Big City Folk?

I have never been labeled as a “Big-City” boy before having grown up in the country surrounding Bluffton, Ohio, but that is how we were labeled this past weekend at Biddle Montana.

We spoke to the Sunday morning service at Biddle Wesleyan Church, and God really blessed our day. The day started with the 50 mile drive up to Biddle from Gillette, WY. It was amazing to see the scenery and the wildlife that inhabits the lands around the Montana/Wyoming border.

After we arrived at the church, which happens to be the second oldest church in the Dakota District, we set up our materials and were privileged to sit in on a Sunday School taught by Dusty Gilger that focused on “Being Strong and Courageous”. That was a great topic for the morning, as God does call all of us to those two character qualities.

The service was a great time of sharing and worship with Pastor Jim Pope and the congregation of Biddle Wesleyan. God has given us the message for each time of sharing, and though there are similar elements to each message, He always makes it new and fresh for the congregations, and this time was no exception. When it comes time to share our vision and goals and to tell stories of the students at the Wesleyan Bible Institute in Cambodia, it is always an emotional time for us and for those in attendance. We know that this is not us, but God transforming a simple message into something powerful.

After the service, we attended a pot-luck that featured some of the best food we have ever tasted. We were told all day that ranch ladies are the best cooks in the world, and we had to agree with their sentiments. We had roast chicken, homemade noodles, and best of all, barbequed buffalo.

Afterwards, Pastor Pope arranged for us “Big City Folk” to travel to a ranch that was about 30 miles from the church. The Riesland ranch is very busy at this time of year as they are lambing and calving. We were able to see a lamb being born and spent the afternoon with the kids on the ranch as they gave us the guided tour. We saw the baby goats and sheep, the horses and the cattle that live on the 6,000 acre ranch. It was a memorable day.

We hope that you enjoyed our report on our weekend at Biddle. Stay tuned as we will be traveling this next weekend to Buffalo, WY for the Sunday service and then on to Billings, Montana for the entire week following.

In Christ,
Tim and Tiffany Gallant