In search of a church home (it is a small world after all)...

I have visited a number of churches since arriving in Laramie a couple of months ago.  In the past, I've been fortunate in that I have found a church I feel at home with within a couple of Sundays.  This has not been the case in Wyoming.  Not sure why, and, therefore, the search continues.

I returned from a season in the Antarctic 10 years ago.  One of the stories that sticks with me from that time is that of a friend from my hometown, Kristen.  Surprisingly, there were a number of people I had ties to in the Antarctic.  However, this one stands out.

The two of us recognized one another right away, but couldn't figure out where or how we knew one another.  Although Kristen had grown up in Rapid, she had moved to Arizona when she was about 10 years old.  We were the same age, but had attended different elementary schools and we were thus at a loss as to how we knew one another.

After several weeks of trying to figure this out, it finally dawned on me.  We were in the same kindergarten class and had transferred to different elementary schools shortly thereafter.  Not only had we been in the same class, we carpooled to class together...and had not seen each other in the 25 years since.

Small world.

This past Sunday, I attended two separate church services.  The first one went by more or less uneventful and after service I made my way to a nearby church for a second service.  As I was waiting for service to begin, a married couple happened to sit down next to me.

I froze for a moment when I made eye-contact with the husband...and nearly laughed out loud when the wife looked up.  Dale and Elli are neighbors of mine from my childhood and, unbeknownst to me, were in town for the week.

It is indeed a small world.