Adventure Everywhere Part 2

Carrying on with the previous tale, I returned from Central America very satisfied and a little tired. Since I got back on a Tuesday night, it was a quick turn around to hop into a car for a 24 hour drive to Wyoming on Thursday evening, but it worked out. Driving straight through was much less difficult than I was expecting, maybe because of adrenaline, as my first real backpacking experience would be in Grand Teton National Park! I went with some good friends from college, and by the time we rolled back into town a week later, my car stank but our time together was amazing.

The days got into the mid 80s but the evenings were nice and cool, overall the weather was perfect. Our original route required climbing gear for snow, which we didn't have, so we followed a trail mapped out for us by a park ranger, and we she did quite well with her suggestions. Starting off, we put in about six miles on Death Canyon Valley. The next day we popped up to Death Canyon Shelf which had a beautiful look out onto the valley we had just hiked. Even on our new route, we had to cross snow a couple times in July!

Here we all are on top of the shelf.

We continued on to Marion Lake, and I completed my backpackers right of passage by skinny dipping in a snowmelt lake. It was cold. We decided to hike straight out 13 miles after spending the night at the lake because my buddy got confused between hot chocolate and oatmeal while counting out our food. Our options were a two full days of hiking on 20 hot chocolate packets and a family sized mac and cheese, or one epic day of hiking followed by dinner at a classy italian joint in Jackson. We chose the glorious feast and were not disappointed.

I have so much more I could say about the bonding on the trip, learning to fly fish, barely avoiding an intense thunderstorm, petting wild marmots, and a bear wrecking a camp a couple miles from us, but I need to carry on. After another 24 hour drive to get one of the guys back for his friend's wedding, I had a full two days to get ready for the ELCA national youth gathering in New Orleans (the theme of the summer was quick turnarounds!).

I went in with zero expectations, and was completely blown away by how amazing the event was. My role was as a Servant Companion. We led congregations from all over the US on service projects throughout New Orleans. After training, I worked with a congregation from West Fargo at a kids camp, and my other project was with a group from Colorado deconstructing a blighted house. My group of servant companions was so fun to connect with, and it was great to see other young adults and high school kids connected with the church. Over 30,000 people attended the gathering, including 10 YAGMs! The compassion, understanding, and openness of the event was impressive, and I was thankful for my time there. It's really hard to put the experience into words, but it was very moving, and helped affirm my connection with the ELCA even though at times I struggle with my faith. Here's a picture of these beautiful people.

From NOLA, I flew on to Washington DC to advocate with a social justice group called RESULTS. Their main focus is ending poverty at home and in the world at large, but with the International AIDS conference taking place on Capitol Hill at the same time, they focused on HIV/AIDS issues this year. It was a great preparatory experience for my service. It will be incredibly powerful when I can look the members of the community I'll be serving in the eye and say 'I've sat with my senators and congressmen and done my best to give you a voice'. Our focus was on making sure the US honors its commitment to the Global Fund to fight HIV, Tuberculosis (TB), and Malaria. Many of the people we talked with from Texas were supportive of our cause, and I have every reason to believe that we will at least fund this program for the next year. The Global Fund is important because it provides antiretrovirals to people infected with HIV, helps communities test for TB (the leading killer of people infected with HIV), educates and provides resources to prevent malaria, and a host of other activities all over the world.

I was able to meet two very inspiring people while in DC. First was Carol, a single mother living with HIV and working in a regional community outreach program in Zambia. Her husband died from AIDS when her kids were young, and her health began deteriorating a couple years later. She was on her deathbed a couple times, but was able to pull through with the help of ARVs provided by the Global Fund. Her energy and commitment in spite of all that she lost because of HIV made me excited to work in Soweto, but also sad that we live in a world where we do not lift up more of our global neighbors. Her kids are at University now, and I'm happy they were able to grow up with such a loving mother. I also got to meet the Princess of Africa, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, while at the conference. She's done great work as a UN goodwill ambassador, and her documentary is wonderful. I don't have a link to the full video, but the trailer is on her website. A picture of us...she's from Soweto!

I was thankful to be home after my travels. On the first day back, we went to Schlitterbahn as a family, and I had the most fun there that I have in years. The next week I worked with my parents leading VBS at our church, which left the week after that for getting ready with doctors visits, immunizations, and my birthday. To those who sent me birthday presents, thank you for your kind cards and well wishes. It was a great summer to seek closure with some old friends, learn more about and connect deeper with the ELCA, and spend time with my family. Next post will update you on my time in Chicago at YAGM orientation.