Reno to Red Rock Canyon State Park to San Diego

Hello again!

So, we've had a huge variety of adventures!

We started yesterday morning in Reno after a great dinner with my cousin and aunt who I haven't seen in almost 10 years.  It was so great to reunite with that side of the family.  Reno was a crazy city ...  kind of scary ... BUT it had some redeeming qualities such as...

ALL DOWNTOWN!

Although the downtown kayak route in Reno gave the city a redeeming quality, we were still quite happy to leave the next morning.  As we headed down 395S, we got detoured, unintentionally, up to Lake Tahoe.  SO... then, we got to see snow and a pretty lake.  Suzanne took lots of pictures - she may quite possibly move there.  

After Lake Tahoe, we headed back down the mountain over lots and lots of mountain passes. We even saw a covered caravan of covered wagons heading down US-395!  (Pictures of that will be on Suzanne's blog).  Along our drive, we saw dry lakes, full lakes, and a really really cool lake...  

Meet Mono Lake.  It's gorgeous.  This picture does not do it justice... but take my word for it or look at Suz's blog... IT'S AMAZING!

After Mono Lake, we continued our driveathon south.  We drove through the desert and for two Washington kids, that was real cool!

We drove through sunset...

And camped at the most gorgeous spot in the world.  (I may say that a lot...)  It was Red Rock Canyon State Park.  The downside of the state park was that it was a bit windy so we had to tie the tent to the car... and the tent still moved and felt like it was collapsing on us!

This morning, we took a bike ride to take in the sights... it was so pretty!

I'll leave you with the pictures from the canyon... stay tuned for stories and pictures from San Diego (where the covered wagons from yesterday are replaced with porsches and lamborghinis)

Take care!   Katharine

we're on the road!

Hello from sunny Nevada.  I’m currently in the UNR lunch area strategizing how to get wifi so I can take my last final and be done with school… forever… well, until I decide I miss it too much and go get my PhD.   That will be a while though…  Hopefully the posting of this blog entry will coincide with the completion of this test and therefore, one of the last institutional stressors in my life.   WHOOP WHOOP!

Anyways, you’re not checking this to hear about academia… you want to know about where we are and how I’m getting to Guatemala.

So… about Guatemala: God is amazing!  I have more than half my fundraising already in the bank. That is way more than I ever imagined!  I am so grateful and feel so loved and now am concerned about what I do if there’s too much money… what a great problem to have!  All my paperwork is now turned in… that’s a relief… and now it’s just a waiting game to see where I’ll be placed.  If you can be praying for the country, that would be great.  It recently had a volcano blow and spout ash, then the tropical storm came and the ash got wet, turning cementish, so the roofs are caving in. Just pray that people stay safe and God helps everything get better fast.  Also, Doug is taking a group of 30 from the church (CPPC) to Guatemala in 2 weeks… pray for a safe adventure that God guides… they may be changing tasks. 

Now… on to the trip!  As I said in the greeting, I’m in Nevada.   The last few days… weeks?... have been a whirlwind.  Saying goodbye is hard, so I replaced the goodbyes with “see you laters” but those are also hard.  It’s comforting to know that I’ll be back in the valley, at least to visit, by Fair 2011… but that’s a long ways away, and there’s much that will happen in my life and the lives of those I love back there between now and then. The seniors graduate this weekend, 8th graders get promoted the next week, there’s summer, and a whole new year of school… not to mention all the new great achievements that the swimmers will have with their upcoming seasons. Wow. I feel like a sentimental mother, but Walla Walla really has taken a hold of my heart and become my home. 

That was a deviation… anyway, I’m still in Nevada.  Last night, we slept in California.  It wasn’t raining.  And that was a really good and refreshing aspect of the night. Rain isn’t fun.  It was gorgeous too!   Tuesday and Wednesday were mostly spent going through Oregon.  It was raining and not super duper exciting, until we went to Riley.  Riley is a great little town.  I went to the post office to purchase stamps and I was the first customer of the day… it was 12:30.  I asked the lady how many people their office served and she said about 100.  The kicker is that those 100 people live in 100 square miles!  Great population density statistics!  After purchasing my 100 postcard stamps and 100 letter stamps (I plan on writing a lot), she thanked us profusely for our business and we continued along our way to Christmas Valley and 

Yep.  Crack in the Ground.  A place with that descriptive of a name had to be worth visiting, and it was.

SO COOL!  Suzanne took better pictures… her camera is pretty and I was pretty busy scampering around.  Her picture site is www.theenlightenment.shutterfly.com   And the password is 48 states.  (Note: Don’t give that to creepers.)

Well, We’re going to meet up with my aunt tonight… I haven’t seen her since I was 16… so that will be fun.  Then, we’ll continue south.  We’re on a quest for the sun!   Hope all is well with you guys!   I am incredibly nostalgic about WA right now. 

Katharine

Pentecost, Preliminary Goodbyes, and Plan Changes

Last weekend was Pentecost - the Christian celebration of when the Holy Spirit came into the room where Jews from all over the world were meeting for their annual festival holiday and the Spirit filled everyone with awe as the language barrier crumbled and everyone understood in their native tongues. Our church celebrates with a balloon release.  I love the celebration in this tradition... watching the balloons fly away with the notes from the kids. It's like we get to watch the Spirit take the balloons wherever they may serve as an encouragement (and they're biodegradable balloons so that makes the litter aspect better :) )

This year's Pentecost had an added fun event of a party... for me.  Although I often cringe at the thought of that  much attention, particularly during a time when I'm already emotionally toast, the party was so incredibly special and the notes I've received have enjoyed many readings.  Love is a powerful and potent emotion, and it feels so good to both love and receive.

I'm going to really miss everyone out here.  The final get togethers and youth groups with Touchet high school, Surge, and Mid-High Youth Group have been so hard.  I am so grateful for my CPPC church family as well as all the community and support that people all over Walla Walla have shown.  I love the kids at our church and on the swim teams, the professors, staff, and students at Whitman, the great people and kids in Touchet, and so much more.  It's good that I'm sure I'm following God's will or else this would seem like the most ridiculous decision of my life.

It sometimes still does though... especially on fun weekends with friends coming over, harassing the dog, playing badminton in the backyard, and THEN having the aforementioned fiestas and following it up with a week of youth groups, hanging out with kids, and taking an awesome elementary school girl who collected food for her birthday to the foodbank to drop it off... 









What an amazing community this is!

And... to top it off...
another cake!

Thanks Peggy and Kim and the whole CPPC crowd!

__________________________
Changing gears...

Suzanne is here and we're heading out on our road trip on... TUESDAY!  Yes, that is in 4 days and No, i am not packed.  That's why I'm writing a blog and updating my itunes. 

One of my seminary professors/advisers, Mark McCloskey, either developed or propagates (He knows it well!) a model of Transformational Leadership that really makes sense.  One aspect of the model is that leaders should be DICE+1 people.  The I in DICE is Intellectual Flexibility.  Suzanne and I are practicing that right now.  


Our new roadtrip plan... due to many circumstances... is to not do the 48 states but instead focus on west of the Mississippi (yes, Minnesota is considered west because I REALLY want to go there!...).  Right now, our plan for this week is to drive to San Diego to visit Carrie Clausen... the youth intern of the century... and then from there, we'll either make a plan or just start playing the right, left, straight game (Derecha, Isquierda, Derecho! that's my Spanish for the day).  I'm excited for this... the spontaneity will be fun and we get to play a WHOLE bunch.  
 
Prepare yourself for many stories and pictures... I have my last  final from the road next week and then my primary life foci will be reigniting life with God, learning Spanish, and recording many ridiculous stories from our adventures.


Off we go!

Things I'm grateful for and things I'll miss...

 This is probably the first of many posts with this title, or at least this gist, BUT... there are so many things I'm thankful for and that I'm going to miss that I just have to share!

- KIDS!  I just had my last children and family ministry events (outside normal Sunday mornings) and they were just a blast.  Kids are amazing... I highly recommend my assumed role of the crazy fake aunt who creates fun (chaos?), teaches kids about the magical explosive possibilities of Mentos and Diet Coke, and proceeds to send them home after hopefully instilling some life lessons, truths, and relationships that stick. Between being schooled by 6yr olds numerous time in TicTacToe, watching the kids dogpile on Toby the dog, and taking 3rd graders kayaking, it was a pretty good weekend and I have got to say that kids still prove to be the greatest.

- Touchet - oh man, as I'm finishing up my onsite ministry work there (you Touchet people will never leave my heart, mind, facebook, and phonebook), I'm so grateful for how this town has welcomed me in, allowed me to learn about the families, individuals, and community, and has worked with me as I have grown in my own ministry potential and abilities.  I am so happy I have had this opportunity and that God has done and will continue to do amazing things in the Touchet community.

 

- Kayaking!  This weekend, one of my roommates and good friends from college came up to visit.  We went on a great paddle... AND it included cliff jumping!  What could be better you might ask?   Well, if we would have gone to an amazing chocolate shop or walked Toby to elementary softball games in the park...  And don't worry, those happened too!   It was just all around good.  THEN, to top everything off, the illustrious Bobbie and Lish joined me in the aforementioned 3rd grade kayaking extravaganza. Help is fun and a VERY GOOD thing =)

- Supportive people from the past... Oh man was I in for a surprise yesterday when I got a call from my mother informing me that Fox Island United Church of Christ had raised $1600 for my Guatemala trip in only one day.  I knew that they were going to speak about me and the mission trip, but I never imagined that there would be so much love (and that they would remember me!).  I'm so grateful financially, and even more so to know that there are people praying!   I like to have a lot of people on my team! 

And evidently they are, because check out this crazy/terrifying/insane/awesome cake!  (THANKS, CATHERINE!)

 

Leaving Bethel...

Three years ago, I graduated from Whitman College fortunate enough to have a great job at CPPC and fun opportunities for coaching. I was also signed up for Seminary at Bethel in St Paul, Minnesota, but not sure what to expect, I chose not to think about it too much. Seminary started when I was visiting Nora in China. Seeing the syllabus for Hermeneutics and course schedule for Transformational Leadership, I started feeling overwhelmed and wondered why God was having me go to Seminary. Then, when I began reading our introductions to one another and I realized that I was the youngest and least experienced student who was suddenly, hanging out with accomplished pastors, fathers, missionaries, and other amazing, strong people, I really started getting overwhelmed. That's when I went to sit at the beach while Nora taught (I think best by the water, that's why I kayak). As I was sitting there, looking toward Seattle (far, far away), I was chatting with God and asking questions. While sitting there, I felt God quietly say, "I'm going to rock your world with Seminary". I didn't know what to expect, but the knowledge that God was going to do something in me meant that He was going to be with me, so I felt much more equipped. The last four years have been crazy. I have learned about God, about leadership, about myself, and about how they can all fit better together. The classes I've had the opportunity to take and the knowledge that the church was 100% supporting me in this crusade were life-changing. I now see that I'm not equipped to do ministry and the best part is that none of us are. We are not equipped to do ministry without God (you may say duh.... but it's a tough lesson to learn sometimes) and we're not equipped to do ministry without community, trust, and friends. In fact, we're not equipped to do life without either of these things. I am so incredibly grateful for the staff, faculty, and students at Bethel. My cohort (L!) has become my family: my big brothers, roommies, and some of my best friends. We have gotten in trouble for throwing frisbees in inopportune places, rung the bells, played a lot of football and frisbee, drank a lot of Caribou, climbed things, and made friends with Frenchy the lunch lady. More importantly, we have had times to pray for one another, walked with one another through some really, really rough things, and gotten to know each other in ways I never conceived possible. God was right when we were chatting in China. He did rock my world... in every sense of the phrase. I now know that community like this is plausible and I want to continue this community with these amazing people, and I want to find it again wherever life may take me. I have one paper and one exam left in my Seminary career. I'll officially have my Masters of Transformational Leadership on June 5th. It was an amazing road... actually, no, it was an amazing on-ramp as I have gotten on the great highway of life, ministry, and healthy relationships. Thank you to everyone who made it possible and enjoyable! Thank you God for holding your word given in China and really rocking my world.