No turning back

There have been numerous breathtaking moments in the short few days we have been on the road. Driving up the 101 all along the northern California coast blew my mind. Mountains, redwood trees, and the rocky coast line made my jaw drop and my eyes well up with tears because of the beauty. If you have ever seen the movie Into The Wild there is a part in it when Chris is running in a field with wild elk (maybe moose?) and he finally just stands there watching them with tears in his eyes. I don’t know if you’ve experienced such a moment like that in nature, but I have felt exactly like Chris McCandless does at that time. Just today we were able to stop by Crater Lake on the way to Boise, ID. Wow. That’s all I can really say. I could have weeped because of the beauty here. What used to be a volcano is now a beautiful blue lake in the midst f mountain ranges.

Here are some photos:

Golden Gate Bridge

Northern California Coast

Sunrise in Oregon

Crater Lake 

Meeting people from all over the country has been an interesting aspect of tour. Medford, OR has some of the most kind hearted souls I’ve ever met. The people in this town have built homes for kids in Uganda, and have a group of teenagers who commit to a two year plan to learn all about Eastern Africa and its history. I’m shocked by how there are youth who take their own initiative and make change. Each day I meet young and old people who are aching for an outlet to use their talents and luckily we’re able to share a way to change the world with them.

Constantly being on a team of 6 is a hard job to do. Stuy and I talked about the difficulties of doing something amazing. In the (somewhat paraphrased) words of Mr. Lewis himself: “The most rad things are usually the most difficult. It’s a lot easier to just do the normal every day. Its also hard to help people understand that rad things are awesome enough to fight through the difficult parts”. In his own Stuy vernacular he has shared exactly what I believe to be true as well.

It seems like the most incredible adventures bring about the most struggle.I've already seen where I could change my mindsets and perspectives about situations. Looking out for others before your self is tough to do but its worth the effort. Waking up every morning asking myself how to see the need in my teammates is something that will make a difference in the long run and is a continual process to learn. 

I'm learning patience and servant hood and its hard, but maybe the beauty seen in between the learning is the encouragement to say there is goodness all around you and in you and through you if you just open yourself up to truth and discipline.