Monday, November 5, 2012

a scenic sunday-go-to-meeting-drive...

We were awake with the birds yesterday morning...
what with the time change and all!

Why...
we had plenty of time to take a leisurely drive over the mountains...
and still get to church on time.

Our destination was a church that lies in Riverside Valley...
where my friend's brother happens to be a pastor.

I googled the church...
found the address...
and decided to let GPS Jane lead us there.


She took us through forests of wind turbines...
forests that grow larger every time we visit the Palm Springs area.

I was surprised how much traffic there was early on a Sunday morning.
Were they all on their way to church?


This biker was...
for sure!


And maybe his 'black sheep' buddy as well.

 
It seemed everybody and their dog had a reason to be on the road bright and early!


We crossed over the mountain pass...
and about an hour down the road...
we entered a farming valley.


It looked and smelled vaguely familiar...
almost like home.

Our cows need barns to keep them warm and dry.
Here in southern California they live in the great outdoors year-round...
with just a few canopies to provide shade.


It was feeding time...
and the feed was being delivered in a Loewen mixer wagon.

How strange to see that in this faraway place.
Loewen equipment is manufactured not far from where we live!

A few miles down the road...
we reached the town we were looking for.


Nuevo.
Where some of the locals were out for a morning ride.


We were on the right road..
and on the look-out for a large church.

After all...
a church that has three Sunday morning services must be fair sized.
Right?
The plan was to come and go without being noticed.
One can do that in a large church.

And there it was...


...not all that big!
More like the country church I grew up in.

There was no slipping in unnoticed!

And here is where I wanted to post a picture of Pastor Steve...
to surprise my friend...
who had no idea we were planning to visit her brother's church.

But things never went quite as planned.
Pastor Steve was away for the weekend...
and Pastor Dan was in the pulpit.

We thoroughly enjoyed the service...
and even had communion just like we would have back home.

If you ever find yourself east of Los Angeles on a Sunday morning..
a visit to a friendly rural church in Nuevo might be just what you need.
They have services at 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00 AM.

We may have to come back one day...
if we wish to meet Pastor Steve.

Have a wonderful day...

22 comments:

  1. Oh no...Steve wasn't there!? You really captured Nuevo well. He and Kelly live on the same street as the church just a ways further in. This was a fun surprise Judy...

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  2. I like to visit other churches on Sunday when we travel - it gives me a sense of home and of being connected. I liked your Sunday drive!

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  3. What a pretty church. Churches are one of my favorite things to photograph. It always seems to go that way....when you visit a church, things are never the norm. Oh well, God had a reason ;)

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  4. Oh, I'm so sad we weren't there and missed her. We were camping with the homeschool group. Her pictures are great though. I guess it means she'll have to come visit again.

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  5. hahaha, oops, I wrote as if I was talking to Ellen. Sorry we missed YOU. Maybe on a Seattle trip we'll have to head north.

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  6. Oh this post was so interesting. I'll keep some comments to myself. I know...shocking. =) Steve will be so sad that he missed you!

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  7. Nice Sunday morning noodling around. I like the area better in springtime but you gave me a different view.

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  8. Judy,
    I love that you visited Olive Grove Church, I hate that we missed you! Loved your pictures - you drove right past our house.
    Blessings,
    Pastor Steve

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  9. Great pictures of the varied scenery on your drive to church. That is a lot of windmills! We also enjoy visiting other churches while on vacation.

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  10. Isn't it so neat to be able to walk into a church of complete strangers, yet feel welcome and feel that common ground! It particularly tears me up . . . when travelling a bit further and when I hear a familiar song in another language.

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  11. What a fun drive, with a twist at the end - hearing Pastor Dan instead of Pastor Steve.

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  12. What a wonderful, beautiful drive, to a great destination!

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  13. You folks are having an adventure! They must have a good-sized congregation to have 3 services every Sunday!

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  14. That was a fun Sunday drive - thanks for the tour! Funny that you've named your GPS Jane....ours is called Gertie. What fun that she guided you to that pretty little church. Safe travels my friend.

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  15. Ah...what a great post Judy. It is so like you and your E to do this. I miss you...how can that be? I hope you are enjoying your wonderful vacation.

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  16. I am not sure u,ve ever had such a scenic drive to church...from farming to dogs, to Loewen machinery. Maybe on your next trip. Pastor Steve will be there greeting you.

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  17. Well, you had quite an adventure, didn't you? Sometimes surprises don't work the way we plan...you planned to surprise your friend and the surprise was on you instead!

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  18. I'm sad you missed seeing your friend's brother preach, but happy you found his chuch and that it made you feel at home. I also loved the photos of the farm and of the men on their horses. It is such a western scene :)

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  19. Reading your blog posts each day is better than reading a novel. You both think of so many interesting and caring things to do together. The fact that you take the time to share it with us, means so much to me. I smiled as I read your take on where everyone was going on Sunday morning, and I was fascinated by the wind farms and the open air dairy farms. All so unfamiliar to me in my part of the world. Thanks for posting Judy!

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson