Uphill idealist

I feel like I've been packing for a month. This week I'm headed to New Orleans with my youth group. Its been a busy road of fund raising, list making (wink back to last week's bread.) shopping, sorting and packing. Thing can become complicated when you are planning travel and convention details for ten people - I'm just glad I'm not the one doing ALL the registration for the 40,000 people that will be attending the ELCA Youth Gathering. When you pack for a week or so - you 5-6 of everything. You need: Socks, underwear (sometimes more!), shorts, shirts and two pair of comfy comfy walking shoes. Then there is all the extra items: soap, toothpaste... you get the idea. In this examen, there is a focus on what you spiritually and physically let go of and what you hold on to. So in this week of trip preparation, I realize too that I've had some things to let go of and hold on to. Letting go of: Pushing the limit: So often I'm tempted to pack my figurative luggage ...

My friend Chris Hennig, whom I met through World Vision last year at the AID's experience exhibit , is on a new adventure this summer. He is hiking the Appalachian trail - all 2200 miles of it. At this point in the journey, he's about at the half-way mark on the adventure. Chris is shooting footage throughout this trip to make a documentary called, "The road less traveled." He also is using this opportunity to educate others about poverty and its effect upon those most effected by it - children. Here is a promo for the documentary. The original hiking group began with 7 people and now the group is down to 2! They are about 1/2 way complete with their hiking goal. Visit the site, say a prayer for Chris - and soon he will have accomplished his goal of hiking and documenting 2200 miles of outdoor life. If you'd like to visit the website where he's posting video blogs about the trip, go to 2200 Miles.