Reclaim

Path

                        Pastor Jonah
                           Missouri
                              1/1/27
I said goodbye to everyone, packed a large suitcase of everything I'd need, then left without looking back.

I've always wanted to get out of this town. I love going to new places. Even when I was young, I would love just walking in one direction for miles, just so I could get a feel for the town I lived in.

It was just so intriguing that there was an entire world waiting for me to discover. I could walk for miles and still not be so much as a bit of a percent done with the world.

There were so many places I could go, and so much of my life was left for me to go to them. God would guide me to wherever he needed me to go, and I would experience whatever he planned me to.

I walked for a while, passing plenty of restaurants, stores, and even a few parks. I lived in a pretty big city, and there was a lot I didn't get to explore until now. The streets weren't as busy as they usually were, and there weren't very many people out today. It was the perfect day to be out.

I lost track of time taking after a couple of hours. The sun had already started to set, turning the sky into a nice cloudy dark blue. I didn't even notice how hungry I was until I eyed a restaurant that I've never been to before.

It was a seafood diner with a heavy emphasis on calamari. I haven't had seafood since I was 12, so I thought I might as well try it again.

The inside of the restaurant had a warm lighting, with a blue and tan color scheme. There was an aquatic landscape painted on the lower half of the walls, with little fish, crabs, and, of course, octopi. It amazed me that a restraint like this existed, and I had never heard anyone talk about it.

A lady with a nose piercing, a notepad, and a pencil walked up to the table I sat at, handing me a menu with a similar aquatic theme.

"Do you wanna start off with a drink, sir?"

"...what would you recommend?"
She looked up from her notepad, one eyebrow lifted above the other.

"For a drink?"
"No, for the meal, what would you order?"

It took her a minute to think. There was a lot that looked pretty good, but she chose, "The seafood salad, and a lemonade."
"Sounds good."

She smiled, took my menu, and went to the back of the kitchen.

I was so lost in the scenery of the resteraunt that I didn't even notice someone calling my name.
"Father?"

A teenage girl with grey hair came up to my table. She seemed surprised to see me.
"I didn't expect to see you here."
"And I didn't expect to get recognized here. How are you?"

We spent the time we waited for our food, talking. As the pastor, I met plenty of people who would talk to me for advice, for a friend, or even just to make conversation. A lot of my time was spent talking now that I thought about it.

I learned a lot about Donna and where she came from. Her parents were religious, but she wasn't. It wasn't a personal insult, and never was. I was perfectly fine with the fact that Christianity wasn't for everyone. It was a religion, not a cult.

Regardless, she made the most of her time at the church. She made friends, learned a lot about herself, and despite not believing in God, still liked going.
She was a good kid, but she had problems at her house.

Her parents didn't show her a lot of attention and expected too much from her. She told me a lot about her family and the problems she had with them.

I tried to offer solutions, just little things that hopefully end up helping in the long run. It was just a start, but then again, everything begins with a start.

"Thanks, Jonah. It was nice talking to you."

She smiled, then got up and went back to her table. This was why I wanted to travel the world with a suitcase.
God would guide me to those who needed me or show me what he wanted me to see.

So far, I've helped one person. Hopefully, that meant I'd get to help more.