Churches, Trucks, and Legos

23 September, Sunday
Portage La Prairie, Manitoba

We were looking for a gas station. We found a delightful white framed Anglican Church that was built in 1887… St. Marks, in Elkhorn, Manitoba, a small village of about 400 souls. It was 12:30 on a Sunday afternoon and yet there were no parishioners lingering after service. Then I saw on a hand-lettered signboard that service is held at 10:30 a.m. Bob and I were in the midst of taking photos when a car pulled up. An older gentleman got out of the car and came towards us. Bob asked, “Are you the priest of this church?” “No, I am the church warden.” We told him how much we admired the church and he said, “Would you like to see the inside? I’ll be happy to unlock it for you.” So we entered the small church, with “scissor” ceiling beams and a wooden attendance board on the wall that brought back memories of the Methodist Church I attended as a child. The pulpit came from an old fieldstone church that had been torn down. We learn that a visiting priest holds church service here once a month. Mostly women attend, “I guess women are more soulful,” the warden says. He shows us old photos of the church and of the Indian residential school that once was part of this parish. He hesitates, and then says, “You know we hear all about the terrible things that happened in the residential schools, but at the time we didn’t see it. It may have happened, but we honestly didn’t see it here.” He points to a couple of pieces of artwork done by a member of the church and then he excuses himself, “I’m sorry, but I have to pick up the organist now.” On the way out of Elkhorn, we find a gas station.

We have traveled over 2,000 miles from our home in Kitwanga, B.C. Seeing new places and people. Imagine my surprise when I look up at a transport truck passing us on Trans-Canada Highway near Grenfell, Saskatchewan and see “Kitwanga Lumber Co.” on the plastic wrapped bundles of lumber. It really is a small world.

We see so much to write about on this road trip. While Bob drives, I am busy jotting down notes with the intention of filling in the details later. But by the end of the day we are often too tired to go the extra mile. The Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary is one thing that I do not want to let slip by. When we first drove into Calgary we could see a large colorful building sitting on a ridge. It looked like nothing we had ever seen before. Bob said it looked like a Lego building, with bright trim in primary colors of yellow, red, and blue. At the campground where we were staying he mentioned it to a local. “Oh that’s the children’s hospital and it was designed by children for children… to be a friendly place. It’s meant to look like Lego building blocks.” Bob and I were very impressed. Tonight I went online for more information, and have come away even more impressed. “The vision for the hospital was to create a building that would reduce stress and promote healing. The interior has been designed to enable the delivery of family centered care, including sleeping facilities for parents in each patient room, a babysitting service for siblings of patients, a sacred space for spiritual activities, a pet visitation room and the Healing Gardens that surround the new hospital, giving parents and their children areas to heal, have fun and spend private time.” What a wonderful concept… the reality is even more so. ... P. L. Morningstar