Day 4 Stranded in the Mountains

We have completed day 4 snowed in at the cabin. It is beautiful but the snow is deeper than the clearance I have on the van and we're trapped. The first picture is how I now look, I've been letting my hair and bear (and beard!) grow and I'm learning to survive. No shaving or hair cuts (all three of them) until spring!

More snow tonight and tomorrow and I keep thinking someone will clear the road to make it passable, but maybe not! (actually someone up the road is supposed to but they wait until the storm passes, I'm told. ) Maybe we're here until the spring thaw.....We just got caught and our supplies are not what we'd like them to be. I tried to chase a little mole across the snow today to catch him for meat, but Ann said, no worries, if we run out of food, I'll start by amputating one of your arms! Being a nurse, she can sew me back up until we need the next arm. So, I'm going to go kil me a bar.

Getting lots done - lots of reading, reports, correspondence, and snow shoveling! Sunday, we had the CDs from our church in Pittsburgh and we really enjoyed the series that they were doing, and so we listened to five over the course of the day and we talked about them much after that.

I'm also totally engaged in and loving a book called "What's so Amazing about Grace" by Phillip Yancy. If you haven't read it, run to the store and buy it. It's been around a while and I picked it up at a discount Christian bookstore for a couple of dollars. It is challenging me and so very well written - lots of illustrations and very easy to read, yet profound. I don't recommend books often, but this is one worth the read and one that should really cause you to look deep inside and think about what do you really believe? Plus it is just fun and has alot of cultural relevance.

The water pressure is dropping because the filter is plugging, but we don't have a spare cartridge - I think I can just take out the cartridge and essentially by-pass it if I have to. The snow is suppossed to stop tomorrow or the next day, and if the fellow clears the path, we might be able to get down. I've been starting the car every day and running it for a while because I'm not confident of the battery in these single digit temperatures and it being up on the hill in the 50 mph wind.

It has been fun sending photos to my Mozambican friends. They are asking me why in the world anyone would want to live in a place like this. Well......it's actually very beautiful and if I had cross country skis, a snow machine, gaters, and good winter clothes, it wouldn't be a problem.

Actually I like it here very much- but don't ask Ann. As long as she isn't hungry, I should be ok! ;-)

We just weren't quite as prepared as I would have liked to have been. We've lived in Idaho and Pittsburgh; we know about snow, but you need to be prepared!

Blessings.

Dave

"Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." 1 Tim 4:2

"Well, keep your nose in the wind and your eyes on the skyline" From the movie Jeremiah Johnson

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God..." 1 Th 4:16