Yellow Breeches Adventures

Greetings from snowy Harrisburg! We are cozied up inside today as the beautiful snow piles up around us, so I thought it would be a good day to write a blog update.

Being back in Harrisburg has been a blessing. In this strange time of the pandemic, it is so good to be in a familiar place with close community. This "spring" (I still have the semester mentality, so even freezing January feels like part of the spring for me), I am interning with my college Adventure Education professor. Now that Messiah has ended the Adventure Education major, my professor has started a business ("Yellow Breeches Adventures") of facilitating adventure experiences for groups in the area. I will be helping him get things moving for the business this spring, as well as assisting him with any trips. A joy of being here is living with his family. I spent a lot of time with the Tanis family during my past three years at Messiah, so being back with them feels rather normal. Dave and Tricia have three kids: Ben, who is a junior in college; Hannah, who is a junior in high school; and Peter, who is a freshman in high school.

My first week here, Dave and I led a backpacking trip for students at Hannah and Peter's school. I was so thankful for the opportunity to be back adventuring and leading others in the wilderness. We spent the week hiking and camping along the Appalachian Trail, while exploring wilderness stories in the Bible and reflecting on how we were encountering God during our wilderness experience. It was cold of course, but the group did great and really embraced the challenges of winter backpacking. We made lots of hot chocolate, played many games to keep our energy high, and had a lot of fun together. It was an awesome start to my time here.

The second week we tackled the momentous task of moving all of the gear from Messiah to the Tanis' garage. It seemed like there were endless trailer-loads of gear - more than I had realized. Not only did we have to move it, but we also had to figure out how to store it all. We built two massive moveable racks, a canoe rack, and several other contraptions for keeping all of the gear stored and organized. It was fun to learn some things about construction and to have an active week of work.

Over the past two weeks, we entered into a more regular work rhythm and began tackling some of the administrative tasks that need to happen: designing a website (you can check out its first phase at yellowbreechesadventures.com), organizing documents on the computer, discussing the long-term vision of the business, and making plans for adventure facilitations for this spring and for the fall. While these tasks might not be as exciting as being out adventuring with groups, I have appreciated seeing and being a part of these aspects of running a business.

Besides work and family life, some other highlights of being here have been getting back involved at Second City Church, starting marathon training again, and spending time with my friends at Messiah. Our church is gathering in-person on Sunday mornings, so it has been wonderful to be back with my church community here. I have even been recruited to be part of the music ministry, something that I wasn't able to do in the past because I was occupied teaching Sunday school before the worship service. It has been fun to play my viola during worship. I have also started marathon training again. I am planning to run a marathon on the first Sunday of May, which is when the Pittsburgh Marathon occurs. I haven't signed up for the marathon yet because I have doubts that it will actually happen, but if it is cancelled, I will just run the Harrisburg marathon course, which is what I did last year. The mornings have been pretty cold for running and sometimes I miss having the flat trail that I had in Philly (it is pretty hilly around here), but it is good to be active. I have also valued seeing my friends from Messiah again now that they are moved in for the semester. There are very strict COVID rules at Messiah right now, so our options are more limited, but I have enjoyed going for walks with my roommates and meeting with them here for a weekly time of book study and prayer.

That about sums up my time here thus far. It is hard to capture the emotional significance of being back here. When I left in the spring, I didn't foresee ever being back for an extended period of time. It means so much to me to have the opportunity to be back with my community here.

Please pray for me as I continue my adventure here. As I begin to make preparations for next school year, please pray that I might have the opportunity to fulfill my study abroad plans, which is why I decided to take this gap year in the first place. Pray that the pieces may come into place, and that in the meantime, I can serve God through my work at Yellow Breeches Adventures and continue to grow as I live and work with the Tanis family.