Arrival

Yesterday, at 12:15 a.m., I left for Idaho from my brother and sister-in-law's place in Fullerton, CA. I had planned on leaving at 4 a.m. but I was too anxious to sleep, so I headed out in the middle of the night.

My brother and I made a trip to Amoeba Records earlier that day, where he bought me some new music for the drive up. We also stopped at the grocery store that night to pick up some snacks, I was all set.

My drive lasted about 13 hours and was pretty uneventful (aside from a HUGE rabbit that I demolished with my car). On my first stop for gas, in Bishop, CA I got out of the car in my shorts and t-shirt to discover 50 degree cold that I wasn't prepared for. I quickly got back in the car to escape the cold. I forgot what cold felt like, interesting. The only other stop I made was in Winnemucca, NV (Ya, my car dominates on gas mileage) where I gassed up and got some food and coffee.

To stay sane, I listened to four sermons by Francis Chan, a few of my new CD's and "Forgotten God" by Francis Chan, on CD. It was interesting listening to Chan's sermons, as he recently left his church in Semi-Valley, CA to pursue God's direction in his life. All four sermons I listened to were footnoted with this event, and it was interesting listening to his story as I was leaving my hometown and church. It made me think about how truly small I am. God is infinitely huge and in comparison, I am infinitely small. No matter what I do, no matter what I accomplish, this will never change. It made me really think about what a blessing it is to be used by God.

I also thought a lot about love during my drive up. I am slowly realizing the worthlessness of romantic love, in comparison to the love God shows us, and wishes us to reflect back towards others. I'm not saying romantic love is worthless, (I was at one point a hopeless romantic and I hope the woman I marry reawakens that in me when we meet) I'm just seeing the power of real love and how much it accomplishes. I want to make it a goal to love others in the little ways, the ways that really make a difference.

I arrived in Idaho around 2 p.m., local time. I felt home when I walked through the door of my parents' house. I also felt like I could exhale the huge breath I've been holding in. It feels good to be here.

Justin