Words of Encouragement

I haven't used this blog very much to talk about what has been going on in my life besides all the adventures. In actuality, I have been quite active without going on any large adventures. The past two weeks have had several highs and lows, from intentionally putting myself through public degradation to having meaningful one-to-one conversations with a friend while hiking by the light of the moon. Even this very morning has had both highs and lows.

I woke up at seven this morning and went for a run with Kayla, one of my fellow ACMNP (A Christian Ministry in the National Parks) affiliates. It was good to get up and get my blood flowing first thing in the morning while enjoying the cool morning air before the afternoon heat kicks in. When I returned, my roommate was packing his bags. It seemed like a déjà vu from last week, when he was packing his bag and planning on leaving because of issues related to alcohol. Last week he got to stay but he was never completely unpacked by the time he found out he needed to go home to be with his family this week. It was sad to see him go so suddenly.

I finally got to see some moose and bears! Hurrah!

A couple nights this week I took advantage of the full moon and clear skies. A group of us jumped into the lake Tuesday night and howled at the moon. The water was, and I'm starting to think it will always be, freezing cold.
On Monday night, Henry, a friend living in the room next to me, decided to hike up Signal Mountain with me at 11pm. It was a great chance to just get away from the typical party noise of the dorms. We walked through open hillsides where the moon let us see clearly and we walked through forested areas where all we could see were shadows. We managed to do the entire hike solely by the light of the moon. From the top of Signal Mountain, the Jackson sage-flats were fully illuminated in a cool blue light below us.

Henry and I are both the type of people who prefer one-to-one conversations, as opposed to group conversation, because we tend to be reserved in large groups. There is something about group conversation that prevents us from expressing who we are. Maybe my pride tries to defend me by not letting me talk about anything of meaning or maybe there is just not enough opportunity for expression in group conversation. Either way, it often seems as though group conversation can take on a competitive nature, where you have to fight for your voice to be heard. Regardless, this hike provided both Henry and I with a great chance to connect, especially since a bunch of people decided not to follow through with their word about joining us on the hike. We had some great conversations, talking about the big and little things in life.

I have been camping the past two weekends with most of the other ACMNP kids here in Grand Teton. It has been a great experience for us all to spend some time together, since we are spread out throughout the park the rest of the week. We are even beginning to have ACMNP alumi join us on our adventures.

While hiking through a cloud of misquitoes, I definitely overdosed on DEET a couple days ago. I also made the mistake of breathing through my mouth and inhaling mosquitoes on four separate occasions. I woke up the next morning with either the West Nile Virus or a blood-deet level past the legal limit. I spent the next half day unable to stand up straight. I had no idea bug spray could be so potent.

The past couple weeks we had Staff Olympics. I had participated in a relay race and beach volleyball, but last Wednesday marked the finale to all Olympic events: the talent show.

I like to dance. Most of the time I enjoy dancing when others are participating and not watching. There are two times when I have had to dance for public display in broad daylight. One time was when I tried out for the Calvin mascot, the other time was for this talent show. When I tried out for the mascot, I was only being judged by a private committee. For this talent show, I was not only being watched and judged by a committee and the majority of the staff, I had to do it in my underwear. The only plus side to this mayhem was that it was a means to an end.

Prior to the show, my team was tied for first place and two events remained: team banner and talent show. Someone on my team decided it might be good idea to re-enact "Risky Business" by dancing in our underwear, so I grabbed Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" and was ready for action. Sadly, the person who came up with the idea also opted not to join us in the actual festivities. In fact, only two brave souls were willing to participate in the festivities composed of public degradation. I must admit that it was quite a challenge to get up on stage in front of 100 or so of my co-workers and dance in my underwear, but I did it. The price we paid with our dignity bought us the prize we sought. Even though we did not place 1st, 2nd, or 3rd for our embarrassment, we were able to grab participation points and seal our lead in first place for the Olympics. The gold was ours.


Although I do not believe we ever got the respect we deserved for taking first place in the Olympics, I have received recognition in several other ways. Last week I bumped into the general manager of Signal Mountain Lodge and he told me that, despite arriving later than my coworkers, I was leading the gift shop in comment cards from the customers. I was pleasantly shocked to hear this.

As far as worship services have been going, we are finally starting to have people show up now that the rain has stopped. I preached the last weekend in June and received some encouraging words. A member of our support committee, Jim, came to one of our morning services. He had been a pastor up until his retirement and was impressed with my sermon. He came up to me after the service and talked about his experience preaching. Prior to my message, I had mentioned I would be speaking my sermon from a manuscript. After the service, Jim told me not to worry about reading because it meant I had spent time in preparation. He told me, "the word of God is too important to be preached on a whim."
Later that morning, at the next service, I met JD Wetterling, an author and former fighter pilot traveling with his wife. JD and I also talked after the service. He too had mentioned that he really respected my sermon and even asked if he could post it on his website. If you would like to check out his site or read my sermon, it is on: jdwetterling.com

That same night, the National Director of ACMNP came to our 7:30 pm service and encouraged Katelyn and I about our worship style. He also spoke highly of my writing when I introduced myself at a ACMNP staff and alumi meeting the next day.

For the 4th of July, we celebrated America by eating fondue and going to a bluegrass concert. Although it was not quite up to par with past celebrations, involving inanimate cuddlables strapped to explosives, it was still a good time.

All in all, the highs and lows of the past two weeks have left me wondering where the summer is going and how to make to the most out of what I have left. My time for writing has certainly been curtailed by an increased social life but I believe I shall persevere. Altogether, I really appreciated all the kind words people have had to say to me over the past weeks. Thanks for your support! With your help, I am learning to be as encouraging as you have all been to me. Hope you are all enjoying each and every summer day as God gives it to you new every morning.