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	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}Hannah Photo(1).jpg" style="width: 175px; height: 250px; float: right; " />&ldquo;Au Sable is a special place.&rdquo; I&rsquo;ve heard those words so many times. First from Paul Wiemerslage on my arrival as an intern this past spring as we hiked the woods, and again from our director, Fred Van Dyke when I participated as a student during the summer. Those words were lived out in friendships I&rsquo;ve gained. In the laughter of Dave Mahan and stories of Bob and Becky Barr. In the encouragement of Lynn Drew and Dieter Bouma, and in the hospitality of them all. This fall when the new interns came in I found myself saying those same words, excited and hopeful for them, eager for these people to discover it for themselves.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>
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	I arrived looking for wilderness, tired of cities and wanting a place of rest. In hindsight it wasn&rsquo;t truly cities I was tired with but rather the constant striving to be a success that seems to engulf so many people competing to find work.&nbsp; I had talents and skill but they needed to be honed and shaped and I had felt beaten in a place that only wanted me once I was successful but were uninterested in helping me get there.&nbsp; That is one of the pieces that makes Au Sable such a special place; the people here want to see you successful and care about you getting there, so they give you the very best of help, resources, and themselves to make it happen. I didn&rsquo;t know about that when I arrived. I was just headed into the woods, grateful that a door had been opened.</p>
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	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}IMG_2666.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 268px; float: left; " />The woods are another piece that makes Au Sable special. Untamed but gentle, they bathed me in filtered light as I would walk through them and seek God&rsquo;s presence. Creation is a gift that points to God, God uses it to help us open our hearts to Him. I would walk the woods and find rest, learning to be still, to cease busyness, to lay down my worries, to know that I was loved, in His plan, and where I should be. I love walking these woods. One memorable day I sat in an open field and watched in delight as butterflies and bees walked all over my hands and arms. I felt such a sense of joy and peace welling up inside of me that I burst out in laughter.</p>
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	Laughter is another thing that is special about this place. Most days I end up grinning about something, whether it&rsquo;s chuckling over a conversation with Lynn in the office, dancing with the kitchen dish crew, learning that true botanists really do slam on the brakes because they are just that eager for you to see a fern on the side of the road, or freaking out about the taxidermied coyote that Bob left for you to find in the middle of the night.</p>
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	A testimony to the specialness of this place is that so many come back and want to give back. Even as recently as the beginning of fall, alumni from Michigan to Minnesota have returned. They come to build up the people who are here with conversation, prayer, and friendship. Professors return again and again to spread passion and wisdom to new students often fostering and providing opportunities to them well beyond the summer at Au Sable. Some classes work to restore land while they are here while others work with the surrounding local community. The staff meet to pray for the people and the work being done here.</p>
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	<img alt="" src="{filedir_5}Hannah Blog.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 270px; float: right; " />One of my favorite pieces of Au Sable is watching the efforts of staff and interns unfold and being a part of that process. I&rsquo;ve assisted in teaching students and interns in the K-12 Environmental Education Program.&nbsp; I&rsquo;ve helped to develop curriculum for use in the future. I&rsquo;ve been part of innumerable conversations where we seek to build each other up with support and prayer. I worked with the staff on a project to improve our trail system for visitors and I appreciate the affirming support I receive from staff as I learn the stuff of grant writing, budgets, creative brainstorming, and collaboration.</p>
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	Now, as my 7-month adventure with Au Sable is nearing completion, I am leaving with the fullness of this special place.&nbsp; I have been served by the peace in the woods, by the people here who have taught, loved, and mentored me, by the freedom of using my skills [sharpening old ones and acquiring new ones], by friendships, laughter, and prayer. Au Sable is the type of place you want to take with you but more so the type of place you want to share with others once you know how wonderful it is. The words of Genesis 12:2 play thankfully in my heart, &ldquo;I will bless you so that you will be a blessing.&rdquo;</p>
