It's Really White

Winter will officially begin on December 21st but the early signs of a White Christmas are already present and collecting.

Life in this region is beginning to feel like one is living in a snow globe now. Friends who use facebook keep throwing snowballs my way and I refuse to participate. I am a pacifist! Well really I just have plenty enough snow around and know that I probably will have it for much longer than anyone else in my conference to get any fun out of virtual snowball wars.


On the plus side, I've already had both sets of skis tuned for a month now. So I'm looking forward to fitting in afternoon shushing cross country as often as the sun peaks through and the pastoral calls can be shifted around. It was a disappointment that we didn't get to use the downhill skis with our grandchildren while we were in Southern California but still, all in all, life is good.

Now my colleague in ministry out in La Grande Oregon is boasting about living in "the Sticks" because, like me, he comes from the urban southwest; for him Dallas, Texas to be exact. He thinks it's cool that he can gab with his friends about which rancher has the best meat direct (1/4 or 1/2 cow splits). What he can't boast about is being the church whose Men's club holds the yearly Community Groundhog Supper which has it's own special blend of sausage prepared locally.

True, he can boast about the culture of Eastern Oregon State music Department, but can he boast about the High School Musical Dinner Theatre Fundraiser which uses the entire senior class and uses a community orchestra composed of the local Pharmacist, former students, retired and active teachers, School Board Trustees and high school musicians?

He also boasts about his proximity to great natural lands- the way God intended them. But we know that Fremont County, Idaho is the richest wilderness region in the state of Idaho with Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton NP, Henry's Fork,Snake River, Island Park, Caribou Targhee National Forest.

Ashton also has one Fine Flea Market, with new items everyday. The only thrifty priced previously owned goods shop in town is cooperatively operated. Each week a different charitable organization will take a turn at operating the shop with all net proceeds supporting their cause.




Thinking about winter and cooperation reminds me that Ashton has it's famous annual Dog Derby held every February. A community event where all hands come out to help pull off a two day dogsled race event in subzero weather that brings mushers from all across the nation to compete.

Ashton has changed over the years.It used to have three grocery stores. Now it has one. It had two theatres. Now it has none. Ashton had a newspaper of it's own once but now the main gathering of local news comes when the neighbors gather for coffee in the farmers section at the Trails Inn. We have a Newsletter put out by the Chamber of Commerce twice monthly and the Island Park news (certified politically incorrect) provides some of the finest community and wildlife reporting a person could hope for. And of course, there is always the announcements from local church pulpits to gather the prayer concerns and expose ministry opportunities.Yep, belonging to a church helps a body stay connected and in the know in a small town. Ashton has several to choose from. I just happen to serve the more liberal of the options available.


In this county people live in homes that are mostly known by who lived there when it was built, no matter that they've gone on to their eternal reward. And we don't have any red lights on main street to stop your scenic ten block run through the city limits. If you built your home recently, your land will be known by the homesteader or farmer that sold the property for it to be built. The people are proud of their heritage as pioneers, homesteaders, farmers, and immigrants to America.

The people are friendly and welcoming, eager for new people to join in the community projects. In this town, if a neighbor has a crisis, people respond generously. Knowing that bad things happen to good people is the foundation for our working together to bring about change in difficult times. In Ashton the community has a great bunch of people who have always done alot but it is also a community that is working together to empower new leaders to create a thriving community.