And It was good!

Greetings! I hope this blog finds you all well. Have you enjoyed the entrance on the New Year thus far?

Life for me has been enjoyable. As I mentioned in my recent post, Noel and I spent the first week in the office. Each day we attempted to contact each of the students attending the morning prayer. Noel and I enjoyed this time together. We look forward to meeting the students in person. Every student at the prayer will know who Noel and I are. I secretly enjoy that.

We successfully scheduled a breakfast, lunch and dinner for each day we were in the office. Our goal was to make the most of our time. I think we accomplished that. My favorite time was when Noel and I cooked a BBQ dinner for four of our friends. The evening also included free ice cream from a friend who works at a Local shop. We ended the night with cigars on our screened in porch. Nothing like good food, good conversations and semi good cigars.

As you may have experienced, the weather has been terrific. I had my bike out Sunday through Thursday. There are some great rides around here.

On Thursday, Noel and I had breakfast at a local New Zealand Cafe with our friend. I expressed interest in hiking and camping. I've felt like other than my trips to Africa, I've been slacking in the outdoors experiences. Our friend helped me pursue this dream. This weekend Wilkes, our friend and I ventured into the Shenandoah Valley to camp.

In order to get to our trail we had to travel along Skyline Drive. Over Christmas break I browsed a book that claimed Skyline Drive is one of the best road trip destinations in the country. I agree completely with them. I don't have the vocabulary to describe the scenery along the drive. It was good! Our destination was 34 miles away from the entrance of the road. We gradually immersed ourselves into the mountains. There were a dozen over looks/scenic views. At each you could see as far as the eye could to the horizon line. Some displayed valleys with farms and houses. Others, just mountains. I love how you can see the depth of the mountains. You can see how they go up like steps in size and in value. I remember learning about this in drawing and painting class. I think I enjoy the mountains more than any other location in the environment.

We hiked just over 2 miles to our back woods camp site. We were not alone, however. A small waterfall continuously spilled water beside us. A tent was not necessary due to a small cavern nearby. Rocks formed all around us. We found our site just as darkness crept in.

Our evening was full of great food and great conversation. Our friend cooked chicken, noodles and beans for Wilkes and I. I was about to thank our friend for all he has done for us when he interrupted me. He said, "I am not you host. God provided for us, for he is our host this evening." I accepted this idea. After dinner we moved to a cave we found earlier. The cave led us under the waterfall. We arrived beside the falls. There we sat and smoked tobacco from a pipe. I felt like I was apart of the Dead Poets Society. Our friend pulled another God one liner. He said, "Remember in Genesis when God created the waters? What did he say afterwards?" God said, "It was Good." My insecurity of not being able to describe the scenery was destroyed. Too many times I try to heap up a bunch of words. When God only said, "it was good."

We continued to have great conversation. Most pertinent was the idea of Prayer. Lately my thoughts have been filled with this topic. Being in the woods encourages thoughts and prayer. Theres a freedom found. With no schedule, no phone, no email, no work, the mind can settle. I am learning that prayer can follow me anywhere I go. Not every setting can provide such inspiration as the woods. Yet, I think it's possible. Our conversation ended with the shared stories of the power of prayer. I think we can all think of times we counted on prayer or meditation. Too many time I go too long without an escape like this. Sometimes it can be as simple as biking to clear my mind of life's everyday challenges.

We slept with out a tent at the entrance of our cave. We went to bed thinking of the many people who have shared this same spot with us over the years.

The morning brought light to the darkness. Before we could only imagine what the scenery around us looked like. The sun crept in the sky bringing a surprising warmth for January. I spent the morning running around and climbing rocks. I felt like a kid again. . Again, our friend cooked. We had oatmeal and Canadian bacon. We hiked out of the woods at about noon. On the way home we enjoyed the view, again. It was good.

All of this beauty lies 60 miles from our Capital.

When I was about to get in the shower, I was stretching my arm in front of the mirror. I saw a dark spot in my arm pit. I knew that I had not grown a new mole. Immediately I cursed and knew what it was. I had a tick. There's two extreme fears that I have. Ticks and Jelly Fish. Surprisingly I was calm. I called my good friend Brandon and he talked me through it.

What else I'm doing...
•Re-designing a logo for a coffee shop in Chattanooga, Tn. I met a designer there and we've continued to communicate about once a month
•Reading an awesome book about the Nomads in Australia
•Preparing for my trip to Kansas/Nebraska
•Thinking much about Prayer
•Dreaming about the time after the internship

I'm thankful that I can share another week of my life with you.

D.J.