Stuck

Sometimes I feel like this leaf. Stuck. But God is with me always, even when I feel stuck in a rut. I know that, but knowing the truth doesn't always change the way we feel about it -sadly. Soon I will be free to fly on the winds of life though - like that leaf never was.

Gallows, Ferris Wheels, and Kiwi Sorbet

Today was one of the best dates I've ever went on! It was shopping at Sams' and Wal-Mart like usual (3 1/2 flatbed carts of food...

) but then I decided to see more than the grocery stores in Fort Smith, Arkansas. That was when my adventures really started. Robert and John were senior citizen volunteers

on the trolley

and were thrilled to tell me all about Belle Starr and Judge Parker - a female outlaw and a judge with a hanging fetish; apparently he once hung

79 people at once. That was sobering - I've only hear of hanging from the book of Esther where Haaman - ironically - is hung on the gallows he prepared for Mordecai. These hanging stories sounded nothing like that though. Anyhow, I hopped off the train and rushed - barefoot over the dusty Arkansas sun-heated path - to the meeting of the two rivers; one being the Arkansas River. I clambered down sheets of shale rock and reached giant boulders on the edge of the river, after dipping my foot in I seriously considered just swimming across to Oklahoma (on the other side of the river only!) but the water looked incredibly dirty, and I had no idea what the currents were like. (Good thing I didn't, as 2 Arkansas natives told me later).

After walking through the woodsy area of the park I came back out to civilization - I had seen the ferris wheel

start to make its rounds through the city sky. I went over, expecting some ridiculous fee; nope, only $1 for the most fantastic ferris

wheel ride ever! Mike, a guy who worked at the amusement park, chatted with me for a quite a while and told me about a cave in his hometown and the stalactites in Devil's Den park... thinking it sounds like an adventure for next weekend! I've never been in a cave before ;( I walked around and just enjoyed nature, views of not-so-faraway mountains, wide rivers, and historic buildings everywhere.

Driving home I stopped at The Immaculate Conception Church

(gigantic and a feat of design!) Totally walked in on a wedding practice (what, I heard beautiful organ music, what could you expect?!) Moving on down the road almost drove past this teensy-weensy little shop called "Delicias" I had to stop in - the sign read "100% natural homemade ice-cream". If that isn't tempting you must be lactose intolerant! In any case, I settled on Kiwi Sorbet - I asked the man scooping what brand the ice-cream was. "We get the fruit, cream, and mix it all up ourselves." The sign was for-real and it was the best sorbet I've ever, ever had!!

I like life, especially when it involves a lot of time with God and random strangers, whose lives I can pour into for a few moments.

Arkansas Skies

Arkansas skies, with birds that fly and bats that swoop
so much, like stars and tears, fall from this sky
a blanket over poverty

unseeing eyes looking down;
seeing abuse
spotting lonely
watching houses blown away
like the day I picked it up-
a little girl's summer dress
-blown into neighboring trees
before the wind finger the hem
dancing innocently around her ankles

Arkansas skies, I still ask why
and how, when and where
will we become the people we're called to be?

So many sights have been seen here,
so many memories will be left in this state
memories that have no place to stay in my mind
and many of these memories still very fine
though fine doesn't cancel out the pain
-the pain of the hurting I have seen.
On the inside more hurt than the outside seems.

The Heifer Ranch

These are some of the animals that Heifer International sends overseas (and to some needy places in the USA too - it seems Appalachia area is just as desperate as some foreign countries are for food and education). Not only is Heifer Intntl a sustainable organization (which is a huge thing for me) but they also value education - they're not just going to drop off a water buffalo in Cambodia - they're going to educate the farmer about how to care for it (the ones at the ranch were over 20 years old!!) and they are a peace- loving organization: something I'm feeling called to more and more lately.

Views

A view from my lovely Arkansas Mountains!

Mountains Peaks and Roadkill Armadillos

Went to Mount Magazine the other day - highest peak in all of Arkansas... I really like mountains -enough said! I got to kayak on Cove Lake - a mountain lake that is both pristine and not too chilly - at least not compared to Lake Superior. It was good to get some swimming in even if I was (am) a bit terrified about the poisonous snakes here in Arkansas. Water moccasins, rattlesnakes, and copperheads - one of which just bit a second grader and turned his leg black. Hmmm, I'll have to warn the youth about that!

Also, armadillos are allll over - dead on the side of the road; pretty exotic roadkill for a Michigan girl. Not so much to the natives here, and after almost hitting two vicious vultures tearing into a dead armadillo in the middle of the road they're a bit less exotic for me too!

Did I mention we went "Bronco-ing" on Sunday? We were having a cookout with some friends from church and her husband loaded us all up into his bronco (basically a super-tough jeep is the impression of it I got) - originally the plan was just to stand on it to grab a frisbee I accidentally threw on the roof - but we ended up going through creeks, blasting through a herd of cows and clambering up and down steep water banks -I can't believe one vehicle can do all of that!

Every day has been jam-packed with craziness... I'm about ready to go rollerblade or read... if I can even stay awake that long.

Booneville, Arkansas

Well, I'm here - in Arkansas that is. Booneville, a town of 4,117 people - I've met 9 of them in the few hours we've been here. And the cookout after church tomorrow will add to that number. Oh, and the mountains are so beautiful - I could get used to the scenery, but 95 degrees is a going to be a bit of a challenging temperature...

I've had some good times in while in Birmingham, Alabama for training, a few things stick out; going into a vine-covered, abandoned and looted-looking house outside of Birmingham with my boyfriend Jimmy - walking on the second floor I was pretty sure I'd widen one of the gaps in the floorboards with my body crashing through it- thankfully, that didn't happen. I also went to the Civil Rights Museum... honoring people who lived and were persecuted for their pursuit of freedom and equality - what would we be jailed and scorned for? I also got to sing and play some worship songs in Spanish, which was pretty lovely as anything with Spanish always is.

and on the drive I most remember one spot where all the trees were leafless and all roofs were blown off - it was the trail of the tornado leaving decimated houses in its warpath. Weird how only a block away the houses can still be so pristine.

White Blank Page is playing in the background;
Can you lie next to her
And give her your heart, your heart
As well as your body
And can you lie next to her
And confess your love, your love
As well as your folly
And can you kneel before the king
And say I'm clean, I'm clean
I remember when this song used to be my anthem - when I used to wonder if anyone could ever give me their heart and if there would ever be anyone who desired my heart more than my body. I didn't think love like that was too probable, and maybe it's not, but I've found it in Jesus, and now I'm finding it again. Thanks to God for all things!