Hello!
With the last pages of my last book of my last semester completed, I have only a final entry to submit on Monday. My summer classes will be complete! This has made for a really fulfilling week as I've been able to review my first year in seminary with great fondness, recognizing the amount of work that has been done along with the great classmates and professors I've been able to interact with online and in person for over nine months now. I am very grateful for the experience of being in graduate studies, but am now ready for six weeks of break before fall semester begins.
Celebrations have been increasing throughout the week...the Fourth of July was celebrated in West Yellowstone, with exploration time in the Lamar Valley and Fountain Paint Pots during my days off. What a great way to start off my summer break. While in the Lamar Valley, my friend, Drew, and I hiked to Trout Lake; I had been told the cutthroat trout were spawning, so we went to explore. While there, along with all the fish swimming the nearby streams was a family of otters--one mother and her two pups. The mother had just caught a trout and was feeding her pups when we arrived. I had never seen wild otters, so this was an even more spectacular experience for me!
Along with explorations outside the Old Faithful area, I've also been able to spend a lot more time out amidst the geysers before and after work. On one my free evenings, I watched Beehive Geyser erupt again. This time, instead of still air allowing for a tall eruption, the wind carried the spray of Beehive across the boardwalk. I got entirely soaked! It was completely worthwhile though because the evening sun cast a double-rainbow across the entire breadth of the steam. This wouldn't be the only time I would get wet during an eruption...a few days later, I stood out in the midst of an evening rainstorm as the linger light of sunset illuminated an Old Faithful eruption. WOW! Of all the times I have seen Old Faithful erupt, this has got to be, by far, the most beautiful and spectacular sunset eruption I have ever witnessed thus far!
The final part that I am really enjoying about the start of summer break has been the amount of time I've been able to spend with friends now. I made a friend, Drew, from Mammoth Hot Springs who is a Yellowstone ranger/security officer. We've been getting in a couple of hikes together, which have been great experiences...since the ministry team has Sunday and Mondays off, it's harder to spend time with them. I am disappointed in not being able to spend more leisure time with the team; however, after work, one of my ministry teammates, Hannah, invited me to go swimming in the Firehole River, which turned out to be a great way to relax after a hectic day of work.
The team has been working really hard at work lately all around. Several of my teammates were promoted last week due to several management people stepping out, and so my teammates are now having to work to fill these spaces while learning how to work in management positions. This has demanded extended hours daily for them, and other teammates are getting called in during their days off. As a team, we've been been focusing on depending upon God's strength and keeping grace amongst us. I am blown away constantly at how they radiate God's love in the midst of their work challenges.
Now that Independence Day is finished in the park, things won't be as busy for the rest of the summer. After the Fourth-of-July peak, we'll plateau and slowly slow down. I am grateful for God's strength in the midst of the work, but am also grateful for the rest He has been giving along the way.
Enjoy your week ahead! Blessings to you!
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