An Escape to the Trail

So, with the end of the semester nearing, time has become a precious commodity.  It is not easy to come by, and when I do get some, I seem to fall asleep and wake up when it is time to start working again.  Because of this seemingly never ending cycle, I get tired, frustrated, and sick of school and work.  But when I do get to escape, when time allows me to get away, when I don’t procrastinate and am able to enjoy freedom, the feeling is one of relief and ecstasy.  A couple weeks ago (yes time has not allowed me to write this until now) all these variable fell into place.

The day started with a friend’s invitation to join him on the Appalachian Trail.  See, this friend, Dennis Carr, is hiking the entire thing, and this particular weekend he just happened to be coming through Roanoke, which is only an hour or so away.  So on Friday evening, I drove down to meet him so that we could start early the next morning.  It was one of those beautiful driving days.  Most of us know what those are like: sunny, but not to hot you have to crank the a/c, therefore allowing you to open the windows and get that “blow on my sunburn” coolness that epitomizes the beginning of the warm season.  After the beautiful one hour drive, I met Dennis and his wife at a wonderful southern restaurant called the Homeplace.  If you don’t like southern food, this is not the place for you.  Here you just name what meats you want, and they bring the rest–baked and green beans, potatoes and gravy, cornbread and biscuits, and sweet tea and homemade lemonade.  It was quite good, and a change of pace from my recent backslide to bachelor cooking.  It also prefaced my sleeping habit well.

However, the real escape came the next day.  The section of trail we hiked is quite popular, but surprisingly we didn’t encounter many hikers–I prefer that…maybe we beat them?  Anyways, the day was going to consist of 20 miles, a long day by my standards, and I was quite worried about keeping the pace, for Dennis is both quick and strong (not to mention he had been doing this since Georgia).  However, I held up pretty well to my surprise, at least until the 19th mile, but nothing that time and rest would not heal.

The hike itself was marked by three great landmarks.  The first is McAfee’s Knob.  A popular destination that attracts people from around the area for a short day hike, one can see it in almost any AT magazine or book, and its popularity is well-deserved.  We got 180+ degree views of the area clear into West Virginia!  It was remarkable, and truly was a great escape from the paintings and TV view I had had in my apartment for a few weeks until then.  The second landmark, Tinker Cliffs (mi. 15), was just as stunning, but in a different way.  The expanse of the view was smaller; however, it afforded us the luxury of seeing McAfee’s Knob in the distance and the ridge-line we had hiked from it.  This made for a natural and beautiful place to replace the calories that had happily escaped, and which I much needed to finish the day.  The last landmark was a large reservoir, of which I do not know the name.  The amazing thing about this reservoir was not so much its beauty (although that itself is indescribable), but the fact that at McAfee’s Knob we could barely see it because it was so far away, and at the end of the day we walked right past it, finishing on the other side.  It gave me quite a large feeling of accomplishment walking that far, and was a feeling I have only had a few times hiking.

After the hike was over, once again, we met up with Dennis’ wife and ate at IHOP.  This is one of the other things besides escaping that I like about hiking–if you do enough of it, you can eat about anything you want, and Dennis did, and I did!  After a stack of New York Cheesecake Pancakes and some bacon, it was back in the car…another beautiful drive to begin another week.

As I said, this particular trip was nice for it gave me an escape from Lynchburg and work and school that I much needed.  In a way, it was as much spiritual as it was physical.  For me, the outdoors is one of my greatest teachers.  Every time I venture into it I am reminded at how amazing God is.  So much of the time I wait for him to work supernaturally, and forget as Donald Miller states that the natural is supernatural.  That the very presence of a breeze on top of a cliff or a sunset is just as miraculous as a healing.  It is this fact that compels me to the trail, to the cliff, to the water.  It is this that provides an unknown, an idea, an explanation of who God is.  And it is this that will forever keep me anticipating the next time the outdoors will beckon me into her arms…perhaps tomorrow…if I have time.

Here are some pics from my trip.  The first few are McAfee’s Knob, the last is at lunch on Tinker Cliffs.

To Christ within,

Craig

Expansion of Creativity

There is something about beauty that I am drawn to every time I see it.  I can’t really define what that is, but upon seeing it, I know.  But I think that’s a good thing.  Maybe beauty isn’t meant to be defined.  Maybe it’s supposed to be abstract, and untamable.  I think I’m okay with that.  Maybe its supposed to be mysterious so that when we do recognize it, it teaches us something new every time.  I had two such experiences over the last few weeks.  The first visiting the Virginia Tech campus, and the second reading a poem written by a friend.

So, as I stated, I drove through the VT campus the other day in Blacksburg, Virginia.  It’s a school that I came close to attending, and it’s beauty is magnificent.  I was going to study architecture there, and therefore, my love of it is great.  To me, there is nothing like looking at a spectacular building and taking in all it’s details, lines, and messages.  Tech’s campus offers plenty to look at then.  The hokie stone, the gothic lines, and the old style exude creativity and magic.  It’s quite inspiring in a way that I really can’t describe, but seemed to spark my creative mind which is always an enjoyable experience.  So take time to visit the campus there, or if that isn’t a possibility, take a drive through an old section of your town, look at a spectacular building, and be inspired!

My second recent experience of beauty was reading a poem by Briony Skerjance.  I attached it below and more of her creative brilliance can be seen on her blog: http://brionyskerjance.blogspot.com.  I must confess, generally I am not a fan of poetry at all.  However, I got to reading this and could not stop.  It was a beautiful representation of where I sometimes find myself in life–being caged by other’s expectations–and I think it’s safe to say most if not all of us have at one time experienced this frustration.  But I will let the beauty of her words speak for themselves.  This is it below…

To Christ within,

Craig

A Short Time for a Big Change

Wow…it has been quite sometime now since my last post.  Please forgive me for my disregard.  I am embarrassed to even mention the end of camp and the conclusion of one of the most wonderful times of my entire life in Nordegg.  I hope that those who have spoken to me since my return have heard my stories, and maybe at some later time I will address them here.  But until then I will leave them unsaid.

While it has been a long time between posts, in the scope of life six months is a relatively short span.  And in that short time, my life has taken a dramatic change.  Upon returning from Canada my relationship with my girlfriend ended, I have obtained and resigned from a church position, and modified much of my outlook on life.  It has been quite the journey to use my blog’s title.  But through it I have become much the better in my opinion.

While much of the changes were difficult to seemingly impossible on the hardness meter, they have been very rewarding.  The old friends and new friends I have been able to grow closer to during this time have had rewards that words don’t describe.  Just this weekend I drove to Asheville, North Carolina with my home church and stayed with a great friend.  He and I reconnected and were able to talk about past trips, current life issues, and school (he is now a freshman at Virginia Tech).  It was phenomenal.  Other changes have brought rewards as well.  The church position that I have had gave me ample ministry and professional experience for my future positions that will not be overlooked.  Overall, while hard, the changes have been worth it at every level.

This post is hard to write.  I’m sitting in a Starbucks in Johnson City, Tennessee, waiting to visit another old friend.  My mind is trying to relive the past six months and I could literally write for days on end to tell you the stories and events that have transpired, but I must limit myself.  As I said, hopefully I will be able to explain them in person or in later posts, but until then, thank you for reading…again.  The next post will not be so delayed.

To Christ within,
Craig

Junior High Wilderness Camp

Well one more camp is now behind me.  This one I had the priviledge of cabin leading and getting to spend a lot of time with the kids.  It was exhilirating, encouraging, and exhausting all at the same time.  You see, these were junior high kids.  Kids with a whole lot of energy given a place where they can spend it, and boy did they.  I had a great group of unique young guys that had a ton of energy and a ton of fun.  They came from all different backgrounds and places (including France) which made getting to know them and getting to see them know each other a whole lot of fun throughout the week.

The week itself went without any major incidences; however, the weather threw us for a loop everyday.  Monday was climbing and rappelling and rain was pooring down the rocks making it quite hard for them to send the routes.  It also made anchor clean up (my job) a very wet one.  But many of the kids had not done either activity and the rappelling especially pushed their mental limits, but it is always rewarding seeing the kid that is scared breathless stepping over the edge, leaning against the rope, and sliding down a cliff.  What is more rewarding is the smile at the bottom after a successful first rappel.

Tuesday started out as a rainy day, but by the afternoon we had great weather which made whitewater canoeing great.  Now, I’m not going to lie, six out of eight of my campers were just plain awful at paddling and even more steering.  I think we may have had the record for the longest trip down that particular section of river.  But all is good.  We had a blast.  Yes, they may have been constantly hitting the shore or doing spins down the rapids, or even the more than occasional tip, but they were great at laughing it off and carrying on.

Wednesday was our biking day and it was not much of one.  The day brought buckets of rain and not much enthusiasm for being on wet, single track, rooty trails.  I didn’t blame them though, I wasn’t too excited either.  So we came back early and let them do the lake jump on our dock.

Thursday and Friday we did an overnight hike to Allstones Lake and Allstones Peak.  It was a beautiful area marked with a lot of rain on Thursday night but great sun on Friday.  Probably the highlight of the night was putting the campers to bed early.  Why?  Because there were ten smelly guys huddles under one small tarp for hours cooking dinner and hanging out.  But the thing was I was the only one with a watch so we kept telling the campers it was later than it was.  So at about 7 pm we told them it was time to hit the tents because it was 11 pm and they bought it.  Wow!  That made the small tarp for 10 large for 2.  So Tim (the other staff member) and I just hung out and were able to talk about ministry and God and our futures.  It was quite nice to get that evening to just chill and have a chance to talk.

On the spiritual side of things, most of my campers were not Christians.  Many of them however were very curious.  One camper in particular (Corbin) asked questions the entire week about God and the Bible and I even got to show him how to look passages up in the Bible.  After that he was constantly asking where the Bible says…  It was awesome to get that opportunity to point him to God’s Word for him.  Also, Kyle, another camper was honest enough to say that he thinks he believes but wants God to show him a sign of some sort to know for sure.  It’s awesome to know that these young kids are at least thinking about these things and seeking him in some way.  It’s also good to know that God meets us where we are and can bring them to him at any time.  So I would ask that you would pray for Corbin and Kyle that God would show himself to them so that they would know him and his salvation.  Other campers that you could pray for are Hunter, Maxime, Tyler, and Trevor, all of which I do not know Christ.

On a very sweet note, Carlene, which I mentioned in the Senior High Camp post wrote one of the staff and said that she has given her life to Christ.  How awesome is that!  She said that it has brought many people closer to her and some of her friends have persecuted her for it.  Therefore, I ask that you pray for her strength in this critical time of discipleship and that someone would come along that would teach and mentor her so that she may become a woman of God.

Thanks all for reading and staying up with me.  Thanks too for the prayers and the thoughts.  It’s great to see planting and growing and harvesting happening.  Pray for all three.

To Christ within,
Craig

Senior High Wilderness Camp

The first week of camp is over.  It was amazing.  God brought so many cool, new, and unique people from all over the world this week to Frontier Lodge and it made it quite an exciting week.  The only unfortunate thing about it was not being able to be with the campers more.  You see, every camp is assigned cabin leaders and those staff get to do the programs with the campers all week.  This leaves very few staff needed to run the programs so if you are not cabin leading, you are mostly working around camp.  But I did get the opportunity to go one day climbing with the group and I got to spend every evening hanging out, playing games, and going to campfire with the group, so it was a lot of fun.

One of the highlights of the week was going climbing with the group.  There was one guy especially that made the day great.  His name is Sandy and he was absolutely terrified of heights.  We had two ropes set up to climb and he started up the first only to make it about 5 meters off the ground and then asked to come down.  A little later he got on the second rope and actually made it to the top with a lot of coaching and encouragement.  But at the top he really got scared.  I think it was the leaning back on the rope and letting go of the rock that messed with him.  Psychologically, it is hard to let go, but once he did he did well.  But that was not his biggest gain of the day.  We had a 40 meter rappel set up and most of it was free (meaning you are just hanging on the rope without your feet set against the rock).  He was so terrified, but he did it.  It took him a long time to do it, but he did, and the smile on his face of accomplishment was matched by none during the day.  That is all he talked about.  Then he even managed to come back and finished the climb that had stopped him earlier.  It was awesome to see that sense of trust, accomplishment, and joy wrapped up into one camper that afternoon.

Another highlight of the camp was meeting some of the campers from out of Alberta.  There was one guy named Hector from the Yukon Territory and he had a pretty awesome story.  He is actually staying for the next 4 months to do our Ascend Program, a Bible school/Adventure program geared for college aged students.  There were also two girls that were really cool, Carlene and Coline.  I was sitting at registration when I met Carlene, a scared girl unwilling to come.  After talking to her she had never been to a camp or away from home before and had never done any of the activities that we do here.  But at the end of the week, she was doing everything and was totally involved with camp life.  It was great to see her attitude transformed.  Coline is from Martigues, France.  It was cool getting to learn about a new culture with her while she was experiencing outdoor Canadian culture.  She did great in all the activities and was a joy to be around (quite the joker too).

So, that was Senior High.  By the time you get over that camp, a new one begins, however.  Today starts Junior High camp.  I am cabin leading for this one and will be busy in activities all week.  But I am so excited to meet my campers and get to invest in them for one week of their lives.  It will be quite the experience.

So as I go I will ask that you be praying this week for our camp.  Please pray for me as I get to answer questions and speak to the campers this week.  Also pray for the campers that they will have open ears to what is being said and will be transformed in some way this week.  Please pray for the campers that I mentioned from the Senior High camp as well.  Hector is a Christian so please pray that he would grow while being here for the semester.  Carlene and Coline are not so please pray that someone would come into their lives that would be clear with the gospel and help them grow as young believers.  Thanks so much.

To Christ within,

Craig

Summer Staff Training

Well, spring has officially ended at Frontier Lodge with the conclusion of the last of our group retreats and camps coming on last Saturday.  Summer then officially began for us on Monday with the beginning of staff training.  Monday was full of logistical information, much of which we had previous knowledge for.  It was primarily for the two new staff as well as a short review for us.

Tuesday started the fun stuff though.  We began by loading the canoes and going to the lower section of the North Saskatchewan River to do some whitewater canoeing and whitewater rescue training.  It was awesome.  There were eight boats and most made it down the 24 km without going over.  However, there was the select few that tipped.  The first were two of our female staff, Laura and Ari.  We were on a flat section of river and Laura was trying to do a headstand on the gunnels of the canoe, but she fell forward, kicking Ari in the back and out of the canoe causing it to tip.  It was quite the sight to see and the staff definitely enjoyed watching the two gasp after emerging from the coldness of the water (and the embarrassment).  The only other tip was with Jonas and Ben, who tipped after the bow paddler lost his paddle midway through the most technical rapid.  But all was good.  They both enjoyed a cold dip and kept going.  But the whole experience was fun.  I was able to learn a lot about reading whitewater, currents, and depths, and was able to put it into practice by paddling the stern for the day.  I must say, it is quite different than whitewater rafting, which allows for more error because of the boat design and width.  With canoeing, too much water intake through the waves spells disaster, somehow our boat stayed pretty dry (most by bailing after each successive set of rapids).

The next training exercise was a overnight hike and camp set up on Wednesday to Thursday.  It was a beautiful night and we got a great view from Mt. Coliseum of the surrounding area and even Fish Lake.  We learned skills such as proper hiking safety and communication, bear precautions, and group camping while leaving no trace.  But one of the main things about the overnight that was beneficial was the amazing time to be with the staff.  Upon the start of camps, staff bonding time will be at a minimum and it was good to be able to sleep under the stars with some of the guys before that happens.

Friday was simply a work day.  We cleaned a lot to get ready for the upcoming camps and made sure the cabins were in top shape.  When that was done, so was my week.  Since then it has been a lot of laying around with the occassional run or bouldering workout.  However, the intensity of the summer camping schedule is now in full force.  Even while writing this campers are arriving for our first of two camps, Senior High Wilderness Camp and Level 3 Downhill/Freeride Mountain Biking.  The staff is excited and we are ready for this!  The training week was nice and relaxed, but it is nice to see students coming again.  Seeing them green and not knowing what to expect will be humorous after tomorrow when they face the rappeling cliff or huge waves of the river.  But that is what we are here for, so we can teach them through those experiences.  That is what I most look forward to.

So, in closing please pray for these two camps.  I will not be working heavily with these ones, as much as the coming weeks, but I will get a few days in with them.  Please pray for the staff that they will know what to say to the questions and topics that ask or bring up and that there lives, perspectives, and eternities will be changed this week.  Thanks so much in advance and for reading the blog.  Check out the pictures if you get a chance!  They are on the links to the left.

To Christ within,
Craig

Four Days of Adventure

Well, another week has gone by and it gets faster and faster as the summer wears on.  This week went especially fast as I was out backpacking from Monday until Thursday.  It was great.  I guess the only downfall to going was not being able to spend the entire week with the students that were here from Colorado, but I’ll get to them later.  The backpacking trip was a scouting trip for a camp that Frontier does later in August called Heli-backpacking.  The camp will fly the participants and staff up to Michelle Lakes at about 2500 meters and drop them off.  From their they will go over mountain passes, through dense forest, and around beautiful alpine lakes.  Mine and Alan’s (the guide for the trip) goal was to try to find the trails over the passes and good places for the group to make camp and eat.  However, we did not get the luxury of being flown to the top.  So, our journey started on Monday from the roal at about 1300 meters.  We followed a canyon and then valley up through what was forest, but in the past month had succumbed to a prescribed burn from the forestry department.  That is all fine except for the fact that many places were still either smoldering or flaming and much of the trail was covered in fallen timber which made it difficult to navigate and weave through with a 40 lb pack.  However, we made it to tree line at about 3 pm (we started at 9).  Then we had to continue going up until we dropped over the first day’s pass and down into Michelle Lakes (the starting point for the group).  Here we made camp (about 6:30), but it was not comfortable.  The lakes were frozen and all around us were fields of snow that was beginning to melt, causing the ground to be soft and wet.  Everywhere you stepped your footprint immediately filled with water from the ground and being above tree line there was no firewood.  So, the first night was cold and wet and occasionally filled with the nearby boom of an avalanche, but we survived. 

The second day of our hike was easier, but still no cake walk.  We began by breaking camp and then immediately we were faced with a long wet stream crossing.  Seeing as my boots are not waterproof after submersion, I decided to put on my camp sandals and wade across.  It was only about anke deep, but the water was probably snow just a few days or hours before, so it wasn’t pleasant.  After that we booted up and ascended our second day’s pass.  This was even higher than the first and required a little bit more technical decision making.  But after topping out we had a great view, mountains as far as your could see and waterfalls coming off cliffs in every direction with the snow laying between the trees in the valley.  We quickly descended into tree line to meet a lot of snow.  Waist deep snow.  But we eventually found the trail that led us to our second camp site, halfway up the next day’s pass.

The next day was probably the most uncomfortable I have ever been backpacking.  The pass before us consisted of a huge snow field with many streams running underneath.  It made it quite nerve wrecking walking on top of the snow and wondering when you would post hole up to your waist.  Then, when that happened many times your foot struck snow melt streams and was instantly cold.  In fact, there were some streams the snow was so shallow over top and the streams were so wide that we had to cross on our hands and knees so we wouldn’t fall through.  It was one of the sketchiest things I have ever done.  But once we got past the snow fields we moved quickly over the pass and into the valley where we met a trail that took us to Pinto Lake.  At the lake we had one last obstacle.  A river crossing coming out of Pinto where the water was about knee to waist deep.  Once again, we took off our boots and had to wade across, finishing on the other side of the bone numbing water we made camp for our last night.

The last day was probably the easiest.  We had to climb a few hundred meters out of the valley and into the boundary for Banff National Park.  The only real obstacle on the trail was one section of snow cliffs.  Here the snow was steep.  Steep enough to call a scramble if on rocks.  So we lowered our trekking poles and had to kick steps into the snow.  After that it was smooth sailing into the park and down to the parkway finding our car on the other side.  It was quite the adventure and some of the most challenging yet rewarding terrains I have ever seen, and now know intimately.

But as I said, while we were gone, there was a group from Colorado here.  And when we returned on Thursday we got to spend some time with them.  They were awesome!  Every night they did a camp fire and three students would share their testimony and then after that all the other students would give them encouragement either about their testimony or about the courage they displayed in the week’s activities.  It was a really cool time to see students so passionate about God and each other.  It really excited me about the impact we are having and the impact that I will get to have soon being a youth pastor. 

So, there is another week down.  It was the last week of the spring retreat season and next week starts summer staff training.  It will be a low key week with one day on the river and one day doing an overnight somewhere in the area with the other staff.  Other than that it should be restful so the staff will be restored for the senior high camp that starts the next week.  After that it’s in high gear for the remainder of the summer.  So please pray that I and the other staff will be restored during the next week so we can maintain the demanding schedule that will come after training.  Also pray for Megan and the family back home that they will know God’s comfort while I am gone.  Thanks in advance for the prayers.

To Christ within,

Craig

Time to Relax

Hey everyone, as I said earlier this week things have been busy.  However, since Thursday, it has been relatively slow at camp.  On Thursday I was off with Jonathan, one of the German staff members and there were no groups in so we were able to go down to the dock on Fish Lake (the lake on which the camps sits) and relax.  It was a beautiful day here, sunny and warm (about 75 degrees) but the water was cold.  It was nice though to relax and lay in the sun.  It reminded me a little of laying on the dock at South Holston save the jetskis and motorboats.  We did get to hear other sounds though.  There was quite an orchestra of trout jumping, loons calling, and the occasional splash of an osprey swooping down to catch its dinner.  The scenes were quite amazing to watch.

Friday was another slow day at camp.  A men’s retreat came for the weekend, but they don’t require too much attention and seem to be content on their own without staff around.  That makes it nice because even on work days we can come back to our rooms and relax, and not have to worry about spending time with students until 11 pm.  Not that I am complaining about that, it just gets wearisome sometimes.  But for Friday’s work I was able to relax as well and do something I love.  I actually was able to design the new camp sweatshirts.  It was good to get my creativity working again and maintain the computer skills for design.  So that was fun.

Next, today came.  In the morning I worked in the kitchen and this afternoon I went with the men’s group on a bike ride.  Let me tell you, these guys were fast.  I was the sweeper as usual and we were moving through the trails.  We did some cross country, but mainly just singletrack and downhill which has done a number on my legs.  I’m sure tomorrow will come and my quads will tell me not ever to do that again.  But all is well.

The summer is definitely coming fast.  Next week will be our last group for the spring and then next will be summer staff training.  Actually Monday will be the one month mark being up here.  Gosh, time has really flown.  However, it’s too bad because next week is a group from the states but I will be scouting new trails.  Actually it will be quite fun but I will miss out on the campers.  Alan, the backpacking guru of the camp and I will be scouting a trail that will be later be used for heli-hiking camps.  It is where a helicopter will drop a group off above tree line and they will then hike the ridge for three days and nights.  However, Alan and I do not have that luxury.  We start Monday morning  at the road, hike up to the helicopter landing site, and then procede to hike what the campers will do, ending on Thursday.  It will be tough, but I have seen pictures and if they are anything to go off of, it should be beautiful alpine scenery.

So, thanks for reading.  Please continue to pray for me.  Sometimes it’s tough to be here and away from home.  Pray that God will give me focus on the task at hand.  Also pray for me this week with the backpacking for safety and fun.  Lastly, continue to pray for Megan and all the family back home that miss me.  Pray that God will comfort them until I get back.  Thanks so much in advance.

To Christ within,

Craig

Enjoying God’s Creation

Hello everyone, I hope this finds you all well.  It has beeen a very busy week in Canada.  We have had two groups and will have three this week.  But before I get into the groups I wanted to talk a little about last Monday.  That Monday at Frontier Lodge was prayer day.  We packed up our backpacks with some lunch and our Bibles and journals and went to a recreational area close to here and dispersed.  We were encouraged to do what our director calls “SWEEPS.”  It is sleep, Word, eat, exercise, pray, and lastly serve.  He gave us an example from 1 Kings, when Elijah, after defeating the prophets of Baal went and did this process to renew his strength for ministry.  So, SWEEPS is exactly what we did.  We went off on our own and slept, ate, exercised, prayed, and read.  It was exactly what I needed.  I was able to speak to God about things that were on my heart, and He was able to speak tome through His Word.  It was very refreshing.  So many times we pray and read, but for no purpose or without the fervency that is deserves.  Monday was a day where I was able to focus totally on the communication between me and God and it was great.  I encourage everyone reading to make time and spend with God doing the SWEEPS method.  Take time to rest before God and then listen for His voice in the stillness of your day.  He will be faithful.  Will you?

Now, on to some of the groups.  Our first groups this week was from West Edmonton Christian School and they were all ninth graders.  It was a fun group; however, I only got to do one day of programming with them.  On Friday, we went to Wapiabi caves about thirty minutes drive away from camp.  It was a long hike and our group set the camp record for the fastest time up the mountain, 1:47.33.  They were moving!  At the top of the mountain there is a cave.  We all suited up and went down.  At the bottom of the cave, we turned off all the headlamps and it was utter darkness.  We also ried to remain as silent as possible.  It was a very powerful experience.  You could not see anything and it was silent.  It reminds me of the darkness that we all are or were once a part of.  We were all lost completely in our sins and were hopeless to save ourselves from it, just like in a dark cave without light.  Then Jesus saved us!  It reminded me of Colossians 1:13 which says, “For He [God] rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”  While we were in that moment, one of the other staff, Phil, shared how Jesus is represented by our headlamp, being our guiding light our of darknesss.  It was great for the campers.  It was also great for the staff because on the long hike down we were able to talk to them about their stories and how powerful our salvation really is.

Our second group was even better.  They came on Friday and left on Sunday.  I hosted the group so I was with them all of the time and they were great!  It was a public school seventh through ninth grade group that came in green to outdoor sports and left proud and accomplished.  They had some great kids and they were all participating in everything which is very nice to have.  On Saturday, I was even able to share the gospel with them in the morning before we all left for the day.  Sunday, however, was the best day.  We went on a moderate hike that was quite a stretch for some of the students.  In fact, two of the girls stayed back with one of the staff about mid-way through the hike because they were just so tired.  But after returning to camp, Jonathan, the staff member that stayed back said that these two non-Christian girls were talking about how they were glad they got to stay mid-way because they could enjoy God’s creation.  How awesome is hat!  It is great to hear that the things we are doing and saying are making a difference in the lives and hearts of these students.  Other students talked about how this was one of the greatest experiences of their lives and that they loved the challenges and accomplishments they made.  This is so encouraging to hear and makes it so fun to be around the students.  Some of them even expressed interest in returning to some of our summer camps.

So, as I wrap this week’s report up, I would just like to ask you to pray for some things.  First, pray for the Christian groups that came that their faith would be real and exciting to them.  Secondly, please pray for the public school group that came that their hearts would be open to the gospel and they would realize their need for a savior.  Pray especially for Jaclyn and Barbara, the two that stayed back and “enjoyed God’s creation.”  Just that simple statement means they at least caught on to our goal and purpose here at Frontier.  Pray that they would come to know Jesus as their personal savior though.  Lastly, please continue to pray for me as the longevity of my stay is becoming more and more real and the ongoing nature of camp ministry is beginning to take its toll.  I also don’t have a day off until Thursday (which will make one week straight of work without a day off) so please pray that God will renew my strength.  Also pray for Megan and my family as the longevity of my stay is becoming more real to them as well and that God would comfort them in my absence.  Thank you all in advance for your prayers.

To Christ within,

Craig

The Ball is Rolling

Hey all, I know it’s been a week or so since I last wrote on here, but I have been extremely busy. Let me try to fill you in on what all I have been doing. At the end of my first week here we had about 25 campers. During this time I went hiking, biking, and climbing with them. It was weird at first because I had know idea about the trails and procedures but I have quickly grown accustomed to them and know am pretty comfortable. I want to tell you about one camper though in particular. His name is Nathan and he is from Edmonton, Alberta, and he only has one hand. His left arm is cut of in between the elbow and wrist. However, that did not stop him at all. I had the opportunity to climb and bike with the guy and there was absolutely no quit in him. During climbing we had three ropes set up and the climbs are roughly 45 to 60 feet high, but each one has a slight overhanging ledge at about 30 feet up. So Nathan tied in and started to climb. The rock there is very rough so he would get one grip with his right and get some good footholds and use his stub for balance. His first attempt he made it about 15 feet up. We asked if he wanted to continue and he said that he was proud of himself and how far he had gotten. A couple minutes later he came to the second rope and told me he wanted to make it to the ledge. So he tried again and came about 10 feet short. About thirty minutes later he came to me again and told me he really wanted to touch that ledge. So we tied into the third rope and he started climbing. About half way up to the ledge, everyone in the climbing group started to cheer him on. He came to a difficult section and seemed stumped, but he made one more move and reached with all he had to touch his goal. As I lowered him down I could not help but to be awed by this kid’s persistence and determination. Here is a kid with what the world would say was a handicap, but he did not look at this way. That day he did everything the other campers did, including downhill mountain biking, and he probably accomplished more than anyone. He is an awesome testimony of how determination and persistence can help us reach our goals. I just thought that was one cool story that everyone could benefit from.

So on Friday the groups left. Then during the weekend, I went to Jasper National Park to climb with some of the staff members. This park is absolutely beautiful. The mountains are grand with their snow that contrasts beautifully with the green pines of the valley. On the drive to the campground we saw glaciers, icefalls, and wonderful wildlife, including bighorn sheep, deer, elk, and a black bear. We also visited the town of Jasper, which reminds one of a old Bavarian town. That weekend, we climbed for the evening on Saturday and all day on Sunday then we returned to Nordegg and camp.

Monday meant a new group and new kids. This group was a little different because they stayed off the camp grounds and that meant a lot more traveling and planning for the staff which took its toll on me. During Monday and Tuesday I felt quite sick, but I have since recovered. On Wednesday, a new group came and stayed until yesterday. This was an awesome group that put up with a lot. I say this because on Wednesday, the second night of their stay, our camp lost all water. This meant that about twenty staff and about sixty campers were stuck without showers and having to use the outhouses. It was quite an adventure when ninth grade campers are lined up outside a wooden outhouse to use the restroom after returning from their day’s adventure. But he had it running in a day and the rest of the week went smoothly. The campers were great and many of them were very successful at the various events.

So that brings you up to date on the camp. We have another busy week ahead with a group of seventy and fifty coming in back to back. Please pray for our staff and management that we are strengthened and restored on our days off and in the evenings. The summer schedule is definitely kicked into gear and the ball has started to roll. Also pray for the campers that they would be willing to challenge themselves and participate in the activities and that during these activities they would gain insight into who God is and what he has created. Please pray for me as well. As I said I was not feeling good this week and I ask that you pray that my health would be fully restored and would stay well while I am here. There is not much time for rest so the body needs to be in good condition. Also pray for my emotions as well. I am off this weekend and Tuesday and Wednesday and it is hard just sitting around camp. I find myself severely missing home, family, friends, and especially Megan. I am two weeks in and it is great, but home is also something that is longed for. Pray that God would help me stay focused on the campers while maintaining and elevating my relationships back home. Thank you so much for those of you that are praying and reading and who have given me comments and feedback. I appreciate tremendously. It is great to hear from you.

To Christ within,

Craig