The First Few Weeks (pt. 1)

The trip has started, and Britton and I (and potentially some others) will be posting when time and memory allow. Originally, we wanted to post every week or so, but 3 weeks have passed us by. We’ve visited Aliquippa, PA; Ferrisburgh/Burlington, VT; Moose Brook State Park, NH; Millinocket, ME; and now we are near Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Our time was spent working, learning, parenting, cooking, eating, hiking, drinking, making friends, cliff jumping, laughing, crying, and communicating. Life is beautiful. This trip has birthed in me a deeper love for my friends and family here and abroad. Now, I’ll delve into a general report on the trip.

Here is Britton’s synopsis of the first four days:

“Day 1: arrived in one of the poorest cities in PA, Aliquippa. I met Dean. He is a very hospitable man. I slept in a hammock… very cold.

Day 2: GREAT BREAKFAST! Thanks John! Worked hard on the garden all day. Had dinner at Morgan’s awesome girl, amazing cook. I’m very tired, because Scott wouldn’t let me sleep.

Day 3: Another day of hard work. A stranger pulled up to Rachel and I driving an old busted up mini-van. I got in the van, and he took me to his house and gave us 6 maple trees and two Budweiser’s that were no less than 20 years-old. (Scott’s note: Britton hopped in Ray’s (the stranger’s) van after being offered spaghetti and lemonade. FYI.) We stopped working because of the rain, then the rain stopped, but things definitely were not dry. Drank the night away.

Day 4: Made a weed look like a beautiful tree. We decided to keep it because the bees liked it so much. Worked all day, and dug through the clay and stone…. lots of stone. The garden looks as if it is coming together. I was told we were the answers the James’s prayers. We went to an Episcopal church meeting, and the fellowship after church was a very special time. Then we made a fire. This day was just too perfect.

Thanks be to: Morgan (for cooking us a healthy, personalized, and DELICIOUS MEAL.)Billy, Seth, David, John and family, the folks and Community of Celebration, the folks that dropped by the Spring St. Gardens, Ryan, Casey, and all the other people we’ve had the privilege of meeting here.

Our plan was to visit Dean and his parents in Upstate New York, but after a semi-emotional conversation with Dean, I thought it may be beneficial to start our journey in Aliquippa. Dean told us “I have enough work that needs to be done to keep you busy for a year.” Upon hearing that, I spoke to Britton, Rachel, and Kharissa, and basically it came down to… (as Rachel put it ) “Do we want to be selfless or just do something that we think will be fun?” We consensually decided that it would be wise to go to Aliquippa first instead of Cato, and so we did.

Before we arrived, we had varying perceptions of the purpose of our trip, and it was Britton who hit the nail on the head. Since the beginning of the trip, he has been telling people that we were out to “spread the love.” I thought we were out to learn and gain new experiences, Krissy thought we were just living a nomadic lifestyle, and Rachel just seemed to be along for the ride at times. But, during our time in Aliquippa, we quickly realized that It is all about Love.

I cannot go into all of our experiences, but this is what I wrote immediately after we left Aliquippa. It also describes events leading up to our traveling.

A year ago, life made more sense. I was content with my job, and comfortable in my home. We lived with other people in a well-functioning communal house, and had adequate relationships with our friends and family. I had a clear understanding of my beliefs. With a well-behaved baby son, a peaceable spouse, and a stable job: I lived life sensibly way in accordance with most social norms. I was doing something I enjoyed, and happened to be meeting other people’s expectations at the same time. However, my wife and I also found ourselves in the midst of people encouraging us to question the foundations of our “worldview” and explore God with freedom.
We pursued Life and ended up in an ocean of Mystery, and it is good. I no longer have a job, but I enjoy working. When folks come to understand what my wife and I live for, they wear a unique look on their face (and for some it’s a condemning one). Some of our family members are excited for us, and some simply accept it, while most either bite their lip or should have. No one really understands; and if we could sufficiently explain it, we would. But, our call is a mystery, and the future is veiled. What was pure is muddy now, and we are wading through that mud in hopes of finding something pure. In short, last year at this time, I was working to prevent homelessness; now we are happily homeless.
Progress is a funny word. It’s like need, love, or success. I don’t think any two people will give you the same definition of the word. By most standards, we’re moving backwards or digressing. When you’re married with a baby, you’re supposed to be in a stable place: buying a house; driving a safe car; holding a steady job; and having answers. We’re none. I contend that the only safe or stable place is immeasurable, unquantifiable, and mysterious. It is abiding in the Life of the Divine. That Life has beaconed us into a place where most folks don’t tread, and I’ve always liked those kind of places. We are doing our best to live in a place of stability, and urging each other to remain close to the Source of Life. We think that is the Only right place to be. For us this mystery is one of the few lingering absolutes in a world that likes to turn upside down on itself every twenty-four hours.
In that one book, a hand-full of people ask Jesus how to enter the Kingdom. Some of His answers are something along the lines of: you must be born again; a time will come when you worship neither here nor there, but in spirit and in truth; sell all of your possessions and follow me. I never read anything about praying some magic prayer, or joining a certain group. He never really gives one calculable answer. It’s much better that way. As convenient as it would be, the spiritual life cannot be reduced to something we can exchange with logic or doctrine. As for me and my house, I believe Jesus wants us to get rid of distractions, and live on the outside with Him. Essentially I feel a bit like the rich young ruler: my call is to leave what I held and follow to the fringes. I tend to get along better with the weirdoes and outcasts better than folks who seem to keep it together. I’ll remain with Them, and so the madness begins.
I set off from Toledo with a handful of expectations, and by the first night in Aliquippa, PA, they all disappeared. Right now, we are ten days deep in the trip, and I am paralyzed by wonderment and Love. The Lord is alive, well, and everywhere. None of us expected Him to come in so quickly and obviously, the moment we gave Him space. I was surprised. I expected to see natural beauty, and be moved by it. I expected to meet interesting people, and I expected to have fun. My expectations disappeared, because they were wholly superceded by Divine Action. Transformation happened when I all anticipated was a good time, and little more. However, we found that when you have no agenda, and no answer to the question “what is your goal?” God has a near-blank canvas on which He can create something freely. That happened, and now… I have no idea what will happen next.
Aliquippa, Pennsylvania is a unique place. Driving in for the first time, I felt somewhat disappointed; wondering why we would have come here when we could have gone to a beautiful part of Upstate NY and stayed right near Lake Ontario. We were brought there because we wanted to visit Dean, and he told us that he had some work that needed to be done. A week before we left on our trip, we changed plans. So, we all came to decide that it would be better to lend a hand for a few days, than to go and stay at his parent’s place to simply enjoy that region. That was a monumental decision.
We arrived at Community of Celebration with no understanding of what it was all about. I had bits of information communicated to me via telephone, but nothing substantial enough for me to imagine what it would be like. I had been to Aliquippa before, and only remembered that two places we tried to go eat were closed, and it was really impoverished. Dean wasn’t home when we pulled in, but we got to meet Casey, his roommate. I’m not sure that he really knew what was going on, but he was hospitable nonetheless. That night, after chatting for a few hours, we left to stay the night at David, Seth, and Billy’s house across the river. They were all incredible guys. They are studying with Dean, and incredibly hospitable. Seth made cookies, which ended up more scone-like in nature, but they were delicious. Thanks guys!
The next day we decided to stay at Dean, Ryan, and Casey’s place. We worked in the garden for a bit after we had a late breakfast at Uncommon Grounds. That is an incredible place. John Stanley runs it, and does so very well. All the folks there but him are volunteers, and the place is immaculate and high quality. (http://www.uncommongroundscafe.org/) That night, we ate dinner at Moragn’s home. We were all moved by her hospitality. Great, Great Meal!!! Thanks!

The next few days were spent out in the garden (see Britton’s synopsis). We worked and celebrated with great zeal. We all attended the most participatory liturgical service I’ve ever been a part of, and enjoyed an evening of eating, drinking, and bon-firing.

Our last full day was especially moving. It was Labor Day, and Britton and I worked a bit in the morning to tidy up the new garden. Dean was almost angry that we were still working after we (especially Britton and Rachel) had put so much time into the project already. He insisted that our time would be better spent enjoying the community. He was right. James and other folks in Community of Celebration (http://www.communityofcelebration.com/) created some incredible pizzas and cooked them in an earth oven. We all ate beyond contentment. Hands down: the best pizza I’ve ever eaten! Thanks! After/during pizza, we played a Swedish game called Kubb. Britton called it “throwing sticks” which was really fun, especially when riddled with Britton’s sound effects and constant change of throwing styles and techniques. Later on we stopped by Mary’s home. She told us about her vacation to Maine, and gave us a few tips on places to visit around Acadia. (We’re going there soon!) Rachel spent time in conversation with almost everyone in attendance, and continued to speak of how much she enjoyed all the folks well after we left. The evening was perfect. John Stanley and Scott Colburn came to Dean’s place a while after the festivities settled. They prayed for us, and expressed their love and appreciation. Dean shared some prayers and excerpts (surprise Annie Dillard!) he thoughtfully selected for us. The exchange was emotional and peaceful, and we were all moved by the seamless transition of friendship to ministry. Seeing that gives me confidence that Christ is alive and well inside those folks: all of them.

When we woke, John and Dean sent us off with full bellies and heavy hearts. Dean gave us each a note, and John made us breakfast and sharpened Britton’s hatchet. We then crossed the river to drop off Dean, and left reluctantly, mapping out the quickest way back in our minds.

From there we planned to visit Niagara Falls, but our goodbyes took too long. Instead, we went strait to Ferrisburgh, VT…kinda. We took a slight detour when we noticed signs for wineries in PA near the NY border. We quickly made a friend when Britton to the man pouring our wine about our travels. He gave us some extra free samples, and being the driver, my acceptance ran out before his generosity. So, our jovial bunch hopped into the van with a handful of chips to get us some more free samples. All in all, we happily wasted about 2.5 hours on this 15 minute detour.

After that we drove along the Erie coast, and then through the Adirondacks (I began honking at all of the beautiful sights. We have since preserved and abused this new tradition. [Also, the set of uncut keys that Rachel W. gave us upon our departure is to be gently struck at any exceptionally beautiful lyric or comment, making a delightful chime sound.{A.D.D.}]) While in the Adirondacks, the GPS unit took us on an initially scenic route which soon turned into a dark, long one. We reached Lake Champlain, and took a free ferry to Vermont (the bridge is down). An hour or so later, we arrived at the Cameron’s home in N. Ferrisburgh, VT. This random connection turned out to be an incredible experience.