Of Mountains, Ecology, and Field Studies . . . Creation Bears Witness . . . .

DSC_0191, originally uploaded by dustkunkel.

This is a picture taken by a friend of mine, Emily, on our final Environmental Ed. Module on the Island of Rum.

Rum is a nature reserve off the northwest coast of Scotland, and we were there all of last week. I left the fam in Greece, flew back and went to Rum at 5AM the following day! What a change!

Amazingly for the west coast, we had incredible weather. I must've brought it from Greece!

We were out in the field from 8AM to late night. . . freshwater, pond, seaside, bog, mountain, cultural history, tensions in environmental management. . . the list goes on and on.

There were a number of highlights: The picture here is from the day we climbed and traversed the 5 highest peaks on Rum. It was, shall we say, a good long day. At the end of it, tired and hot and dehydrated, some of the guys leapt into the sea. . . to emerge two seconds shaking off the icicles from parts that will remain unnamed.

There was a night up high on a mountain, sitting on a rock in the mist and dark, listening to the ghostly cries of Manx Shearwaters coming home to nest. There was another night, when three of us chose not to go to the folk music festival raging in a tent by the castle and instead forged off through hip-deep bog to find a deserted beach and a Celtic Christian standing stone from the 7th century. . . climbing up a cliff in the dark to enter the cave where the Celtic saint is reputed to have lived. . . . finding a pile of shells that have probably sat there since the 7th century when he had his meagre meal once a day. . . .

Thanks for praying for me.

I felt the prayers throughout the week. They strengthened me in my joy in the Lord, opened my heart to those around me who have not met Him yet. My hope is all these friends of mine meet HIM soon . . .

Again, thanks for the prayers.