Venturing The Appalachian Mountains With My Father

There’s something special about exploring life outside of the country you grew up in. Everything is new and everything is different. It’s exciting! One of my favorite adventures actually happens to take place in North Carolina though.

I had just returned home from the World Race the month prior and was in the process of grieving not only the loss of the incredible community I had been traveling with but also the nomadic lifestyle I had become accustomed to. I was itching for another epic emprise.

So one day me and two good friends of mine decided we would grab our backpacks, stuff them with food, a tent and some sleeping bags and head up to the Appalachian Mountains for what would be an incredible week of ministry on the Appalachian trail.

Our first night was spent on a fire tower at the top of the tallest peak in the area. There we met a man hungry for the ‘more’ in life everyone in the world seems to be searching for. And because my friends and I know what it is he was looking for, a true relationship with his Eternal Father, we spent that evening talking and praying together as we watched the sun set over Tennessee.

God was with us that night ministering to his son who had gone out into the wilderness seeking direction.

The next morning I woke up to a warm hello from God as he lit the sky up with a beautiful sunrise.

The next few days of hiking were full of great conversations and ministry opportunities as we met other backpackers along the trail. We shared stories with them of how we had seen God work through and around us all over the world.

It was our last night camping and we had just reached the summit of another mountain that had a fire tower. We had been blessed with beautiful weather all week but as we climbed the last hundred feet of the mountain we began to hear the sound of thunder close in on us. We reached the summit and as we climbed up the fire tower we were in awe at the view that surrounded us.

In every direction we could see the rain pouring down on the Appalachian Mountains. Lightning flashed and thunder ripped through the sky and yet not a single drop of rain fell on us.

That night we sat up on top of the fire tower for hours watching as the storm encompassed us. We talked about how faithful God had been to take care of us on this trip as each day was filled with little miracles and God showed us how He is our Father, we are His children and He just wants to spend time with us.

P.S. That last night we had a bear come up to our tent and sniff my friends face! Crazy right?

ALSO STAY POSTED FOR EXCITING NEWS TO COME NEXT WEEK!