Pastor Mark Hopper

By Pastor Mark Hopper

My mother-in-law lives in Scottsdale, Arizona.  We enjoy visiting her as often as we can.  The drive from California to Arizona takes about five hours each way.

My wife and her mother often go out to lunch when we are in town.  My wife has several sisters who live in the Phoenix area, so they usually join in these lunch time adventures.

One of my jobs is to go to Costco to refill our car with gas and to pick up a few groceries, too.  So, I usually have lunch at Costco by myself while my wife and her sisters have lunch with their mother.

The Costco in Scottsdale has an indoor eating area.  I’ve noticed that a lot of the people eating at Costco are retired people.  Many have come from different parts of the country to spend the winter in sunny Arizona.  Some of them have settled in Scottsdale permanently.

Almost every time I sit down to eat at Costco, I find myself in conversations with total strangers.  I suppose I am the one who usually starts the conversation, but most folks are very friendly and are willing to share about themselves.

Each conversation is delightful.  I have met nice people from Maine to Minnesota.   There are people from Seattle to St. Louis.  They always talk about how wonderful the weather is in Arizona.  They are friendly folk.

Some are just seasonal visitors, but many have bought a home and settled down in the desert.  Some are new transplants, but others have lived there for many years.

When I tell them that I grew up there many years ago, they act like they are speaking to a celebrity.  They can’t believe that my parents came to Arizona with me and my brother in the 1950s.  Some joke that we probably came in a covered wagon!

Scottsdale certainly has changed since the days when my parents moved there 60 years ago.  There are a lot more houses and a lot more people.  It seems like most of the people today shop at Costco.  And, a lot of those people take time to eat lunch and talk with folks they have never met before.

Let me encourage you to watch for an opportunity to begin a conversation with someone at your local Costco or coffee shop; maybe an older couple or individual sitting by themselves.  You will enjoy it, and they will too!