Blame it on the al al-al-al al-al titude

Yesterday was the first day that I actually wanted to come home. I was just feeling really stressed with everything - work, verse memorization, reading in general, my inability to focus, being tired, etc.

I had breakfast with Kyle and Dan and got to talk about some of the stuff going through my head, which was great. One of the things we talked about was a quote I heard a few weeks before coming to LT.

"You only love God as much as the person you love the least."

Wow. That's actually a pretty discouraging thing to think about because there are lots of people that I don't love like I should - lots of people that I don't see through God's eyes. I selfishly value and love friendships with certain people more than others because my relationship with them brings me greater happiness. What's worse is that I want to value certain relationships more - I like the idea of having a few friends that are closer than most and naturally that means I will love them more.

I think it's human to (more or less) rank friends - at least value certain relationships more than others. I think we love ourselves and generally like the people that are most like us the most.

This is the first thing God has really put on my heart this summer - that I need to be loving everyone how God loves them, even if I don't get along with them, speak the same language as them, or know them. It's easy to act nice and friendly, but to actually love them and care about them is another step. I'm really going to praying about that and working towards that as the summer progresses.

I went on my first hike today. 11 of us went into the national park and hiked a trail called Cub's Creek. It was ok. I really enjoyed walking and talking with everyone, but the hike was semi lame. We would go up a few feet then down a feet for about 2 miles. We finally got to a lake and had a picnic on the rocks around the water. We got about half way back and saw some rock faces off the trail so we decided to spice up the hike and did some climbing. We ended up climbing a few hundred feet up and got up on a huge boulder that overlooked the valley where we had been hiking which was awesome. Definitely worth the effort, although it was the first time I noticed the altitude from a out-of-breath-from-physical-effort sense.

I still have a hard time sleeping here, but the last couple of nights have been noticeably better. My appetite is fluctuating and I still feel light headed from time to time. It really is amazing how much 8000 feet of elevation can affect the body (and how 10% humidity drys you out.)

It was really good to have the day off today and get a break from the kitchen and dishes. Tomorrow is my first project day. I'm excited to see what we learn/do. I'm hoping it will be challenging and encouraging. I'm also excited for small group and getting to spend time talking with some guys.

I'll try to update again soon and add some pictures (now that I found my camera). I hope everything is going well for all of you. Thanks for your continued support and interest.

To be continued...

-Adam