That Day on a Mountain

So we had the last week off.

I know, I know, it's completely unfair that I got to come to Mongolia and then have a Spring Break.

I'M SORRY.

If it makes you feel any better, I spent the first two days having random fevers.

But then I recuperated and spent a wonderful, stupendous, exhilarating day OUTSIDE.

On Thursday, James, Angela, Dennis, and I headed out of the city and into the mountains.

No, I can't tell you exactly where we were, but there was a lot of stuff to climb.

Angela (my roommate and teammate), James (on another team, but still a teacher at our school), Dennis (my other teammate), and Laura (duh). 

Our bus spit us out in a dusty town on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar.

Did you know that bed springs make excellent fences? Me neither.

We picked our way through cow poo and fences...and then we booked it straight up the side of a mountain.

Not kidding.

I won't pretend I was a graceful climber or that I didn't sound like an 80-year-old dog with a smoking problem by the time we reached the top, but I would say it was worth it.

The picnic we had on the mountain ridge was probably one of the more epic picnics I've ever had. 

Somehow I managed to get Angela and Dennis to tie my shoes for me. It's basically the same as washing each other's feet, right?

We spent the rest of our time wandering the ridges, getting windburned, watching the boys throw rocks at each other, and basking in sound of nothing.

Dennis was determined to run up as many mountains as he could.

If I had that kind of energy, it would be terrifying.

Getting down the mountain was probably the hardest part because it was steep and I have the balance of a two-year-old ballerina, but we all made it down alive.

Dennis and Angela made some new friends on our way out.

The best part of the day?

Laughing. 

Laughing a lot.

The Father provides in His time and His way.

I could not have foreseen a day like this back in January when I was feeling lonely and stuck. Never in my wildest imagination--and I promise you, I have a wild imagination--would I have seen myself on a mountain top in Mongolia (where the heck is that, anyway?) And somehow, I'm here.

It doesn't mean that every time I have a bad day, I should expect Him to send me to another country to make friends and go hiking. But it is a reminder that He sends different blessings, seasons, and bits of strength in His own time.

I'm still learning how to be thankful for what He's giving me right now, without over analyzing it to figure out exactly how I can control what happens next.

My job is to listen and follow.