Many of you know that I’m not from Iowa. My family has lived in Iowa now for just about eight years. We lived in Dubuque for just under three years and now Algona for just over five. They have been very happy years, and in the midst of the joy of living here, we’ve also learned a lot of new things.

Did you know that people who live in big cities routinely lock everything they own? It’s true! Houses, cars, bicycles, even…and I’m not kidding…patio furniture and outdoor grills. We never felt necessary to lock our patio things, but I know many people who did.

Did you know that there are places in the world where you can plant things and they DON’T just grow? Again, it’s true. We brought the pick-axe along with us on our move to Iowa. We used that pick every time we went out to dig in our yard in Texas. Sometimes, we used our shovels as well, but not every time. I haven’t used that axe much here.

Did you know that some people don’t know the difference between sweet corn, field corn, and seed corn? Also true! I was among those folks until these last few years. I’ve also learned about crop rotations, planting and harvest time, and the amazing amount of work and skill it takes to be a successful farmer today.

Did you know that some states don’t have a bike ride across their state? Again, true! Now, riding across Texas may be a bit more of an undertaking, so perhaps that’s why they don’t do it down there. Nonetheless, I have been amazed by this thing called RAGBRAI. Wow. So many people! So much spandex! And so many people working together to make the event happen, across the state. I’m not kidding when I say that I doubt there are many states where an event like RAGBRAI would work. It takes too many people, working too hard, to make the event happen.

This was my first RAGBRAI experience. Becky and I rode in many bicycle races in Texas, but they were all one-day events, designed to get people together, on the road, and then out of town before the day was over. They were not the extravaganza and spectacle that is RAGBRAI.

Now, I will say that I approached this day with some amount of trepidation. I’d heard how participants in the event will try to find various places to set up camp, sometimes without the owner’s permission. We did have some of that at the church, and, sadly, in the confusion of dealing with that, one group that did have permission was incorrectly told they didn’t. Very unfortunate for all involved. So, while everything didn’t go perfectly smoothly, it must still be classified overall as a success. Let’s put it this way: Usually, there are probably 30-40 people that live between the church and my house. Last Monday, around 3,000 lived between us, if just for one day. Given that kind of increase in population, I find it amazing that there weren’t more problems. And while I feel for the people who were incorrectly asked to leave, I know that we didn’t have many more problems due to the fact that just about everyone passing through town actually followed the procedures.

Sometimes, I hear that small towns can’t do very much and that they’ve lost something they used to have. I don’t know about the second part of that sentence, but I know this for a fact: Small towns can do amazing things. I’m not sure by how many our population swelled Monday, but I’m guessing around the 20,000-25,000 range. Folks, that’s a lot of people. You handled it, and you handled it well. Now, take a couple of days off, and then let’s get back to work being the great small town that we are!

Pastor Loren