I haven’t slept well the last couple of nights…a lot on my mind…but mostly excitement…sheer crazy.. is this for real…EXCITEMENT…and I’m not exactly sure how this came about but some how I related it to killin’ my first deer gun hunting.
Hunting, fishing, and camping are about the only way your going to get me up super early…ok and maybe now the World Race. You dress in layers but try not to dress too warm so that when your hiking to your spot you don’t sweat, and then sit down, and then cool off and your teeth are chattering the whole time which isn’t very efficient when trying to be sssssshh reallllly quiet huntin’ for deer (kinda like Elmer Fued might say…except he typically hunts rabbits). Ok then…
I don’t recall signing up for Hunter’s Safety…and the whole process for applying and interviewing for the World Race now seems like a total blur. I do remember getting accepted for the World Race and playing the utube video Jump Around and actually jumping around in my office at work. If that video had been in the woods when I got my first deer I might have done that too..except yikes your up in a stand… and is that safe?
Hunter’s Safety Training…your shown the bows and arrows…you get to shoot them…your shown the big guns and you get to shoot them…the instructors take you aside and say ok now this is gonna “kick” and point out things to help make you a decent hunter…a safe hunter…and its not just for you…but its for the other people hunting with you in the woods so no one gets shot. Yeah, World Race Training Camp is a bit like that. You try out your gear at training, hike around, learn and grow from different teachings and people.
After training you take quizzes with information your not sure you’ll ever use or remember and you get to connect with avid “hunters” or racers before leaving for the woods / World Race for the first time. All the pep talks, practice, and quizzes don’t really prepare you for the real thing. The adrenaline pumpin’, sheer instinct, what the crap did I just get myself into feeling of surviving Training Camp Week and getting ready to Launch.
Sitting in your hunting stand enjoying the wind gently blowing in the leaves, observing the woodland animals, trying not to think about the call of nature, must stay awake and alert…and then there it is. Now granted its not a big deer…but its alive and breathing and coming closer and closer. Then the instinct kicks in…slowly lifting up the gun, click off the safety, breathe in, breath out and…kill shot!
When your in the woods hunting with your dad its not “cool” to say hey Dad I got a deer…for a couple of reasons. A. There are how many other dads out there with walkie talkies and you’ll get a lot of weird responses. B. The other hunters will think what a jerk announcing they got a deer. C. You don’t really want random people heading your direction with guns…yikes! So I think I said something like Hey Jeff I got one…trying to keep it cool / vague…sorta? I think he said something like…are you sure? I think I responded with a yes…but I was grinning ear to ear because I had dropped the deer in its tracks. (Its “cool” when you can do this because you don’t have to track the deer…although I’ve always thought deer tracking was almost as cool as shooting…and so far I’ve only have had 1 deer so that’s all I’m basing that off of / other than helping other folks track).
So shooting the deer that was the “easy” part so to speak…what came next was rather comical. I knew I had to get out of the stand at some point…but typically its best to wait for a few minutes to make sure the deer it TOTALLY dead instead of ONLY MOSTLY DEAD so you don’t have a Tommy Boy scene were the deer comes back to life. eek! My knees where absolutely shaking, checked my safety on my gun to make sure it was on how many times, and I really don’t know how I got out of the stand and landed safely on the ground…but somehow I did. Again the blur…my dad showed up and I think he shook my hand. I’m not sure who was more proud or excited. It was a really cool moment.
I think I’m finally in a place of BELIEVING the World Race is going to happen…that I’m really leaving July 4th for the race. And no matter what training I received, or how many times I’ve packed or repacked my pack at this moment it feels a lot like sheer crazy adrenaline to get to the next point in this journey.
Gutting the deer…I will be honest and say my only involvement with gutting the deer was holding one of the legs and trying to be cool when I really wanted to yak. I let my dad who is experienced in this kinda stuff take over. This is exactly what my Jesus has been doing this whole time. Its a good thing the deer was dead…but I think this is what Jesus wants to do with ME this year…gut me out…rinse me out…strip off my hide of insecurities, doubting my God-given abilities, etc etc to better use me for His purposes. I don’t imagine its going to be comfortable…30+ years of accumulation sure does build up…but I know God is experienced in this kind of thing and that He’ll be loving and gentle about it…even if it looks and feels really “ouchy”.
Registering the deer…its the law…its what you do so DNR people can keep track of the deer population but its also a sense of accomplishment. I can’t wait to come back with “hunting” stories from the field….but I also don’t want to forget all the things that God has done to get me here so far.
Thank you for….
– Donating clothes for the rummage sale – Dropping me off and picking me up from the airport
– Help with packing – Buying / Eating brats – Buying t-shirts, bracelets, etc.
– Laughing, Encouraging, Crying, and Reassuring – Offering to do a Tastefully Simple Party
– Taking pictures – News Reporting – Offering your building for a New Years Eve fundraiser
– Playing worship music – Interviewing me – Providing a refund from an almost mission trip
– Inspiring and Believing in me – Speaking Truth and Life – Correcting and Redirecting
– Sitting with me at Craft Fairs – Blessing me with Jam – Providing me space at your booth
– Sharing in the many Miracles and Unbelievable things Christ has done in orchestrating this all!!!!
So many things to be thankful for…and I’ve only scratched the surface of ALL you folks have done to help me get there. Thanks so so SO much!!!
EJ
