Day 100: Shine A Light

Hello!

This has been a busy week, which has been fairly normal for the past few months of being here, but this week has been different.

This week has been particularly busy as I am finishing up my school with several projects becoming due. Beyond that, the hotel has been selling out nearly each night this week, making things extra busy as each day is a transition from outgoing guests to incoming guests while trying to get everyone's room ready. I have growing admiration for our housekeeping crew: each housekeeper is expected to complete 18 rooms each day. That is an entire floor in one of our resort's buildings! If someone calls in sick, the rest of the crew has to work double-time to complete not only their floor, but also pitch in to help with the other rooms.

On the arriving guests' end though, the story is much different. They have been on the road for several hours driving through the midday heat to arrive at Lake Powell. Yesterday we had record heat of 107 degrees, and we're expecting today to get even hotter. Everyone is racing from air conditioned cars to shade to air conditioned buildings. When they arrive and discover their room is still being cleaned, even though the guest may have arrived early, that is when the front desk experiences drama: "How long does it take to clean ONE room?!?" The real question being asked is why THEIR room was being attended first, above the other 348 rooms housekeeping attends. This is when I pray for the gift of patience as the front desk crew helps the guest know when their room will be ready.

By the time the evening ends, and all guests have been checked into their rooms, all questions answered, and the restaurants close for the night. The resort is still. Everything is quiet as the afternoon heat dissipates into perfect evening temperatures. The city of Page is a "dark city", where they have reduced light output during the evenings, making the stars light up clearly in the surrounding areas. The summer constellations rule the evening, and the yellow "Super moon" softly illuminates the resort. It is such a peaceful time to experience.

But the night is not over. As I lay in bed preparing to rest, dorm life comes alive with parties, loud music, karaoke, laughter, and shouting. Calling security due to the breach of quiet hours is futile. They'll arrive, give a strict warning, but ten minutes after they're gone, the party resumes. One night this week, the party lasted until 2:00 AM! Waking up at 7:00 the following morning is not so much of a joy. I lay in bed feeling angry over the lack of sleep, wondering how I can minister to these people in the middle of the night. How do I be a light to those people who are keeping me awake? It makes me want to set up a poster that says: "Do you like music? So do we! ...Just not at 1:00 AM!"

By Sunday, I was so tired and frustrated that I tossed aside my schoolbooks and agenda for the day, and simply slept. I laid on my bed watching movies, taking naps, and doing nothing! The next morning, I felt so much better, and accomplished my schoolwork. Monday night...another party.

I awoke with soft, early sunlight after five hours of sleep. I got up and ran out the door. I needed to get away. For the next four hours, I went to a nearby slot canyon and did photography. Guides had been telling me that morning was the best light for this particular canyon, and they were right! It was so incredibly beautiful! My photography pass was only for two hours, but one of the guides allowed me to stay an extra hour! Within that period, shafts of light began to break into the canyon, making for some incredible photographs. The canyon wasn't static, but with the light, each minute the canyon seemed to change as the shifting light changed the colors and shadows of the place. It was mesmerizing to experience.

As I stood watching one of these shafts of light slowly change its shape, God met me. Light simply is. It doesn't have to make a special performance or try to bend its rays into odd shapes. It simply shines and everything is illuminated and made beautiful simply because it's there. I prayed that God would help be that kind of light.

....Since then, this busy week hasn't been as stressful.

Blessings on your week!

Photos from the slot canyon are available on my Photos of the Week page.