36 hours in D.C.

The craziest thing happened to me this week. Seriously. On Wednesday morning I got up really early, grabbed a suitcase and filled up my pink coffee mug, and hopped on a plane to Washington, D.C. A couple weeks prior, I got a call from a friend of mine inviting me to come up and speak at a workshop and a dinner he was organizing in conjunction with the National Prayer Breakfast there. I think my initial response was pure shock. Me? D.C.? Public Speaking? About...my ideas about Jesus? Honestly, I wasn't really quite sure if the whole thing was legit or not, but after talking it over with my friends and family, I agreed to go. So I wrote my little talk in my journal on the plane ride up there, hoping to be genuine, real, and, well...coherent.

I arrived and made my best attempt at figuring out public transportation to the hotel where I would meet my dad, have a room reserved, and where all the Prayer Breakfast events would take place. After almost getting on the wrong bus, then getting off at the wrong stop, walking about thirty blocks, and asking about ten or so people for directions, I found it. It was actually really exciting, being on my own, knowing I had to figure it out, walking through an exciting town I'd never seen before. Seeing my dad when I walked in the hotel lobby, though, was just as awesome. And more.

After walking to a little sandwich shop with my dad and catching up while we watched D.C. snowflakes fall from the sky outside the frosty windows, I put on my most business-like skirt (purchased at the thrift store for $5, if that tells you anything...) and began attending seminars, workshops, and meals that went along with the Prayer Breakfast the next morning. I was pretty suspicious of the whole thing, to tell you the truth. I mean, what better place to run into some crazies than a "Christian" event? I was pleasantly surprised, though, at the ecumenicism that I found. Of course, there were the crazies. But I also met some really amazing people. I got to have conversations with Parliament members from both Haiti and Uganda. It was such an honor.

The first time I was to speak was at dinner that night. I was really, really, really nervous. I mean, the last time I did public speaking was in an Arkansas classroom with only thirteen people in the room, and I knew them all. In short, it wasn't actually public speaking. I arrived early and sat down at a table close to the podium in the front and only moments later Olga sat down. I had never met Olga before, but immediately I knew we were going to be friends. She was maybe about fifty five, African American, claimed Texas as her homeland, and exuded one of the most warm, encouraging, motherly spirits I have ever encountered. Just having her sit by my side, between my dad and I, made me feel a little more at ease.

When I got up to speak, the whole thing became a blur. For just a few minutes, I talked about how big and amazingly complex God is to me. I talked about becoming weary, disillusioned with, and angry about being taught (and for a long time believing) that God was a calculated, definite, and concrete being. I talked about the process of rejecting that paradigm and trying to live in a posture where I am open to whatever God reveals himself to be. I talked about my church, little Greenbrier First United Methodist, and how I love it not because of the doctrine or theology that they teach, but because I see the extravagance of God, wonder of Jesus, and mystery of the Holy Spirit everywhere there. On the faces of the kids when the run to the front of the sanctuary for the children's sermon, in the chords of the doxology that our voices sing in unison, in the taste of the bread and wine as we take communion, in the warmth I feel when Dr. Farthing, or Ms. Norma, or the couple that just celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary smiles at me. I talked about how when you know such community, you know beauty. When you know beauty, you know grace. When you know grace, you know hope. When you know hope, you know love. When you know love, you know peace. I think that when you know any of those things, Jesus is revealing himself and you are knowing God.

Honestly, I think it went pretty well for as nervous as I was. Quite a few people told me they vibed well with what I said, and it was encouraging to know that maybe I'm not alone in conceiving of God in not-so-typical terms. Thursday morning, I woke up and went to the National Prayer Breakfast. Despite finding out that I would be sitting in the "Overflow Ballroom" and not actually getting to see President Obama, it was pretty cool. Afterward, there was a workshop where I did my little talk again. I said the same things, and I'm glad to know that I'm capable of public speaking without, you know, fainting or throwing up or anything.

It meant so much for my dad to be there with me. I think my parents were a little unsure of their twenty year old daughter flying to D.C. by herself invited by some man they didn't know. To say the least, it was understandable. He got a pretty cheap flight to come up and meet me, and I am so glad. I think he liked getting to hear my talk and I loved getting to hang out with him, even if it was only for a few hours. He also got to check out the Smithsonian and meet one of our favorite authors, Brain McLaren, on an elevator. I wish it could have lasted longer, just so I could have been with him.

On Thursday, I was done with all of my obligations at the Prayer Breakfast around 2:00, and my flight didn't leave until 7:00 that night. It was perfect, because there was no possible way I was going back to Arkansas without seeing at least the White House! It was the coldest day of the year, and I hadn't exactly packed accordingly, but I put on a few layers of the clothes that I had with me, and headed out into the city again to explore. I'm sure I looked like the essential tourist: layers of unmatched clothes, big camera, backpack, and pulling a suitcase behind me. Really, though, I could have cared less. I was out on my own in the Capitol, and it was exhilarating.

I rode the Metro up and down, walked blocks and blocks, and was lucky enough to see the White House, the Washington Monument, the Library of Congress, and the Capitol Building. I probably saw a bunch of other important buildings also, but I was going off a free map that I picked up at the hotel and didn't know the names of everything. I took a few pictures, and even lamely looked like a complete dork attempting a couple of self portraits to prove I was really there. It was so cool. I mean, really.

I made it to the airport just in time to grab a cup of coffee and wind down by listening to a couple songs on my ipod before boarding my plane. I changed planes in Atlanta, changed terminals three times in forty minutes, and landed back in Arkansas late Thursday night. It was a whirlwind couple of days. It was an amazing opportunity that I probably didn't at all deserve. I feel so thankful to have gone to D.C., and now, it feels so good to be back in the South, back home, back in Arkansas.