Long line at the Japadog stand

One of the fancy cars on Burrard Street

The longest lines at the Olympics surprisingly are not at the Olympic events, though we did have to wait for close to 45 minutes before entering the stadium for the hockey game. Those long lines are found at sidewalk hot dog stands. One stand in particular called the "Japadog" has line ups that last well over an hour. Apparently it is worth the wait. I hope it is because you can pay between $6-9 for one "dog"

One of the best parts about the wait is that while standing in line you can get into some wonderful and Godly conversations. For close to an hour you can talk about the Lord with folks that are waiting with you. That is what happened with us yesterday.

I did not have the famous Japadog but one of our other chaplains did. He ended up in the long line and had a couple of great conversations. As I was waiting for my fellow chaplain, an older lady was standing beside me, patiently for her husband who was also in line. It provided a great time of fellowship for both her and I.

She began talking to me about her early years of growing up in the Catholic church. She shared that there were things taught that she did not believe in. She was disgusted by things the Catholic church taught like purgatory. She had reached the point where she no longer even believed in heaven and hell, though she did say she hoped she would go to heaven.

I was able to ask her some deeper questions about her future and she admitted that she had lots of questions. I was holding a Billy Graham book in my hand, the topic was about dealing with pain. She reached over and took it out of my hand and asked me if she could have the book. Before I had an answer the book was in her possession. She told me she needed to read it to see if she could find some answers.

I am trusting that my time near the line for the Japadog was worth it. I pray that this precious lady would find the answers to her questions. I will likely never meet this lady again here on earth but I trust that someday I will meet her in heaven. I hope that she will find her true purpose in life and that His truth would truly set her free.