Sojourner Stories: miracle on the mountain. bartlett, nh.

"Road trip to New Hampshire starts now!" -Me

In the picture above, that is Austin's roomie, Ben, in the driver's seat, Austin is behind Ben, and behind me is another one of Austin's friends, Steve. Around 9 p.m. in the pouring down rain, we were headed for a little town in the White Mountains called Bartlett. It's about a two and a half hour drive from Boston - Steve rented us a cabin there (thanks, Steve)! We didn't end up getting there until about midnight due to rain, stops at Dunkin' Donuts and having to watch out for wild moose. Austin and Steve kept Ben and I very entertained by giving us the entire history of country music. When I use the word "entire" I mean Austin read the full Wiki article on it. Ben and I eventually decided to listen to Blue Collar Comedy...

On Saturday morning, we slept in which was wonderful. I woke up to a pot of coffee made by sweet Ben, sunny skies and beautiful mountains. Once all the guys were up we all sat around and visited until after lunch. Then it was time to head to the mountains for some hiking! Another one of Austin's friends, Jess, had our hiking trail all mapped out. We met up with her and her boyfriend at the trail. So we all assumed that the hike would be a leisurely stroll down a well worn path in the forest. That being said, I was wearing my Chaco sandals, Austin had on a polo and we brought no water or snacks. Our assumptions couldn't be farther from the truth. The trail started out flat and easy to walk along... for about a mile. And then it pretty much became a MONSTER. As Austin put it, "This hike just went from fun to straight up military boot camp." Boy was he right! It was pretty much straight uphill, but the "hill" contained massive rocks, fallen trees and rainwater running down from the top of the mountain. It was A LOT of work. It took us about three hours to actually make it to the top, but it was totally worth it once we made it up there. The view was incredible.

Not only was the view incredible, but also a miracle took place. Let me first give a little background information. This past May, I attended a job fair for a school district north of Dallas. A very competitive school district, I might add. I got to meet all of the high school principals and fell in love with one school in particular. The principal was extremely sweet and personable. Since the job fair, I have been waiting very patiently and praying daily to hear back from any one of the principals. I had sent thank you letters and emails, but never heard a word back. Before I left for my trip to Boston, I had gotten discouraged thinking that I may not hear back from anyone at all. Fast forward to our hike up the monstrous mountain. We were close to the top when I started thinking about things Jesus has told me over this past year - words about persevering, trust and keeping the faith. I thought it was awesome that I was persevering and pushing myself up this mountain, even though I was completely exhausted. This verse explains it perfectly: "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)

Also let me add that I had no cell phone service all afternoon, until we made it to the very top of the mountain. As soon as I got service, my cell phone went off notifying me that I had a voice mail. I didn't recognize the number, but proceeded to listen to the voice mail. IT WAS THE PRINCIPAL FROM THE SCHOOL I HAD BEEN WAITING ON. She notified me that there was a math opening and that she wanted me to come in for an interview. I was speechless. Speechless. I immediately called my mom and of course started balling my eyes out. I call this a miracle because our Jesus is so gentle and loving and good. He could have very easily allowed the principal to call me before my trip or afterwards, but He wanted me to a. see His glory, b. see His goodness, and c. show me just how much He cares! What a glorious blessing He gave me at the top of that mountain! "It's celebration time," as my friend, Hannah, put it. Oh yes, it is celebration time. Praise HIM!

All right, now back to our adventure. Luckily, we all made it back down the mountain with no broken bones and before dark. We were all extremely hungry and thirsty. We immediately went to a restaurant even though we were decently smelly and dirty, haha. After a five hour hike, I wasn't about to order lettuce. Instead, I went for a bacon cheeseburger with fries. We were so pleased about completing our hike that we went to Dairy Queen and treated ourselves to blizzards. It was the perfect way to end a perfect day.

On Sunday, we slept in again which was even more wonderful after a long day of hiking. We all had coffee together and relaxed before packing up and heading into town for brunch. It was a lovely day in New Hampshire to eat outside. We picked a little hole-in-the-wall called Peach's. It was great! Austin and the guys were very intrigued by our waitress - she was pretty. After brunch, we did a bit of shopping and then hit the road for Boston. Once we made it back, it was dinner time! We decided on a Mexican restaurant in Davis Square. Austin knew every Latino song that they played. :) After dinner, we went on a long walk on a trail that was down the street from Austin's house. More than once Austin played "the song of the summer" (according to him) on his phone. It's called "I don't care, I love it" by Icona Pop. I had never heard it before the trip, but I don't think I'll ever forget it now - thanks, Austin! :)

I had the best time with my cuz and getting to know his friends. I adore his two roomies, Ben and Dylan. They are so stinkin' sweet!! My last night with my cousin was great. We just sat in his room and talked for hours. I am so so grateful and thankful for our time together in Boston and the White Mountains. Our visit was long overdue. He means so much to me and I cannot wait until our next travel adventure. I wonder where it will be next time? Dallas? Greece?

I love you, Austin!