Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Return to the AT - Waynesboro, VA
Sonshine has returned to the Appalachian Trail. She had an ankle and a knee brace added to her hiking gear. Please pray for her physical, emotional and spiritual health. Pray that she will continue to be salt and light to the hikers, the people of the trail towns and anyone else she encounters.
Time off the trail spent resting and healing
Sonshine followed the doctor's orders and took two weeks off of the Appalachian Trail to rest her right knee and ankle. She was able to spend time with her friends, visit her church and see some family. Sonshine would like to thank all of the people who made her time of rest relaxing and fun.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Fundraising Update
The fundraising goal for the Appalachian Trail Ministry is $8500
As of June 8, 2009 the donations totaled: $ 3835
Are you able to sow seed into this ministry? Please pray about this opportunity and follow as the Lord leads. Tax deductible donations may be sent to:
New Covenant Community Church of God
2530 Conowingo Road
Bel Air, MD 21015
Checks should be made out to NEW COVENANT COMMUNITY CHURCH OF GOD
On the MEMO line please write TINA SAKERS ATM or APPALACHIAN TRAIL MINISTRY
Thank you in advance for your prayerful consideration.
As of June 8, 2009 the donations totaled: $ 3835
Are you able to sow seed into this ministry? Please pray about this opportunity and follow as the Lord leads. Tax deductible donations may be sent to:
New Covenant Community Church of God
2530 Conowingo Road
Bel Air, MD 21015
Checks should be made out to NEW COVENANT COMMUNITY CHURCH OF GOD
On the MEMO line please write TINA SAKERS ATM or APPALACHIAN TRAIL MINISTRY
Thank you in advance for your prayerful consideration.
Slideshow: NEXT Conference
Please click the link below to see the slideshow: NEXT Conference with captions:
http://picasaweb.google.com/tina.sakers/NEXT#
http://picasaweb.google.com/tina.sakers/NEXT#
NEXT Conference
NEXT 2009 was all about JESUS. The purpose of the conference as sited on the conference's website:
"When was the last time you set aside time for what is most important? For the person who is the most important? Laziness and familiarity can take their toll. Jesus becomes comfortable, a habit, not exciting or awe inspiring. Too often he fades into the background of our busy lives. But Jesus hasn't changed. And he invites us to meet him again.
The same Jesus who spoke the universe into being. The same Jesus who went from heaven's glory to a stable. The same Jesus who took on flesh, walked the earth and took on our sorrows. The same Jesus who suffered, bled, and died on the cross as our substitute, for our sins. The same Jesus who conquered death and rose from the grave. The same Jesus who will one day return.
We gather to worship him, to study his Word, and to rediscover who he is and what he has done."
The group of 14 Sonshine was with made it to the Baltimore Convention Center with a half hour to check into the conference and make their way into the first general session. The schedule of general speakers was as follows:
Christ's Preeminence - Joshua Harris
Christ's Incarnation - D.A. Carson
Christ's Life - Kevin DeYoung
Christ's Death - C.J. Mahaney
Christ's Resurrection - Sinclair Ferguson
Christ's Return - Sinclair Ferguson
All of these messages may be downloaded free of charge at this address: http://www.thisisnext.org/resources
Sonshine would highly recommend that you listen to these messages. She was richly blessed to have this time to reflect, refresh, reconcentrate and refocus on Christ.
"When was the last time you set aside time for what is most important? For the person who is the most important? Laziness and familiarity can take their toll. Jesus becomes comfortable, a habit, not exciting or awe inspiring. Too often he fades into the background of our busy lives. But Jesus hasn't changed. And he invites us to meet him again.
The same Jesus who spoke the universe into being. The same Jesus who went from heaven's glory to a stable. The same Jesus who took on flesh, walked the earth and took on our sorrows. The same Jesus who suffered, bled, and died on the cross as our substitute, for our sins. The same Jesus who conquered death and rose from the grave. The same Jesus who will one day return.
We gather to worship him, to study his Word, and to rediscover who he is and what he has done."
The group of 14 Sonshine was with made it to the Baltimore Convention Center with a half hour to check into the conference and make their way into the first general session. The schedule of general speakers was as follows:
Christ's Preeminence - Joshua Harris
Christ's Incarnation - D.A. Carson
Christ's Life - Kevin DeYoung
Christ's Death - C.J. Mahaney
Christ's Resurrection - Sinclair Ferguson
Christ's Return - Sinclair Ferguson
All of these messages may be downloaded free of charge at this address: http://www.thisisnext.org/resources
Sonshine would highly recommend that you listen to these messages. She was richly blessed to have this time to reflect, refresh, reconcentrate and refocus on Christ.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Slideshow: Pearisburg, VA
Please click on the link below to see the slideshow of Pearisburg, VA with captions:
http://picasaweb.google.com/tina.sakers/ATMVirginia
http://picasaweb.google.com/tina.sakers/ATMVirginia
Pearisburg, VA 624.0 miles northbound on the AT
Sonshine made it to Pearisburg, VA on a Sunday night and was able to stay at the Holy Family Church Hostel, 2.9 miles off the AT, (see pictures). The hostel is behind the Holy Family Catholic Church, located in a peaceful setting on a hill and offers an exquisite view from the porch. Members of the church dismantled an old barn and reconstructed it as a hostel expressly for backpackers. The hostel has a refrigerator, griddle, microwave, wood stove, shower and loft with sleeping pads. Camping is permitted on the lawn and the gazebo. There is even a side trail from the hostel to Walmart, making it easy for hikers to resupply. When Sonshine arrived at the hostel there was one other hiker there named SNEAKS. Sneaks is from New Jersey and he had been hiking with a group of three other guys for a few weeks, he took a few extra days off in a town and he was trying to catch up with them again. When Sneaks went to Walmart to buy his supplies for the next week and a couple came by the hostel. They were Tim and Donna. Donna had thru hiked the AT in 2007 and had to leave the trail in Pearisburg due to an injury. She and Tim came to Pearisburg for a week of vacation, so that Donna could continue hiking on the AT. Donna's trail name is HIKER NUTT. Tim was going to slack pack Donna for 5 days and one night she would spend in a shelter. What is slack packing? Simply defined, it is hiking a section of a trail without a fully loaded backpack. It gives you the option to carry only what you need for a typical day hike. Tim would drop Donna off on the AT at a road crossing and meet her at the next road she would cross and ask her if she wanted to hike to the next road or call it a day. Here is an example: Tim dropped Donna off at VA 635, Stoney Creek mile 645.7 then Tim met Donna at VA 613, Salt Sulpher Turnpike mile 650.9. Donna then had the choice to keep hiking to USFS 156, Johns Creek Valley mile 656.8 or go back to Pearisburg for dinner and call it a night. Tim and Donna drove to Pearisburg in their Avalanche, which is a conversion truck, so they were able to sleep in the truck at night on an air mattress. They also brought their dog Roscoe, Donna is hoping to make Roscoe a hiking companion, so this was an introduction to the trail. After Tim and Donna stopped by to check out the hostel, they were not able to stay there because there is a strict no animals policy, Sneaks came back from Walmart and Sonshine and he built a fire in the woodstove. After getting the fire going and making dinner, Tim and Donna came back to socialize. The foursome sat around talking and planning out their week ahead. Monday morning Tim and Donna came to the hostel at 6 am and invited Sneaks and Sonshine to breakfast at the local Hardee's. At breakfast Donna aka Hiker Nutt asked Sonshine if she would like to hike with her for the week. She could slack pack during the day and go back to the hostel at night. After breakfast Tim dropped Sneaks off on the AT where he needed to pick up the trail. Then after a trip to the vet for Roscoe, Hiker Nutt, Sonshine and Roscoe were on the trail.
Hiker Nutt and Roscoe waited for Sonshine at the Bailey Gap Shelter and they all took a break and ate lunch. After lunch they agreed to meet at the next road. While climbing 1650 feet up the trail, there was a section of the trail that was rocky for about two hours. Sonshine twisted her right ankle and knee several times throughout this section. It was a struggle for Sonshine to push on to meet Hiker Nutt and Tim at the road. On the ride back to town, they passed a large hotel and resort called Mountain Lake Hotel. Once they were back in Pearisburg they ate dinner at a pizza place. They asked their waitress about the hotel and she told them that the movie Dirty Dancing was filmed there. This is the website for the hotel if you want to check it out: http://www.mountainlakehotel.com/ After dinner Tim and Hiker Nutt dropped Sonshine off at the Holy Family Hostel for the night. There were 4 hikers at the hostel on Monday night. Tuesday morning Sonshine woke up and her right ankle and knee were both swollen, each time she stepped down pain would shoot up her leg from her knee. Sonshine decided to try hiking and see how she felt that day to see if she should go to a doctor and have her leg checked. Tim and Hiker Nutt came to the hostel early again and picked up Sonshine. They all went to Hardee's for breakfast. At Hardee's Sonshine saw SHERLOCK AND CIRCUIT RIDER again, they are the two preachers from Michigan who have hiked the trail for several years, more information about them can be found at http://www.heartbeatat.com/ Sonshine was able to talk with these two men and they were a great encouragement to her. After breakfast at Hardee's, Hiker Nutt, Tim and Sonshine were headed for the trail. On the way to the drop off point, they stopped by the Mountain Lake Hotel and drove around. They were able to confirm that what the waitress had told them the night before about Dirty Dancing having been filmed there. They found the gift shop and it advertised that the film was filmed at this location but it was not open yet, so they did not go in.
While starting the hiking for the day, Tim and Sonshine met a hiker named ALMOND JOY. Almond Joy is a young man from Israel who has been hiking the AT, (see pictures). Tim offered to slack Almond Joy's pack for him but he declined. While getting Roscoe ready to hike, Hiker Nutt found a tick attached to his ear. Hiker Nutt was able to get the entire tick off of Roscoe and put alcohol on his ear. This was an important reminder to everyone to be diligent about putting on bug repellent and to check themselves for all ticks and other insects regularly.
Sonshine set off hiking for about an hour, while she was ascending a 600 foot climb, she decided to turn around and head back to the truck where she knew Tim was waiting. Sonshine thought maybe a day of rest would help her ankle and knee.
Once she met up with Tim, they waited at a road crossing for Hiker Nutt and Roscoe. They met several hikers while waiting: FLY BY, WHISHY WASHY, SNAG, MUDDD, GIDDY UP, ALMOND JOY and others. The first hiker to come by was Almond Joy whom they had met earlier in the day. Almond Joy was surprised to see these two again and this time he stopped and chatted with them. They again asked him if he wanted to slack pack and this time he asked what that meant. After explaining to Almond Joy what slack packing was and sharing some water and food with him he was able to load up a small day backpack with the supplies he needed for the day and let Tim slack his pack to the next road. Almond Joy was so excited to accept the help and be free of the complete weight of his pack that he skipped off down the trail!
When Hiker Nutt came to the road, she was happy to give Roscoe a break after they had hiked 5 miles. Hiker Nutt was training Roscoe to be a hiker dog and she said that he had a rough morning. He constantly was pulling and wanting to run after each and every smell and sound. This made hiking that much harder for Hiker Nutt. Roscoe was happy for a break and went right to sleep once he was in his crate.
When Tim and Sonshine left the road they met Hiker Nutt at, Tim had 6 packs on the back of the truck that he was slacking for hikers. Once at the next road crossing, after finding some shade to park the truck in, they waited for the people who's packs they had on the truck. Tim picked up packs from GEEZA, TOP SHELF and GOOSE to drive to the next road a mile away. Tim was also able to talk to some hikers he had met earlier in the week. Tim enjoys slack packing Hiker Nutt, because he is able to meet and help many hikers while waiting at road crossings.
Once Tim had 9 packs on the back of his truck, they traveled over to the next road crossings a mile away. Tim unpacked the packs and lined them up along the AT for the hikers to pick up, (see pictures). As the hikers were picking up their packs, some stopped to take a break and to take pictures.
After a long day, Tim, Hiker Nutt and Sonshine went back to the town of Pearisburg. They went to the hostel and picked up a friend of Tim and Hiker Nutt's - DARTMAN, who had just come into town that day. The four of them along with SON DANCER went to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant and enjoyed a delicious dinner!
On Wednesday, Sonshine walked to the local doctor's office to get her right knee and ankle checked. After arriving at the doctor's office at 9 am, Sonshine made an appointment for 1:15 pm and decided to stay at the office to wait for her appointment. After being seen, the prognosis was severe tendonitis in both her right knee and ankle. She was advised to take two weeks off, wear braces and to elevate and ice her leg as much as possible.
Once Sonshine was back at the hostel, a hiker named FEED BAG limped into the hostel. Feed Bag is from Nashville, TN and he and Sonshine were able to talk about what they both enjoy about Nashville. Feed Bag is hiking the AT to raise awareness about World Vision. He worked for World Vision before hiking, touring to share the message of World Vision and to attempt to get 2,200 children sponsored through World Vision. He has a website that you can visit to find out more: http://www.2200miles.com/ Feed Bag had hurt his ankle a few weeks prior and had been nursing it since then. He felt as though he needed to take some time off the trail to properly rest his ankle. As God would have it, Feed Bag's young adult group from church would be heading up to Baltimore for a convention for the weekend. From Nashville they would have to take 81 to get to Baltimore and therefore would be passing by the hikers. Feed Bag offered this to Sonshine as an option for getting a ride to Baltimore to take some time off.
Thursday, Tim came back to the hostel to pick up Sonshine after dropping Hiker Nutt and some other hikers off on the trail. Tim and Sonshine were able to perform some more trail magic while waiting for a hiker named SLED DOG that Tim had slack packed to arrive at the road crossing. Sonshine was able to rest her leg and explore the trail at a more leisurely pace, along the way meeting T-SUDS, MAVERICK, NIGHT FIGHT, HAPPY and a few day hikers. While resting her leg, Tim and Sonshine talked about Environmental, Health and Safety issues from both their respective work places. Tim works for a large carpet manufacturer and is a key player in the facilities department. Sonshine was able to witness to Tim and learn more about his and Hiker Nutt's life in GA.
While waiting to pick up Sled Dog after her 27.1 mile day of hiking, Tim and Sonshine hiked up to Wind Rock, (see pictures). Tim took Sonshine, Sled Dog and Rehab back to the hostel for the night. Tim found a place to camp for the night and Hiker Nutt spent the night in a shelter to break up 22 miles of hiking into 2 days.
When they had all returned to the hostel, it was brimming with hikers: TRAIL BAIL and STARBUCKS are brothers hiking a section of the trail for a month, REHAB is a father from PA out completing the trail from a hike he began last year, WOMPUS CAT is a recent graduate of Penn State University and is hiking as far as she can before starting grad school, FASTACY FEET is a man who has walked up and down the trail for a few years, along with Sled Dog, Rehab, Almond Joy, Goose, Geeza, Top Shelf, Feed Bag and Sonshine. Wompus Cat, Trail Bail, Starbucks and Sonshine played rummy as the sun was setting, (see pictures). This was the best sunset on the trail yet! Once the sun had set, Trail Bail and Starbucks made a delicious dinner of quinoa and stir fried veggies to share. This was the first time many of the hikers had ever had quinoa and they found it very tasty. Quinoa has a light, fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild, slightly nutty flavor makes it an alternative to rice or couscous. After dinner everyone cleaned up and called it a night.
Friday, Sonshine talked to Feed Bag about the trip up to Baltimore on Saturday. Feed Bag said that there was room for them to ride up with his church group. Feed Bag also told Sonshine about the NEXT conference and asked if she would like to attend that with his church group. After Sonshine read about the conference online (http://www.thisisnext.org) and prayed about it she accepted the invitation but instead of staying in a hotel with the group, she and another girl from the group would stay at her Mom's house in Harford County to be spared the expense of the 3 night hotel stay. Sonshine stayed around the hostel elevating her leg and cleaning the hostel during the day. She was able to have a lengthy conversation with Fantasy Feet about the Lord Jesus Christ and why He came to earth to save the world through his death and resurrection. Fantasy Feet was very open to hearing about Christ and the plan of Salvation. Please keep him in your prayers.
Friday evening while the hikers were sitting outside talking and enjoying the view, Father Prinelli came over to check on the hostel. He sat and talked with everyone for an hour or so and asked for some help taking towels over the church to be laundered. He was a very animated story teller and a funny guy. He invited Sonshine and Feed Bag over for tea and coffee the next morning and they accepted.
Saturday morning after packing their bags and tiding up the hostel, Feed Bag and Sonshine headed over to the church to fellowship with Father Prinelli. Feed Bag was able to play a few hymns on the piano and Father Prinelli sang along. Father Prinelli also convinced Feed Bag to try to play the organ, Father Prinelli said in his 31 years at the church he never had any members of his parish that knew how to play. After tea, coffee and fresh fruit with the Father, Sonshine and Feed Bag met a man who is a shuttle driver that they had arranged to pick them up and drive them the 20 miles to interstate 81 to meet Feed Bag's church. The driver took them to Denny's and dropped them off. They ate lunch and waited for Feed Bag's church to arrive.
Hiker Nutt and Roscoe waited for Sonshine at the Bailey Gap Shelter and they all took a break and ate lunch. After lunch they agreed to meet at the next road. While climbing 1650 feet up the trail, there was a section of the trail that was rocky for about two hours. Sonshine twisted her right ankle and knee several times throughout this section. It was a struggle for Sonshine to push on to meet Hiker Nutt and Tim at the road. On the ride back to town, they passed a large hotel and resort called Mountain Lake Hotel. Once they were back in Pearisburg they ate dinner at a pizza place. They asked their waitress about the hotel and she told them that the movie Dirty Dancing was filmed there. This is the website for the hotel if you want to check it out: http://www.mountainlakehotel.com/ After dinner Tim and Hiker Nutt dropped Sonshine off at the Holy Family Hostel for the night. There were 4 hikers at the hostel on Monday night. Tuesday morning Sonshine woke up and her right ankle and knee were both swollen, each time she stepped down pain would shoot up her leg from her knee. Sonshine decided to try hiking and see how she felt that day to see if she should go to a doctor and have her leg checked. Tim and Hiker Nutt came to the hostel early again and picked up Sonshine. They all went to Hardee's for breakfast. At Hardee's Sonshine saw SHERLOCK AND CIRCUIT RIDER again, they are the two preachers from Michigan who have hiked the trail for several years, more information about them can be found at http://www.heartbeatat.com/ Sonshine was able to talk with these two men and they were a great encouragement to her. After breakfast at Hardee's, Hiker Nutt, Tim and Sonshine were headed for the trail. On the way to the drop off point, they stopped by the Mountain Lake Hotel and drove around. They were able to confirm that what the waitress had told them the night before about Dirty Dancing having been filmed there. They found the gift shop and it advertised that the film was filmed at this location but it was not open yet, so they did not go in.
While starting the hiking for the day, Tim and Sonshine met a hiker named ALMOND JOY. Almond Joy is a young man from Israel who has been hiking the AT, (see pictures). Tim offered to slack Almond Joy's pack for him but he declined. While getting Roscoe ready to hike, Hiker Nutt found a tick attached to his ear. Hiker Nutt was able to get the entire tick off of Roscoe and put alcohol on his ear. This was an important reminder to everyone to be diligent about putting on bug repellent and to check themselves for all ticks and other insects regularly.
Sonshine set off hiking for about an hour, while she was ascending a 600 foot climb, she decided to turn around and head back to the truck where she knew Tim was waiting. Sonshine thought maybe a day of rest would help her ankle and knee.
Once she met up with Tim, they waited at a road crossing for Hiker Nutt and Roscoe. They met several hikers while waiting: FLY BY, WHISHY WASHY, SNAG, MUDDD, GIDDY UP, ALMOND JOY and others. The first hiker to come by was Almond Joy whom they had met earlier in the day. Almond Joy was surprised to see these two again and this time he stopped and chatted with them. They again asked him if he wanted to slack pack and this time he asked what that meant. After explaining to Almond Joy what slack packing was and sharing some water and food with him he was able to load up a small day backpack with the supplies he needed for the day and let Tim slack his pack to the next road. Almond Joy was so excited to accept the help and be free of the complete weight of his pack that he skipped off down the trail!
When Hiker Nutt came to the road, she was happy to give Roscoe a break after they had hiked 5 miles. Hiker Nutt was training Roscoe to be a hiker dog and she said that he had a rough morning. He constantly was pulling and wanting to run after each and every smell and sound. This made hiking that much harder for Hiker Nutt. Roscoe was happy for a break and went right to sleep once he was in his crate.
When Tim and Sonshine left the road they met Hiker Nutt at, Tim had 6 packs on the back of the truck that he was slacking for hikers. Once at the next road crossing, after finding some shade to park the truck in, they waited for the people who's packs they had on the truck. Tim picked up packs from GEEZA, TOP SHELF and GOOSE to drive to the next road a mile away. Tim was also able to talk to some hikers he had met earlier in the week. Tim enjoys slack packing Hiker Nutt, because he is able to meet and help many hikers while waiting at road crossings.
Once Tim had 9 packs on the back of his truck, they traveled over to the next road crossings a mile away. Tim unpacked the packs and lined them up along the AT for the hikers to pick up, (see pictures). As the hikers were picking up their packs, some stopped to take a break and to take pictures.
After a long day, Tim, Hiker Nutt and Sonshine went back to the town of Pearisburg. They went to the hostel and picked up a friend of Tim and Hiker Nutt's - DARTMAN, who had just come into town that day. The four of them along with SON DANCER went to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant and enjoyed a delicious dinner!
On Wednesday, Sonshine walked to the local doctor's office to get her right knee and ankle checked. After arriving at the doctor's office at 9 am, Sonshine made an appointment for 1:15 pm and decided to stay at the office to wait for her appointment. After being seen, the prognosis was severe tendonitis in both her right knee and ankle. She was advised to take two weeks off, wear braces and to elevate and ice her leg as much as possible.
Once Sonshine was back at the hostel, a hiker named FEED BAG limped into the hostel. Feed Bag is from Nashville, TN and he and Sonshine were able to talk about what they both enjoy about Nashville. Feed Bag is hiking the AT to raise awareness about World Vision. He worked for World Vision before hiking, touring to share the message of World Vision and to attempt to get 2,200 children sponsored through World Vision. He has a website that you can visit to find out more: http://www.2200miles.com/ Feed Bag had hurt his ankle a few weeks prior and had been nursing it since then. He felt as though he needed to take some time off the trail to properly rest his ankle. As God would have it, Feed Bag's young adult group from church would be heading up to Baltimore for a convention for the weekend. From Nashville they would have to take 81 to get to Baltimore and therefore would be passing by the hikers. Feed Bag offered this to Sonshine as an option for getting a ride to Baltimore to take some time off.
Thursday, Tim came back to the hostel to pick up Sonshine after dropping Hiker Nutt and some other hikers off on the trail. Tim and Sonshine were able to perform some more trail magic while waiting for a hiker named SLED DOG that Tim had slack packed to arrive at the road crossing. Sonshine was able to rest her leg and explore the trail at a more leisurely pace, along the way meeting T-SUDS, MAVERICK, NIGHT FIGHT, HAPPY and a few day hikers. While resting her leg, Tim and Sonshine talked about Environmental, Health and Safety issues from both their respective work places. Tim works for a large carpet manufacturer and is a key player in the facilities department. Sonshine was able to witness to Tim and learn more about his and Hiker Nutt's life in GA.
While waiting to pick up Sled Dog after her 27.1 mile day of hiking, Tim and Sonshine hiked up to Wind Rock, (see pictures). Tim took Sonshine, Sled Dog and Rehab back to the hostel for the night. Tim found a place to camp for the night and Hiker Nutt spent the night in a shelter to break up 22 miles of hiking into 2 days.
When they had all returned to the hostel, it was brimming with hikers: TRAIL BAIL and STARBUCKS are brothers hiking a section of the trail for a month, REHAB is a father from PA out completing the trail from a hike he began last year, WOMPUS CAT is a recent graduate of Penn State University and is hiking as far as she can before starting grad school, FASTACY FEET is a man who has walked up and down the trail for a few years, along with Sled Dog, Rehab, Almond Joy, Goose, Geeza, Top Shelf, Feed Bag and Sonshine. Wompus Cat, Trail Bail, Starbucks and Sonshine played rummy as the sun was setting, (see pictures). This was the best sunset on the trail yet! Once the sun had set, Trail Bail and Starbucks made a delicious dinner of quinoa and stir fried veggies to share. This was the first time many of the hikers had ever had quinoa and they found it very tasty. Quinoa has a light, fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild, slightly nutty flavor makes it an alternative to rice or couscous. After dinner everyone cleaned up and called it a night.
Friday, Sonshine talked to Feed Bag about the trip up to Baltimore on Saturday. Feed Bag said that there was room for them to ride up with his church group. Feed Bag also told Sonshine about the NEXT conference and asked if she would like to attend that with his church group. After Sonshine read about the conference online (http://www.thisisnext.org) and prayed about it she accepted the invitation but instead of staying in a hotel with the group, she and another girl from the group would stay at her Mom's house in Harford County to be spared the expense of the 3 night hotel stay. Sonshine stayed around the hostel elevating her leg and cleaning the hostel during the day. She was able to have a lengthy conversation with Fantasy Feet about the Lord Jesus Christ and why He came to earth to save the world through his death and resurrection. Fantasy Feet was very open to hearing about Christ and the plan of Salvation. Please keep him in your prayers.
Friday evening while the hikers were sitting outside talking and enjoying the view, Father Prinelli came over to check on the hostel. He sat and talked with everyone for an hour or so and asked for some help taking towels over the church to be laundered. He was a very animated story teller and a funny guy. He invited Sonshine and Feed Bag over for tea and coffee the next morning and they accepted.
Saturday morning after packing their bags and tiding up the hostel, Feed Bag and Sonshine headed over to the church to fellowship with Father Prinelli. Feed Bag was able to play a few hymns on the piano and Father Prinelli sang along. Father Prinelli also convinced Feed Bag to try to play the organ, Father Prinelli said in his 31 years at the church he never had any members of his parish that knew how to play. After tea, coffee and fresh fruit with the Father, Sonshine and Feed Bag met a man who is a shuttle driver that they had arranged to pick them up and drive them the 20 miles to interstate 81 to meet Feed Bag's church. The driver took them to Denny's and dropped them off. They ate lunch and waited for Feed Bag's church to arrive.
Trail Angels in Bastian, VA
After Trail Days in Damascus, Sonshine and her Mom headed north to Bastian, VA to drop Sonshine back on the trail. Sonshine and her Mom wanted to leave some "trail magic" for other hikers, so they purchased some water, soda, and snacks for the hikers to enjoy. (see pictures) Trail Angels: n. A person who leaves food and performs other acts of kindness for hikers. Angels can help in many ways: leaving treats at road crossings for hikers to find, giving rides into town, generally finding ways to make a hiker's day brighter.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Appalachian Trail Days Festival May 15-18, 2009
Damascus, Va is called the friendliest town on the AT and is the home of the Appalachian Trail Days Festival. Trail Days was first held in 1987 as a commemorative event for the 50th anniversary of the AT, the festival activities and crowds have grown ever since. Activities include a hiker reunion and talent show, hiking related exhibits, arts and crafts exhibits, a trout rodeo, street dances, live music and the popular hiker parade through downtown.
The First Baptist Church of Damascus has developed a mission outreach team exclusively for the festival and has been blessed by help from 4 other churches from around America. This year the church offered use of the sanctuary for seminars, set up a free internet cafe for hikers, fed hungry hikers for free, held a coffee house with free food for hikers and an open mike, had a mobile laboratory for health screening; including blood pressure, cholesterol, blood screening to check for nutrition deficiencies, feet washing and several podiatrists on hand to exam tired feet and handed out hygiene, first aide, food and supplies for hikers, free showers, hiker worship service, free shuttles back to the AT, free eating contest and much more . Everyone helping was sharing the love of Christ Jesus by working and openly sharing the gospel. They had many pamphlets, booklets, New Testaments and tracks to offer as well. There was definitely a lot of effort and organization put into the support offered by the church! This is the churches website: http://reachdamascusfbc.org/
Hikers filled into Damascus for the celebration as early as a week before the event. Some stayed in Bed and Breakfasts, Inns or Hotels, while most camped in an open field known as Tent City. Sonshine's Mom came down for the festival and they stayed in a town about 30 minutes away called Marion, VA. They were able to check out the vendors, attend some seminars on hiking the AT and other popular trails and watch some slide shows. Sonshine enjoyed meeting two guys she started the trail with on day 1, then called The Two Erics, their trail names are now: BROWN COW and BROWN CHICKEN from a joke someone once told Eric. They both are still hiking together and loving the AT!
While watching a slideshow on the Continental Divide Trail, Sonshine and her Mom sat next to a hiker named SONDANCER and his wife. Sondancer and his wife are from Hereford, MD and they were excited to meet some other Marylanders. Sondancer's name means "One Who Dances For His Father," (both his earthly and heavenly Father (God)). Sondancer is hiking to raise awareness for the Alzheimer’s Association because his Dad has Alzheimer’s disease. He and his wife stayed in a bed and breakfast during the festival and he was sharing his reason for hiking and the owners asked if they could pray for him. They asked Sondancer if he was afraid of having Alzheimer’s disease one day as well and he said that was a big fear of his. The owners prayed for Sondancer's health, that God would allow for this disease to pass over him and also for God to keep him safe on the trail. Sondancer also had a table set up about Alzheimer’s awareness at the festival and he was able to raise some support.
Sonshine and her Mom attended the annual hiker parade, (see pictures) learned about Contra dancing which is the same as square dancing and fellowshipped with other hikers. After 3 days of the festival it was time for Sonshine to get back on the trail.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
