At the Foot of the Mountain

Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. ~Exodus 19:17

Over MLK weekend, I went with about 30 students and 8 leaders on a youth group winter retreat to Pennsylvania. We went skiing and snowboarding at Seven Springs Resort for two days and enjoyed some great teaching and fellowship as well. The weather was unseasonably warm and I considered skiing without a jacket on Saturday. I did do one run down the mountain without gloves, goggles, or poles so that I could take pictures while I skied. That was a lot of fun! I also spent quite a bit of time at the bottom waiting in lift lines because the resort was over crowded as a result of it being a holiday weekend. And I spent a good half hour standing almost at the bottom of a slope waiting and watching as ski patrol bundled up a student on a toboggan to take her to ski patrol for a wrist injury.  This was quite an elaborate affair involving one student with a bad tumble, three ski patrol with a toboggan, blanket, and straps to secure the student to the sled, then one cross-country ski adventure to make it to the ski patrol lodge at the far edge of the mountain. The student ended up being okay and made it home in one piece to get a cast for a fractured wrist, and I got to see the inner workings of Seven Springs Ski Patrol without actually being injured myself. 

Ashley going to ski patrol

Waiting in line for the ski lift.

Even though I have been back home now for a few weeks, I still in some ways feel as though I am waiting in line at those lifts. I feel like if I can just inch a little closer, I will get whisked up to the top of the adventure. This is because I still do not have a confirmed placement, but I am getting ever closer to finding out! Two weekends ago I had fund development training over Skype, and this past weekend I was able to talk with some team leaders in Lausanne, Switzerland about the possibility of joining them in their ministry to international students.  I am definitely excited about hearing more and should hopefully know soon! (At which point I will post in detail about the people and place I would be going to.)  

I know right now I am still at the foot of the mountain, but that's where the Israelites were when they received the ten commandments. They waited at the foot of Mount Sinai while Moses went up to talk to God. But, before that happened there were a whole long list of requirements they all had to abide by, such as purifying themselves, not coming close to touching the mountain, and assembling at the right moment. I sometimes think that is how God is supposed to lay out plans for me, with a point A, point B, and point C which will lead to him revealing THE PLAN. God used a lot of theatrics with clouds and smoke and a big loud voice when speaking to Moses in front of the people in Exodus 19. He told Moses that this was so that the people will hear me speaking; with you and will always put their trust in you." And the people were trembling because they were terrified when they heard Moses and God talking!  I don't think that the lesson is that God wants us in a place of fear in order to listen and I don't think the point is that God will reveal THE PLAN with a GPS built in voice telling you to "turn right, ahead." I think it's more that he wants us in a place of waiting and listening and that He can still speak to us, even at the foot of the mountain. 

At the foot of the mountain