Where to Next?

I get the same question when I talk to people who haven’t seen me in a while. It is, “So… how is Colorado/North Carolina/Virginia/Ohio?” And to be fair, I have been transient these past few years. Let’s recap:

May 2013: Graduated from Liberty University. Go Flames!
May – September 2013: Lived in Norwalk, OH. Worked at Applebee’s.
September – December 2013: Lived in Andrews, NC. Student in the Outdoor Leadership and Discipleship (OLD) School program. Semester included travel to: North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Honduras.
January – June 2014: Lived in Lynchburg, VA. Taught mathematics at E.C. Glass High School, worked weekends at Applebee’s.
June – August 2014: Lived in Fayetteville, NC. Worked at Rockfish Camp & Retreat Center.
August 2014 – May 2015: Lived in Colorado Springs, CO. Taught mathematics at Sierra High School.
May – August 2015: Lived in Fayetteville, NC. Worked at Rockfish Camp & Retreat Center.
August – December 2015: Lived in Andrews, NC. Proctored (led) the 2015 OLD School semester.

This is a map, with the points all being places of residence:


Phew. Now imagine putting all that on job applications…

During the past semester, I had the good fortune of spending a lot of time reflecting and thinking. Nature tends to do that, especially with views like this:

I then found inspiration from an unlikely source: Hugh Laurie (aka Dr. House). Side Note: Listen to this. What a great pianist! Somebody shared this quotation:


This made me think about my long-term goals. I always considered it a “pipe dream” to start an outdoor, trip leading business. I considered it something that I would do in the distant future. Looking at this quotation gave me a question: Why shouldn’t I start my ministry now? What is holding me back?

As I thought about it, I answered my question in one word: FEAR. 

I am:
  • Afraid that I will fail. 
  • Afraid that I don’t have enough training. 
  • Afraid that I don’t have enough money. 
  • Afraid that I don’t know where to even begin.  

And you know what?  I could benefit from more outdoor skills training. I could use more money. I could rationalize never starting my ministry if given the opportunity. But I can't rationalize the undeniable truth that outdoor ministry is my passion, not school teaching

I then came up with new questions: Why shouldn't I start my ministry now? Why parlay what I should be doing to calm Earthly fears?  Again, I couldn’t answer these questions. I began to think about where I could start an outdoor ministry, and how I could finance such an endeavor.

Looking into it, I decided on a familiar place: Lynchburg, Virginia. Nestled near the Appalachian Trail and within a day’s trip to other outdoor pursuits, the location is great for an outdoor ministry. Further, I thought to my experience in college. I would’ve been all about an outdoor program in the Lynchburg area. (Sidenote: Liberty does outdoor trips, but they don’t do it from a teaching perspective like Appalachian State does. Check out App State's Outdoor Program's page)

The only remaining questions centered on a place to live and how to make a viable source of income. Once I decided on Lynchburg, I looked into apartments and townhomes. Hitting mostly dead ends, I stumbled upon an open room with two friends from my college years. I even roomed with one of them during my sophomore year. I talked to them about moving in. At a reasonable rate (and no deposit!!) I now have a place to live. Personally contact me if you'd like the address.

As far as money, I don’t have an answer to that one. I’ve applied to: 
  1. Substitute teach in three school districts. 
  2. 7 restaurants.
  3. Dick’s sporting goods. 
In addition, I’ll look into a nighttime pizza delivery job, soccer refereeing, (soccer is a spring sport in Virginia) and tutoring. I don’t know what will open up, but I will be fine financially. These jobs will allow me to pursue weekend trips and races.

If you’ve managed to read through this all the way, please pray. God will work everything out (cliché, I know, but true).

Thanks for listening and see you in Lynchvegas, Drenchburg, or as I’ll soon be calling it, home. You can catch me on the trails!

Jeremy Peterson

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