...We have been on a spiritual journey for over a year now, and I can see God at work in the life of West End. It’s been a different kind of process. We said last March, “The spiritual journey is not a journey of sight or a programmatic emphasis where the destination and steps of the journey are known. Rather, it is a transforming pilgrimage of faith where a congregation discerns with God, and each other, God’s desired future for it – and how it is to move forward with him to live into that future.”  This kind of journey is not always easy or clear, but we have come to know that God is with us.  As I’ve been doing some preparation for our summer vacation trip to the mountains of West Virginia, I’ve come across some humorous comments said to have been received in 1996 from the Bridger Wilderness (Bridger-Teton National Forest) registration sheets and comment cards. I can't confirm that they're real, but they are amusing, and I think they reflect some of the dynamics of being on a journey that isn’t always as easy as we would like.  Here are some of them:

• Instead of a permit system or regulations, the Forest Service needs to reduce world-wide population growth to limit the number of visitors to wilderness.

• Trail needs to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill.

• Too many bugs and leaches and spiders and spider webs. Please spray the wilderness to rid the area of these pests.

• Chairlifts need to be in some places so that we can get to wonderful views without having to hike to them.

• The coyotes made too much noise last night and kept me awake. Please eradicate these annoying animals.

• Escalators would help on steep uphill sections.

• Need more signs to keep area pristine.

• A McDonalds would be nice at the trailhead.

• The places where trails do not exist are not well marked.

• Too many rocks in the mountains.

May we continue on our spiritual journey as God’s people in the place where God has put us, trusting our future to God, and celebrating God’s presence with us, however the journey is unfolding. (TFI)