Quick Update: Yup

Where I talk about what I've been up to before I go eat the steak dinner waiting for me in the dining hall at TL Storer Scout Camp...


So I owe an update that is far more involved than this. But alas I cannot yet give it to you.

Here's a run-down of everything that has gone on since my vacation in Maine (Old Orchard Beach, Ocean Park) with my family.

Canvassing in Boston: Good Try
In what I can only dub as God's will, I was canvassing in Boston with Public Outreach Fundraising, trying to raise enough monthly dollars to be rehired on Staff over my 6 evaluation days, and I failed to reach this goal. I say it is God's will because I had intended for this job to be my part-time fall-back job in case the Student Org at UNH and InterVarsity Staff didn't work out. So I was going to come back to Boston two or three days a week to canvass at $14 an hour for the American Red Cross to support myself while hopefully IV staff and UNH part-time staff came through.

Thus, I was trying to give myself an escape route for what I have labeled as "God's short-term plan" for myself. That is, I was saying to anyone and everyone who would listen that I was stepping out in faith, renting an apartment in NewMarket, NH, without knowing for sure if I would have IV staff or UNH staff. But really, that wasn't stepping out in complete faith, it was stepping out in partial faith. I had my selfish back-up in place.



I'll have another post about canvassing, the philosophy behind it, and how I feel about it, but suffice to say that I never changed my approach to canvassing, perhaps just my attitude at some point. Short blip: for those of you who don't know what canvassing is, I was standing on the streets of Boston with a team of 2 or 3 others, waving down passerby's in attempts to convince them to sign on as monthly donors to different non-profits, this last time around being the Red Cross. Seeing as I really feel I gave my high-energy and honest effort on a daily basis, I wonder what God's role in this was/is.

Newmarket/Durham: Radio, friends, professors, oh my...
So about two weekends ago, that is, the 22nd thru the 26th of July, I was back in Durham for a few days. We kicked it off with the a cappella radio show that I have been co-DJing, (The Voice Box on wunh.org, 91.3 FM... check it out! you can listen to old shows in the archives. Also find us on facebook and Twitter. Brendan is all over that shtuff)

That was fun. Followed by hanging with Tobi and Brendan, two guys who I realize I'll be friends with until I cease to exist. Then that weekend I had intended on doing some singing in Portsmouth, but to no avail. Instead it turned into attempt-at-watching-a-movie with Tobi, his younger brother, and Brendan.

I say attempt because we (Brendan and I) failed. Movie was sold out, Tobi bought his and his brother's ahead of time. Side note, Tobi is ridiculous. He bought Japanese food because he had a craving for it, even though the movie was already 10 minutes in. Then snuck it into the theater. Sigh.

Anywho, here is the important note: I wandered into Best Buy, where they have a music section, and plenty of great guitars in an acoustic guitar room (climate controlled), and was jamming out and trying out different guitars for the better part of two hours. I discovered that banjos are really fun and loud and I want one. I also discovered my next acoustic guitar purchase, if I ever make one. I don't remember the exact make or model, so I'll need to go back... purchasing a musical instrument is like dating. First date, you scope it out, get a feel for its tune, compare it with others, see how expensive it is, and decide if you'll come back. Second date, you've done some research or it intrigued you, so you come back to find out if it was just a fluke. Third date, you walk away with commitment. You get some action, basically... if you want to take that crudely, go ahead. I'll take it class-ily. :-)

Sunday I went to Storer to volunteer. more on that later. A lot more... too much more. I forget about how much I love this place (I sit in the shop now pirating Wi-Fi during alumni weekend) until I come here again. I want to make Scouting a big part of my life but I need to integrate that with God and the rest of my passions. Any thoughts? God? Any suggestions?

The rest of the week I remained in Durham, sleeping at Brendan's room in Mills (where Housing is putting him up for the Summer as he works for them)... which, by the way, THANK you Brendan for your hospitality!

I visited a professor, talked to Todd Selig, the Durham Town Manager, about the New Student Org, and met up with Dave Zamansky about the state of UNH and whether or not I'm fighting a losing battle.

For those of you who don't already know, UNH (the University System of New Hampshire) got almost 50% of its budget cut by the state this year, making it to be the least funded higher education system in the country, by far. That does not bode well for many people, and at the least not for my bid to create a new student org with me as its part-time paid adviser. If I get the job, it'll only be because it's "meant to be", and because a part-time employee is far easier to take care of than a full-time with benefits employee.

At any rate, there is still hope there. So I will be returning and making more concrete plans and following up on some leads for meetings this week.

In terms of my meeting with my professor, it has sparked me off in the direction of pursuing a Masters in Outdoor Education while combining my research efforts with my involvement in Scouting. Lots more on that to come. But perhaps more importantly, it gave me hope that I have something to offer in some way. God will use it. That's the simple truth... so long as I put forth the effort to match His perceived Will.

annd last but not least:

Camp TL Storer and a Trek
This really deserves its own post, and it will get that treatment later when I create the slide show and get some videos online... but I have spent the last week with Troop 15 Attleboro, MA, doing a week-long Trek out of my Scout camp in Barnstead, New Hampshire. The post at another time will go into why I love this camp that I have been attending for now 13 years and been on staff for now 7 years. It will talk about the program I am trying to start. And it will probably touch upon the unique characters I find at this place.

But to understand what I did this week, just take this sentence and mull it over: 2.5 days Hiking in the Whites, summiting Mt. Washington, getting hit by a thunder/hail storm on the bald face of the Boott Spur, covering the lower Presidential Range, followed by 2.5 days canoeing on the Pemigewasset River, finally drying off, enjoying our time swimming and sleeping in and paddling, and ultimately having a trip that none of these Scouts, including myself, will ever forget.

That's a run-on, for all you grammar police out there. But that's the short narrative of the week. In a slightly related note, something cool happened as I was guiding this group: I knew 3 different people as we hiked on the second day. One girl, Amanda, had been in my backpacking class from earlier this summer. Another girl and her boyfriend, Ash and Cole, I met because she is the twin sister of Chelsea from Heads Up Hartford (we've gone on a date or two since then), and I bumped into them as they were hiking at the AT towards Washington summit on the very same day that we were hiking towards the Mizpah Hut. Which is coincidentally where Pat is working, who has been in my Outdoor Education classes for the past year. Go figure. Start getting involved in things outside of your small world, and the large world outside shrinks. That was really cool to experience. And eye-opening.

Anywho, gotta run to eat food now and spend time with the alumni of Storer's staff, ranging from back in the 60s to today. Should be fun :-)

Yours in Service, and in Christ's Love,

~Sean