185 Doors to Find Myself

Vicki Garlock decided to break a world record by visiting more places of worship in one month than anyone had ever done before. She thought, as she traveled around her chosen city of Chicago, that it would be about maps and bus schedules. But then Guinness told her she needed a real person at every single place to sign a form verifying that she'd been there. At first, she thought this rule made her goal impossible. It turns out, it made everything better.

What started as a quest for a record became a journey of meeting people. Vicki visited 185 different places of worship—churches, mosques, temples, synagogues, and more. She met security guards, building managers, and elderly women who had been in internment camps during World War II. She learned that when you show up where people are and meet them with genuine curiosity, they almost always welcome you in. Some places were grand cathedrals; others were tiny rooms that smelled musty. But everywhere she went, people shared their stories, their spaces, and their faith. The biggest lesson she learned wasn't about religion at all—it was about connection. When you have the courage to ring the bell, someone on the other side will almost always answer with kindness.

Let's Talk About It

1. Vicki says meeting people face-to-face changed everything about her adventure. When have you learned something important by meeting someone in person rather than just reading about them or their community?

2. Vicki also discovered that religious groups can share spaces— like a Buddhist temple inside a church or congregations taking turns using the same building. What does it take for different groups to share space peacefully? Have you seen examples of this in your own community?

3. Vicki talks about needing courage to "cross a boundary" and knock on an unfamiliar door. What makes us nervous about approaching people or places that seem different from what we know? What might we miss out on if we never cross those boundaries?

4. At worship services in languages she didn't understand, Vicki discovered she could "hold it in her heart" instead of trying to "understand it with her mind." Have you ever had an experience where you connected with something meaningful even without fully understanding it with words?

After-Dinner Experiment

This week, identify one place of worship in your community that's different from your own or that you've never visited. It might be a building you drive past regularly but have never entered. It might a place you've just heard about. Together as a family, find out when they have public events or services. Send an email or make a phone call explaining that you're interested in learning about their community. You don't have to visit right away—just make that first contact. If you're feeling brave, ask if you could visit sometime to learn more. See what happens when you reach out. Then come back together and share: What did it feel like to reach across that boundary? How did people respond? What surprised you?