I’VE GOTTA  GO TO IDAHO

 

THE WFACA website is getting ready, but before it comes I wish to share with you a little of my travels across the great-divide-of-the-USA, my journey continues, BUT I HAVE GOTTA TO GO TO IDAHO.

 

 

Over the past-17-years, I have traveled-the-divide of this beautiful United-States-of-America, from the home-of-space in Huntsville-Alabama to the college-campus in Morgantown-West-Virginia, to Alaska where there’s-darkness-at-high-noon, IDAHO is the only state I’ve not visited.

 

My journey across the winding-shores-and-landscapes cannot be describe in words, but carries a lasting-memory that will stand for-all-time, yet IDAHO remains a mystery. 

 

In Little-Rock-Arkansas, the death-of-a-16-year-old over gang-activity was distressing; Flag-Staff-Arizona, my-first-traffic-ticket, said I doing 77-in-55-mile-zone; San-Francisco-California, the vaunted-hills of the city were breath-taking; Colorado I passed through Denver-Airport.  Springfield-Connecticut I was, then to Dover-Delaware as I passed through on the train bound-for-Washington-DC. IDAHO was not nearby. 

 

In Florida, the beaches-of-Melbourne reminded me of home;  Atlanta-Georgia my first taste-of-the-south.  Hawaii I went as-a-boy-of-16.  Spent one-night in Council-Bluff-Iowa; enjoyed a Mexican-dinner in Plainfield-Indiana.  Illinois-is-my-home; Louisville-Kentucky visited-a-prison, & planted-a-Sudanese-church (all men). Lenexa- Kansas dropped in for-coffee with a friend.  New-Orleans-Louisiana, dined on Bourbon-Street.  Mattapan-Massachusetts is my-second-home.  Tupelo-Mississippi saw poverty did-not-know-exist-in-the-USA.  In Helena-Montana I was alone, it seems no one lives-there; Baltimore-Maryland I preached my first-sermon-in-the-USA, Kittery-Maine.  Shopped all day at an outlet-mall, bought-nothing. 

 

Minneapolis-Minnesota, I was offered-a-job but it was too-cold.  In St-Joseph-Missouri, planted-a-church, so too I did in Okemos; Grand Rapids & Kalamazoo-Michigan & Elmwood-Park-New-Jersey, but I keep missing IDAHO. 

 

I visit New-York-City often where many of my compatriots reside; in Concord New-Hampshire, dabbed in politics in George-Bush-political-campaign. Traveling Route-40 I spent-a-week in Albuquerque-New-Mexico; in Blair-Nebraska while getting directions-to-Omaha, a farmer showed-off-his-farm.  Las-Vegas-Nevada to a conference, the casinos were tempting, but I kept my wallet-closed.  Salisbury-North-Carolina, got my first taste-of-American-racism, Fargo-North-Dakota I assisted Sudanese-refugees with winter-clothing.  St-Phillips-Anglican-Church-Portland-Oregon invited me to preach-and-stay, but Mt-St-Helen kept blowing its top, I declined. I was close to IDAHO, I did not know.

 

Dublin-Ohio planted-a-church. In Oklahoma-City, I visited the chairs memorializing the 1995-bombing; opened a church in Fay-City-Pennsylvania.  From Boston I always go through T. R Green-Airport-Rhode-Island.  Driving through the Badlands on Highway-90 to Mt-Rushmore-South-Dakota to see the majestic-heads of Presidents, Myrtle-Beach-South-Carolina was tempting, I dived in. I was not even close to IDAHO.   

 

Nashville-Tennessee for 6-years my-home, In Texas I visit (and still do) death-row. The Mormon-Cathedral-Salt-Lake-City-Utah was worth the visit; on the edge Massachusetts I drove into Brattleboro-Vermont, just to say I was there. I wondered if it looked like IDAHO.

 

In Alexandria-Virginia on the cobble-stone-streets I met Actor-James-Coco, we dined together.  On a flight from California, I landed in Seattle-Washington, for a short-stop-over, Beulah-Wyoming was a few miles from Mt-Rushmore, so I went. Milwaukie-Wisconsin I visited my first museum.

 

In 17-years I have traveled over 1000-cities-in-this-land.  Some-small, some-big, some-nearby, some-far-away. Many I’ve preached and opened-new-doors, humbly I touched the lives of many as they did me, memories that will live, but still...

 

  I AM YET TO GO TO IDAHO!