More summits

This past week. our team completed the dent du midi backpacking trip! We climbed over 10,000 feet throughout 52k in the 5 days we were gone. Along with sharing some shots of the stunning creation we were surrounded by, I want to share some of the highlights of my growth through this week.

••resilience••

Each day, we were on the trail for several hours. We spent an hour in total silence on our first hike, in order to hear God’s voice clearly with no distractions. God clearly spoke to me through this word- “resilience”. In the aspect of the conditions we faced throughout the week, I considered resilience- we hiked through heat, pouring rain, strong wind, above a glacier, through sunlit woods, and above the treeline. Regardless of the terrain, through resilience my attitude was consistent. By knowing my own weakness, I truly leaned on His strength, and was surrounded with this profound joy which did not leave. This resilience is something which He connected to other areas of my life as well- through different seasons of life, through different emotions, and also through receiving words and behaviors from others. By growing in this resilience, I am released to love others better, and face any and all challenges with a better attitude.

Needless to say, I am feeling grateful when reflecting upon this last week. Through many small challenges along the trails, I am still left with an abundant flow of joy which I know is not rooted in my emotions. God is good!

Images

I am blessed during this time away from the states to live on a base amongst a variety of people. To expound, this variety vibrantly reverberates with sounds of different cultures, languages, and stories.  The beautiful picture I have observed is painted with equality, unity, and yet also, individuality. In participating in Regeneration, our outreach within the Montreux Jazz Festival, I notice this further. I am confident that, in this lifestyle of appreciation of the variety in the nations expands perspective, and perhaps, even grounds it. Is this not a picture of God? We have been intelligently designed in His image, Imago Dei, and this excludes NO type of individual. Therefore: my mind wanders to the following: How frequently do we adapt ourselves to an alternative purpose/path/image rather than that which we were wired to fulfill? Each individual, through growth, is wired for a purpose, and inclined to complete that purpose with excellence. Yet, we are most often distracted from this, unaware of it entirely, and adapted to the less fulfilling alternatives. Haven’t we all had moments or seasons where we are directly moving in our specific purpose? I find this to bestow confidence, joy, and even a sense of freedom. A lifetime directed towards this- a life lived with open perspective, and appreciation of other’s individuality in equality with our own is how we are intended to live. I hope to often reflect on this image-the image of God, and His purposes for all.

Unplugging

Learning how to breathe can be far more difficult than it would appear. I am now one week into my time here in Lausanne, and starting off was a bit rocky. Overall I consider myself lucky- I am surrounded by the Alps, one of the most scenic cities, and can walk to the woods from my bedroom. However, in the short week I have lived in this place, I see how many opportunities of growth and refocusing that are stirring in my heart. While a good chunk of my time is filled with seeing the sights, outdoor adventures and getting to know my new community here, the pace of life I will live during these next few months does not match the pace of life I came from previously. I am used to instant gratification, noise, to-do lists, in essence I would summarize this as constant stimulation. Here, I rely on a bus/train to get around, and not much is available at the tips of my fingertips as is normally the case. Yesterday, I sat on a log in the forest without a phone, without music, and without any sort of distraction. As I sat, I absorbed and observed every minute detail of my surroundings- the sounds, the sunlight, the slight wind, the intricate creation around me. I felt a sense of peace, and also a stirring. The question arose: “How could I ever think it possible to continue to grow without taking more time to take care of my soul?” My Creator speaks to me through the silence. He does not hover at our disposition, competing with the noises with which we fill our days.

In other news, I have been getting to explore Lausanne, and we will be going on our first backpacking trip in just a few more short days. Waking up to gaze on the still snow-covered Alps each morning is nothing short of breathtaking. I am still in the process of adjusting- and am looking forward to seeing how we will impact the people around us starting tomorrow at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Big things are happening here at our center in Lausanne!!