Clarkston, WA
I arrived in Clarkston on May 9th after leaving Walla Walla and having traveled through beautiful, hilly countryside dotted with farms. Historic signs along the route tell of the passage of the Lewis and Clark expedition through this area almost exactly 200 years ago. Even though the area is visually pleasing , one can only imagine the beauty that existed here at that time.
Before I arrived in Clarkston I had made previous arrangements to stay at an RV park in the area for $430/month. As it turned out, I was driving to that park and happened to be passing a smaller RV park. I stopped to check it out and I’m glad I did. They had one partially shaded site open and the cost was only $230/month. Of course I took the site right away, quite pleased by not only saving $200/month but also finding a nicer park than the originally planned one. The partial shading keeps my 5th wheel trailer fairly cool (I’ve run the air conditioner only briefly) and the area is so quiet at night. As a matter of fact, I liked it so much I extended an extra month and wound up spending about 3 months..
Clarkston is a sister city of Lewiston, ID, situated across the beautiful Snake River. Lewiston is a much larger town than Clarkston and thus has more amenities. So I have the best of both worlds. I get to live in a relatively small town yet I’m close enough to Lewiston for broader shopping opportunities when they arise. While here I made two major purchases (one of the reasons I came here in the first place). These were a new 5th wheel trailer (my home) and diesel pickup truck for the towing chores.
It was interesting to note that in these parts there are hardly any Spanish-speaking people around. The ethnic makeup of the population is mostly white. The largest minority group are the Nez Perce Indians. Even in the local stores and restaurants the help is generally white or Nez Perce. In Pomeroy, about 30 miles west there is a trailer court with virtually 100% Spanish-speaking families. They generally hire out to the local farms. There is a group of about 16 Spanish-speaking persons meeting in Lewiston, ID (right across the river) under the direction of a pioneer brother, Bro Nunez. Surprisingly, I know Bro Nunez from the Torrance area of So. California and we bumped into each other at the district convention in Kennewick, WA recently. (He is related to Sister Leticia Trethewey of the Torrance area, whom some of you brothers may know).
My first day here found me looking for the Kingdom Hall in Lewiston, which I had previously located on the internet. Once there I met a brother there who informed me that there is a Kingdom Hall in Clarkston. I was pleasantly surprised since there was no indication on the internet that there was one here (experience has shown me that the internet is not always accurate, especially when it comes to locating Kingdom Halls). I’ve since allied myself with the brothers at that Hall and have been enjoying the ministry with them practically every day. They have a large territory to cover, much of it in the rurals. This rural territory can be exceptionally beautiful, especially where it lies along the Snake River. On 20 June three of us brothers went witnessing along the Snake River and on the way to the few homes scattered around we stopped at camping areas where we were able to preach to the campers there. Needless to say, they were quite surprised to see guys in suits approach them in these rustic surroundings. Most were friendly and accepted literature after their initial surprise abated. One man who was camping alone saw me approach and remarked, “You’re even proselytizing way out here?”. I answered, “You know you can’t get far enough away from us!” We both had a good laugh and he wound up taking literature.
The people in Clarkston are largely friendly and pleasant when we visit. In some of the outlying towns such as Pomeroy (30 miles to the west along Highway 12), the people are even more friendly. It’s not to unusual to be invited into a home and even those who are opposed to our message are generally quite civil. I recently witnessed in Pomeroy with Bro Bill Turner, an older brother who has some health problems yet remains stalwart in his ministry. We were working house-over-house when he felt the need to go to the bathroom. Rather than interrupt the ministry he asked a householder (a woman) if he could use her bathroom. She readily invited him in (there happened to be another woman in the home at the time) and after he used the facilities he placed a “Bible Teach” book and convention invitation with her. A lively conversation followed. A few houses later he was able to start a Bible study with a gentleman who had studied at some time in the past. We kidded, “This is definitely YOUR day, Bill!”. Yes, the ministry is certainly pleasurable here.
I’m glad that my truck came with 4-wheel drive since there have been numerous instances where it was a big help getting to certain outlying homes where steep gravel or dirt driveways are the norm. I’m also very happy to be able to take friends along with me in the preaching work (I can seat four besides myself). My previous Saturn car, although quite reliable and frugal with gas was almost useless in the ministry since the back seat was used for storage and therefore I could only carry one other person. Besides, it couldn’t safely get into areas where a high clearance vehicle is necessary. Now, with the high clearance and 4-wheel drive there is practically nowhere I can’t go with the Good News.
More observations while working the rurals: these areas consist primarily of farmland with homesteads scattered about. Wheat is the major crop with other plantings of barley, garbanzo beans, peas and lentils. Much fruit is also grown here, such as cherries, peaches, apricots and grapes. Berries also grow in abundance (where I take my walks along the Snake River I enjoy nibbling on the blackberries growing along the banks) During the ministry in the rurals we occasionally would stop by the edge of a farm and pluck a few grains of wheat to nibble along the way. Often as far as the eye can see there are ripe fields of produce covering the hilly terrain.
Our witnessing in these rural areas may take the better part of a day yet only a few persons may be contacted. Additionally, many of the roads are dusty and rough and where they wind around the hills there is the danger of driving off the road and down a precipice if one doesn’t pay careful attention (there are no guard rails along most of these curvy roads). Not only are the homesteads located far apart but, since now is the harvest season for certain types of wheat, many of the householders are in the fields. For those not-at-homes we leave older copies of our journals in the doors since it may be some time before they’re contacted again.
Notes on the Clarkston Congregation: The Kingdom Hall is attractive and located in a residential neighborhood. A separate home on the property houses the CO and his wife. One of the elders, Bro McKee, lives in a home right next to the KH parking lot and only has to walk to the Hall for meetings. We recently installed a nice white fence around the property and some other work was done on the Hall by visiting members of the RBC.
The congregation itself is a nice mixture of friends, some quite elderly and battling various ailments, along with younger friends with small children. There are arrangements for field service every day and most days see a good turnout. There are some days during the week when so many friends show up that there is standing room only in the 2nd school part of the Hall where we meet.
7/19/07. I’ve arrived at the end of my stay here in Clarkston. In approximately a week I plan to move on to Montana. My planned route will eventually take me to North Carolina where a visit with my mother is in order. I hope to arrive there in early fall. It appears that I may have to spend an extended time with her in order to assist in a possible relocation.
As I prepare to travel on, something to be considered when remaining in one area for any length of time is that certain bonds are formed which makes it that much more difficult to say goodbye. The friends in Clarkston have certainly been wonderful and will surely be missed. I have a strong inclination to visit here again some time in the future. If I do I will plan to come in either the spring or fall. This part of the country is very hot in the summer with daily temperatures often over 100 deg. However, the humidity is usually not too high, so it’s bearable. Goodbye for now, friends. I’ll add to this blog after my sojourn through Montana……Bro Sappo
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