Beyond simply the happenings of the conference, there is a lesson we have learned that we want to pass along to you. In the spirit of Las Vegas, we want to encourage everyone to gamble. Now, we aren’t talking about gambling in the sense of throwing money away or acting irresponsibly. We are talking about the kind of risk taking that is involved when you truly feel like God is calling you to take action, to start a ministry, or to serve Him in some way. In so many ways, it’s a gamble of the heart. However, if you have taken the risk with a sincere heart and a lot of prayer, the odds are totally in your favor.

The honest to goodness truth is that we didn’t gamble a penny in Vegas, we were too busy. But, in so many other ways we have placed all our chips out on the table and bet on God’s grace and mercy and that he has called our friendship to this ministry. We are content with this wager because, no matter how the dice may roll, we will always have our faith and each other.


11.26.06
As we write this, we are smack in the middle of our October/November marathon. These last two months have easily been the busiest of our young ministry and we are exhausted, overwhelmed, energized and more committed than ever! If it's possible, in these past few months of our ministry we have only become closer friends and more in love with our faith and God. Thanks to all those churches and youth groups that we've hung out with these last few months. Here is a quick rundown of just a few of the highlights from the last month (it would take a novel to mention them all):

Preston had a great time helping out with the Smoky Mountain Deanery Search retreat, the team did an amazing job and the Searchers were awesome. He also had a great time dressing up like a Ninja Turtle with some of the crazy guys from the Our Lady of Fatima Youth Group for Halloween, you can check out some of those pictures on his myspace page. Yes, those costumes were made for ages 7 – 9, but we make them look good!

Tom had an amazing experience on his mission trip in Brazil; we encourage everyone to go to his Myspace blog entitled the "Hands of Christ." His life has truly been impacted for the better and he can't wait to get back out there and serve. In fact, he's already planning another trip to Mexico this spring. Tom has also booked some concerts at local coffee houses around Knoxville for December and January, so check them out and we hope to see you there. Don't be afraid to come by yourself, Preston will be at every show cheering on his best friend and drinking entirely too much caffeine, so you won't be alone.

Speaking of the "Hands of Christ", that was the theme of the amazing Diocese Youth Conference in Johnson City, TN with Steve Agrisano and Jesse Manibusan. We are thankful for all those kids that showed up to our workshop about international missions. Don't forget about our challenge, together we can change the world! We also had the added excitement of driving Jesse Manibusan two hours to the Knoxville Airport. We are so grateful to Jesse for being such a great mentor to us as we start our life of ministry. Jesse is an amazing friend and certified Catholic Ninja! We encourage everyone to check out his new DVD in the "trading post" section of our website.

Finally, you may notice that our website has a brand new look. Thanks to our dear friend Katie Wagner for taking pictures for us and for being an amazing inspiration of what it means to be a Christian.

Next stop Las Vegas, Nevada and the National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry. Pray for us!


10.18.06
If Tom and I had to point to a specific day that Hiking4Jesus was truly born, we’d both probably pick the Diocese Of Knoxville “Youth Leadership Institute (YLI)” in the summer of 2006. The following journal entries are from last summer, just following YLI, and were originally posted on our Myspace pages:

Well, my best friend Preston and I just spent an amazing week in Gatlinburg with the future leaders of the Catholic Diocese. These kids were simply amazing. It's awesome to see how God is present among us and how He's working through their lives. Preston and I had the chance to share our friendship and faith with so many. I think that after this week, we both feel validation from God and the future of our ministry. We keep saying we don't know where we're going, or where God's leading us. Of Course that's the same for anyone. If we knew where He was taking us, then it wouldn't be any fun. Let the adventure continue. Don't forget to tell your friends that you love them. You don't know when it will be your last. Pray for us. We love you! Tom

To the kids of YLI:
Almost a full week after our YLI experience has ended and I am still overwhelmed by the awesomeness of all the people I met. Tom and I have had many discussions since last Wednesday about how much each and every one of you touched our lives. If any of you have read my blog "writing my thoughts down" or Tom's "learning patience", you know that we are two friends who are often uncertain about what God calling us to so, or where our ministry is taking us. We both want you to know that this last week you all really and truly helped us to see a little clearer.

There are these amazing moments in life when the fog of uncertainty is lifted and for one moment, one shining moment, the path that God has set before you is clear. It seems to happen in an all too brief second and I find myself in that second both thrilled and filled with anxiety. On the one hand, I am shocked and delighted to see the path, but at the same time I try desperately to memorize the often-shrouded road for when the doubt filled fog surrounds me again. I don't let the finiteness of this moment take away from the transcendence of the truth revealed. I let it seep into me, every bit of me, like the summer sun on an upturned face...eyes closed with a lukewarm breeze. When I open my eyes in the twilight of the vision I am comforted, not by the road ahead of me, but by the people I see on the journey with me. Loneliness is the greatest danger of the fog filled vision. But now I see those who have gone before me and I take heart. Most importantly, I see those on the road with me and it reminds me that, if I feel alone, the rare crystal clear vision isn't something for which I need to wait. Instead, often times, I just need to reach out and find the hand of a friend. With my friend I can walk with confidence into the uncertainty.

Again, let me say "Thank You" from both Tom and me. Remember what we talked about in our workshop! This life journey is sometimes confusing and hard, but it is also a wonderful adventure. Thanks for being part of our journey and anytime you need us, don't hesitate to get in touch. Pray for us! Preston


10.15.06
We realized that if you started with our first journal entry on our website that you’d be coming in, in the middle of our story. In true George Lucas, Star Wars form, we’ve provided a few prequels. These journal entries were originally posted on your Myspace pages.

The first set of blogs comes from the beginning of the summer. In so many ways it was this summer that Tom and I finally started to surrender to the call to start our ministry. I think, looking back at these thoughts, you can really see the Holy Spirit working in our lives and the frustrations of two people struggling to answer God’s Call…

::Preston’s blog “Writing my thoughts down”::

Some of you may have heard the rumors that I'm considering writing a book. After hearing me speak at a church someone came up who does that kind of thing for a living and told me I should really consider writing my thoughts down. So here I am ...writing thoughts down .... I have no clue what I'm doing.

Ok, so I know that I’m not that old, but it’s the oldest I've ever been. I’m only a few months away from being 25. How is it that none of my mentors or friends warned me of the possibility of a quarter life crises? I had to hear it in a John Mayer song for goodness sake. It’s just that all my life I imagined 25 to be an age where I would, without a shadow of a doubt, have figured out the world. I thought with age inevitably comes wisdom. I'm not sure why I have held on to that childhood fantasy above all of the others, but if I'm honest with my self, I think I held on to that dream even into my college years. Such notions were all I had that first year at Maryville College when the idea of being out in the world on my own was overwhelming If I had any clue that a full three years after I had graduated I wouldn’t have all the answers it may have been entirely too much for me to handle.
This is not to say that I am completely lost. In fact, I'm the farthest from lost that I’ve ever been. I've been through an incredible journey and I have learned a great deal about my self and the world around me. As I look back on the people and events that have shaped my faith I am amazed and slightly confused at the many different ways God has chosen to reveal Himself. My best friend, Tom, says I over analyze everything and he’s probably right - of course to be sure I'd have to think about that a little more.

Actually, as I write this I am riding next to Tom in the car listening to music and feeling the steady hum of the road beneath us. We are somewhere just outside of Savannah, Georgia, where we just led a group of high school students from Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in a week of volunteer service and reflection. I realize in this moment that I am happy. So many times I have no idea of the larger picture and so I cherish when, in these very small moments, I feel that I am doing what God has called me to do. They are few and far between, but these are my favorite moments. I can't help but feel that all my trials and troubles and all those people in my past have led me up to these moments and our ministry, this ministry that seems to have come out of no where. At the same time that I am happy my heart is also hesitant. Who are we that we should be called to such a thing? Who are we that other people should care about what Tom and I think or say?

I'm ok with these questions swirling around in my mind. In fact, if there is a core concept of our ministry it is that we are imperfect and that, while we don’t have the answers, we have made the commitment to keep searching. Maybe that’s what I need to write about, my journey thus far. Maybe the story is about how I have found myself here, and how here is often the only place I’m sure of. Maybe the story is of how the struggles with the religion of my youth, my work with physically and sexually abused children and my travels abroad have led me to the faith I hold today. How I wanted so badly to see the world in black and white and ended up finding God in the grey. How I have moved from being a clueless freshman in college to, at best, being a clueless freshman in life. How God sent me a friend just as lost as me and made our separate pasts a common present. And, how God has taken stupid, broken us and asked us to use that brokenness to show forth his whole and complete love.

Here we are driving, like so many times before, with only a vague notion of where we are going, but enjoying the journey just the same because of our sincere, yet shaky, faith in God and in the friendship to which he has called us...

Pray for us, this is going to be harder than I thought.
Preston

:: Tom’s blog “Learning Patience”::

So, have you ever been going somewhere without knowing where you were going? Wanting to do something but not knowing how? Well, right now in my life, I feel that's exactly where I stand. For the past several months, I've been frustrated more than anything. Not because I don't enjoy my life, because I am extremely blessed. I feel as if I am being called to something greater and what that is, I'm not sure. Sitting here thinking about that really scares me. I've found comfort in life, but that comfort in the routine can get stagnant very quickly. I feel ready to break out of the calm waters and jump into to crashing waves of the future. I know that what and wherever it is, the love and presence of Christ will carry me.

I am confident that throughout the journey ahead, I'll have some great people by my side for support and to help keep me grounded. One of those people in particular is my best friend, Preston. Just when I feel like our friendship has touched the deepest part of my heart, we have another late night conversation and God brings us to an even deeper place. What a gift! We both feel that God is calling us to share our friendship. I can't wait to see where God takes us down the road. What will our ministry be named? Who will God have us reach? I don't know, but I'm ready! Pray for us!
TOM


10.11.06
Welcome to our website and our very first journal entry. Honestly, we’re not totally sure what this journal is all about. We have been blessed to meet so many people on our journey these last few months that we hope this space can be a way of keeping in touch and sharing what’s happening in our lives. This may even be a kind of behind the scenes look at what it takes to start a ministry from the ground up, not to mention random thoughts and reflections from, perhaps, the two most random guys around. Maybe it can be like that show on MTV, The Real World, except with morals and without a cool house (Although, Tom is saving up to build an amazing log cabin. Preston, on the other hand, will be living in his crappy apartment for the foreseeable future). We could even have a cool over lapping voice intro like:

This is the story (this is the story) of two best (of two best friends) called by God to start a ministry (by God to start a ministry). This is the real world…Hiking4Jesus!

For those of you that could read the above and actually hear the beginning of the Real World, congratulations! You watch entirely too much television. But don’t worry, you’re in good company- last Saturday we sat in the basement of Tom’s parent’s house and watched the entire second season of LOST, only breaking to go to the restroom, eat at Moe’s, and save a bunch of nun’s from a burning school bus (Ok, two of those are true). After 13 straight hours of watching the entire season, we discovered we had failed to rent the sixth DVD containing the last few episodes…we cried. .

See how much you are learning about us, already? The future looks bright, the possibilities are endless, so stay tuned. And please know that we love all of you, we pray for you everyday, but if any of you tell us what happened in that last episode of LOST then you are dead to us!