Three Moments from Seattle/Holden

By, John Robinson

From all the experiences that I had from the Holden Village / Seattle trip, three moments will stay with me always.

First, the homeless center in Seattle. I had never been in a shelter like that before. In my mind, I always pictured a shelter such as this one as being slightly unkept, with a lot of "lost souls" roaming around. The reality is that the center houses many individuals who are just like you and me; yet due to situations beyond their control, they have lost everything. One "resident" of the house had actually worked with the Seattle Supersonics in their media department. He told of how at one time he had stayed in the Hilton Hotels throughout this country, living the higher profile life of someone associated with the NBA. He dropped names of the superstars he had rubbed elbows with at the time which included "Downtown" Freddie Brown (knowing I was from Iowa), and Wes Unseld (my favorite player when I was young!) The guy knew his basketball and he was articulate; and yet due to circumstances beyond his control, he is now living in a homeless shelter. BUT, he said he remains very optimistic about his future and he is not giving up. I guess I could all learn about life from him.

The second moment / thought that I come away with was the view of the mountains and how small we all really are! Waking up to mountains that reach up 8,000 feet really does humble a person! We really aren't much when we really look around this country, planet, universe. But, as Jim and I worked on the front deck of a hydroelectric plant, I also recognized the abilities that we have been given. This hydroelectrical plant just amazed me! Someone had to draw up the plans, someone had to construct the equipment, someone had to put it all in place over the small river... all in this very remote location! This smaller facility gave Holden its electrical power and it was very impressive.

Finally, the Sunday morning church service in Seattle. Before the actual message, we were read the Ten Commandments slowly and quietly. If the world is to survive, we all need to hear and reflect on what these commandments are saying. Strangely enough, that was the moment which will define my trip for me as I look back at all that I experienced.

Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to take this trip.
-JR