ps - yes I did give him a hair cut. It was hard to see the long curly locks go, but he's still pretty cute :-)
Sunday, August 30, 2009
fun with the hose
ps - yes I did give him a hair cut. It was hard to see the long curly locks go, but he's still pretty cute :-)
Ry and Em's 10 year friendship
This time of year 10 years ago, a young lady named Ryin and another young lady named Emily meet each other in Nelson Hall at Bethel College. They ended up being roommates all through college.
Today they celebrated their 10 year anniversary by going to back to Bethel and visiting their old rooms and seeing what was new at Bethel.
We praise God for bring Ryin into our life! We love you RyRy!
24 hours of afton
At 5:00 pm on Friday I started a race that didn't end until 5:00 pm Saturday. It's an annual race held at Afton Alps called the Salsa 24 Fest. It's a 24 hour mountain bike race that zig-zags up and down the mountain.
I was on a four person team. You could only have one rider from your team on the trail at a time. The loop is about 8.5 miles, and takes the average rider about 1 hour to complete (the really fast guys do it in about 40-45 minutes!) I made a personal goal to get in 6 laps, and I did it!
Because I was the last person on my team to hit the trail, I didn't take my first lap until 9:30, so my first lap on a new trail was in the dark. I did have my high powered head light, but even still, it was a bit crazy at times whizzing past trees and over rocks and ledges.
I finished my first lap and then went out again at 2 am and rode a double lap (I was tired and hungry after that one). After some food and sleep, I took to the hills again at 10, 12, and 1:45. I contemplated doing a seventh, but my neck and back were really sore.
My friend Terry and I have already started talking about doing it solo next year, which means we would see how many laps we could each get in personally in 24 hours. I can see how people get into racing, it's a real rush!
This was the view of the start/finish from the chalet.
This was the start. The riders stage their bikes a ways away from the start line, then run to their bikes at the sound of the gun. This helps spread the riders out and avoids painful pile-ups on the trail.
This is my tent, and where I took some glorious, well-need sleep.
This was our "pit" and these were my teammates.
I was on a four person team. You could only have one rider from your team on the trail at a time. The loop is about 8.5 miles, and takes the average rider about 1 hour to complete (the really fast guys do it in about 40-45 minutes!) I made a personal goal to get in 6 laps, and I did it!
Because I was the last person on my team to hit the trail, I didn't take my first lap until 9:30, so my first lap on a new trail was in the dark. I did have my high powered head light, but even still, it was a bit crazy at times whizzing past trees and over rocks and ledges.
I finished my first lap and then went out again at 2 am and rode a double lap (I was tired and hungry after that one). After some food and sleep, I took to the hills again at 10, 12, and 1:45. I contemplated doing a seventh, but my neck and back were really sore.
My friend Terry and I have already started talking about doing it solo next year, which means we would see how many laps we could each get in personally in 24 hours. I can see how people get into racing, it's a real rush!
This was the view of the start/finish from the chalet.
This was the start. The riders stage their bikes a ways away from the start line, then run to their bikes at the sound of the gun. This helps spread the riders out and avoids painful pile-ups on the trail.
This is my tent, and where I took some glorious, well-need sleep.
This was our "pit" and these were my teammates.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
camping with Scott
Last weekend Scott and I did some hiking on the Superior Hiking trail, always excellent! Here is the tail of our adventure.
We put in and the mouth of the Kadunce about midday on Friday. We started south toward Grand Marais, our eventual destination. The weather was as perfect as one could expect, bright, fresh, cool, and slight breeze. Having only reached where the trail leaves the Kadunce we were already satisfied and could have been done with the hike. It's amazing how fulfilling it is to be in the Lord's creation - it/He satisfies the soul!
After a brief pause to take it all in, we keep on. We were looking for a spot to camp for the night. Neither of us had hiked this section before so we didn't know what the terrain or campsites were like. Shortly after we left the Kadunce, we came to Crow Creek, simply amazing! This small powerful stream cut deep banks into the earth. At places the creek was only eight feet across, but eighty feet down with solid rock walls.
We hiked until we crossed Cook Co Rd 14 and found Kimball Creek campsite. It was very beautiful. We decided to stay there for the night since we didn't know if we would find another campsite this beautiful anywhere ahead. Later I read in my guide book that the bridge over Kimball Creek is considered one of the most picturesque parts of the SHT.
That night, it rained cats and dogs. I was very happy with my new tent from the REI scratch and dent sale. We didn't see a drop of water in the tent. The next morning after a nice egg omelet with sauteed onions, peppers, and mushrooms, piled high with cheese and garnished with a little of last nights peperoni, we left for GM at about 10:00. At this point we were still undecided if we were going to hike all the way to GM, or camp another night.
The weather was a little more bleak on Saturday. On and off a light rain kept us in constant fear. Scott was battling blisters. Twice we stopped to deal with bandages, and it wasn't until we stopped for lunch at the Woods Creek campsite on CO Rd 58 some 7 miles later he decided to finish the rest of the hike in his Crocks!
After a delicious lunch of maple-brown sugar oatmeal, hot chocolate, peanut butter bagels and apples we decided to keep heading to GM. We really wanted to spend the evening with the Gambles and Emily and Corban.
All in all that day we hiked 14 miles and traveled through various habitats. At one point, we saw VERY fresh bear tracks. It was obvious a bear was rummaging through the undergrowth for berries. We didn't know if we were going to run into smoky the bear around the next corner. We made a good deal of noise and prayed some prayers. Thankfully we never saw said bear.
The hike down and back up from the Devil Track river is glorious, but very strenuous. The Devil Track is a mighty river. It was the last placed we stopped to filter water and rest a bit before we made the assent out of the gorge toward Pincushion Mountain. Once we passed Pincushion we were nearly there.
We made it to the trail head were we found somebody with a cell phone. I was able to get a hold of Emily, and she was able to pick us up so we wouldn't have to hike three more miles down the Gunflint Trail to downtown.
After Emily and Corban picked us up we went out for ice cream (nice little treat) then made our way home for some glorious Gamble cooking. Garry and Renee made us burgers and sweet potatoe fries, a nice alternative to the Ramen noodles and potatoes we were planning on having on the trail.
We praise the Lord for such a sweet trip!
The friends...
The site...
The gear...
The beauty...
We put in and the mouth of the Kadunce about midday on Friday. We started south toward Grand Marais, our eventual destination. The weather was as perfect as one could expect, bright, fresh, cool, and slight breeze. Having only reached where the trail leaves the Kadunce we were already satisfied and could have been done with the hike. It's amazing how fulfilling it is to be in the Lord's creation - it/He satisfies the soul!
After a brief pause to take it all in, we keep on. We were looking for a spot to camp for the night. Neither of us had hiked this section before so we didn't know what the terrain or campsites were like. Shortly after we left the Kadunce, we came to Crow Creek, simply amazing! This small powerful stream cut deep banks into the earth. At places the creek was only eight feet across, but eighty feet down with solid rock walls.
We hiked until we crossed Cook Co Rd 14 and found Kimball Creek campsite. It was very beautiful. We decided to stay there for the night since we didn't know if we would find another campsite this beautiful anywhere ahead. Later I read in my guide book that the bridge over Kimball Creek is considered one of the most picturesque parts of the SHT.
That night, it rained cats and dogs. I was very happy with my new tent from the REI scratch and dent sale. We didn't see a drop of water in the tent. The next morning after a nice egg omelet with sauteed onions, peppers, and mushrooms, piled high with cheese and garnished with a little of last nights peperoni, we left for GM at about 10:00. At this point we were still undecided if we were going to hike all the way to GM, or camp another night.
The weather was a little more bleak on Saturday. On and off a light rain kept us in constant fear. Scott was battling blisters. Twice we stopped to deal with bandages, and it wasn't until we stopped for lunch at the Woods Creek campsite on CO Rd 58 some 7 miles later he decided to finish the rest of the hike in his Crocks!
After a delicious lunch of maple-brown sugar oatmeal, hot chocolate, peanut butter bagels and apples we decided to keep heading to GM. We really wanted to spend the evening with the Gambles and Emily and Corban.
All in all that day we hiked 14 miles and traveled through various habitats. At one point, we saw VERY fresh bear tracks. It was obvious a bear was rummaging through the undergrowth for berries. We didn't know if we were going to run into smoky the bear around the next corner. We made a good deal of noise and prayed some prayers. Thankfully we never saw said bear.
The hike down and back up from the Devil Track river is glorious, but very strenuous. The Devil Track is a mighty river. It was the last placed we stopped to filter water and rest a bit before we made the assent out of the gorge toward Pincushion Mountain. Once we passed Pincushion we were nearly there.
We made it to the trail head were we found somebody with a cell phone. I was able to get a hold of Emily, and she was able to pick us up so we wouldn't have to hike three more miles down the Gunflint Trail to downtown.
After Emily and Corban picked us up we went out for ice cream (nice little treat) then made our way home for some glorious Gamble cooking. Garry and Renee made us burgers and sweet potatoe fries, a nice alternative to the Ramen noodles and potatoes we were planning on having on the trail.
We praise the Lord for such a sweet trip!
The friends...
The site...
The gear...
The beauty...
our adventerous son
Last weekend we were in Grand Marais enjoying the Lord and his creation, not the least of which are Emily's wonderful parents.
Corban has really taken to the adventure sports like kayaking and rock climbing. Man, you leave the country for two weeks and your son goes and grows up on ya!
Corban has really taken to the adventure sports like kayaking and rock climbing. Man, you leave the country for two weeks and your son goes and grows up on ya!
head knowledge alone is insufficient
Just read this in a book I started reading and was really struck by it. The book is "the Return of the Prodigal Son" by Henri Nouwen.
"I had never before given much attention to people with a mental handicap. Much to the contrary, I had focused increasingly on university students and their problems. I learned how to give lectures and write books, how to explain things systematically, how to make titles and subtitles, how to argue and how to analyze. So I had little idea as to how to communicate with men and women who hardly speak and, if they do speak, are not interested in logical arguments or well-reasoned opinions. I knew even less about announcing the Gospel of Jesus to people who listened more with their hearts than with their minds and who were far more sensitive to what I lived that to what I said."
"I had never before given much attention to people with a mental handicap. Much to the contrary, I had focused increasingly on university students and their problems. I learned how to give lectures and write books, how to explain things systematically, how to make titles and subtitles, how to argue and how to analyze. So I had little idea as to how to communicate with men and women who hardly speak and, if they do speak, are not interested in logical arguments or well-reasoned opinions. I knew even less about announcing the Gospel of Jesus to people who listened more with their hearts than with their minds and who were far more sensitive to what I lived that to what I said."
Saturday, July 25, 2009
we're back!
We arrived back in MN last Monday evening, what a ride!
Thank you for all your prayers. Oh how the Lord is faithful always! It was good to go, and now it is good to be here; I look forward to some day going home!
Our team was amazing! I consider it an honor to be called the leader of such a team. They were selfless, always looking to bless each other or someone else. There was no conflict! There was a constant awareness our need for grace and sustaining power from the Lord. We did face hardships, but the Lord's grace overcame all.
We visited two islands. Due to security issues I need to be vague. Our first island was one to which we have been twice before. We saw familiar faces and reconnected like old friends do. We had spiritual conversations, and tried to share truth about Jesus in all we did. I hope to reunite with these people in Heaven someday.
The night before our second island we encountered some spiritual warfare. Some had dreams, others felt sick, but mostly we all felt unrest in our souls. We had a very intentional time of prayer and arming. This may have been the highlight of the trip for me. It was a visible, practical example of the body of Christ defeating the enemy through Christ's victory! After our meeting, we felt well armed, secure in Jesus, and ready for battle - we didn't know what we were about to encounter.
When we got to our second island we realized that the unrest was an attempt to distract and deflate, not a sign of what was to come. The islanders were just as welcoming and gracious as has been our experience with others. It was an extreme honor to be the first Americans to set foot on that island and be the vessel by which "the Lord reigns" was proclaimed.
The host father we were staying with hurt his neck carrying some cement the day we arrived. The next morning he couldn't move his neck at all. We offered to pray for him and he accepted so Josh prayed for him in power in Jesus' name, and he was healed! The power of God was displayed that this man might believe.
Emily also had the privilege to pray for a little boy and witness a healing. The youngest son in the house in which they were staying had a fever. One of his uncles was called in to put a spell on some water then have the boy drink it. Emily hoped the boy didn't get well, and imagine this, he didn't. Emily then offered to pray for him that night in Jesus' name and the boys fever was cast out!
We are among the priviledged to have had this experience. Thank you. Please know we spent the time well, laboring hard with the few days we had.
We are settling back in well here state side. I went back to work on Wednesday then came home and went to bed at 4:30 and didn't wake up til 5:30...AM! I guess I was tired. I'm very thankful to come home to work.
Emily is having a bit harder time adjusting, you can pray for her. She is busy watching our little boy, who was a delight to come home to. We didn't know how he would react when he saw us, but when he did, he didn't want to loose sight of us. He just kept giving us kisses!
Thank you again for all your prayers and partnership. Again I will say, the Lord is faithful!
Thank you for all your prayers. Oh how the Lord is faithful always! It was good to go, and now it is good to be here; I look forward to some day going home!
Our team was amazing! I consider it an honor to be called the leader of such a team. They were selfless, always looking to bless each other or someone else. There was no conflict! There was a constant awareness our need for grace and sustaining power from the Lord. We did face hardships, but the Lord's grace overcame all.
We visited two islands. Due to security issues I need to be vague. Our first island was one to which we have been twice before. We saw familiar faces and reconnected like old friends do. We had spiritual conversations, and tried to share truth about Jesus in all we did. I hope to reunite with these people in Heaven someday.
The night before our second island we encountered some spiritual warfare. Some had dreams, others felt sick, but mostly we all felt unrest in our souls. We had a very intentional time of prayer and arming. This may have been the highlight of the trip for me. It was a visible, practical example of the body of Christ defeating the enemy through Christ's victory! After our meeting, we felt well armed, secure in Jesus, and ready for battle - we didn't know what we were about to encounter.
When we got to our second island we realized that the unrest was an attempt to distract and deflate, not a sign of what was to come. The islanders were just as welcoming and gracious as has been our experience with others. It was an extreme honor to be the first Americans to set foot on that island and be the vessel by which "the Lord reigns" was proclaimed.
The host father we were staying with hurt his neck carrying some cement the day we arrived. The next morning he couldn't move his neck at all. We offered to pray for him and he accepted so Josh prayed for him in power in Jesus' name, and he was healed! The power of God was displayed that this man might believe.
Emily also had the privilege to pray for a little boy and witness a healing. The youngest son in the house in which they were staying had a fever. One of his uncles was called in to put a spell on some water then have the boy drink it. Emily hoped the boy didn't get well, and imagine this, he didn't. Emily then offered to pray for him that night in Jesus' name and the boys fever was cast out!
We are among the priviledged to have had this experience. Thank you. Please know we spent the time well, laboring hard with the few days we had.
We are settling back in well here state side. I went back to work on Wednesday then came home and went to bed at 4:30 and didn't wake up til 5:30...AM! I guess I was tired. I'm very thankful to come home to work.
Emily is having a bit harder time adjusting, you can pray for her. She is busy watching our little boy, who was a delight to come home to. We didn't know how he would react when he saw us, but when he did, he didn't want to loose sight of us. He just kept giving us kisses!
Thank you again for all your prayers and partnership. Again I will say, the Lord is faithful!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
camera cable
I can't seem to find the cable that connects our camera to the computer...
We leave for SE Asia Saturday and return on the 20th. Tomorrow we are taking the day to get ready. Please pray for us as we endeavor to make known the Truth about Jesus Christ!
We leave for SE Asia Saturday and return on the 20th. Tomorrow we are taking the day to get ready. Please pray for us as we endeavor to make known the Truth about Jesus Christ!
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