Today is Sunday, July 2, and we went to worship at the First Presbyterian Church of Scottsbluff, Nebraska. The service was well ordered but personal. The message was given by the Children's Director, who shared from the first chapter of Ruth--particularly Ruth's pledge of allegiance to her mother-in-law, Naomi. The scripture was read by three women, each voicing the part of one of the women in the text, and the point of the message was that if our primary allegiance is to God and God's people (as Ruth's was to Naomi and Israel) then while we may be called to leave much behind and risk much, what we receive for leaving and risking will be great. This was a pertinent word to us, having left people we love and a ministry we loved at Calvin in order to follow what we believe is God's call.

After worship and some fellowship we continued our visit of sites along the Oregon/Mormon/Emigrant/Pony Express Trail. As we see these places and hear the stories of the sacrifice and hardships that these travelers went through in search of a new life, we have been reminded again of the call to sacrifice for the gift of the new life we have been given as citizens of the kingdom of God.
Chimney Rock, a famous sign of the completion of the first third of the trip west--and of the hardships that awaited the traveler!

FYI: Did you know that the Pony Express only operated for 18 months? True--it was replaced after that time by the trans-continetal telegraph.