Hey all!
Just a note to say I am alive and functioning. I have so much to say, but not the time. I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post. Anyway, we just finished another tour on the island, training is finally over, and I hopefully am going on my first fire tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes. Other than that, I ask that you be praying for me hard core right now. We all know I need prayer, lol, but seriously, there is a lot going on currently. There are a lot of ups and downs out on this job because I keep seeking pleasure outside of God. I haven't compromised, per se, but I certainly find myself looking to people or food or exercise or whatever instead of God when I am struggling with different emotions. It was funny (only not) the other day at college group because one of the guys said something to the effect of the hard parts of his week were the ones he was trying to act without God. Maybe that sounds obvious, but it hit me like a ton of bricks- one of those, "oh, duh" moments. I was/am trying so hard to rely on my own strength, and it is failing miserably. Of course things aren't going too well...... On top of that, I am wrestling over college decisions. It was so cool though, because the other day I wanted to go to church (IBC does a Sat. night service) but by the time I got off work, I knew I was going to be late. But, I finally decided just to go for it, and it was totally a God thing. The message that night was based on the story of Joshua and the Isrealites being decieved by the Gibeonites, who acted like they had travelled a long distance to seek a treaty with Isreal, when in fact they were one of the people God had wanted conquered. Needless to say, the Isrealites agreed without ever consulting God, and that didn't go over well. The main point was the human reasoning will always fail and we need to seek divine guidance. It was like the pastor was speaking directly to me. Suddenly, I realized how self-centered my college decision-making was. It was all focused around the question, "what do I want" when in fact, it should have been "where does God want me." Sure, I was praying about it, but it was more of a "God-show me the way between options A and B because both sound good but have some draw backs and I just can't decide" type of prayer. So, pray I would seek God's will above my own. So far, I only know of options A (NNU) and B (SCC) but God is known for option C, even though that makes me a little nervous. The truth is, the only question in my mind was about money, but with that sermon it really hit home that God truly would provide even if I couldn't see how. I always said He would, but over the last few months it has become more lip service than anything else. This whole week has been one of rediscovery, spiritually, and I pray God changes my heart and my focus, and that He truly brings me closer to Him, closer than I have been before. So, I apologize if this is a little helter-skelter, but that's kind of how life feels right now. Just pray for continued growth and dependence on GOd, and for openess to Him and His guidance.
Thank you,
Amanda
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Training, Friends, and Miracles
Hey All,
So, just a quick update. Last week went by really fast, as we worked short 8 hour days and got off Thursday at noon. Our final two crew members started work on Tuesday, which was good. Mikey is the one who helped me apply to the internship and all, and Katie was an SCA last year. I like them both a lot. Anyway, most of the week we worked around the Cache and did a little bit of saw work up at the campground we had been at previously. Thursday, like I said, we got off at noon and I headed down to Chehalis to visit one of my friends from school. We had a really good time- watched movies, drove around, played with fire arms ;-) I headed back Saturday and went to a BBQ the crew was doing for Lakota’s birthday. That was really fun, too. There were massive amounts of ribs, wings, and steak there, which was fantastic in and of itself :-P We also played croquet and had a fire and just hung out. It felt good to be back with the crew, since the training has been so hectic that I hadn’t seen much of Paul, Wilson, Taryn, or Tim.
One quick story involves the drive back from Chehalis to the BBQ. Really, it was a God thing, once again. I was exhausted and struggling to stay awake. I had my windows down and music on, but I still felt pretty sleepy. I should have pulled over. But I didn’t. About 10 minutes outside of PA, I suddenly jolted awake going 55 mph with one tire on the road and one in the grass. I vaguely remember some sort of barrier, like a wall, but I very distinctly remember cranking my wheel hard to the right and swerving back on to the road. What followed was an intense struggle with my car to regain control as I zig-zagged back and forth across the 2 lane, one way road. Eventually, (probably less than 30 seconds) I was able to stay in one lane, and then calmly pull off the road and check my rig over. The good news, other than my truck being fine, is that I was thoroughly awake after that. In all seriousness, though, it was one those moments where all you can do is thank God you are alive and undamaged. There were cars ahead of and behind me, though by God’s grace the lane next to me was clear, and there was quite a bit of buffer space around my truck. So, all in all, I thank God that He protected me, and I learned my lesson pretty thoroughly.
Oh, one more story. I was riving home from the BBQ and Dustie called. We were chatting and I pulled into a parking lot a couple of minutes from my house because I knew if I kept driving I would lose reception. Anyway, I had just hung up with her when a ranger (the law enforcement of the park) pulled into the lot. I was like, “oh, come on. I don’t want to deal with cops right now.” See, it was getting dark, I was the only one there, and I really wasn’t doing anything since I had just hung up the phone. I wasn’t worried, but I didn’t really want to deal with the hassle right then. Anyway, I couldn’t decide if I should just sit there or get out or what, so I settled for rolling down the window. He rolled down his and I simply said that I lived in the park and had been on the phone and had stopped so I wouldn’t lose reception. To my relief, his reply was “Oh okay. I thought I recognized the pickup. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.” I know that is a really random story, but it felt really good to know that even though I didn’t know the guy, he was looking out for me because he knew I lived there. Anyway…
Other than that, please be praying for me as I wrestle with what to do next year. I plan on eventually finishing my degree, but other than that, I really have no ideas. There are a lot of options and very little direction at this point. I take comfort in knowing that God will provide for where He wants me to go, and that He will guide me if I listen. So, be praying that I will listen and that I will follow willingly.
Love you guys, and hope to hear from you soon.
Amanda
So, just a quick update. Last week went by really fast, as we worked short 8 hour days and got off Thursday at noon. Our final two crew members started work on Tuesday, which was good. Mikey is the one who helped me apply to the internship and all, and Katie was an SCA last year. I like them both a lot. Anyway, most of the week we worked around the Cache and did a little bit of saw work up at the campground we had been at previously. Thursday, like I said, we got off at noon and I headed down to Chehalis to visit one of my friends from school. We had a really good time- watched movies, drove around, played with fire arms ;-) I headed back Saturday and went to a BBQ the crew was doing for Lakota’s birthday. That was really fun, too. There were massive amounts of ribs, wings, and steak there, which was fantastic in and of itself :-P We also played croquet and had a fire and just hung out. It felt good to be back with the crew, since the training has been so hectic that I hadn’t seen much of Paul, Wilson, Taryn, or Tim.
One quick story involves the drive back from Chehalis to the BBQ. Really, it was a God thing, once again. I was exhausted and struggling to stay awake. I had my windows down and music on, but I still felt pretty sleepy. I should have pulled over. But I didn’t. About 10 minutes outside of PA, I suddenly jolted awake going 55 mph with one tire on the road and one in the grass. I vaguely remember some sort of barrier, like a wall, but I very distinctly remember cranking my wheel hard to the right and swerving back on to the road. What followed was an intense struggle with my car to regain control as I zig-zagged back and forth across the 2 lane, one way road. Eventually, (probably less than 30 seconds) I was able to stay in one lane, and then calmly pull off the road and check my rig over. The good news, other than my truck being fine, is that I was thoroughly awake after that. In all seriousness, though, it was one those moments where all you can do is thank God you are alive and undamaged. There were cars ahead of and behind me, though by God’s grace the lane next to me was clear, and there was quite a bit of buffer space around my truck. So, all in all, I thank God that He protected me, and I learned my lesson pretty thoroughly.
Oh, one more story. I was riving home from the BBQ and Dustie called. We were chatting and I pulled into a parking lot a couple of minutes from my house because I knew if I kept driving I would lose reception. Anyway, I had just hung up with her when a ranger (the law enforcement of the park) pulled into the lot. I was like, “oh, come on. I don’t want to deal with cops right now.” See, it was getting dark, I was the only one there, and I really wasn’t doing anything since I had just hung up the phone. I wasn’t worried, but I didn’t really want to deal with the hassle right then. Anyway, I couldn’t decide if I should just sit there or get out or what, so I settled for rolling down the window. He rolled down his and I simply said that I lived in the park and had been on the phone and had stopped so I wouldn’t lose reception. To my relief, his reply was “Oh okay. I thought I recognized the pickup. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.” I know that is a really random story, but it felt really good to know that even though I didn’t know the guy, he was looking out for me because he knew I lived there. Anyway…
Other than that, please be praying for me as I wrestle with what to do next year. I plan on eventually finishing my degree, but other than that, I really have no ideas. There are a lot of options and very little direction at this point. I take comfort in knowing that God will provide for where He wants me to go, and that He will guide me if I listen. So, be praying that I will listen and that I will follow willingly.
Love you guys, and hope to hear from you soon.
Amanda
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Graduations, and stuff...
Hey All,
So, hopefully this will be brief, though I always say that, so no guarantees... Anyway, after the San Juan tour I got to go home. I left Wednesday morning and got in early afternoon. Man, was it a crazy few days. I hung ut with friends/family Wed. night, Thurs morning, thurs. night, friday afternoon, graduation friday night, two times Sat. morning, graduation party Sat. night, and family breakfast Sun. morning. Yeah, it was busy! But it was good to see people.
Anyway, I left Sunday after breakfast and was about half way back (20 miles outside of Issaqua) when I blew a tire coming through the pass. That was a bummer. Luckily, my dad had taught me how to change a tire, and a fireman pulled up to help out. Between the two of us, we got my temporary tire on, and then he made a bunch of calls to figure out what tire store would be open on a Sunday. Then he followed me to my exit, at which point he passed me and I followed him to Costco. I was so glad to have him there. And I was stuck at Costco for a couple of hours, but it got taken care of, so that was cool. At first I was all frustrated about the whole situation, but then I sat down at the outside food court thing at Costco and pulled out my Chronological NIV Bible in a Year and started catching up on my reading. As I read, and eventually as I started writing in my prayer journal, it dawned on me that I was exactly where God wanted me. For the first time in a long time, I had no friends, family, or coworkers close. I had no car, no internet, no cell phone (my battery was to low to call someone just to talk). All I had was my Bible and God. And, quite frankly, I had not been near as strong in my walk as I wanted to be. So, those couple of hours were phenomenal. It was so good to focus and to clear my head a little bit. BE praying my relationship continues to strengthen.
So, I ended up getting home much later than I wanted to, but I was in one piece so that was good. Monday we started park orientation. Oh my goodness that is a terrible experience. As interesting as the info is (well, some of it), 3 solid days of it just kind of makes me want to run away screaming. However, some of the stuff, especially the few hands on classes, has been good.
Anyway, before I sign off, I have one more story that is another God-thing. Kayla is my 4th roomate and the 3rd intern. I don't think I said much about her the last post because I had just met her. Anyway, she is awesome! As different as we are, it seems like we have a lot in common. So, Monday night we were driving the government rig back to the house from work and we were discussing different things we wanted to do this summer and in general. Well, it came up that we both wanted to hit the hotsprings that are a few miles up the road from us. She was like, "Dude, let's go right now!" So we did. We stopped by the house and changed into swimming suits and grabbed towels and headed up. By the time we parked, it was like 8:30 at night, and it was a 2.5ish mile hike to the hotsprings. Well, we took off and eventually we found a pool that wasn't occupied and we just chilled for awhile. Finally, it started getting dark and we were like, "oh, shoot, we should probably go." She thought she had a head lamp in her pack, but when she went to grab it, it wasn't there. So, we were stuck hiking back without a light as night was falling. To make things worse, as we crossed one of the bridges, I noticed wet boot prints, which meant someone was near by. A couple minutes later, she saw some too, so at least we knew the person was a head of us. A little further, we saw a light on the trail. We got pretty close before they saw us, and it ended up being a couple of guys. I was already nervous, and two girls running into a couple of guys on the trail a couple of miles from the parking lot just wasn't helping. Well, they ended up being fairly young Navy guys, and we all walked back together. It was honestly great because it was pitch black by the time we reached our car, and I felt a whole lot safer with them, and it was fun just to talk. The coolest part, though, was that I had prayed for God to protect us, and it wasn't until I was crawling into bed that night that I realized they had been an answer to prayer. Albeit, not the answer I was expecting, but an answer none the less.
Anyway, that is about it from my end. Pray that I would be strong in my walk and my witness. Love you guys, and talk to you soon.
Later,
Amanda
So, hopefully this will be brief, though I always say that, so no guarantees... Anyway, after the San Juan tour I got to go home. I left Wednesday morning and got in early afternoon. Man, was it a crazy few days. I hung ut with friends/family Wed. night, Thurs morning, thurs. night, friday afternoon, graduation friday night, two times Sat. morning, graduation party Sat. night, and family breakfast Sun. morning. Yeah, it was busy! But it was good to see people.
Anyway, I left Sunday after breakfast and was about half way back (20 miles outside of Issaqua) when I blew a tire coming through the pass. That was a bummer. Luckily, my dad had taught me how to change a tire, and a fireman pulled up to help out. Between the two of us, we got my temporary tire on, and then he made a bunch of calls to figure out what tire store would be open on a Sunday. Then he followed me to my exit, at which point he passed me and I followed him to Costco. I was so glad to have him there. And I was stuck at Costco for a couple of hours, but it got taken care of, so that was cool. At first I was all frustrated about the whole situation, but then I sat down at the outside food court thing at Costco and pulled out my Chronological NIV Bible in a Year and started catching up on my reading. As I read, and eventually as I started writing in my prayer journal, it dawned on me that I was exactly where God wanted me. For the first time in a long time, I had no friends, family, or coworkers close. I had no car, no internet, no cell phone (my battery was to low to call someone just to talk). All I had was my Bible and God. And, quite frankly, I had not been near as strong in my walk as I wanted to be. So, those couple of hours were phenomenal. It was so good to focus and to clear my head a little bit. BE praying my relationship continues to strengthen.
So, I ended up getting home much later than I wanted to, but I was in one piece so that was good. Monday we started park orientation. Oh my goodness that is a terrible experience. As interesting as the info is (well, some of it), 3 solid days of it just kind of makes me want to run away screaming. However, some of the stuff, especially the few hands on classes, has been good.
Anyway, before I sign off, I have one more story that is another God-thing. Kayla is my 4th roomate and the 3rd intern. I don't think I said much about her the last post because I had just met her. Anyway, she is awesome! As different as we are, it seems like we have a lot in common. So, Monday night we were driving the government rig back to the house from work and we were discussing different things we wanted to do this summer and in general. Well, it came up that we both wanted to hit the hotsprings that are a few miles up the road from us. She was like, "Dude, let's go right now!" So we did. We stopped by the house and changed into swimming suits and grabbed towels and headed up. By the time we parked, it was like 8:30 at night, and it was a 2.5ish mile hike to the hotsprings. Well, we took off and eventually we found a pool that wasn't occupied and we just chilled for awhile. Finally, it started getting dark and we were like, "oh, shoot, we should probably go." She thought she had a head lamp in her pack, but when she went to grab it, it wasn't there. So, we were stuck hiking back without a light as night was falling. To make things worse, as we crossed one of the bridges, I noticed wet boot prints, which meant someone was near by. A couple minutes later, she saw some too, so at least we knew the person was a head of us. A little further, we saw a light on the trail. We got pretty close before they saw us, and it ended up being a couple of guys. I was already nervous, and two girls running into a couple of guys on the trail a couple of miles from the parking lot just wasn't helping. Well, they ended up being fairly young Navy guys, and we all walked back together. It was honestly great because it was pitch black by the time we reached our car, and I felt a whole lot safer with them, and it was fun just to talk. The coolest part, though, was that I had prayed for God to protect us, and it wasn't until I was crawling into bed that night that I realized they had been an answer to prayer. Albeit, not the answer I was expecting, but an answer none the less.
Anyway, that is about it from my end. Pray that I would be strong in my walk and my witness. Love you guys, and talk to you soon.
Later,
Amanda
Monday, June 1, 2009
Back From the San Juans
Hey All,
So as the title indicates, our crew just spent the last week or so in the San Juans. Vaughn, John, and I flew up on Tuesday, which was cool, and we spent Tuesday and Wednesday laying out 20x30 meter plots for a reserch project. On Thursday, the crew (who had come up the night before) burned some of the plots. Since John and I, the interns, aren't red carded, we couldn't be near the fire. So I spent all afternoon down below it talking to any visitors who came by (since we were in a park) about the project and its benefits and stuff. That was cool. It is neat because once people understand why we are burning or cutting down trees and how it actually helps the native plants and trees, they are usually very receptive.
Anyway, we were camping at American Camp on the island and it was a little nuts because we flew over in this little 5 person plane and didn't have room for food. That was fine becaus the lady who was running the project was providing dinner and utensils, and we bought brekfast and lunch stuff on the island. Well, she left Thurs. and we left Mon. And that left a problem- namely that we needed dinner and utensils. So, I had a fork and spoon, and bought a bowl. Dinner, though, was Hot dogs and Ramen for the week. Lol. I actually like hot dogs roasted over a fire, so that was good. And Sunday we went out for dinner as a crew, which was fun. But, next time I will be better prepared.
On that note, a little about the camping situation: we all were in our own tents and we had a fire and camp stove to cook over. We also had port-a-potties, which was nice. I have a gov. issued sleeping bag, and it is surprisingly warm. So, that's all good. Now, I apologize for the next part because, not being there, it sounds pretty gross, but it's really not that bad. We didn't have showers. And we wear the same uniform everyday. Good times. Lol. Honestly, though, it's not that bad. It is kind of nice not to feel like there are all of these social obligations because the whole crew is in the same boat. If that makes sense. Anyway, I did thoroughly enjoy my shower on Sunday- that was amazing. So, yeah, just FYI ;-)
So, I figured I would take the time to give you a quick run own of the crew. Lakota is our Supervisor (Sup) and it totally chill. He did smoke jumping for several years and is pretty much living the dream right now. Vaughn is the Assistant Sup. and is pretty cool. It was good to spend some time working with him this tour because he was the only one I really didn't feel like I "knew" very well. He did ROTC and destroys us on abs. Jesse is one of the squad leaders and she has been in fire for 6 or 7 years. She is quiet, serious, and patient. I really appreciate her knowledge and willingness to teach (which is true of all of them, but her especially). Paul has been on the crew 5 years, is married, and is a brother in Christ. It's good having him around. It would be a lot harder to resist temptation if he wasn't there doing the same. Tim is crazy. He is a lot of fun to be around and has some crazy stories. He spent the winter in Hawaii- bought a one way ticket, brought his bike and just rode around doing work in exchange for room and board. How sweet is that? I have worked with him a lot on the saw projects (since I can't run saws yet, I am a permanent swamper, which means I pic up limbs and stuff the sawer cuts. Fun.....) He is also really good at explaining stuff. One time, out in the pouring rain, he saved my rear because I was so cold and wet I couldn't hardly move, and it wasn't even lunch yet. He had a rain coat, but he offered me this wool shirt he had in his pack. Seriously, I appreciated that more than anything. Anyway, moving on. Taryn is also crazy and a lot of fun. She has a lot of spunk, and has a pretty contagious laugh. And she puts up with me, lol. They all do, but she is the one who can take the teasing especially well. Wilson is our antagonist, though he is still a great guy. He is incredibly sarcastic most of the time, and you have to take most of what he says with a grain of salt. (He was the one who told me we had to take the Pack Test in our boots and I believed him until Taryn was like, "you most certainly do not." Lol, good thing she told me or that would have sucked.) But, he also is the one who constantly asks if I or John know how to do _____ yet and is good about showing us different things, which I appreciate. Finally, John is the other SCA. We came on the same day, and it's been great because we're in it together, as it were. As far as work goes, we're both the newbies and it's great to be like "dude, are you as confused as I am, or is it just me? Yes? Oh, okay, we're good then." Yup, that's how it goes. He just graduated college and is enjoying the freedom, kind of bumming around for a while. Today we met the third intern, Kayla, who seems nice, but I don't know much about her yet. Eventually, we will also be joined by Sandy, Katy, and Mikey. So, more to come in that department.
Anyway, after setting up plots on Tues/Wed, w,e burned thurday, cut Friday, and hauled logs Sat until our truck broke (fun stuff, not. We lost our F-550, which was our main transport for gear, so we had to ferry our stuff in the 150 and have a 15-passenger van brought out, but it worked out in the end, though our 550 is still on the island...). SUnday we split up because of the truck issue. I went with Vaughn and we cut Snowberry bushes for 8 or so hours with weed whackers that had saw blades. That was tough, but it beat using a chainsaw, I have been told.
Monday, today, we got up a 4:30, packed the vehicles and left for PA. We ended up catching the 8:45 ferry instead of the noon one, which was awesome as it gave us plently of time to rehab the tools and debreif for the week. NOw I am looking at another week off. That's nice.
Now that all of that is over, there are a couple of pretty funny stories I wanted to share. The first happened at the BBQ on Memorial day. One of Tim's friends, Alena, was saying that this one slug she handled a lot excreted something cyanide. She was all like, "that can't be good." We were all like, well, maybe you are building up immunity to it, which is good. That sparked the quoting of Princess Bride. "what you do not smell is iocain powder..." However, we couldn't remember "iocain" and Taryn said "novocain". So, we just about died imagining Wesley poisoning the Cecilian with novocain powder. Buttercup "Is he dead?" Wesley "No, just very, very numb." Cecilian "nevahmeshwishaseshiwianwhendeashishondaline." Honestly, it was truly comical.
The second one was the funniest, though. There are a couple of things you need to know. A) Paul had a BBQ Friday at which none of us ate the corn, so he brought it to the island. B) John has this laugh that kind of reminds me of trying to start a car and the engine not turning over. It's hilarious. A lot of time I don't know what is so funny, but his laugh is so amusing that I laugh anyway. C) Tim has a very different laugh with the same effect. His is more of a chuckle that kind of quietly explodes, like he is trying not to laugh and then gives up. D) When John and Tim get going laughing, it is one of the funniest, most pleasant sounds I have ever heard. So, all of that established, here is what happened. We had eaten dinner and we were standing around the campfire when all of the sudden, John starts laughing from in front of the out house. By laughing, I mean doubled over, full out belly-busting laugh. Across the clearing, Tim is also doubled over, which is rare for him as far as laughing goes, trying to brush his teeth. All of us around the fire are going, "what the heck?" We stood there for a good 3 minutes while they laughed, laughing our selves because it was funny watching/listening to them, and trying to figure out what had happened. By this point, John is rolling (I kid you not, rolling) around in front of the out house, still laughing hysterically. Finally Taryn grabs the camera and takes pictures of John while we go over and talk to Tim. Between gasps, he finally explains that John had walked into the out house and came stumbling right back out, laughing and exclaiming, "Man, there is a lot of corn in there." At that point, we all doubled over. It was the highlight/quote of the tour, I kid you not.
So, those were my stories from the last couple of weeks. In closing, I just ask you to continue praying. First off, be praying I would stay close to God and trust Him through everything and depend on Him constantly. More specifically, be praying that I could gaurd my mouth, as it were. Everyone here swears, and while it is not the worst of my worries, I have no desire to follow suit. So be praying I would have control in that area and be a light through that (and other similar situations). Pray also about my future and for guidance. I am falling in love with this job and with this freedom. It begs the question, what next? At this point, I am honestly clueless. I can give you the run down if you want to hear it, but there are so many options all of the sudden, and so many different things I want. Pray I would discern God's best. Finally, continue praying for strength. When I was training for the Pack test, I was like, "it's okay, get through the test, and that'll be the worst of it. People don't do this pace with this wait was this distance in 'real life'". Yeah, I was wrong. The pack test will probably be one of the easier things I do this summer. So, pray for that.
Anyway, that is about it from my end. Thanks for reading and praying. I hope to hear from you all soon. And I hope it was entertaining ;-)
Later,
Amanda
So as the title indicates, our crew just spent the last week or so in the San Juans. Vaughn, John, and I flew up on Tuesday, which was cool, and we spent Tuesday and Wednesday laying out 20x30 meter plots for a reserch project. On Thursday, the crew (who had come up the night before) burned some of the plots. Since John and I, the interns, aren't red carded, we couldn't be near the fire. So I spent all afternoon down below it talking to any visitors who came by (since we were in a park) about the project and its benefits and stuff. That was cool. It is neat because once people understand why we are burning or cutting down trees and how it actually helps the native plants and trees, they are usually very receptive.
Anyway, we were camping at American Camp on the island and it was a little nuts because we flew over in this little 5 person plane and didn't have room for food. That was fine becaus the lady who was running the project was providing dinner and utensils, and we bought brekfast and lunch stuff on the island. Well, she left Thurs. and we left Mon. And that left a problem- namely that we needed dinner and utensils. So, I had a fork and spoon, and bought a bowl. Dinner, though, was Hot dogs and Ramen for the week. Lol. I actually like hot dogs roasted over a fire, so that was good. And Sunday we went out for dinner as a crew, which was fun. But, next time I will be better prepared.
On that note, a little about the camping situation: we all were in our own tents and we had a fire and camp stove to cook over. We also had port-a-potties, which was nice. I have a gov. issued sleeping bag, and it is surprisingly warm. So, that's all good. Now, I apologize for the next part because, not being there, it sounds pretty gross, but it's really not that bad. We didn't have showers. And we wear the same uniform everyday. Good times. Lol. Honestly, though, it's not that bad. It is kind of nice not to feel like there are all of these social obligations because the whole crew is in the same boat. If that makes sense. Anyway, I did thoroughly enjoy my shower on Sunday- that was amazing. So, yeah, just FYI ;-)
So, I figured I would take the time to give you a quick run own of the crew. Lakota is our Supervisor (Sup) and it totally chill. He did smoke jumping for several years and is pretty much living the dream right now. Vaughn is the Assistant Sup. and is pretty cool. It was good to spend some time working with him this tour because he was the only one I really didn't feel like I "knew" very well. He did ROTC and destroys us on abs. Jesse is one of the squad leaders and she has been in fire for 6 or 7 years. She is quiet, serious, and patient. I really appreciate her knowledge and willingness to teach (which is true of all of them, but her especially). Paul has been on the crew 5 years, is married, and is a brother in Christ. It's good having him around. It would be a lot harder to resist temptation if he wasn't there doing the same. Tim is crazy. He is a lot of fun to be around and has some crazy stories. He spent the winter in Hawaii- bought a one way ticket, brought his bike and just rode around doing work in exchange for room and board. How sweet is that? I have worked with him a lot on the saw projects (since I can't run saws yet, I am a permanent swamper, which means I pic up limbs and stuff the sawer cuts. Fun.....) He is also really good at explaining stuff. One time, out in the pouring rain, he saved my rear because I was so cold and wet I couldn't hardly move, and it wasn't even lunch yet. He had a rain coat, but he offered me this wool shirt he had in his pack. Seriously, I appreciated that more than anything. Anyway, moving on. Taryn is also crazy and a lot of fun. She has a lot of spunk, and has a pretty contagious laugh. And she puts up with me, lol. They all do, but she is the one who can take the teasing especially well. Wilson is our antagonist, though he is still a great guy. He is incredibly sarcastic most of the time, and you have to take most of what he says with a grain of salt. (He was the one who told me we had to take the Pack Test in our boots and I believed him until Taryn was like, "you most certainly do not." Lol, good thing she told me or that would have sucked.) But, he also is the one who constantly asks if I or John know how to do _____ yet and is good about showing us different things, which I appreciate. Finally, John is the other SCA. We came on the same day, and it's been great because we're in it together, as it were. As far as work goes, we're both the newbies and it's great to be like "dude, are you as confused as I am, or is it just me? Yes? Oh, okay, we're good then." Yup, that's how it goes. He just graduated college and is enjoying the freedom, kind of bumming around for a while. Today we met the third intern, Kayla, who seems nice, but I don't know much about her yet. Eventually, we will also be joined by Sandy, Katy, and Mikey. So, more to come in that department.
Anyway, after setting up plots on Tues/Wed, w,e burned thurday, cut Friday, and hauled logs Sat until our truck broke (fun stuff, not. We lost our F-550, which was our main transport for gear, so we had to ferry our stuff in the 150 and have a 15-passenger van brought out, but it worked out in the end, though our 550 is still on the island...). SUnday we split up because of the truck issue. I went with Vaughn and we cut Snowberry bushes for 8 or so hours with weed whackers that had saw blades. That was tough, but it beat using a chainsaw, I have been told.
Monday, today, we got up a 4:30, packed the vehicles and left for PA. We ended up catching the 8:45 ferry instead of the noon one, which was awesome as it gave us plently of time to rehab the tools and debreif for the week. NOw I am looking at another week off. That's nice.
Now that all of that is over, there are a couple of pretty funny stories I wanted to share. The first happened at the BBQ on Memorial day. One of Tim's friends, Alena, was saying that this one slug she handled a lot excreted something cyanide. She was all like, "that can't be good." We were all like, well, maybe you are building up immunity to it, which is good. That sparked the quoting of Princess Bride. "what you do not smell is iocain powder..." However, we couldn't remember "iocain" and Taryn said "novocain". So, we just about died imagining Wesley poisoning the Cecilian with novocain powder. Buttercup "Is he dead?" Wesley "No, just very, very numb." Cecilian "nevahmeshwishaseshiwianwhendeashishondaline." Honestly, it was truly comical.
The second one was the funniest, though. There are a couple of things you need to know. A) Paul had a BBQ Friday at which none of us ate the corn, so he brought it to the island. B) John has this laugh that kind of reminds me of trying to start a car and the engine not turning over. It's hilarious. A lot of time I don't know what is so funny, but his laugh is so amusing that I laugh anyway. C) Tim has a very different laugh with the same effect. His is more of a chuckle that kind of quietly explodes, like he is trying not to laugh and then gives up. D) When John and Tim get going laughing, it is one of the funniest, most pleasant sounds I have ever heard. So, all of that established, here is what happened. We had eaten dinner and we were standing around the campfire when all of the sudden, John starts laughing from in front of the out house. By laughing, I mean doubled over, full out belly-busting laugh. Across the clearing, Tim is also doubled over, which is rare for him as far as laughing goes, trying to brush his teeth. All of us around the fire are going, "what the heck?" We stood there for a good 3 minutes while they laughed, laughing our selves because it was funny watching/listening to them, and trying to figure out what had happened. By this point, John is rolling (I kid you not, rolling) around in front of the out house, still laughing hysterically. Finally Taryn grabs the camera and takes pictures of John while we go over and talk to Tim. Between gasps, he finally explains that John had walked into the out house and came stumbling right back out, laughing and exclaiming, "Man, there is a lot of corn in there." At that point, we all doubled over. It was the highlight/quote of the tour, I kid you not.
So, those were my stories from the last couple of weeks. In closing, I just ask you to continue praying. First off, be praying I would stay close to God and trust Him through everything and depend on Him constantly. More specifically, be praying that I could gaurd my mouth, as it were. Everyone here swears, and while it is not the worst of my worries, I have no desire to follow suit. So be praying I would have control in that area and be a light through that (and other similar situations). Pray also about my future and for guidance. I am falling in love with this job and with this freedom. It begs the question, what next? At this point, I am honestly clueless. I can give you the run down if you want to hear it, but there are so many options all of the sudden, and so many different things I want. Pray I would discern God's best. Finally, continue praying for strength. When I was training for the Pack test, I was like, "it's okay, get through the test, and that'll be the worst of it. People don't do this pace with this wait was this distance in 'real life'". Yeah, I was wrong. The pack test will probably be one of the easier things I do this summer. So, pray for that.
Anyway, that is about it from my end. Thanks for reading and praying. I hope to hear from you all soon. And I hope it was entertaining ;-)
Later,
Amanda
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Life in a Whirlwind...
Hey all,
So as the title may tell, it has been a couple of crazy weeks for me. Let's start back at finals, or more precisely, the Friday after finals. My mom drove a car down a couple of weeks before so that I could get home, but we discovered a leak. Lon story short, after a couple of mechanics looked at it, the O-ring on the speed sensor got replaced and my car was "good-to-go." Well, that wasn't the leak. I was going to try to get the car home and deal with it there, but my dad wanted me to take it in. That ended up being a good call because the mechanics I took it to (General Automatic Transmission- highly, highly recommended if you need a mechanic in Nampa) and they finally came out saying "you have to come see this- we have never seen this before" (always a bad sign). As it turns out, the top of my transmission was cracked. The worst of it was that the fluid was likely to ignite because of the catalytic converter. So, the day before I am supposed to leave I lose my transportation and I need to be able to get to my internship on Tuesday which means I need my stuff (so no flying) and that I need a car (it took us months to find the one I had just bought).
At that point my parents and I were scrambling for options. My amazing friend Kendle offered to drive me part way home, but we were also looking for cars in Nampa. There were a couple of good possibilities that fell through because the lot couldn't sell to a non-Idahoan (somehting about a salvaged title...). Things were complicated because I didn't have the money immediately available so someone was goint to have to take us at our word that we would pay them and let me take the car. Hmmm. IN the middle of all of this (happening between 11:30 and 1:3o ish, with phone calls all afternoon), I am supposed to be packing to be out of my dorm by 3. Well, having to be to the mechanics before noon killed a couple of hours that I was planning on using to pack. So come about 10 minutes to 3, I am still not out of my room and my RA comes in and is like "you have 8 minutes to be out of here." At that point, I lost it. For the first time all year I just broke down and cried- I had no idea how I was getting home, my stuff wasn't packed, and I had a broken car to deal with. I lost it at least 2 more times that day, but I have amazing friends who were there to encourage me, even though it was embarassing and rather humbling. Anyway, I finally got moved out (a whole bunch of people came up to help- again, God blessed me with some awesome friends). Then the search for a vehicle was on full bore. After a billion phone calls (almost....), I finally ended up buying my RD's husband's truck- it was more than we wanted to spend, but it was reliable and available, and he was willing to trust us to pay him. So, I got home Saturday, as planned. My amazing roomate and her family are stroing my car for the time being and they took me in that night and helped me off the next morning.
The following days are pretty much a blur in my mind. It involved unpacking and repacking, tiem with friends, shopping for last minute items, and loading my truck (which is actually a really sweet truck, but my dad who bought it keeps reminding me it's temporary- rats). I headed out to Port Angeles on Tuesday at about noon (dentist's appointment.) I got to the house the park provided by nine-ish and dragged my stuff in for the night. At that point, there were a couple of guys and one girl living there, but now she has left and it's the three of us (you have to believe me when I say I thought it was going to be really awkward living with other park employees, but it really isn't. I have my own room and everyone respects eachother's privacy.) That started the adventure that will be the summer.
First off, we have mice. That seriously sucks. I had to kick one out of my food box that night, and after that I proceeded to see several in my room and the kitchen, plus John had one on his head one night and Melissa woke up to one about 2 inches from her face. Bold little critters. Anyway, we finally got some traps and had one within 5 minutes. We have caught 3 total, but they must have been the ones causing trouble because none of us have seen any since, though I am sure there are more. But, so long as they don't bother us, I am okay with it.
Moving on, my internship started Wednesday at 7 am. We had a PT test that day that involved a 1.5 mile run, and maxing on push ups, pulls ups, and sit ups. As it turns out, we have PT every morning for about an hour- sometimes more. Gall, it is so hard! I don't mind because it is so relevant, but, man alive, I have practically wanted to die every time, with 1 or 2 exceptions (the days when we didn't run or hike but did floor exercises instead). The worst was the Storm King hike, which was 2.5 miles up to the top and almost entirely uphill. It took 45 minutes to get back down, and even going down was hard. HOwever, the crew I am with is absolutely incredible. On exercises where people go at their own pace, the people that finish first come back around and travel behind the people who haven't finished, and they are super encouraging, which is awesome. I struggle a lot, but they don't ever put people down, which means so much to me. And, it is cool to see improvement. We did an "easy, relatively flat jog" (2.4 miles with a gigantic hill!) on the second day and I honest to goodness wanted to quit. But, my crew and supervisor were amazing and when we did the jog again a couple days ago, I was able to keep up. That was really exciting!!
Anyway, as I have said, the crew is amazing. Most of them have worked together before, except Lakota and Vaughn, the Supervisor and Assistant Supervisor, and John and I who are the SCA interns. They had been together a couple of weeks before John and I got there, but they were so good about taking us in and explaining things. We are pretty limited on some stuff because we haven't had any trainging yet, but they continually show us new things and give us advice on different aspects of the job. Except that we don't have training, we are really apart of the crew. On top of that, they are all hard workers and fun people. I could talk about each of them, but I'll spare you that. It's funny because everyday I hear new stories about different people and things that have happened in the past. One of the craziest guys is John, the engine captain (not the SCA). He is this ex-marine who has killed a bear without using a gun (there is debate between whether he used a pick-type tool or just his hands- but either way is nuts). I keep haring new stories about him and they are just insane. Lakota has some crazy ones too, like the rat that fell out of his roof in SOuth America and landed on his chest while he was in his sleeping bag in his hammock. I didn't feel so bad about mice after that.
Anyway, I know this is pretty long, so I will try to wrap up with some info on what we are actually doing on the crew. We are just coming off of 8 10 hour days and we get 5 days off. It was a long 8 days. We did paper work, cache work (the cache is where we store everything and where me have meetings and where our lockers are- basically HQ or whatever you want to call it), unofficial training, exploration of the park, project scouting, and campground clean-up. I wanted to go into more detail, but I don't actually think it would be very interesting. If you really want to hear, give me a call sometime (my phone is off during the day, but if you leave a message I will get back to you).
I guess through all of this, I am kind of excited. For the first time, I am really on my own- cooking my own meals, living in my own house, working a steady job with semi-regular hours... That is a neat experince in itself, but more than that, the training I am getting/going to get is huge and pretty practical (tool maintenance, first aid, compass/gps use...). Most of all though, I am excited to be on such a solid team. You would have to be there to really understand, but most of the crew lives with other crew members, we are together almost all waking hours of the day, we have to look out for eachother and help eachother out constantly. I am not doing it justice, but I guess for me personally, I am constantly being humbled and put out of my comfort zone, but there is no place I would rather have it happen. Hopefully I will be able to better voice it later, but for now that will have to do. I apologize for the inadequacy of my communication skills. Somethings are beyond words.
So, yeah, that is my life right now. Everyday, especially during PT and when we are working in the pouring, freezing rain, I ask my self why the heck I wanted this job, but at the end of the day I have no regrets. Be praying for me for my walk with God and for my testimony and for strength in general. As much as I like my crew, I am pretty much being exposed to/given access to what I was so sheltered and protected from growing up. Pray I would resist temptations, and that my walk would grow through all of this, as well as that I as a person would change and grown for the better.
I apologize for the length of the post. I don't have constant internet access, but I will attempt to post more often (and hopefully shorter) throughout the summer at least. Until next time, take care.
AK
So as the title may tell, it has been a couple of crazy weeks for me. Let's start back at finals, or more precisely, the Friday after finals. My mom drove a car down a couple of weeks before so that I could get home, but we discovered a leak. Lon story short, after a couple of mechanics looked at it, the O-ring on the speed sensor got replaced and my car was "good-to-go." Well, that wasn't the leak. I was going to try to get the car home and deal with it there, but my dad wanted me to take it in. That ended up being a good call because the mechanics I took it to (General Automatic Transmission- highly, highly recommended if you need a mechanic in Nampa) and they finally came out saying "you have to come see this- we have never seen this before" (always a bad sign). As it turns out, the top of my transmission was cracked. The worst of it was that the fluid was likely to ignite because of the catalytic converter. So, the day before I am supposed to leave I lose my transportation and I need to be able to get to my internship on Tuesday which means I need my stuff (so no flying) and that I need a car (it took us months to find the one I had just bought).
At that point my parents and I were scrambling for options. My amazing friend Kendle offered to drive me part way home, but we were also looking for cars in Nampa. There were a couple of good possibilities that fell through because the lot couldn't sell to a non-Idahoan (somehting about a salvaged title...). Things were complicated because I didn't have the money immediately available so someone was goint to have to take us at our word that we would pay them and let me take the car. Hmmm. IN the middle of all of this (happening between 11:30 and 1:3o ish, with phone calls all afternoon), I am supposed to be packing to be out of my dorm by 3. Well, having to be to the mechanics before noon killed a couple of hours that I was planning on using to pack. So come about 10 minutes to 3, I am still not out of my room and my RA comes in and is like "you have 8 minutes to be out of here." At that point, I lost it. For the first time all year I just broke down and cried- I had no idea how I was getting home, my stuff wasn't packed, and I had a broken car to deal with. I lost it at least 2 more times that day, but I have amazing friends who were there to encourage me, even though it was embarassing and rather humbling. Anyway, I finally got moved out (a whole bunch of people came up to help- again, God blessed me with some awesome friends). Then the search for a vehicle was on full bore. After a billion phone calls (almost....), I finally ended up buying my RD's husband's truck- it was more than we wanted to spend, but it was reliable and available, and he was willing to trust us to pay him. So, I got home Saturday, as planned. My amazing roomate and her family are stroing my car for the time being and they took me in that night and helped me off the next morning.
The following days are pretty much a blur in my mind. It involved unpacking and repacking, tiem with friends, shopping for last minute items, and loading my truck (which is actually a really sweet truck, but my dad who bought it keeps reminding me it's temporary- rats). I headed out to Port Angeles on Tuesday at about noon (dentist's appointment.) I got to the house the park provided by nine-ish and dragged my stuff in for the night. At that point, there were a couple of guys and one girl living there, but now she has left and it's the three of us (you have to believe me when I say I thought it was going to be really awkward living with other park employees, but it really isn't. I have my own room and everyone respects eachother's privacy.) That started the adventure that will be the summer.
First off, we have mice. That seriously sucks. I had to kick one out of my food box that night, and after that I proceeded to see several in my room and the kitchen, plus John had one on his head one night and Melissa woke up to one about 2 inches from her face. Bold little critters. Anyway, we finally got some traps and had one within 5 minutes. We have caught 3 total, but they must have been the ones causing trouble because none of us have seen any since, though I am sure there are more. But, so long as they don't bother us, I am okay with it.
Moving on, my internship started Wednesday at 7 am. We had a PT test that day that involved a 1.5 mile run, and maxing on push ups, pulls ups, and sit ups. As it turns out, we have PT every morning for about an hour- sometimes more. Gall, it is so hard! I don't mind because it is so relevant, but, man alive, I have practically wanted to die every time, with 1 or 2 exceptions (the days when we didn't run or hike but did floor exercises instead). The worst was the Storm King hike, which was 2.5 miles up to the top and almost entirely uphill. It took 45 minutes to get back down, and even going down was hard. HOwever, the crew I am with is absolutely incredible. On exercises where people go at their own pace, the people that finish first come back around and travel behind the people who haven't finished, and they are super encouraging, which is awesome. I struggle a lot, but they don't ever put people down, which means so much to me. And, it is cool to see improvement. We did an "easy, relatively flat jog" (2.4 miles with a gigantic hill!) on the second day and I honest to goodness wanted to quit. But, my crew and supervisor were amazing and when we did the jog again a couple days ago, I was able to keep up. That was really exciting!!
Anyway, as I have said, the crew is amazing. Most of them have worked together before, except Lakota and Vaughn, the Supervisor and Assistant Supervisor, and John and I who are the SCA interns. They had been together a couple of weeks before John and I got there, but they were so good about taking us in and explaining things. We are pretty limited on some stuff because we haven't had any trainging yet, but they continually show us new things and give us advice on different aspects of the job. Except that we don't have training, we are really apart of the crew. On top of that, they are all hard workers and fun people. I could talk about each of them, but I'll spare you that. It's funny because everyday I hear new stories about different people and things that have happened in the past. One of the craziest guys is John, the engine captain (not the SCA). He is this ex-marine who has killed a bear without using a gun (there is debate between whether he used a pick-type tool or just his hands- but either way is nuts). I keep haring new stories about him and they are just insane. Lakota has some crazy ones too, like the rat that fell out of his roof in SOuth America and landed on his chest while he was in his sleeping bag in his hammock. I didn't feel so bad about mice after that.
Anyway, I know this is pretty long, so I will try to wrap up with some info on what we are actually doing on the crew. We are just coming off of 8 10 hour days and we get 5 days off. It was a long 8 days. We did paper work, cache work (the cache is where we store everything and where me have meetings and where our lockers are- basically HQ or whatever you want to call it), unofficial training, exploration of the park, project scouting, and campground clean-up. I wanted to go into more detail, but I don't actually think it would be very interesting. If you really want to hear, give me a call sometime (my phone is off during the day, but if you leave a message I will get back to you).
I guess through all of this, I am kind of excited. For the first time, I am really on my own- cooking my own meals, living in my own house, working a steady job with semi-regular hours... That is a neat experince in itself, but more than that, the training I am getting/going to get is huge and pretty practical (tool maintenance, first aid, compass/gps use...). Most of all though, I am excited to be on such a solid team. You would have to be there to really understand, but most of the crew lives with other crew members, we are together almost all waking hours of the day, we have to look out for eachother and help eachother out constantly. I am not doing it justice, but I guess for me personally, I am constantly being humbled and put out of my comfort zone, but there is no place I would rather have it happen. Hopefully I will be able to better voice it later, but for now that will have to do. I apologize for the inadequacy of my communication skills. Somethings are beyond words.
So, yeah, that is my life right now. Everyday, especially during PT and when we are working in the pouring, freezing rain, I ask my self why the heck I wanted this job, but at the end of the day I have no regrets. Be praying for me for my walk with God and for my testimony and for strength in general. As much as I like my crew, I am pretty much being exposed to/given access to what I was so sheltered and protected from growing up. Pray I would resist temptations, and that my walk would grow through all of this, as well as that I as a person would change and grown for the better.
I apologize for the length of the post. I don't have constant internet access, but I will attempt to post more often (and hopefully shorter) throughout the summer at least. Until next time, take care.
AK
Saturday, April 18, 2009
It's been awhile...
Hey All,
Whether or not anyone checks this I do not know. However, I will attempt to post my life at a glance. School is almost out, and I am looking forward to the summer. God provided an internship as a firefighter, which is really exciting. Be praying for strength and endurance. Track is also coming to a close. It has been so neat to grow closer to my team mates and fellow vaulters. I have not gotten as much height as I would like, but my technique has improved dramatically. I look forward to next year and more growth.
Other than that, this semester has been really incredible for seeing God and His grace. After a rough first semester, God provided an incredible roomate and another very good friend in my wing. I still have no idea what the future holds, but I trust Him. He has constantly provided, and I know He will continue to do so.
So, like I said, that is my current life at a glance. Hopefully my next post will come in a more timely fashion. Until next time, stay strong.
AKonzal
Whether or not anyone checks this I do not know. However, I will attempt to post my life at a glance. School is almost out, and I am looking forward to the summer. God provided an internship as a firefighter, which is really exciting. Be praying for strength and endurance. Track is also coming to a close. It has been so neat to grow closer to my team mates and fellow vaulters. I have not gotten as much height as I would like, but my technique has improved dramatically. I look forward to next year and more growth.
Other than that, this semester has been really incredible for seeing God and His grace. After a rough first semester, God provided an incredible roomate and another very good friend in my wing. I still have no idea what the future holds, but I trust Him. He has constantly provided, and I know He will continue to do so.
So, like I said, that is my current life at a glance. Hopefully my next post will come in a more timely fashion. Until next time, stay strong.
AKonzal
Sunday, November 30, 2008
It Snowed in Spokane
Hey All,
I have very little time to write this, so it will be short. I apologize for the lack of blogs recently. There ahs been so much I've wanted to share and soooooo little time. Anyway, for anyone who doesn't know, the guy I asked did say yes and we had a really good time at TWIRP. I got to ride a mechanical bull, which was probably the highlight of the whole weekend for me.
Anyway, I just got back from Spokane after a week with my family. I missed 3 days of school, but it was really worth it. I got to spend time with my old friends and seee a good portion of my extended family. Plus, I got in over 30 hours of work, which was a blessing. I flew down, but rode back with s couple a guys who I went to church with growing up. I discovered it is possible to survive a 6 hour car ride with two people in the backseat whom you barely know. Yeah, the guys failed to mention that there were two additional girls in the carpool. Oh well, it worked out. It was really cool though because God very clearly protected us at 3 different times. The first time we almost got hit by someone being an idiot. The second, a car a few cars ahead of us blew a tire and veered off the road. Luckily no one was hurt and no one ran into eachother. The craziest on e was the third one, though, where I looked up to see a car doing 360s down the interstate at 80 mph. Somehow, the car avoided all the guardrails and managed to end up facing the right direction on the shoulder. It then pulled right back out into traffic. Everyone else was again able to safely manuver around the vehicle. It was really encouraging and comforting to see God protect us and everyone around us in all of those situations.
Anyway, I need to be going. Be praying for me and my focus on God, as well as my walk with Him. Pray too for strength and endurance and motivation as semester comes to a close and finals are only a week away.
As always, love you guys and hope to hear from you soon. If nothing else, I'll be home again in a couple of weeks :-)
AK
I have very little time to write this, so it will be short. I apologize for the lack of blogs recently. There ahs been so much I've wanted to share and soooooo little time. Anyway, for anyone who doesn't know, the guy I asked did say yes and we had a really good time at TWIRP. I got to ride a mechanical bull, which was probably the highlight of the whole weekend for me.
Anyway, I just got back from Spokane after a week with my family. I missed 3 days of school, but it was really worth it. I got to spend time with my old friends and seee a good portion of my extended family. Plus, I got in over 30 hours of work, which was a blessing. I flew down, but rode back with s couple a guys who I went to church with growing up. I discovered it is possible to survive a 6 hour car ride with two people in the backseat whom you barely know. Yeah, the guys failed to mention that there were two additional girls in the carpool. Oh well, it worked out. It was really cool though because God very clearly protected us at 3 different times. The first time we almost got hit by someone being an idiot. The second, a car a few cars ahead of us blew a tire and veered off the road. Luckily no one was hurt and no one ran into eachother. The craziest on e was the third one, though, where I looked up to see a car doing 360s down the interstate at 80 mph. Somehow, the car avoided all the guardrails and managed to end up facing the right direction on the shoulder. It then pulled right back out into traffic. Everyone else was again able to safely manuver around the vehicle. It was really encouraging and comforting to see God protect us and everyone around us in all of those situations.
Anyway, I need to be going. Be praying for me and my focus on God, as well as my walk with Him. Pray too for strength and endurance and motivation as semester comes to a close and finals are only a week away.
As always, love you guys and hope to hear from you soon. If nothing else, I'll be home again in a couple of weeks :-)
AK
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