In the past few months, I’ve been to a lot of beautiful places.
(Pennsylvania might be the most beautiful place in the world. I’ll let you know when I find out.)
On Thursday, I hiked the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon (yes, that is a thing) with some friends. I was blown away by the beauty at the top of the canyon, the waterfall off the trail, and the fairytale-like river at the bottom.
But this is the most beautiful thing I saw.
Meet my friend Antoine.
Antoine is God’s masterpiece. Not the waterfall, or the river, or the mountains. Antoine, and his friends.
Meet Antoine’s friends Dan, his sister Heather, and his friends Kristy and Eric.
Because he has cerebral palsy, Antoine is unable to walk. But that doesn’t stop him from hiking and enjoying creation. Using a contraption created by his brother-in-law, Antoine has been able to participate in many hikes, with the help of his friends and family.
Sometimes love means carrying your friend down a mountain and back up again.
Sometimes, love means trusting your friends enough to carry you.
Love says, “You are worth sweating for.”
And Love says, “I am not afraid.”
I am looking forward to the moments on the Race where I’ll be able to appreciate the beauty of God’s creation in nature. But I hope I don’t forget to look for the beauty in all the people He’s created as well. Because if you ask God what His favorite thing is that’s He’s made, He’ll smile and answer, “People.”
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
-Ephesians 2:10
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My Squad has a financial deadline approaching. In order to be allowed to leave in September and not defer to a later route, you have to have $10,000 in your account by August 21, but since online donations can take up to 4 days to process, the deadline is more like August 18. Two members of my team, Hannah and Sam, need some help to reach that deadline. You can give through their blogs by clicking on their lovely photos to the left of the screen. <—- These are the girls who will play Dutch Blitz with me, take care of me if I get sick, eat with me, cry with me, and minister with me over the next 11 months, so by supporting them you are supporting me in a very real way as well. Thanks in advance for any help you can give!!
Love,
Debbie
