Getting to Know the Area

Life in Medora has continued to meet and exceed our expectations. Or, at least my expectations; Susan doesn’t start working until this week. Life as a golf course groundskeeper is pretty nice. My job offers a satisfying mix of hard work and easy tasks, time alone and time with others. For an introvert like me, the hours that I get to spend alone on the equipment serve as fuel for those times that I have the opportunity to work alongside another to complete a project. This job is a near-perfect fit for who I am, and you couldn’t convince me that God didn’t have a role to play in it.

Aside from work, we have gotten to see a little more of the town. We walked around, reading the information signs that are scattered along the streets, and learned a good deal about the history of the town’s founding and of Theodore Roosevelt’s time here as a rancher. Although most stores and shops haven’t opened yet, the few we did get to explore had some very neat things to offer. After I had worked an 11 hour shift, we went out for dinner at one of the locally owned restaurants and I got to have my very first North Dakota beer – a decent stout from Fargo Brewing Company. We look forward to getting to know the rest of the town as things get into the swing for peak season.

Additionally, we have done some more exploration of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. All along and scenic loop are places to pull off and enjoy the view, and a few have short hikes. We have done them all. For my birthday, we took a walk through a prairie dog town to visit the original entrance station into the park. In case you were wondering, prairie dogs emit quite an annoying chirp when they think they are in danger. Friendly though we were, we could not communicate this to the prairie dogs; thus, we endured twenty minutes of incessant chirping, but it was worth it to reach the old stone structure. In addition to prairie dogs, we’ve seen mule deer, buffalo, feral horses, and numerous species of brightly colored birds.

Added to our work and our play, we have been busy getting to the business of ACMNP. We obtained our permits and did our first campground walk on Saturday. It was, admittedly, a little awkward. As I mentioned above, I am an introvert to the max, so talking to strangers is not my forte. Nevertheless, I pushed through and spoke to a fair number of people, almost all of whom were receptive. On Sunday, we held our first worship services of the summer, which the whole team agrees went swimmingly. Although there were only two ladies at our Cottonwood Campground service, they were eager to worship. Afterwards, they shared with us that they were both carrying some pretty heavy burdens, and it was apparent to us all that God brought our paths together. We are all excited to see what the rest of the summer has in store.

As our previous pictures have shown, the Badlands are an imposing place. From our perspective on a cliff side, the colors of brown, gray, and earth green dominate; it seems as if there is no room for color. Along our hikes, however, we regularly notice tiny, colorful flowers that bring joy to an otherwise angry landscape. I think, if we make ourselves pay attention, we can find the tiny, bright flowers in our lives. Although it is far easier to get overwhelmed by the darkness, it is far more important to find those places where God is present in our lives, those places where he is working to shed light into the dark.

 

Peace be with you all,

Lane & Susan