LIONHEARTED LANDLOPER

"Stanton Lake" by Becca Brander Sometimes it feels as if I have  eight hundred trillion and twelve  things on my to-do list, and only  fourteen seconds  to get them done. But, then I realize I'm exaggerating and there's only like twenty-something things to do and I have two months or so. Which can still be overwhelming, but it's a lot less daunting than eight hundred trillion and twelve.   The other day, I decided to finish getting my passport   -- because it seems like a good idea to have a passport when I'm planning on traveling to Africa and such this next year.  You see, I had already filled out my passport application and gone to the courthouse, but the lady and her desk informed me that my birth certificate was not chill and my driver's license was an insufficient photo ID. So I grabbed my better birth certificate, and (because I do not have any other photo ID) headed back to the courthouse a couple days later to figure this thing out.

I started to let myself worry that I would show up in August to Ellendale, and spend the next 8 months essentially staring blankly at empty fields and missing home. I thought that perhaps this "year of adventure" would turn out to be a year of humdrum, all the while my close friends would be going off doing something actually dauntless and worthwhile. So this morning, I wallowed in my dismal pajamas. That is until I was kindly told "do your devotions." by my best friend. So I did. And the Lord (being the Lord), knew exactly what He wanted to tell me. "What good is a girl with a funny hat in the empty fields of North Dakota?" I asked God. I thought my feelings were justified. But no sooner than I could come up with another gloomy remark -- He comforted me with the warmest reassurance. I realized that it is better to sit silently in the will of God than it is to travel across the planet on my own. Not only that, but I would much rather stand in a field

    My name is Beccca Brander and I was born in Polson, MT in the summer of 1997. I lived in a trailer house for nine years on the side of a mountain with my mom, dad, sister, various cats and dogs, some goldfish, a goose, chickens, that one random salamander, and our two goats. Our goats liked to sit on the couch when we weren't home.        We eventually moved to the bigger town of Kalispell, MT and lived in a  number of houses and apartments in that area. During this time, my sister moved out, my parents split up, and I learned how to speak Pig-Latin. The latter fact being of the least importance, yet still very vital information regarding the development of my personality.        It was in the midst of all these struggles and changes in my life that God became more real and personal to me. This growing relationship with the Creator of the universe began to shape how I thought and lived. You see, the more I get to know Him and follow His leading, the more I develop a heart f