Told you!

From July 11th

Joel and Teresa,

There are no words to express our thanks to both of you for your
hospitality, words of encouragement, and outright good time! So,
simply said, thank you.

We've been telling lots of stories to our friends about our visit who
are quite frankly, fascinated. It's been a great tool to get the word
out about both food, and how big God really is!

When we were sitting at Chipotle together, I wondered “how in the
world did I get here?” I consider all of this an honor to just be
used to further a message that needs to be spread.

Regardless, I wanted to give you an update. I only have 6 chapters
left to record and edit. If my laptop can just hold out that long
without completely breaking down, I will be so relieved! After
visiting the farm, and you all, and the store, I felt a greater sense
of urgency. I realized that the faster I can record, and with quality,
the greater possibility there is that more folks will hear this
message. I didn't really think about when you get more people in and
out of your store, according to the season.

I'm going to strive to have this done by mid August. I'd rather have
it done sooner, so we'll see. When I send it to you, I'll send it on a
jump drive, via US Mail, with delivery receipt. I have a general
mistrust of the US Mail Service, and then I remembered your section on
incompetent postal workers. I think we're on the same page. I'll type
you an email forewarning you of the delivery as well.

One additional note. What you said about resting on Sundays made me
think. Our fellowship seems to go to the extreme edge of the law--
we're not under the law at all, so we don't need to adhere to resting
on one day. One of the many health problems I have (which I am now
going to a holistic doctor now for), is with stress, my immune system,
and my adrenal system. You made me take to heart why we don't make it
a point to rest. The excuses didn't get us far. We are now going to
make an effort to rest on Sundays. So, thanks for speaking up!



Theresa and Vince

Chip oat lay

I cannot express to you how excited I was! Chipotle is one of the few “fast food” places I can actually eat!

If I could guess, they took us to the following Chipotle:
1615 Reservoir St. Harrisonburg, VA 22801

On the way in, we discussed franchising (I thought Chipotle was a franchise), and cell phones. He has a cell phone, but hadn't checked it in several weeks because they don't have service where they live. But they do get cell service near Chipotle!

We walked in together, and there were signs posted indicating that they serve pork from Polyface Farms. Joel introduced himself to the burrito server as “Joel Salatin from Polyface farms, good to meet you.” Everyone smiled on the way through the line, and by the time we got to the end of the line, the manager had come out to greet him. He really wanted to comp all of the food, and Joel flat out refused. In the end, he comped some chips and guac, but Joel really wanted to pay for the rest. He made it clear to us and to the manager that he doesn't visit places trying to get free food.

I've debated about how much of the following conversation to share. As much as I believe that faith is a deeply personal thing, I believe there is also a place for sharing it with others for both your own benefit and theirs. I won't share much about Teresa and Joel's story, but I will say that they were high school sweethearts, and came to know Christ several years ago. Their faith is part of the reason why they try to be good stewards of animals, and the land. Vince and I then shared about when God became personal to us, through Christ, and some of the incredible circumstances surrounding how God has provided for us. It was a great time of personal sharing, uplifting each other, and learning about other people's perspectives. I knew at that time, if nothing else came from this, we were brought together to encourage each other in our faith, and to continue good work throughout our lives.

I couldn't believe we were sitting at Chipotle, with a famous farmer and his wife, talking about God.

They dropped us off back at the hotel, and I continued editing the audio book with my laptop, until dinnertime.

We had taken to heart Joe's suggestion to try a local restaurant called Zynodoa, which serves his food. We had searched their website, and agreed to call them around 5 to make reservations. Their site said “Reservations suggested but not required.”

Church

Church
Well, the first thing to be noted, which was different than any other church experience I've had, is that their church has an Israeli flag hanging in the sanctuary. When asking Joel about this later, he said that they believe, and this is a paraphrase “God is not done with Israel. We believe that God still has a plan for Israel. We don't know exactly what it is.”

It seemed like a normal non denominational church. A big open room with a few screens that displayed the music verses, and lots of chairs. People were friendly, greeting us and Joel and Teresa on the way in. There was singing beforehand, and Joel sings REALLY loudly, reminding me of my Uncle Joe. This fact is neither here nor there, but I didn't know a single song that was sung. I didn't feel judged at all for not singing along.

At the beginning of the service, they ask if there are any guests, so I introduced us to the congregation.

The preacher that week was the youth pastor, and it was the first time he preached the Sunday service. He was excited to be able to preach in shorts and sandals. I would say it was about an hour long.

Teresa had some catching up to do, so Vince and I stood with Joel in the back of the church while she socialized. We talked a little more about our faith backgrounds.

Once we were back in the car, Joel apologized. He said that they would like to have us back to their house for lunch, but they have houseguests and a really busy schedule, so they wondered if they could take us to Chipotle for lunch. The particular Chipotle they wanted to take us to is one that serves Polyface pork, so they were anxious for us to try some of their food (without spending an arm and a leg at a nice restaurant).