about what we can and can’t do, that’s not why we believe in God, but he interrupted again to say that he was only asking because he wanted to know if we minded that he toke up. We said we did mind and he replied with, “Well, I have my card.” We were just about done anyways so we wrapped up our conversation and went on to the next awesome birthday event-Voodoo Doughnuts. Apparently, it’s a well known place in Portland. They have been on TV for their wacky donuts and everyone seems to love the maple bar that has two small strips of bacon on it. Our friend Danelle, who is a Portland native, told us that the line always takes 45 minutes to get through but it is worth it. We were pleasantly surprised as we walked up to the building and there was no line! That is, until we got around the corner. The line went halfway down the building. Apparently she was right! So we waited and it only took about 20 minutes to get through it. Once we got inside, we saw the craziest donuts ever! One had fruit loops on top of it, another nerds, another cocoa puffs, another sprinkles and marshmallows, there were vegan donuts even! Marc got one the maple bar with bacon on it and I got one that was called ODB, after the rapper. It was a donut with chocolate glaze, crumbled Oreos, and peanut butter drizzle. It was so good!!! Surprisingly, they weren’t too expensive and they were quite big!
We didn’t have to move the car for another hour, so we walked around the downtown for a bit. It was getting into evening and there wasn’t much going on except for food trucks, so we began back to the van.
We left Marc’s cousin’s house in Washington on Thursday morning and arrived in Portland after a 15-20 minute drive. Portland is right on the border of Oregon and Washington, so it didn’t take long to get there. We started off in downtown, driving around trying to find free parking, one of our many plights in life. Finally we found free 2 hour parking, so we got out and began our quest. Firstly, we came across a record store that was pretty sweet. They had a lot of old CD’s for anywhere from $1.95-3.95, definitely a price I could live with! But as always, we are just window shoppers. Moving on, we came to what we were in the area to see: Powell’s City of Books. This bookstore is HUGE! Seriously. It took up a square city block and had 3 or 4 levels. We spent as long as we could there, but our van beckoned to be moved, and off we went.
Friday was a bit more exciting-it was Marc’s birthday! Last year, we had a little bit of money when it was my birthday so we had an awesome time in Maine. We were able to go out to eat and get ice cream and coffee, it was wonderful and perfect. Then by the time Marc’s bday came around 2 months later, we didn’t have enough money to do anything and I felt terrible! So this year I tried to do everything in my power to make it super awesome! In the morning we used our gift card to Jack in the Box to get him his favorite breakfast sandwich and have a place to sit and have our study. Breakfast was delicious and then we were on our way! We also had $11 worth of gift cards to Regal, so we went to the matinee and only had to pay $5 out of pocket for 2 tickets. I’d say that’s a pretty awesome deal! We watched Gravity with Sandra Bullock and I felt like having an anxiety attack the entire time! It was intense! After that, we walked over to the train to see if we could take it into the city. It ended up being $10 for both of us which wasn’t bad for an all day pass, but we figured we’d probably spend less than that in gas to get there, park and walk around, so we started back to the van.
As we walked, there was this skater boy in front of us that Marc began a conversation with. He grew up going to Catholic school, which he actually liked, but got kicked out and hadn’t gone to church since. Marc got to talk to him about repentance and following the Lord, to which he replied that he smoked weed, but knew he needed to stop. All in all, the conversation went very well. He seemed very grateful to have run into Marc and had that conversation.
Meanwhile, in creepy town (located 10 feet away on a bus stop bench), I was sitting, praying for Marc and minding my own business, when a guy sat on the ledge to the right of the bench. “I like your hair,” he started with. Had I been thinking logically, my reply would have been, “it’s in a bun and I haven’t washed it in 3 days. You don’t like my hair.” But caught off guard, I mumbled off a cordial, “thanks,” and continued not talking to him.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
Ugh, I thought, I haven’t been hit on by a stranger in quite some time, but I told him my name and didn’t look at him, hoping he’d get the hint.
“That’s pretty,” he replied. “Where’s Clyde?”
I’m so glad you asked. “He’s right over there, in the red shirt.”
As Marc wrapped up his conversation with the skater boy, he came over to where we were sitting and started talking to Victor, the Russian, who made sure to note he had a girlfriend. As Marc asked him about his life and beliefs, he said that he believed in God but was probably going to hell because of the things he had done. And yet, God’s grace is bigger than that! He still had views of God and the gospel that were a bit off, but Marc was able to explain it in ways that made sense. At one point, he interrupted Marc to say, “Let me ask you a question. I know your views of God, but what is your opinion on God and cannabis?” Seriously? Who says that?! Marc started to answer him and say that it’s not about what we can and can’t do, that’s not why we believe in God, but he interrupted again to say that he was only asking because he wanted to know if we minded that he toke up. We said we did mind and he replied with, “Well, I have my card.” We were just about done anyways so we wrapped up our conversation and went on to the next awesome birthday event-Voodoo Doughnuts. Apparently, it’s a well known place in Portland. They have been on TV for their wacky donuts and everyone seems to love the maple bar that has two small strips of bacon on it. Our friend Danelle, who is a Portland native, told us that the line always takes 45 minutes to get through but it is worth it. We were pleasantly surprised as we walked up to the building and there was no line! That is, until we got around the corner. The line went halfway down the building. Apparently she was right! So we waited and it only took about 20 minutes to get through it. Once we got inside, we saw the craziest donuts ever! One had fruit loops on top of it, another nerds, another cocoa puffs, another sprinkles and marshmallows, there were vegan donuts even! Marc got one the maple bar with bacon on it and I got one that was called ODB, after the rapper. It was a donut with chocolate glaze, crumbled Oreos, and peanut butter drizzle. It was so good!!! Surprisingly, they weren’t too expensive and they were quite big!
We didn’t have to move the car for another hour, so we walked around the downtown for a bit. It was getting into evening and there wasn’t much going on except for food trucks, so we began back to the van.
State #45, can you believe it?!
no idea what's up with the reindeer
the line at Voodoo Donuts.
holy moly!
chocolate glaze, crushed oreos, peanut butter drizzle!
maple glaze, bacon.
got milk?
When we finally got there, we drove towards the airport but stopped at a park and took a nap in the back. Why were we driving to the airport? Why did we take a nap? Well let me tell you! Marc’s cousin, Danny Boy, flew up to Portland from San Francisco when he got off of work, just so he could be with Marc on his bday! We expected to be up most of the night engaging in debauchery and ridiculousness, and I’m a grandma at heart, so I knew I’d be tired. Eventually, we woke up and it was time to get him! Once we picked him up from the airport, we headed out to this outdoor mall similar to Victoria Gardens for dinner. We walked into a restaurant and saw they charged upwards of $30 for a plate and we walked right back out! Instead, we found a Claim Jumper and had some BOMB food! Not to mention, we had a server who was absolutely amazing! I always find some little thing that makes it not quite perfect (I don’t mean to, it’s just the side effects of being a waitress for 5 years) but this guy went above and beyond! It was superb! I was super grateful to Danny Boy for treating us to dinner and helping to give Marc the birthday that I couldn’t. I know just having him there was awesome enough for us, but he made sure Marc had a good time, especially after dinner! We went to this place similar to Dave & Buster’s called Big Al’s. It had arcade games, bowling, darts, and pool! So we had at it! We played games until 12:30 in the morning, and then got in some darts and pool before they closed at 1. Then it was off to the van to go to sleep, much earlier than I expected! No lie, I love sleep so I wasn’t complaining! We laid down, got all comfy, and prayed and I began drifting off into la-la-land, when Marc says, “I’m not tired.” And my dreams were shattered! Well, my almost dreams anyways. So we got up and played cards for a little bit, until the boys were tired, and then we crashed. It was funny to see Danny Boy getting a taste of the van life, but he adjusted well enough.
dinner!
a sweet treat for my sweet on his birthday
Danny Boy getting beat at Buck Hunter
Danny Boy getting beat at racing
the only thing he seemed to be good at, pool
Marc got a bullseye on his first shot!
van life!
In the morning, we went to Starbucks to have our studies and charge our phones. When that was done, we headed back to Big Al’s to spend the rest of his play card on breakfast. When we got there, we noticed that all they really had was pizza, ice cream, and baseball game food, so we used the rest of the gift card on games. While we were playing a racing game, a worker walked by and asked us if we wanted this other card that had $12.75 on it. Heck yes we did! So we played skeeball! Marc doesn’t really care for ticket games, he really only likes games like racing or shooting or basketball. We are cut from a different cord, because all I care about is getting tickets! So now that it wasn’t his bday anymore, I used the new card to play some games that I like, and we got a nice little chunk of tickets. After they played their last round of Big Buck Hunter, we cashed in our tickets, got some prizes and headed for the door. Before we even made it down the stairs, Danny Boy asked, “Why didn’t we play ticket games the whole time?!” That’s what I’m saying! So we went back up and played a few more games, got more tickets, and used them for more cheap, awesome stuff! And then we were off to the Portland State University Farmer’s Market to be, as Marc called us, “sample abusers”. Well, I suppose we did abuse the system. We had so many samples I almost didn’t want lunch! Almost. By the time we got there, it was only open for another hour, but we walked around anyways and tried some bomb food. Danny Boy found a food stand that said, “Special today: Paleo Plate,” like it was meant to be! Then we were off to the Saturday Market out on the waterfront. This one was more goods than food, but still an awesome time of walking around, enjoying family, and seeing people’s crafts. We couldn’t stay more than a couple of hours because we had to get Danny Boy back to the airport, but it was nice while it lasted.
Rachel & David
I have a new found love for green olives and a mild (but increasing) like for pepperoni
Marc, me, Lorenzo, Danielle, Jason (in the hole), Paul, & Danelle
Lorenzo
me!
Marc
Danelle
free hot cider & cocoa!
hay ride! Marc, Lorenzo, & Jason
I know you can't tell, but this thing is massive.
good times with mustaches:
After we took him, we went back to hang with Marc’s cousin Rachel and her husband, David, at their new house, which, by the way is beautiful! His grandmother gave it to them and she has lived in it since the 50’s! And you could kind of tell with the décor. It was super retro, but actually really awesome! Rachel said that the kitchen hadn’t been redone since the Grandma had moved in, but if that was the case, the house was in spectacular condition! The wallpaper wasn’t peeling anywhere, the green, crackle paint blinds didn’t have a speck of dust or discoloration on them, and the burnt orange shag carpet looked new. The house was in great condition and I totally fell in love with the retro feel! That night, Rachel and David treated us to dinner at a pizza place they go to and it was delicious!
Rachel & David
I have a new found love for green olives and a mild (but increasing) like for pepperoni
After dinner, we went our separate ways. Well, they stayed home, but we drove to meet our friend Danelle, who had driven up for 4 hours to see us! Her husband’s sister lived in Vancouver so they were at her house hanging out with the family. How awesome that we had never met these people, but they were still happy to invite us into their house and be super gracious hosts to us! We all hung out and talked for the next 3 hours or so and in that time they fed us snacks galore! Chips and salsa (that she had made and canned herself), pickled green beans (that she had made and canned herself), zucchini bread (yes, that she made herself), and all the candy we could want from their candy jar. We had a really great time just hanging out with our old friend and making new ones! But the 4 hour sleep the night before took its toll on my granny self, and I had to go to bed.
Sunday morning brought more awesomeness! The homeowners, JR & Danielle (not to be confused with Danelle) made us a delicious breakfast of turkey bacon, French toast (made with eggs from their chickens), sausage, coffee, and raspberries. What more could a couple of vagabonds ask for!? It was fantastic! From there, Danelle, Marc, and I headed off to church, where the pastor looked like he could be Marc’s brother. He was probably about 29, had a beard, and even had dreadlocks, and his message was fantastic! The worship was moving and the message was solid. The part that Marc liked the best was the usher. It was a pretty large church so when we walked in the foyer, it took a minute to figure out where to go from there. Marc asked the closest usher, "excuse me, where do I go?"
"Is it your first time?" he asked, then proceeded to not only point out to Marc where the sanctuary was, but pointed out the cross, why it was there, and what it meant, effectively giving him the gospel in less than a minute or two. How awesome, instead of just saying "good morning," he took the time to show that he cared. He took the 90 seconds he had with Marc and made sure that, even if at no other time, he would hear the gospel then. Awesome. After church, we headed back to the house and relaxed to football for a little while while everyone got ready to go to the pumpkin patch! When we got there, it was closed, but Danielle in all of her niftiness, found another one that was AMAZING!! It cost $9 to get in (thankfully Danelle and Paul fronted it for us) but with the price of admission you got:
Corn maze, straw pyramid, 2 small pumpkins to launch at the pumpkin launch, a free hot cocoa, apple cider, or coffee, a hay ride, and a pumpkin!
Sunday morning brought more awesomeness! The homeowners, JR & Danielle (not to be confused with Danelle) made us a delicious breakfast of turkey bacon, French toast (made with eggs from their chickens), sausage, coffee, and raspberries. What more could a couple of vagabonds ask for!? It was fantastic! From there, Danelle, Marc, and I headed off to church, where the pastor looked like he could be Marc’s brother. He was probably about 29, had a beard, and even had dreadlocks, and his message was fantastic! The worship was moving and the message was solid. The part that Marc liked the best was the usher. It was a pretty large church so when we walked in the foyer, it took a minute to figure out where to go from there. Marc asked the closest usher, "excuse me, where do I go?"
"Is it your first time?" he asked, then proceeded to not only point out to Marc where the sanctuary was, but pointed out the cross, why it was there, and what it meant, effectively giving him the gospel in less than a minute or two. How awesome, instead of just saying "good morning," he took the time to show that he cared. He took the 90 seconds he had with Marc and made sure that, even if at no other time, he would hear the gospel then. Awesome. After church, we headed back to the house and relaxed to football for a little while while everyone got ready to go to the pumpkin patch! When we got there, it was closed, but Danielle in all of her niftiness, found another one that was AMAZING!! It cost $9 to get in (thankfully Danelle and Paul fronted it for us) but with the price of admission you got:
Corn maze, straw pyramid, 2 small pumpkins to launch at the pumpkin launch, a free hot cocoa, apple cider, or coffee, a hay ride, and a pumpkin!
I’d say it was super worth it! We had so much fun! I love being festive and being able to participate in stuff like that. God is so good to provide that for us, even while we’re jobless and on the road.
that's what I get for making him take a cheesy picture
Marc, me, Lorenzo, Danielle, Jason (in the hole), Paul, & Danelle
midget goat!
Marc & Danelle milling corn!
PUMPKIN LAUNCH!!! Very serious business:
Lorenzo
me!
Marc
Danelle
free hot cider & cocoa!
hay ride! Marc, Lorenzo, & Jason
I know you can't tell, but this thing is massive.
After we were done, we went back to the house and watched the 16 year old son do his homework. I know that sounds boring, but it was for his culinary class and his homework was to prepare dinner, so he busted out his mom’s recipe, and went to work making salmon puff pastry, stuffed with spinach and pesto with a side of rice. I don’t normally like salmon, I actually super hate it because I think it tastes like cat food, but this one wasn’t bad! I only tried a few bites of Marc’s, but I must say, if I was hungry, I would have served myself a portion!
Chef Lorenzo!
their GIANT cat!
After dinner, Danelle and Paul took off back to Coos Bay, Oregon and we said goodbye and thanks to our new friends. I really enjoyed meeting Danielle (and her family) because she was a great example of a 21st century keeper of the home. She has a large garden, and she cans a lot of food. Her stock pile is impressive! She also noted that from the time her boys were born it has been important to her to be home with them and play an active role in raising them, rather than letting a babysitter or someone else do it. AND! She knows how to cut hair! Not that I'm all about learning, but I just see it as one more thing that she can do to help balance the budget and be a good steward of the money that God has blessed them with. She reminded me of certain verses from Proverbs 31:
13 She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands.
15 She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants.
16 She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard.
27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.
All in all, we were blessed to have met the family. I guess we're always blessed when we meet new people who take us in, but especially this time because they treated us like family before they even had met us. I do hope that our paths cross again!
Our first stop after leaving their house was to get gas. At the station, Marc pumped our gas but then went back in to give the cashier the gospel. He knew he didn’t have a lot of time, so he dropped it on him quickly, and then came back out. He got in the car to leave, but noticed a man across the way walking his dog, and off he went! The man was very cordial but said that he didn’t believe that God existed. “What if I could give you overwhelming evidence that showed He does? Would you be interested?” Marc asked.
The dog walker replied, “Well, I’m pretty close minded….”
That statement basically ended the conversation. Marc recommended a book to him, thanked him for being so cordial, and then off we went to find a Walmart and go to sleep.
The next day was Monday morning. We went to Jack in the Box and finished off our gift card. We weren’t really sure what we were going to do that day, but we pulled out our tourist brochure and found some free stuff, then off we went. The first one was a rose garden in the middle of Washington Park, just on the other side of the Burnside Bridge. (Sidenote, there are a ton of bridges in Portland! TONS! The main one that we went back and forth over was Burnside Bridge.) We walked around, stopped to smell the roses, and made our way over to the Japanese Gardens. Unfortunately it cost $8.50 to get in, which I probably wouldn’t pay even if we had jobs, so we turned around and made our way to our next destination: the Pittock Mansion. Apparently, it is a must see, but it, too, required an admission fee. Instead of going in, we just walked around and took pictures. When we got to the opposite side of the house, the view of the city was awesome! As I started snapping pictures, Marc began talking to the guy sitting on the bench, reading his book. He had a very noticeable accent, so Marc asked where he was from. Paris, France! How cool is that! His name was Ulysses (I’m not sure I spelled that right, but I sure hope so!) and he had spent 3 months travelling Canada and would spend the next 3 travelling the states, making it back to France just in time for Christmas. He was couch surfing his way across the country with no car, just hitchhiking, seeing the sights, and making friends as he goes. We spent probably an hour and a half talking with him, sharing about Jesus, asking him about why he is an atheist, and answering his questions. It was seriously, the best conversation we’ve had with anybody on this trip-not just because it was the longest but because he asked great questions. In the end, he said, “you said God wanted us to have choice, but with what you’re saying, it seems like there is no choice but to believe in God.” There is always a choice, but you are left with a good option and a bad option. Far too many people take the bad option because they don’t want to believe in God, they don’t want to be accountable to someone, or someone has been telling them for their whole life that it’s a lie. Whatever the reason, people take the bad option all too often. That is why the Bible says that the road to life is narrow and few find it, but the road to destruction is broad and many go in by it. People choose the bad option for many reasons, but we still all are given a choice.
After about 2 hours of hanging out with him, we gave him a ride to his host’s house, and off we went. We didn’t know what else to do, so we walked around the mall. Marc found a guy sitting alone at the food court and began to talk to him. The conversation didn’t go very well-we think he might have been not all there because many of the arguments that he was saying didn’t make sense. So we continued on through the mall and found ourselves killing the end of our night in Barnes & Noble because we had nothing else to do. Soon after we were off to bed.
We pulled into Walmart, parked, and got out of the van just in time for the security guard to pull up next to us. I’m talking right next to us, even though we park all the way in the very last space down at the end of the row. Coincidence? I think not. We said hi and kept walking and he drove off. Phew. As we walked, he pulled up next to us again and said, “Can I ask you guys a question?” Aw man, here it comes. And then something unexpected happened-he began to talk to us about Jesus! He’s been a messianic Jew for the past 4 years, but a believer for over 40! Man, were we going to sleep good that night?! Or so we thought. Two hours later while I was cozy in my sleepiness, we were rudely awakened by LOUD, repeated knocking on the windows. It was a different security guard this time who said, “County ordinance, no overnight parking. You guys can’t stay here.” As groggy as can be, Marc got up and moved the van. It was our first time being kicked out of a Walmart, our first interaction with a security guard, and definitely the rudest awakening of the whole trip. It was more than a 10 minute drive to the next nearest Walmart, so in an effort to conserve gas, we just found a place close by to stay. It was a street in between a field and a McDonald’s, nobody was parked there and we didn’t see any signs, so down we went. I lay awake for a while, fearful that we’d be woken up to move again, seeing as though we were still in the same county. I don’t remember getting tired or when it happened, but eventually I fell asleep, only to be woken up once again by loud knocking and tow truck in front of the van. Thankfully, the driver gave us a heads up instead of just hauling us away in our sleep, but he said it was a private road and that we couldn’t park there. By this time it was around 9, so we just got up for the day and had breakfast. We weren't really sure what to do that day, so with no direction, we went to the only free place we could think of, Barnes & Noble, to charge up and have our study. I ended up writing my blog (this one), which took up a good chunk of the day. Afterwards, Rachel & David invited us over for dinner, so we crossed back into Washington for the 3rd or 4th time since we had been in Oregon, where we had dinner and are currently sleeping in their living room, on a comfy air mattress with no security guard to kick us out, praise the Lord! :)
It looks as though we'll be leaving for Idaho tomorrow, but who knows what the Lord has in store. Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of "Marc & Bonnie's road trip across the country that's almost over, praise the Lord!" :)
13 She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands.
15 She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants.
16 She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard.
27 She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness.
All in all, we were blessed to have met the family. I guess we're always blessed when we meet new people who take us in, but especially this time because they treated us like family before they even had met us. I do hope that our paths cross again!
Our first stop after leaving their house was to get gas. At the station, Marc pumped our gas but then went back in to give the cashier the gospel. He knew he didn’t have a lot of time, so he dropped it on him quickly, and then came back out. He got in the car to leave, but noticed a man across the way walking his dog, and off he went! The man was very cordial but said that he didn’t believe that God existed. “What if I could give you overwhelming evidence that showed He does? Would you be interested?” Marc asked.
The dog walker replied, “Well, I’m pretty close minded….”
That statement basically ended the conversation. Marc recommended a book to him, thanked him for being so cordial, and then off we went to find a Walmart and go to sleep.
The next day was Monday morning. We went to Jack in the Box and finished off our gift card. We weren’t really sure what we were going to do that day, but we pulled out our tourist brochure and found some free stuff, then off we went. The first one was a rose garden in the middle of Washington Park, just on the other side of the Burnside Bridge. (Sidenote, there are a ton of bridges in Portland! TONS! The main one that we went back and forth over was Burnside Bridge.) We walked around, stopped to smell the roses, and made our way over to the Japanese Gardens. Unfortunately it cost $8.50 to get in, which I probably wouldn’t pay even if we had jobs, so we turned around and made our way to our next destination: the Pittock Mansion. Apparently, it is a must see, but it, too, required an admission fee. Instead of going in, we just walked around and took pictures. When we got to the opposite side of the house, the view of the city was awesome! As I started snapping pictures, Marc began talking to the guy sitting on the bench, reading his book. He had a very noticeable accent, so Marc asked where he was from. Paris, France! How cool is that! His name was Ulysses (I’m not sure I spelled that right, but I sure hope so!) and he had spent 3 months travelling Canada and would spend the next 3 travelling the states, making it back to France just in time for Christmas. He was couch surfing his way across the country with no car, just hitchhiking, seeing the sights, and making friends as he goes. We spent probably an hour and a half talking with him, sharing about Jesus, asking him about why he is an atheist, and answering his questions. It was seriously, the best conversation we’ve had with anybody on this trip-not just because it was the longest but because he asked great questions. In the end, he said, “you said God wanted us to have choice, but with what you’re saying, it seems like there is no choice but to believe in God.” There is always a choice, but you are left with a good option and a bad option. Far too many people take the bad option because they don’t want to believe in God, they don’t want to be accountable to someone, or someone has been telling them for their whole life that it’s a lie. Whatever the reason, people take the bad option all too often. That is why the Bible says that the road to life is narrow and few find it, but the road to destruction is broad and many go in by it. People choose the bad option for many reasons, but we still all are given a choice.
After about 2 hours of hanging out with him, we gave him a ride to his host’s house, and off we went. We didn’t know what else to do, so we walked around the mall. Marc found a guy sitting alone at the food court and began to talk to him. The conversation didn’t go very well-we think he might have been not all there because many of the arguments that he was saying didn’t make sense. So we continued on through the mall and found ourselves killing the end of our night in Barnes & Noble because we had nothing else to do. Soon after we were off to bed.
We pulled into Walmart, parked, and got out of the van just in time for the security guard to pull up next to us. I’m talking right next to us, even though we park all the way in the very last space down at the end of the row. Coincidence? I think not. We said hi and kept walking and he drove off. Phew. As we walked, he pulled up next to us again and said, “Can I ask you guys a question?” Aw man, here it comes. And then something unexpected happened-he began to talk to us about Jesus! He’s been a messianic Jew for the past 4 years, but a believer for over 40! Man, were we going to sleep good that night?! Or so we thought. Two hours later while I was cozy in my sleepiness, we were rudely awakened by LOUD, repeated knocking on the windows. It was a different security guard this time who said, “County ordinance, no overnight parking. You guys can’t stay here.” As groggy as can be, Marc got up and moved the van. It was our first time being kicked out of a Walmart, our first interaction with a security guard, and definitely the rudest awakening of the whole trip. It was more than a 10 minute drive to the next nearest Walmart, so in an effort to conserve gas, we just found a place close by to stay. It was a street in between a field and a McDonald’s, nobody was parked there and we didn’t see any signs, so down we went. I lay awake for a while, fearful that we’d be woken up to move again, seeing as though we were still in the same county. I don’t remember getting tired or when it happened, but eventually I fell asleep, only to be woken up once again by loud knocking and tow truck in front of the van. Thankfully, the driver gave us a heads up instead of just hauling us away in our sleep, but he said it was a private road and that we couldn’t park there. By this time it was around 9, so we just got up for the day and had breakfast. We weren't really sure what to do that day, so with no direction, we went to the only free place we could think of, Barnes & Noble, to charge up and have our study. I ended up writing my blog (this one), which took up a good chunk of the day. Afterwards, Rachel & David invited us over for dinner, so we crossed back into Washington for the 3rd or 4th time since we had been in Oregon, where we had dinner and are currently sleeping in their living room, on a comfy air mattress with no security guard to kick us out, praise the Lord! :)
It looks as though we'll be leaving for Idaho tomorrow, but who knows what the Lord has in store. Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of "Marc & Bonnie's road trip across the country that's almost over, praise the Lord!" :)
