Way Down South

Oy….the beginning of this journey has completely taken me by storm (followed by a double rainbow.) Instead of catching up on sleep I should have practiced surviving on little to no sleep. Little did I know my summer was in the hands of the best procrastinator I have ever encountered, believe me I know some hard people to beat in that category…  but it’s all a part of the adventure.

Upon arriving in Billings I was thrown into a frenzy or rolling t-shirts, setting up the booth, taking inventory, and packing the car like the game Tetris.  As exhausting as it was, it was very necessary to be a part of. In the process of this all I learned a lot about the structure and practice of My Fight that I wouldn’t have known without hands on experiences. Not to mention, it was a blast to hang out with the people behind the movement.

The best part about it was the run we did. We drove two hours out to Fort Smith, Montana for the “Not Another Dam Run.” This seems like a horrible idea when we were as crunched for time as we were, but it was totally worth it. Driving out there I was planning on running the 5K, but upon arriving I heard that that 10K was basically a one-time opportunity (at least on an annual basis.) The trail went up and over the dam defined as the “grand canyon on Montana.” Sounds fun right? Welp, after I huffed and puffed at a snails pace up the mile long hill ending at the dam’s crossing it totally was. The view, along with the endorphin high was phenomenal. I could easily say breath taking, if at that moment I had had any breath to take away.  After making it up the hill I coasted the last half of the race over more easily terrain and met some amazing people along the way, and ended up making a contact for South Africa if I ever get around to visiting.

But… now we are on the road and it has been a pretty eventful experience so far. The driving is never the most enjoyable part of the ride, but we did our best to take time and enjoy the scenery. We found Mount Rushmore is less than extraordinary, but something every American should see.

As for Ichthus, it has been quite an adventure too. I’d like to introduce this festival with one story in mind: Andrew Hammond and his Jesus fish story. Ichthus is the name for the Jesus fish, and I can’t help but giggle to myself when I think of Andrew and the girl who Jesus fished him. Snap!

To continue the adventure, when we were about a mile out we were in a flash flood twice. When we finally made it to the farm the vendor booth that been “compromised” meaning that the combination of a man in a golf cart and a huge gust of wind had successfully knocked over a portion of the tent. Sales were delayed long enough for Caleb and I to regain our strength for the long days of breaking down the idea of micro financing.

What really helped keep us going through the long hours were the amazing people we met at the festival. I feel like I’m using the term “amazing” far too much, but it is completely appropriate. The booth next to us was a mission group called YWAM, all of the people who work there are energetic and have a contagious passion for everything they do.  Not to mention they took care of us by sharing food and a shelter during the severe thunderstorm that shut down the entire festival for a few hours.  I’m looking forward to getting to know them better with all the festivals we will be at with them. It has been enlightening being around them and discovering the true power of a prayer.

Friends are not hard to come by at these events. Another t-shirt company at the festival has been gracious enough to open their homes to us and take us around Indianapolis for a few days to fully experience the meaning of southern hospitality. Thank you to everyone with Undignified you all are awesome and great to spend time with.

Needless to say I am excited for what is to come with the rest of the festivals. I hope to build lasting relationships and continue to make new and different friends along the open road.