Indiana Poetry and Missions
Hello Fellow Travelers,
This newsletter will be a little different. I am sharing several videos I created with you, so this doesn’t have a voiceover. I know it has been more than two weeks since you have heard from me. The last couple of weeks have been super busy, and I ran out of time to get everything done. Plus, June has five weeks, so you will still receive two newsletters this month!
Indiana, Poetry, and Faith
As we explored a graveyard in Spring Mill State Park, my husband mentioned a poem he remembered reading. As I searched for the poem, I stumbled across Indiana poet, Arthur Franklin Mapes. I enjoyed reading his poetry because it incorporated faith with his love of nature. For example, here is one about a covered bridge. I created a video using all of my photos of the covered bridges, though none of them is the actual bridge he references in his poem. I did add a few effects to my pictures to fit some of the descriptions.
Indiana Poet Laureate
Born in 1913, Arthur Franklin Mapes began writing poetry as a teenager. The Indiana General Assembly named his poem, “Indiana” to be the official state poem of Indiana. Then in March 1977, the legislature named him Indiana’s Poet Laureate. (This was unofficial as the official poet laureate program began in 2005.)
Here is one of his poems about the dunes of Indiana. I used pictures from our visit to Indiana Dunes State and National Parks. I didn’t use any filters with this one. Also, I have always pictured dunes like the ones at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. However, many of the older dunes in Indiana are covered in forests!
If you would like to read more of his poetry, his granddaughter has created a website with his poetry on it.
Honduran Mission Trip
My husband and I spent the last couple of weeks preparing for and serving on medical mission teams to Honduras. As usual, the Lord probably changed me as much if not more than the Honduran people we were “serving.” The Lord enabled us to complete nine hip and nine knee surgeries. We ministered to six families on the mountain, listening and praying for them and partnering with MDM to deliver food baskets. We did share the gospel at the hospital, but we mainly tried to be the hands and feet of Jesus to suffering people. We hugged them, prayed with them, cried with them, and laughed with them. Here is a short, two-minute video with highlights from the week.
Rest Stop Podcast
The podcast has resumed. Here are the latest episodes:
See you in a couple of weeks! Thanks for traveling with me!
Christine