My life in Text

from my environmental writing class

When I think of Minnesota I think of the lakes. I have lived in Minnesota my whole life but only recently have really come to appreciate the lakes for their abundance. I never thought I would miss seeing lakes or being able to swim in a lake but the last couple summers I have lived in South Carolina where the lakes seem far and few. Yes the ocean is wonderful and mighty, but it is salty and can be over whelming.

I missed being able to swim in a lake and feel fresh and clean after, when you are done swimming in the ocean you feel sticky and need a shower. Or you have the option of swimming in a pool, but the chlorine stings the eyes and again you don’t feel clean but you are ready for a shower.

When I was in South Carolina we had the opportunity to go swimming at a lake one weekend. It was something I looked forward to for two weeks in advance. The lake we arrived at was not a natural lake. It was man made and dirty. Even though it was dirty and didn’t look that great it was a sight to behold, fresh water that we were able to swim in and enjoy it for the day. But it made me long for Minnesota and the clean lakes.

Pollution is one thing that is always on my mind when I look at the lakes here in Minnesota. I know it is something that is always a constant concern for the state and the individual counties and cities. Medicine Lake is right by my family’s home. We are able to walk to it and have used it for swimming and fishing. In recent years it seems to get a little greener every summer and just a bit less inviting for you to come and swim in.

I grew up learning a legend about Medicine Lake. It is said that during the time of fur trappers and voyagers there were a few men that camped by the lake. One of the men became very sick and was close to death. That day he drank the water from the lake and the next day he was no longer sick. They then named the lake Medicine because of its healing of the sick man. This story could be completely made up but it always made me see Medicine Lake as a magical place in some ways. Yet I could never imagine drinking the water from the lake. It is green and dirty. I wish I had seen the lake, as it was then, clean, clear and inviting.

Checkmylake.org is a site that tells you about all the lakes that have been tested for pollution in Minnesota. According to this site Medicine Lake is not suitable for swimming and recreation because there is many pollutants in the lake. People are also advised not to eat fish that are caught from this lake because they have high levels of mercury in them. The lake is also populated with many invasive species. As I mentioned before the lake seems to get greener each summer, this is not a good thing. It is the invasive species of plants that are taking over the lake.

There is good news, Minnesota lakes have been tested for years and the pollution has gone down over the last 35 years. There is even evidence that pollution in Minnesota lakes has a downward trend. This still doesn’t mean that the lakes are clean. It make me sad to see that Medicine lake is one of the lakes that doesn’t seem to get cleaner but gets more and more polluted. I wish we could go back to the time when it was clean and could “heal” people of sickness. Today if you drank the water from Medicine Lake you would get sick. This makes me sad for the lake.

Hopefully this downward trend of pollution in Minnesota lakes continues. I hope that one day Medicine Lake will be a clean and clear lake like it was at one time. Even though there are pollutants in the lake I still enjoy living near it. It will take time for the lake to become clean again, and it will take money and personal sacrifices. Yet I hope that people see the importance of lakes and that they should be something to be shared and cared for.

I am currently in a class called environmental writing. We had to write about our place. Here is what I wrote.

Where is my place? It is a question I seem to ask myself quite often. Is home the place that I feel connected? But where is my home? I believe that my home is in transition at this point in my life. My parent’s house doesn’t feel like home anymore. It doesn’t seem to call my name, or make me feel comforted. My dorm is only temporary and will be gone at the end of the year. The one place that seems to call out to me and still seems to make me feel comfortable and connected is up at Camp Shamineau.
Shamineau is up in northern Minnesota. It is a place that I feel confident in calling my home at this point in time. Part of the reason it is so important to me is because of the place itself, but also the events that took place there are the events that shaped me into the person I am today.
The camp is on one of the top ten cleanest lakes in Minnesota. When you walk into the water you can see the bottom even at fifteen feet deep. The water is refreshing and calming on a hot day. To be at the beach and on the lifeguard tower makes you see the lake, as it should be, without any docks or rafts in the way. You are able to see all the fish in the swimming area. Swimmer, fish, swimmers, fish, that is the pattern you see. The best moments are when you see that big northern slowly glide over to the shallow section, that’s when you have to ask all the kids to get out. I believe some of my campers weren’t even as tall as the northern was long.
When I sit by the lake I feel as if I am sitting with God, listening to a story. Not any specific story but one that can calm me when I am frustrated and mad. The constant sounds of the tiny waves that seem to bubble over the sand are a lullaby just for me. Or the wind that blows through the tall grass reminds me that I am only a small part of this giant world that God has created.
At night you can see every star that has been placed into the sky. The reflection on the lake makes you feel part of that speckled abyss, especially if you are out for a night swim. It was at Shamineau that I saw the Northern Lights for the first time. The swirl of color and just the awe that was felt was enough to take my breath away.
Taking a walk at night is always one of my favorite things to do while I am up at Camp Shamineau. When I was younger night used to scare me. To see the tall looming trees, hovering over you seeming to try and grab you into the forest, where you would get lost and never be heard from again. But now those same trees comfort me and remind me of God. They stand their strong and mighty watching over my journey down to the bottom of the hill. Guiding me by the stars that shine through their branches.
Over all Camp Shamineau seems to be my home at this time. It provides comfort and best of all a feeling of connection. This is my place, the place that I feel confident in calling my home. Shamineau shows me just a shadow of what Christ has for me after I join Him in His kingdom. Shamineau may only be a shadow of what’s to come, but that shadow sure makes me excited for where I will be after this life here on earth. Shamineau makes me long for my true place, heaven.

So currently I know a few people that are over in India. It is such an amazing thing that they are doing there. They are going and sharing the Gospel of Christ to students on a college campus. I have noticed over the last year that I have fallen more and more in love with the country of India. I have a heart for the people there. I have two little girls that I sponsor that are from India. I also am just facinated with thier culture and traditions.
This summer I have seen more and more how God has reminded me about the people in India. I work with several students who are Indian. I also find myself watching Bollywood movies. When looking through magazines or books I some how stumble upon things about India. It has been a great reminder to me that God is working over there. People I know personally are over in India sharing the good news of Christ. All of these little reminders that keep showing up in my day to day life remind me to pray for my friends there and to pray for the people of India.
Please pray for the people in India that they would have open hearts to the Gospel. Also that God would be keeping my friends healthy and safe while they are in India sharing the Gospel.

Saw this on the news. thought it was great so I am going to share. Looks like they had fun doing it too

So this summer I am in MN. It is so different than the last couple of summers. I miss many things about SC.
5. The odd jobs (working at Chick-fil-A and Bi-LO)
4.The ocean (the salty smell, along with the beach)
3. The fun activities (beach games, broadway at the beach, Dunkin, Laundry Mat, etc)
2. Pine Drive Church (How could you not miss Okey’s teaching)
1. The people (The community, fellowship and support)

Overall this summer is just different than the last two. Working, living at home, and not being around friends all the time. Miss it but am trying my best to enjoy the MN summer that I have

So I figured out on youtube you can change the settings so it searches videos in other countries. I had fun a with that over the last couple of days. But there is one video that I like. It is of a German musician, Peter Fox. I even looked up the lyrics to see what I was listening too. I like the song and the lyrics. Maybe you will too

I am going to start posting more youtube videos that I find. It seems like everyone is doing it so I might as well join in.