Week 2

Greetings from the lowest place in North America!

Today marks my two-week anniversary of being here in Death Valley...so that's pretty cool.

On Tuesday I had my cash handling policies and procedures training. After that wrapped up around 11am, I had some quality time with the cash register. By the end of my workweek on Saturday old Reggie (what I nicknamed the register I primarily use) and I had become good friends. I push his buttons a lot but he seems to take it in stride. Also, he's really opened up to me this week even though most of the time he's pretty closed.

This week was my turn to give the sermon/message/talk at the worship service. I did something different when preparing for this talk. Instead of coming up with an idea and then finding scripture to back up what I was saying, I spent about 2 hours on Tuesday paging through the Bible until I found something to go off of. The result was what I think is the best ACMNP sermon/talk/message I've delivered yet. Here's what I wrote, although it's not a transcript. Like usual, I didn't bring notes with me when I delivered the talk. So what came out of my mouth is slightly different. If you read this, however, you'll get the gist...

     Can you imagine living here without having water so easily accessible to us? No pool. No golf course. No date palms. No water coming out of the tap.

     Without access to water it would be impossible to live out here. Without an abundant source of water there wouldn’t be so many people living and staying here. So it seems like water means life and an abundance of water leads to an abundance of life. 

     But does it? Is merely surviving and not dying of thirst all there is to life? Is being able to golf or swim in the desert all we need to live a fulfilling life? Is water really what sustains us here in the driest place in America? 

     We are not the first people to spend time in the desert. In the book of Exodus, we read the story of the Israelites as they leave Egypt and spend forty years in the desert before they reach the land God had promised them. As you can imagine, a large group of people wandering in the desert are going to require water at some point. The Israelites were no exception. Chapter 17 starting in verse 1: 

The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”

Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?”

But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and our livestock die of thirst?"

Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 

     Moses is in a tough position. He knows water is a requirement for survival, but has no idea how to supply it. No one has any idea how to supply it. The Israelites turn to Moses and Moses turns to God to give them the source of life. Verse 5: 

The LORD answered Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.”

So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?” 

     So right away God provides a way to give life-giving water to the thirsty and desperate Israelites. God answers the Israelite’s question as to whether or not he is among them with an unequivocal yes by providing water from a rock.

     This is not the end of the story. God’s desire wasn’t simply for the Israelites to have enough water to continue to live their life in the desert until they died of some cause other than thirst. Rather, God desired the Israelites to know that he was among them and wanted them to have the abundant life only he can provide.

     Generations later, Paul writes in a letter to the church in Corinth what God really did that day. 1 Corinthians 10: 1-4

For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the seas. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

     The rock Moses struck wasn’t just any rock. It was a spiritual rock. It was the rock of God’s presence among humanity. Now for us, living in a time after the Word of God became flesh in Jesus, we know that Jesus is God among us. The Christ.

     God provided the Isrealites much more than simply a water source for sustenance. He provided them evidence that he is the source of true life. Abundant life. Eternal life.

In the book of Luke at 4:13, Jesus is talking to a woman drawing water from a well. He says to her:

“but whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

     Water is not our sustenance in life. Rather, Jesus Christ is our sustenance. We cannot truly live in this life, or have eternal life, if we are not drinking the water from God. And the good news is that this water is available and abundant, even here in Death Valley.

     God invites us to drink the water he provides. He desires us to know him as the source of life. But just like the Israelites were unable to provide their own water while wandering in the desert, we are incapable of securing the water from Christ on our own. Instead, we must humbly come before God with a heartfelt desire to drink that spiritual drink and acknowledge that nothing we can do is enough to obtain the life-giving water that proves God is among us. Rather, it is a gift God gives out of love for us as shown in the life, sacrifice, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As shown in God's presence among us. And for those of us who already are sustained by this water, we are called to invite, encourage, and show others how to drink the sweet water of Christ as well.

     I hate to imagine what life would be like here if we didn’t have any water. I hate to imagine what life would be like without the water of Christ. I love to imagine, however, what life would be like in this desert if everyone sought desired to have in them the spring of water welling up to eternal life. Death Valley would become a misnomer. 

At the worship service this week we had a total of 12, all of which are Furnace Creek Resort or National Park Service employees. Half of our congregation consisted of children. Kids even came without their parents! Because of what's becoming our regular crowd, I'm thinking we'll have to add in churchy stuff like a Children's Time and the post-service coffee/doughnut reward for those who stuck it out.

My roommate, Carlos, and I had a pretty intense talk this week. He explained how he was mildly offended that I had been consistently refusing his offers to eat the Cuban food he cooks for dinner every night. I tried to explain to him that I wanted to avoid becoming a moocher. He pretty much told me that mooching doesn't translate to Cuban culture, and I need to get over that idea and just eat food when he offers it to me. I'm pretty cool with that. I'll plan on contributing bottled waters and dish cleaning supplies, though.

On a more serious note, it was really interesting to talk more with Carlos and Jorge about what it was like to come from Cuba to America. Both came after age 35 and knew almost no English when they arrived. They both have higher aspirations than being a dishwasher and laundry attendant here, but their limiting factor is their English proficiency. The could be making a lot more money working in Las Vegas (Carlos even has a house there), but there'd be doing jobs with other Cubans or Spanish-speaking folks. They work and live here to immerse themselves in the English language. For example, yesterday Jorge and I practiced saying "breakfast" and learned what "moreover" means. Pretty eye-opening experience to live with these gentlemen.

The big aerobic output for the week occurred after yesterday's worship service. Laurie and I made the trek up Wildrose Peak. Tobyn had a training to go to during the afternoon so he couldn't join us for team time. The journey included a 50-mile drive that ascended from 190 feet below sea level here at Furnace Creek Ranch to 6,800 feet at the parking lot/Charcoal Kilns. As well as a 4.2 mile hike up another 2,200 feet to the peak. We made it in "stupid" fast time and were thus tuckered out by the time we made it back to the truck right before sunset. The wind was howling up there so I made good use of my hat and gloves. I've finally joined the rest of America in having to don winter gear this November.

Week 1

Happy Sunday!

Tomorrow will be my one week anniversary of being here in Death Valley. To celebrate the occasion, I'll blog about my first week. How does that sound?

Before I arrived at the Furnace Creek Ranch but after I had entered the park, I stopped the truck and hiked up to the top of a small peak in the badlands.

From that vantage point I could see the desert stretching to the mountains stretching as far as I could see in the hot, dry air of California. I took some time to journal about my thoughts and emotions leading up to another season with ACMNP and before moving into my new temporary home for the next six months. Here's a snippet:

Made it out to DVNP. Really great trip out here. The past 3 weeks have been filled w/so much fun, love, friendship. But it's also been a time of confusion as I discern about seminaries and answer the oh-so-common question about what I'll do next in life. And it's been a slight time of unease as I look forth to ministry in Death Valley. I'm not too nervous if I compare it to how I've felt in similar situations in the past, but nervous enough to be ashamed of being nervous. What is there really to fear out here?

...I put too many expectations to the fore of my mind that will not be met unless people react as I want...I have to let go of trying to meet expectations I set others to have of  me. My main focus is to pursue God with all my heart, strength, will, and being. In doing that, I will exceed anyone's expectations--including my own.

With that I slammed close the journal and boldly walked back to the truck and fired 'er up. I drove down, down, down to 190 feet below sea level and through the entrance arch for the Furnace Creek Ranch. On my third attempt, I finally entered the right door and talked with the employee check-in folks. After meeting Laurie and Tobyn (my ACMNP teammates) during lunch, filling out a stack of paperwork from Human Resources, and grabbing a black trash bag full of linens in one hand and my newly issue room key in the other, I headed to my room at the Dunes dorm. 

I put the key into the hole and quickly realized that I was trying to get into the wrong room. I made sure no one saw my folly and went up to my actual room. The key went in the hole but then the same outcome occurred: the door wouldn't unlock. Long story short, the key I had was cut for my lock but was the wrong size. Only after interacting with the entire staff of the Fire, Life, and Safety Department and two days later did I have my very own room key. 

Once I finally had the chance to get settled in to my room, I met my two roommates, Carlo and Jorge. Both are from Cuba. I had my doubts at first that this would be a good living situation. Rooming with two men over 35 who spoke English as their second language didn't sound like an ideal situation. But after having Carlo and his girlfriend cook two dinners for me this week, getting a chance to talk with him and Jorge about their lives, and bonding with Jorge over Billy Joel's "Honesty", we're starting to form some friendships. 

I spent three days this week on the job at the General Store. I'll be working as a cashier. Jordan trained me this week on how to do my job. Not that the job seems too complicated, but it did really help to spend a few days observing a veteran. He and I are the only young males working in the store. Not that age and gender are a big deal, but it was nice to work alongside another young dude. Sometimes I felt pretty singled out at the info booth in Acadia among Jamie, Sarah, and Edie. Plus, I appreciate Jordan's taste in football. He's a self-proclaimed huge Packers fan.

Today was our first ACMNP worship service. I was blown away by the service. First off, that was because we had pretty gusty winds. Second, the faithful who gathered were Christians working at Furnace Creek and their kids. We had about 11 folks in attendance. One lady said how thankful she was that we as the ACMNP team had returned. A girl came up to me afterward and said how glad she is that we'll be there to provide a church for her while she's living in Death Valley. I'm excited to be a part of what God's already doing out here.

I've spent a fair amount of time exploring the park already. Tobyn and I hiked Golden Canyon right before sunset my first day here. Laurie and I hiked around Dante's overlook one day and the Mesquite Dunes and Salt Creek today. 

On my own I've been up to Zabriske Overlook, down to Badwater Basin, and over to the visitor center. Yesterday afternoon I went for a walk around the outskirts of the ranch, golf course, and air strip here at Furnace Creek. I was having a grand ole time until the desert brush kept thwarting my chosen routes. I eventually accepted the reality that I wouldn't be able to make it around the perimeter and would have to come back the way I came. By that time (4:15) the sun had set behind the Panamint Mountains and the coyotes had began to emerge for the evening. I saw five of them before I made it back to the dorm. I walked softly and carried a big stick.

My favorite part about being out here is the sunsets. On my second day here I was out walking in the salt flats a little bit north of the ranch while the sun was setting. The Amargosa Mountains to the east and Funerals to the north were awash with color as the light of the setting sun accentuated their geological character. Here's what I wrote in my journal about the experience:

I haven't been that blown away by beauty in a long time. The colors of the sun and the filtered light flooding the eastern peaks created a scene of irreplicable beauty. I had the thought of how amazing it is that God is evidenced in that beauty, but also in so much more. The love of family, the joy of salvation, the comfort of acceptance all go along with the beauty of the earth to illustrate God's glory and wholeness. People need to know God, all of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, or else they will be robbed of the greatest power we can know.

The Acadia to Death Valley Journey

On October 21, Mom, Dad, Nicole, and I loaded into the F250 at Smuggler's Den campground right next to Acadia National Park and started my multi-thousand mile journey to Death Valley National Park. The final member of our travel party was Mom and Dad's newly purchased SunnyBrook trailer. Check it out....

We only made it as far as the Bangor International Airport before we lost Nicole. She had to head back to her life in Minnesota. As we drove away from the terminal I look at Dad and then Mom and then myself in the rear-view mirror. And then there were three...

The folks and I motored down the rainy road all the way to Hartford, CT before calling in a day. The next day we woke up to rain and another 500 miles of road separating us from our next stop in Washington, DC. We made it in safe and sound and spent the night in the trailer. Cherry Hill RV Park gave me my first taste of the RVing world. It's a foreign one. I am quite certain that twenty-somes are not a major demographic in said world. 

We spent the next day in Washington. The big objective of the day was for me to tour Wesley Theological Seminary. Mission accomplished. I enjoyed getting back into the higher education touring mode. I came away from the visit with an appreciation for Wesley, but not a strong sense of calling to pursue a Master's of Divinity (MDiv) there. So we headed on down the road.

Our next stop was Wilmington, NC. Our friends from Wisconsin had relocated down there and hosted us for the weekend. Sitting on the beach, eating delicious food with fellow Wisconsinites, and having a genuine vacation made this stop quite awesome.

We spent two more days in North Carolina. A trip to Mount Airy filled one. A tour of Duke Divinity School filled the other. Why did we go to Mount Airy? Andy Griffith grew up there. Dad is a huge fan of the Andy Griffith Show. See the connection? Mom and I were less excited to go, but all three of us ended up really enjoying the day. If you're ever in the area, be sure to stop by.

I liked Duke a lot. The highlight of the day was lunch with a third-year MDiv student who was probably the most articulate and personable individual I've met before. I probably could have only had lunch with him and still have decided to apply. So Duke is one possible location for where I'll be starting next fall.

On the road again, this time it was two full days of driving to make it to Grandma Lue's house in Kansas City. We arrived to a bright, sun shiny day. Dad coaxed me into helping him take advantage of the gorgeous afternoon by washing the trailer. Several thousand miles of road grime sure does add up.

Next stop was the other grandparents' house in Minneapolis. There we reunited with Nicole and hung out with Grandma and Grandpa. Dad and I also mowed the grass and picked up leaves. The last time I ran a lawn mower was over 15 months ago. It felt good to be back at it again. 

On Monday morning, Dad and I left for my doctor's appointment back in Sun Prairie, WI where I grew up. We left mom behind with her folks and Nicole. And then there were two...

After Madison, Dad and I headed down to Chicagoland. We made a quick pit stop in Wheaton so I could meet a new friend, Lainey, before we settled in for the night at a Best Western near Evanston. We woke up the next morning and headed to the campus of Northwestern University where Garrett-Evangelical Seminary is located. I toured the school. 150 minutes was enough to convince me I should also apply to Garrett. So that is the other possibility of where I'll be next fall. Stay tuned.

We then high-tailed it up to the Milwaukee airport so I could catch my flight back to Montana. Dad dropped me off at the terminal. We said our goodbyes and agreed to meet at the airport in Butte in three days. Then he drove off. And then there was one...

I flew from Milwaukee back to Chicago. We even flew directly over Garrett. The flight experienced several delays so we pulled in to the gate 15 minutes before my connecting flight to Seattle was scheduled to leave. My seat partner, Alex, was scheduled for that flight also. We, along with three other ladies with connections in the C terminal, dashed across O'Hare. None of us made our connections. The nice lady at customer service informed Alex and I that we were both going to get to Seattle by evening, but we'd have to wait another two hours. We took advantage of that opportunity to grab a $10 beer (with tip) and get to know each other. If you are ever in need of a good mechanic in Olympia, WA Alex is your guy. Be sure to hurry, though. He and his wife are going to retire soon and move back to Guatemala where they are from.

The rest of the trip back to Montana was relatively uneventful. I was in bed by 1:00am, however, which was not ideal. 

The next day I unpacked, organized, and repacked. I slept in until 11:00 and wanted to be at my aunt and uncle's by 5:00 for dinner so the day was a little rushed. Mom and Dad had closed up the house for the winter so I had to scrounge around for food. I managed to graze on some eggs, a bag of popcorn, several granola bars, and a Campbell's Tomato Soup In Hand. Needless to say I thoroughly enjoyed Uncle John's pork chops and hashed potatoes for dinner.

After a 7:00am dentist appointment the next day, I headed down to Missoula to visit folks I thought it'd be good to visit with. After six distinct meetings, I crashed on my buddy Brandon's couch at 2:00am. Warning: a full day of seeing good friends will make you very tired. We woke up the next morning and ate super fancy, and healthy, pancakes before I left for my final meeting with the pastor at my church in Missoula.

Then it was off to Butte to pick up Dad. I manged to actually get lost in Butte, but eventually I found the airport and picked him up. We returned to I-15, waited until the truck hit 2,500 RPM before setting the cruise, and made our way down to Ogden, Utah for the night.

We woke up to a clear blue sky and the whole state of Utah ahead of us. That day, we probably saw about half of the state of Utah. I liked what I saw. I'll be back. 

On our way to Las Vegas the next day we stopped at a Nevada State Park called Valley of Fire. Dad and I were both blown away by the beautiful desert landscape. After doing some reading on the brochure, I realized that Acadia National Park was several thousand acres smaller than this state park. After four-and-a-half months in Acadia, I still don't feel like I experienced it all. After less than four hours in Valley of Fire, however, I was satisfied with my taste of it. We moved on.

Speaking of taste, we were really tasting some In-and-Out Burger. At the first exit in Vegas, we asked Siri how to get to one. Within 20 minutes we were each chowing down on a double-double. Oh man was it was good. 

We found a relatively cheap room at the Silverton Casino on the edge of town. We weren't looking for much, just an airport shuttle for Dad to take the next morning and a place to watch the Packers take on the Bears on Sunday Night Football. We weren't disappointed. Dad was disappointed, however, when Spirit cancelled his flight from Vegas to Minneapolis. It also didn't help that he went from somewhere sunny and 75 to the first big snowstorm of another Minnesota winter.

On my journey to Death Valley the next day I made a quick stop in Pahrump, NV to complete a drug test. Unlike the last drug test I had to take when I was an intern in DC a few years ago, this time around I successfully coordinated my water intake with my arrival at the testing site. My bladder thanked me.

My final stop in the booming town of Pahrump was none other than Wal-Mart. Had to get the essentials before I ventured off into the desert. Then it was back on the road for the final 60 miles to the Furnace Creek Ranch. Twenty days after leaving my temporary home in Acadia National Park I arrived safely in my new temporary home in Death Valley National Park.

Acadia Wrap-Up

My time in Acadia National Park has come to an end and my time in Death Valley National Park is just beginning. Before I get you up to date on how the last month has panned out, let me return east to Acadia.

My final day at work was a rainy, raw Monday. The info booth was awfully slow especially since I was working by myself. Both Edie and Jamie came in to say goodbye. The warmth of their friendship was nearly palpable in the air. Or it could have been the two electric heaters I placed on either side of me. I like the former reason better.

So, did I like my summer in Acadia?

Overall I'd say yes. There were a lot of good memories. I loved living in Acadia. I have a new found appreciation for the ocean and for New England. The summer did have its share of difficulties. Having five people share my dorm room most of the summer was not ideal. I had a hard time feeling socially relaxed at any point during the summer. I liked my job overall, but there were a lot of instances during the season when I longed to be anywhere than a crowded, loud booth constantly answering the phone or in a congested parking lot dealing with frustrated would-be guests.

The worship services through ACMNP were awesome. Those were consistently the highlight of my week. My team and I had a dose of drama, but I can't think of many other people I would've wanted to serve the Lord with in Acadia.

God and Fudge Club and my relational ministry efforts played out differently in real life than they did in my mind. I don't consider that a bad thing. Rather, it was a major way that God helped me understand my spiritual pride, immaturity, and naivete, and how those distract me from being an obedient servant of the Holy Spirit. It was a challenging summer, but one of spiritual growth. I have faith that growth also occurred among the spiritual seeds I planted or watered in others. My time in Acadia has helped me understand at a much deeper level the heart of 1 Corinthians 3:7: "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow."

Not that I needed permission to but I now leave Acadia in the Lord's hands.

Acadia, you are in good hands.

15 October 2014

Happy Wednesday!

Good thing my time in Acadia is coming to a close. Not because I'm not thoroughly enjoying it, but because I'm running out of original blog material.

Here's something: tonight Nate and I followed through on our agreement to go running together. We both got off work at 6:00 so we didn't start running until 7:00. The darkness was advanced by then. Between my headlamp and his portable bike light, we made it alright.

We ran a total of 5 miles before I jumped on the bike and served as his pacer for the last 6 miles of his workout. He is in much better shape than me. I suppose that comes with the territory when you train for 70 miles per week as opposed to working full-time in the information booth. I still held my own, though. It felt good to lace up the ole New Balances again.

T-minus under 24 hours until the folks and Nicole arrive. Pretty excited!

14 October 2014

Happy Tuesday!

The season is winding down out here. With the passage of Columbus Day weekend, the number of visitors is falling as fast as the leaves off of the beech tree behind the restaurant. If not for the three cruise ships docked at Bar Harbor today (with a combined total of 6,000 passengers), there wouldn't have been much happening on Mount Desert Island. There's still a fair amount of landlubbing leaf peepers here too. After we pass peak leaf color later this week, I bet things really quiet down. Slowly but surely winter is coming. That seems surreal since I arrived here when some of the trees were still working hard to fully leaf out. Sometimes I feel like we are just in a cold snap right now and soon enough the weather will turn back to "normal." In other words, I feel like the summer season is still here.

A group of us tried going candlestick bowling up in Ellsworth. "Old Bill" (probably not his real name but he seems like a Bill to me) apparently decided that 8:40 was close enough to 9:00 and in turn closed up shop. We put Plan B into action and headed over to Wal-Mart. They certainly have a lot of Halloween merchandise out. Fortunately, I didn't see any hints of Thanksgiving or Christmas reflected in the retail selections. I appreciated that. I'm a firm supporter of the c'mon-people-one-holiday-at-a-time policy.

13 October 2014

Happy Monday!

Back in the info booth today. We had a couple of busy periods but overall things stayed tame. Guests weren't super excited about a waitlist of 85 minutes for outside tables and 75 minute for inside ones. Then again, you have to expect that on a holiday weekend at the only restaurant in a park that is within a day’s drive of millions and millions of people.

A gaggle of us from the dorm went to Pirate’s Cove to do some mini-golfing. After today they’ll be no mini-golfing on Mount Desert Island until next spring. We split up into three groups of three. I ended up in the straggler group. On the 18^th hole, I was the last one finish the hole. Therefore, I am the last golfer in 2014. That ranks right up there with my biggest accomplishments of the season.

Other than that, I can’t think of noteworthy news. Not that these things are that noteworthy anyway.