Great Leap: Ahead to Aliquippa

.. Driving
east through the Navajo Nation brought me to Four Corners: a lonely vendor's complex clustered around the intersection of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. Here is the monument at the intersection. Ominous signs warned that only two people were permitted to stand on the monument at a time.
..
Durango, Colorado, is the jumping-off place for a real old-timey wild west train ride. However, I missed the last train, and had to settle for a photo of the empty train station.

Crossing over the Rockies at 11,000 feet elevation, I passed through this snow field in the pass--in the middle of May! .

.

Fixed the flat tire in Colorado Springs. Here's a view looking back towards Pike's Peak. ..

And then there's Kansas. I stumbled across the town of Alma, ..
Kansas, which boasted of the Famous Alma Cheese. So I detoured into downtown Alma (a zero-stop-light town), bought two pounds of Alma Cheese at the Alma gas station (the only store open), and mailed it to my 90-year-old mother, Alma. .. Somebody help me here: What city am I driving through?

Arrived in Pittsburgh, PA, on Thursday, May 18, where my interview with the head of Church Army USA had to be postponed while he went into the hospital for surgery. The assistant rector of my church had recommended that I check out Church Army for mission work; he said, "They take in misfits."

Near Pittsburgh is the town of Aliquippa, devastated by the demise of the U.S. steel industry. Church Army Aliquippa took over this ruined building with the intention of turning it into a coffee house and meeting place for ministry. .. This is John Stanley, the Aussie missionary that worked this project until a successful coffee and lunch shop was in operation; a beacon of hope in a devastated town. Classrooms are upstairs. .. This summer the town of Aliquippa was struck by an unusual flash flood that ruined the downstairs coffee shop. Church Army Aliquippa is currently picking up the pieces and starting over again.

Next: On to Branson, Missouri.

...And Back Again; plus, a Side Trip to the End of the Universe

Early morning view of the Grand Canyon South Rim from below. .. ..

A nine hour hike back to the top of the trail: Months of inactivity and 20 extra pounds of paunch make for a long trudge.

Nearing the top, I began to encounter day hikers strolling down from above.

Here is one of my fellow hikers this fine sunshining day.

Once on top (and after a lengthy recuperation period), I explored the easterly rim of the Grand Canyon by car. .
. Overnight at Grandview Point; these are the morning photos. .. So now I was ready to head into Indian country: complete with car, theological library, kitchen, bedroom, office, and bicycle. .. Here is my side trip to Monument Valley, an awesome accolade to the Almighty. This national park is managed by the Navajo Nation. .. "And the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle" (Exodus 40). .. .... The road back up out of Monument Valley features a view of the Res-taurant at the End of the Universe perched at the top of the cliff.

Zaphod Beeblebrox, the Maitre' De, was, unfortunately, off duty when I ate there. But they do have excellent mutton and Indian frybread. .. This Navajo-run campground above Monument Valley brought me many blessings, including a view of this sunset scene, my first shower in several days, and two nails in my tires.

Next: From the desert to the snowfields.

Great Leap Day Two: There...

Journal entry: 8:00pm Wednesday: I'm so tired. I slept 3 hours in the car this morning and now I'm going to sleep 6 hours in the car tonight in the parking lot at South Rim. I set my alarm for 4am so I can leave at first light. -- 1:30am Thur: Psalm 50:24 - Those who keep my way I will show the salvation of God. .. I flagged down a passing group of Japanese tourists starting down the trail to snap my picture leaning on my walking stick.
..
Here are the mule-skinners preparing the mules for the trip down. You could readily tell the real mule-skinners (the ones who really owned mules) from the rest of them: they owned their own gear; their mules did not have the cookie-cutter look of the rest of the pack train.

From about a mile down Bright Angel Trail, here is the view looking back up at the South Rim: .

. And a view of the South Rim from my campsite in Indian Gardens: .. From the same site, here's the view looking toward the North Rim: .. And again from the same site, here's a doe and her two fawns resting 15 feet from the edge of my campsite. They watched with aplomb and mild interest as I set up my backpacker's tent. .. With my camp all set up, I headed out the trail to Plateau Point. This is the view looking back toward Indian Gardens, the area of green trees at center. .. The Plateau trail was graced by colorful and flowering cacti. .. .. .. Reaching the Point, I was astounded to encounter two California Condors about 20 feet from the trail, watching me with the same mild interest and aplomb as the deer. I suppose that if I had fallen over the cliff, it would have aroused their interest, and perhaps even their appetites. .. The park rangers say that cave evidence shows that California condors lived in the Grand canyon for thousands of years. Released into the wild, these condors quickly found the same caves where their ancestors had lived.

The first two condors I saw were tagged as number 48 (hatched in captivity) and number A (born in the wild) As the afternoon rolled on, number 19 flew in from above and joined them. .. ..

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Looking 800 feet straight down to the Colorado River, I watched groups of people floating down the river in rafts. .

. Journal Entry: 8:00pm - What grander bird could there be to grace the Grand Canyon. They showed no fear. -- I forgot my pill bottle. I've been limping along with the help of some Alkaseltzer and a borrowed Ibuprofen.

Next Post: "...and back again."

Videographer's and Bishop's Assistant

Friday through Monday, I assisted Kevin Kallsen of Anglican TV as he covered the Episcopal Church house of bishops meeting in New Orleans and interviewed Bishop Bob Duncan.

.

On Sunday, I assisted Fr. Jerry Kramer and Bishop James Adams to confirm 10 members at the Free Church of the Annunciation in New Orleans. Kevin videotaped at that service and posted it here.

GO! Great Leap, Day One

Waystation: The Grand Canyon.. Here's a brief review of the days leading up to the Great Leap:

Day -4: Picked up my thesis from the bookbinder, copies to Vanguard, major libraries and major scholars on the letter of Jude.

.. Day -3: Commencement exercises at Vanguard. Friends and family members came from all over, including St. James and St. Davids. Here's my daughter Amber, a recent grad herself, with a B.A. in biology and plant science.
Day -2: Attended church at St. James; drove to Indian Wells to drop off most of my theological library in Mom's garage.
Day -1: To the printer with the final galleys of The Catholic Apostolic Church in America, edited by my mother and published for her by me.

Day Zero: Six a.m. bible study at St. James. Loaded my entire apartment (that is, my 9 by 12 room) into my car. Evening small group; prayers and sendoff.

Great Leap Day 1: Wednesday May 10, 30 minutes after midnight: Got the security deposit back from my landlord, aired up the tires (I'm packing quite a bit of weight), and hit the highway. Slept in the car at a roadside rest; arrived at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon at 1:00 in the afternoon. .

. The view from the South Rim humbles the soul. What hath God Wrought? Waves of joy washed over me, and I felt like bursting out laughing--or crying.

What a mighty God we have! What a loving God we have! .. Here's a view of the South Rim, where I landed one of the coveted overnight hiking permits for the following day, Thursday.

.. This is Bright Angel Trail, which I will have to share with the mule trains.

.

Here is one of the mule-borne parties coming up the trail Wednesday afternoon.

.

I'll hike down Bright Angel in the morning, and camp overnight at Indian Gardens.

.

Indian Gardens is in the grove of green trees at the center of the photo below.

An Edenic pastoral surprise awaited me there. .

. Beyond Indian Gardens you can see the trail which leads to Plateau Point, at the edge of the Inner Gorge of the Grand Canyon. From this point there are sheer cliffs plunging 800 feet straight down to the Colorado River. Three quite astounding and unexpected creatures waited for me there. Again I slept in the car, this time in the parking lot of the South Rim.

To see the Next Post in the Great Leap series,
CLICK HERE: There... (but not yet Back Again).

Pre-Leap #2: Get Set!

In April 2006, after four solid months of sitting in front of my computer moving nothing but my fingers (and gaining 20 pounds of paunch), I successfully defended my thesis, Jude and the Scoffers. Graduation was not until May. One month of time off! .. With the extra time off, I lead a team from St. James on a mission/relief trip to New Orleans. Here is the "Moonwalk" in New Orleans along the Mississippi River.

The six of us from St. James pitched in at Annunciation's relief center, handing out everything from dustmasks to diapers. .. This is the Annunciation campus, in the morning setting up the distribution center. The trailer with the cross is the "doublewide" where services and meetings were held; the trailer to its right held a temporary medical clinic; and the building above it is a former rectory. All this land was under 8 feet of water.

We also went out on assignment to muck out a house not far away. .. Here is the 81-year-old Fr. Cam (in the yellow hardhat) helping to muck out this house, which also had 8 feet of water in it. Fr. Cam and I drove his mini-pickup from California to Louisiana and back for this trip, 200-mile shifts, non-stop except for meals.

I borrowed Cam's truck and drove the 70 miles to Pass Christian, Mississippi, to visit Fr. James Giles at God's Katrina Kitchen. (GKK).. This is the GKK dining tent. At the time they were also operating a relief supplies distribution center. GKK was housing and feeding dozens of church mission groups who came to the Gulf Coast to muck out, clean up, and rebuild.

James and I drove out as far as you could go on the ruined Highway 90, approaching the ruined bridge to Bay St. Louis. .. Here we talked of many things, indeed, of cabbages and kings. James helped confirm for me my call to the order of deacons. Was this to be my new job site? I still did not know, but I was itchy as a frog on a lilypad in a thunderstorm. But first I had to go back to California for Graduation.

Pre-Leap #1: "On Your Marks!"

First Job Offer, near Emerald Isle, Lake Tahoe:
.

.
In the fall of 2005 a former employer offered me a job managing a hotel complex in South Lake Tahoe, California. The job would be part-time, set-my-own-hours, plenty-of-time-to-write-my-book, and included a free four-room apartment. This was too good. I took two trips up to South Lake Tahoe to check it out. But alack, where's the ministry? The nearest ACN priest was 60 miles away in Reno, Nevada (a very lonely diocese for an ACN priest). Was this my new call? I checked my closet for a fleece to throw out. Didn't find one.

This was My World in Orange County, California:
..
Three years in a nine-by-twelve room, bathroom down the hall. At this time I was hot and heavy into the research phase of my thesis, and needed a cart to lug books back and forth from the Vanguard library. The only thing that maintained my sanity was the window over my desk, looking out at the birds in the tree and the hummingbirds attracted to my feeder.

After Christmas, I went with the youth pastor of my church on an exploratory mission trip to New Orleans:
.My second job offer was from the rector of these church-folk in New Orleans: No pay, uncertain future, and a place to throw my sleeping bag. Sounded attractive. Still couldn't find my fleece to throw out

New Year's Eve, 2005 (never mind the date stamp):
..
A busload of baptists arrived from North Carolina and I went with them and "Lance" from the relief center. Lance carried his 9-foot cross (with the wheel in the tail), all of us carried copies of A Letter From God to hand out, and we walked down Bourbon Street handing out tracts, praying with people, and singing hymns. On New Year's Eve. At Midnight. On Bourbon Street.

The Great Leap

This post serves to introduce a series of posts coming up, which will give me an opportunity to publish a few photos I took on my journey from Southern California (where I'm from) to South Mississippi (where I'm at). But why "The Great Leap"? To explain that, I'll have to get just a little bit autobiographical.

For nine years I was a student: 3 years with Victory Outreach collecting all the academic certificates and diplomas they could muster; 3 years with the Latin American Bible Institute and with Vanguard University of Southern California, collecting a B.A. in Religion/Ministry; then 3 more years with Vanguard, collecting an M.A. in Religion/Biblical Studies, and publishing my 277-page thesis, Jude and the Scoffers.

Along the way I served as director of a Victory Outreach men's rehabilitation home for a year, and then as the assistant pastor of a storefront Assemblies of God church in Skid Row Los Angeles, for two years. But by the time I received the M.A., I had been out of active ministry for four years.

What did God want me to do? Where did God want me to go? I had gone back to the church of my roots (Episcopal) and discovered what I thought to be an oxymoron, an evangelical Episcopal church. I asked the advice of Fr. Richard Menees, the assistant rector, and he recommended that I check out Church Army USA, telling me, "They take in misfits."

So that begins my story. Church Army USA headquarters was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; their biggest "base of evangelism" was in Branson-Missouri, and they had an outpost doing Katrina relief in Pass Christian, Mississippi. I was determined to visit all three to check them out, and I had an ancient Mazda MPV to get me there. My prayer was that God would speak to me along the way, answering my questions: "What to do? Where to go?" I was jumping from what I'd known for nine years, off into the unknown: The Great Leap.

I'll try to post every day or so; Watch this space!

California Dreamin'

Thanks to a gracious and generous gift from the Free Church of the Annunciation in New Orleans, I will be able to travel to California next month to visit my equipping church, Saint James Newport Beach, and possibly my daughter and even my sons. On the return trip, I will swing through Paradise, California to visit my sister and my 91-year-old mother, Alma. God willing, I'll be departing Mississippi on October 11, returning October 23.

Here in Mississippi I've been developing relationships with two of the folks working for the county. The chaplain at the county jail is interested in the Church Army Gulf Coast program as an aftercare resource for released detainees, and he has already approached some of them to see if they would be a fit for what we have here. The public defender is also interested in the program, and said that he would be talking to some of the judges about the possibility of using our resources to assist those going through Drug Court. In the meantime, we are waiting for God to send us the next person for the NoAH project.

Otherwise, it looks to be a slow month here. God's Kitchen (the 501c3 organization over the now-closed God's Katrina Kitchen) has a team of volunteers from Vision Quest who arrived last night for a week's stay, but after they leave, few volunteers are expected for over a month. We'll be going into vacation mode here while everyone else is at work or school, and when their vacations start up again in November, we'll be back to work here.

Over the next week or two, I'll be posting a reprise of the GREAT LEAP, the journey that took me from California to Mississippi. I have a few great photos (Grand Canyon, etc.) that I'd like to share with all of you. Keep checking the blog every few days; it should be interesting.

Thanks for all of your support. This would not be possible without those of you (churches and individuals) who have sent encouragement for me and finances for the ministry. If any others of you would like to support this ministry, the directions are in the sidebar. Monies donated through Church Army USA are used for ministry needs only, and not for my personal support.

Thanks again,

Rolin.

ps: About the photo: If anyone has seen any ice floes floating past California lately, let me know. On this reversal of the GREAT LEAP, I'll be looking for a few days of cooler weather.

Battle of the Briar Patch

Our Sanctuary site holds an unwanted mystery bonus, which attacked me twice, plus one of the Vision Quest youths. No one has seen any poison ivy, nor poison oak, nor even any Virginia creeper. Yet the two of us had a nasty, itching rash break out, diagnosed as poison ivy/etc. by the medics.

My suspicion centers on this particular
specimen. It is a light, climbing, clinging vine, similar to wild grapevine but thinner and less woody stems. It has spines along the stems as tough as rose thorns.

One of these vines reached out and grabbed me (it seemed), and leafy dust fell that felt like tiny pop-rocks (remember that candy?) going off on the back of my hand. Three days later I was under a 7-day steroid therapy. I sure would like to put a name to this my enemy.

Anyone got any ideas?