romping time

Hi Friends!

So as many of you know, i am spending my summer volunteering with A Christian Ministry in the National Parks (ACMNP)in Yellowstone National Park. I have a day job as a room attendant in a lodge (housekeeping), and on the weekends we host several church services for visitors in the park. Throughout the week we get to hang out with other workers in the park (hiking, playing games, eating meals together) to get to know them and try to be a light.

I arrived June 3rd, and I have about finished my training for my job. It's hard work, but good paying. I'm also meeting a lot of awesome, beautiful people, which is awesome because I love people.

I am working and living in south Yellowstone at Grant Village. Because there are grizzly bears that are feeding in the campgrounds at this location, we cannot start our church services here until after June 21, so today we went up to another location in the park for their services, and I got to meet and hang out with a lovely group of ACMNP volunteers. After church some of the guys went fishing, and me and some of the girls made a video in the woods and then I climbed a bunch of trees, threw things, and played in a creek. It was... good.

It has pretty much been raining nonstop (not even exaggerating) since I arrived here, but even so everything is so beautiful. The snow-capped mountains, the creeks, the lakes, and the animals (so far I have seen a lot of Elk and Bison, and some sheep, and especially the trees. I can hardly wait to see everything when the sky is blue and the sun is shining because it will be all the more beautiful.

Tomorrow I am going on my first hike here to Beaver Pond in the north of the park and to Bunsen Peak. I am hoping to see some more animals (grizzlies, birds, and maybe a moose?!). it'll be adventurous :)