Differences Between City and Country Life

I have been awake for several hours but the sun has just risen on this first day of a new work week. One advantage of working out of my home is that I can accomplish business and personal tasks at the same time. As I sit here typing I am also washing clothes. I have already eaten breakfast, read my Bible and prayed, read a chapter of a book, ran the dishwasher, and checked my email. If I had to travel to an office away from home, there is no way I could have accomplished all this before 8 o’clock in the morning.

In the past few weeks I have attended two Christmas parties. The first one was for my Rocksprings Church Sunday School class. The second one, just last Friday was for my San Antonio Church Sunday School Department which is made up of several Sunday School classes. I had a great time at both parties. Both parties had lots of yummy food.

The first party we had a White Elephant present exchange. For those who have never heard of a White Elephant present exchange—each person buys one gift and then at the party we all draw numbers and in numerical order pick a gift. If we like a gift someone else has already picked, we can steal that gift or we can pick from the unopened pile of gifts under the tree. The gifts can be nice, a joke, crazy, or whatever. I walked away with bookends made from horse shoes.

The second party we had a musical group as guests. This group is made up of church members who visit a nursing home every Friday to entertain the residents. They are really good and we all enjoyed being entertained, even joining in to sing with them sometimes. It was really nice seeing my old friends and getting lots of hugs. Everyone there was happy to see me too.

I have made several trips to San Antonio this past month and the difference between city and country, big city church and small rural church is very striking.

Folks in the city are more conscience of how they dress. Almost everyone was dressed up at the San Antonio party. While some were dressed up at the Rocksprings party, many were a lot more casual, I do not remember a single dress. The same can be said for Sunday Morning. It is rare to see a suit jacket in Rocksprings, whereas jeans are very common. People dress nicely in both churches, there is just a difference in attitude.

When I drive up to the San Antonio church I see manicured lawns, pruned bushes, flowers, etc. When I drive up to the Rocksprings church the lawn is mowed, but chickens are always roaming the property. Lately there have also been turkeys and even the occasional deer. It is amazing how noisy a flock of turkeys and a few roosters can be.

I have noticed a difference in personality and ruggedness among the members in Rocksprings compared to San Antonio. Though there are a number of frail members in the Rocksprings church, they just seem less frail then those in the city. I know a disabled woman in Rocksprings who must use support to walk. Even with that support she often falls, but she just picks herself up and goes on. This woman never hesitates to get on a tractor and is looking into buying a few goats. I cannot imagine anyone with her disability and limitations who lives in the city doing even half of what she does. But it seems out here no one gives it a second thought. Even those folks who are frail with age related health problems try to do more than their doctor probably advises. I have known many folks in the city who are full of excuses, whereas here in the country people just keep trying. And when someone really is unable to do something, others pitch in and help.

Which is another difference; folks out here help each other. I have received help from church members getting large items delivered out to the house. I know one person who drove to another state to pick up someone’s son and bring him home. His father has health problems and could not have made the trip. I have a neighbor who I often shop for when I go to San Antonio. She has occasionally picked up a few things for me in Kerrville. I could go on and on with such stories. People just help each other out here.

Though there are folks willing to drive people to the doctor, take them to the store, change a light bulb and help out in other ways in San Antonio, I also have witnessed a lot more selfishness in the big city, especially among certain populations. It saddens me how often I was unable to find a ride home from church because people were just too busy to drive a mere 2 miles out of their way. I often had no choice but to walk home. If my car was to break down in Rocksprings, I cannot imagine being stranded there. I am confident someone would help me get home, even though I live 15 miles from town.

Life out here can be hard, but there is a peacefulness too. At night instead of hearing sirens or other loud noises, I listen to the sound of the wind, animals, of just the quiet stillness. I love it out here.

This is difficult land though. Farming is not a possibility out here. Ranching is. This is goat and sheep country. When I drive to Rocksprings I always see goats, sheep, and cows. Sometimes I see deer and other wildlife too. A few weeks ago three people sitting near me were discussing when they could get together to have a church financial meeting. One man could not meet at a specific time because he had to feed. It takes him 2 hours to feed all his livestock, a task I am sure he does daily no matter what the weather is like. On another Sunday after church we had our monthly pot luck meal. The discussion turned to goats. The disabled woman I mentioned earlier wanted to purchase a few goats and so a rancher told her the price of a goat ($80 and above depending on the breed, gender, and age of the goat), and other issues that have to be addressed. I sat there listening with great interest. I love hearing people’s conversations because I learn so much. Life is very different out here and I am enjoying it.

These are just a few examples of the differences I have witnessed between the city and the country. I could share a lot more but these are the ones that pop into my head. It has now warmed up into the mid 50’sF (mid teens C), so I should put on my work boots and head out the door to tend the kittens, take the kitchen waste out to start composting, and tackle a few other outdoor jobs.

I pray both you and I have a good day.

Women's Prayer International

Every year Women’s Prayer International (WPI) has a celebration dinner, which is part fundraiser and part educational. It is a time where members can invite friends to learn more about this important and life changing ministry. WPI is women coming together once a month to pray for our families, our schools, our communities, our government (all levels), our military, our pastors, and more. We meet once a month in a neighbor’s home. We are Catholics and Protestants. We come from mainline denominational churches and non-denominational churches.

I had decided not to attend the dinner because of expense and time. The last week of September I have to be in San Antonio for doctor appointments so it did not make since to come just for an expensive dinner on September 17. But then the founder, Joan Bond-Courtney called and asked me to share my testimony. Last year I had written her a letter and it was that story she wanted me to share. So I changed my mind and last Wednesday drove to San Antonio, returning home on Saturday.

The testimony I shared at the WPI Celebration Dinner:

I became acquainted with Women’s Prayer International after attending a city wide prayer gathering. There was a woman signing up people who wanted to be part of a prayer group. I signed up, but it turned out there were no groups in my neighborhood, so I was assigned to a group quite a distance to the west of me. At the time I did not have a car and therefore was depended on the bus system to get around. God knew, but I am sure Joan and the volunteers did not know, that bus route 90 passed only 2 blocks from my apartment and went directly to the home where that group met.

Last September a friend and I decided to attend the Renewable Energy Fair, which is held in the Texas Hill Country annually. We drove up there Saturday afternoon and shared a motel room.

I tend to be an early riser and found myself wide awake by 5am. My friend on the other hand was still sound to sleep. Since I did not want to wake her up, turning on the light or TV was not an option. So I started praying. I prayed for my own needs and anyone else I could think of. About 10 minutes later I ran out of friends to pray for. Not wanting to lay in the bed bored, I asked God for help. Immediately the president and government popped into my head. So I started praying for my government officials and any related issues that came to my mind. After I had exhausted that topic, I once again asked God for help, and immediately another topic came to mind. I kept up this pattern until after awhile it suddenly occurred to me I was praying the WPI prayer guide categories I pray monthly with my neighborhood group. I was just praying the categories in a different order. Later when I arrived home I checked and I had prayed every single category on the list.

The last thing I shared with the audience is I now live in Edwards County and while I am excavating rocks, clearing out Mountain Cedar branches and other mindless activities, I often will think of one of the WPI prayer topics and start praying.

In closing I just want to add that I use to find it impossible to pray for an hour so I assumed I could not. I tried methods such as ACTS, but without success. But I learned last year that I can pray for an hour, I just needed the right guide to help me. I have found it. You do not have to be part of a prayer group in order to follow the WPI prayer guide (or prayer focus). You can download a copy of the prayer guide and simply follow the suggestions.