The Pittsburgh Traverse

This weekend Cory and I "traversed" 16 miles around the city by foot. Our little trek helped me to appreciate the city more and to understand its culture and history. Some of you have never seen Pittsburgh and I want to show you some of the pictures to give you some sort of a framework for understanding our beautiful city. You'll notice that bridges are a major theme.

Our neighborhood, Squirrel Hill, is mostly inhabited by people of Jewish ancestry, including many Orthodox Jews.

 Chatham University, a small all-girls school with a beautiful campus.

The water tower on the upper hill.  The Hill District is a sad story of segregation. The neighborhood continues to decline and we passed many vacant lots on our way to the top of the hill. Remaining residents are very friendly and cling to what little community is left. 

One of the views from the Hill.

 Descending down through Polish Hill. We stopped for coffee at a shop that Cory's bakery delivers to.

 Pretty church in Polish Hill.

Walked along the river through the Strip District (a market area). The sloped roof in this picture is the convention center.

 Artistic underpass walkway.

Crossed over the river into the North Side, formerly the city of Allegheny, until it got swallowed up by the city of Pittsburgh. This is a Civil War Memorial in a park. Found a homeless man sleeping nearby.

 Not the most photogenic couple on this particular day. I was starting to get tired. Downtown in the background.

Awesome secluded house. Notice the central glass room where there was a spiral staircase.

 Walking up our biggest hill to the neighborhood of Mt. Washington.

More bridges.

Downtown. Many people have asked me if Pittsburgh is "still dirty." Here's your answer.

 A goofy statue on top of Mt. Washington. Below is the description.

 More bridges.

 East Carson Street on the South Side, home of shopping and more bars than a city could ever need.

"Paper streets." Exist on paper only, not driveable.

Humble Beginnings

If you know me at all, you know that my heart belongs in Colorado. Sometimes I've wrestled internally with the thought that perhaps Colorado has become an idol to me. Maybe I long for it too much and put too much hope in the happiness that I think I will find there. Sometimes when I go for trail runs I daydream that someday I'll be running the trails in the Indian Peaks Wilderness at sunrise, my muscles and lungs accustomed to the Colorado air. But I've prayed about my desires and God has reminded me why my heart is so attached to Colorado.

I've heard many speakers address how Americans have become too touchy-feely in their relationships with God and that we need to return to a good foundation of knowledge about the qualities of God. As a high school student, I needed exactly the opposite. My father has instilled in me a good head-knowledge of who God is, but I always desired an emotional connection with my Creator. When I went to Colorado the summer after my Freshman year of college, I had no idea that God was preparing me for a major transition. Backpacking in the mountains that summer, I was consumed with awe for my Creator. Who am I that he would design such a beautiful world that I would be free to roam and wander in it? I finally connected with Him on the emotional level that I had always craved.

He also transformed me in a tangible and concrete way and took away a "thorn of my flesh" (referencing the thorn that Paul pleaded for God to take away from him). In high school I had become totally consumed with my body image. I soon came to an unhealthy point and embarrassingly struggled with times where I would starve myself and times where I would secretly binge on food. Even into my Freshman year of college this obsession consumed me. When I went backpacking for the first time, God miraculously healed me. I realized on that trip that I needed to eat food to be able to hike the next day. My mind was transformed from viewing food as a necessary evil to nourishment.  Additionally, I had no access to mirrors and had only two outfits in my backpack. Instead of feeling uncomfortable, I felt free living this simplified life.

Returning from Colorado, I felt like an entirely different person and I felt frustrated with my inability to verbalize this transition to the people close to me. You read about Jesus preforming miraculous healings in the New Testament but those were always evidenced by some physical change. My mind had been healed by God in the mountains and that healing was sudden and complete.

Remembering this story helps me to realize that the reason why I yearn for Colorado is because that is the place I feel most connected to my Lord. But I'm not in Colorado right now, I'm in Pittsburgh. As Cory and I prepared to move to Pittsburgh, my heart and mind wrestled with God. Why would he place such a distinct yearning in my heart only to lead me somewhere else? When we got here, it took a little while for the reason to become clear.

A year ago, Cory and I applied to work for the CCO. Though we were accepted as CCO staff, the placement process proved to be difficult. Neither of us had received placements when we moved here in September. Later that month we volunteered to help lead a backpacking trip with two other staff. They affirmed that we would be good fits for their team, which was encouraging, but we needed real and concrete positions. Less than two weeks after the trip a position opened up for me that was perfect. As the Equipment Room Manager, I get to use my knowledge about gear needs for backcountry adventures to benefit the ministry. Little did I know that my team had been praying for me to come along for about 3 years! In addition to managing our equipment needs, I get to take college students on backpacking trips so that they, too, can experience the transformation that I went through in the outdoors. The uncanny thing is the CCO's motto is "Transforming college students to transform the world."

I'm not in Colorado, but I'm in the right place.