Pastor's Informal Report of the WY LWML Convention

Now that I have a moment to breathe…. I (Pastor) thought I would write a blog about my experience to my first LWML District Convention. On Thursday I left, bright and early, for Gering to get on the LWML bus. Two men (one of them the bus driver) and 28 ladies gathering from around the Pine Ridge and the Chimney Rock Zones came to stops along the way in Gering, Torrington, and Lusk. The bus ride would be about seven hours with one planned stop in Casper, WY to eat lunch. I thought that if I sat to the back of the bus I might get some rest and some work done. Right. J Between my penchant for talking and that this bus was filled with LWML ladies in which most have the same liking, conversation was the order for the day.

After we picked up the ladies in Lusk, I was asked to lead a brief (LOL) devotion on the moving bus. That was my first “rolling” devotion ever. In case the ladies wouldn’t recognize me as the lone pastor on the bus, I put on my “clerical cap” that Sarah got me for our anniversary. After the laughing subsided, we took a look at the theme for the convention, Psalm 19b, “O Lord, My Rock and My Redeemer.” We looked at the context in the Psalms and David’s use of the word Rock.

We stopped around 11:30 am in Casper at Sanford’s for lunch. If you have never been to Sanford’s for a meal, you are missing quite an experience. The menu is enormous and there are a lot of selections on it! The one in Casper is has an auto theme with an awning over an outdoor table that was an actual car. The planter boxes are buried pickups. Of course they disappointed me because they had a real racecar out front, but had a sign that said, “Do Not Climb in the Car.” Some of the ladies thought it would be cute if they took a picture of the pastor IN the racecar. We decided against it. We arrived in Dubois about an hour late, but still in enough time. The town is very old west. At an elevation of 7,000 feet and a population hovering around 1,000 it is a very cute town. Almost all of the Main Street building are old west wood front. Most of the new construction maintains that theme. Some of the motels even have log cabins to stay in. If you are heading to Yellowstone, it is worth the stop.

The convention began that evening with a walk along the river and campfire devotions. Pastor Coniglio, formerly from the our circuit, now in Dubois, led the devotions. He and his wife Jeanette, were also my gracious hosts. (After all, it was all his fault that I was even there.) After the evening festivities, in typical pastor fashion, Pastor Coniglio and I sat up bantering theology and other church related topics.

The convention had several mission related speakers, Chaplain Christiansen, military chaplain recently who recently returned from Iraq, and son of retired pastor Sam & Judy Christiansen, Pastor Nemac (Wind River Mission), and Pastor Paul (Star Valley Mission), both native American missions in the Wyoming District. Pastor Paul shared his journey from South Africa to Wyoming and the cultural differences. Believe it or not, Pastor Paul came from a much more Lutheran area in South Africa than he is now in Wyoming.

The Convention also had several business related issues, deciding on how to use our mission dollars, the use of several memorial gifts, and the election of officers. Two people from our congregation were elected to positions: Connie Cordes, Vice President of Gospel Outreach, and myself as Junior Pastoral Counselor. I was humbled and honored by the confidence shown to me in the election. (One side note, with the election to office, I will get to go to the national LWML convention in Portland, OR. We may make it a family trip.)

The trip home had us stopping at a “famous” malt shop in Shoshone, WY Their record last year was over 700 shakes and malts in one day!. After a long wait, because they were waiting on ice cream and change for large bills, back on the bus we went. After a “quick” stop in Casper for supper, I gave a brief motivational talk on “Be Who You Are,” encouraging LWML societies to rejoice in who they are, no matter their age and serve those who are not able to be a part of their societies, so that when the opportunities arise, those who have been served will rejoice in God’s gift of the LWML. Our concluding devotion on wheels was on the smooth rock that David struck Goliath, and how our Rock, Jesus Christ, strikes down our enemies of sin, death, and the devil.

All in all I had a great time with the LWML ladies on the way to and in Dubois. I look forward to using the gifts and talents that God has given me in service to the district LWML for these next four years.