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http://steppingoutofthetent.wordpress.com/

The man who lives in a small community lives in a much larger world. He knows much more of the fierce varieties and uncompromising divergences of men. The reason is obvious. In a large community we can choose our companions. In a small community our companions are chosen for us.-Heretics, by G.K. Chesterton

Me and Ryan

Little Things Add Up

Oh boy! What a busy summer it has been. I have not been diligent about posting on my blog this summer, but i'm not really sorry about that. Instead, I spent my time building community and focusing on the ministry I had to my participants. Now, it's time to catch you up on what's been happening.

This summer started off with staff training where I led a couple of work shops as well as helped to lead our training trip into the Dix mountain region. Then I was privileged to lead a group of college students on a canoe trip through the St. Regis lakes area. This particular trip consists of lots and lots of portaging. Portaging is where you and a partner, carry a canoe weighing approximately 78lbs, down muddy trails, up and over hills, over rocks and fallen trees for a couple of miles. One day we even portaged more miles than we actually canoed. Needless to say, I reached my physical limit when I decided to carry my full pack of gear, weighing about 50lbs, and the canoe at the same time. But, all in all, it was a great trip full of challenges that helped our participants, as well as myself, to grow.

My next trip was another canoeing trip, but this time with fathers and their children. This trip was much less physically draining. It was a joy to see these fathers spend quality time with their children in this wilderness setting. Me and my co-leader, Ryan, spent a fair amount of time laughing and joking with them at our campsites, and enjoying the company of the younger participants.

Next came at trip to the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks. This is one of my favorite places. Lots of peaks. If you know anything about me at all, you know that I have an insatiable desire to get to the top of things. So, this trip was great! Also, i was able to see my first black bear. It came up to our lean-to right as we were finishing up dinner. My co-leader, Nathan, managed to scare it off by throwing a can at it. It came back a little while later to check out our bear cans where all of our food was stored, but i managed to scare it off again. (If you want to hear the full story ask me about this later)

My last trip was another one to the High Peaks, but this one began in the Western High Peaks. This itinerary is only done about once a year so I was privileged to get a chance to lead it. Our participants were incoming freshman to Gordon College. It was neat to see how fast the bond formed between our little group and before long we were a little community of 8 people traveling through the untouched wilderness living out God's truths on the trail.

I think the biggest lesson I learned this summer came from a poem that my friend John recited during one of our training sessions. It's called " The Power of Littles". Here is an excerpt from it.

Great events, we often find,

on little things depend

And very small beginnings

Have oft a mighty end.

Letters joined make words,

And words to books may grow,

As flake on flake descending

Forms an avalanche of snow.

A single utterance may good

Or evil thought inspire;

One little spark enkindled

May set a town on fire.

Our life is made entirely

Of moments multiplied,

As little streamlets joining,

Form the ocean's tide.

Our hours and days, our months and years,

Are in small moments given:

They constitute our time below--

Eternity in heaven

I am making it my goal this year to be very intentional with the choices I make. Knowing that every choice I make will reflect what I value. The little choices will add up to make me the person that I am, so I need to be more careful and thoughtful with those choices. I want to make choices that reflect my values and more importantly the things that God values.

So, my summer in the mountains has come to an end and now I am back in my wonderful beach house on the North Shore. I was sad to leave the community of people at base camp, but also very happy to come back to my community here in Gloucester. I missed my roommates, church, and of course the ocean.

May Trip

It has been awhile since my last update. Spring has flown by. Now, I am enjoying the start of summer with longer days and beautiful weather at the La Vida base camp in the Adirondack Mountains.

My journey to base camp begin on May 16^th with the start of our spring college trip. I had the opportunity to lead 10 college students on a 12 day excursion into the Dix mountain range. We started our trip with some ropes course challenges and a day of rock climbing. Then moved on to trail hiking, bushwacking, and day hiking a few of the high peaks.

The most memorable day was when we took a slight detour from our itinerary and bushwacked up a peak that we did not intend to climb. This hike began on a trail, but as the trail disappeared we began to navigate our way up through the trees and into the scrub pine. For those of you who have never experienced a hike through scrub pine, the best way I can describe it is that the trees literally push back. You find yourself running at the pine bushes and yelling “AHHHHHH” as you try your best to break through. In the midst of this very dense scrub pine, I suddenly see one of my participants dive into the bushes like he was attacking something, only to have him emerge with an iphone of all things. We call these pieces of gear that we find along the way “trail booty”. That day our “trail booty” consisted of; an iphone, a full nalgene bottle, and a fully functional camp chair. It was a good day. But, the most important thing that happened that day was seeing my participants live out God’s truth. When some of our group was getting tired I heard one of my participants quote Habakkuk 3:19 “The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.”

I heard them speak words of encouragement and words of praise to God as we summited the peaks.

This trip reminded me of why I am so thankful to work for this program. I was reminded that a La Vida trip can help people overcome addictions, feel God’s presence again, and help them to share the joy in their hearts with others. Of course, God really does all of these things for people. I am just thankful that he chooses to use me in some way to facilitate those things in these students. I as well, as all of my participants, learned some really profound things about living out God’s truth during these 12 days.

If you want to know more about my trip feel free to ask. I will be more than willing to share with all of you.

Level 2 Training

Saturday, in the 37 degree weather, we did a level 2 ropes course training. This was designed to teach us how to rescue equipment and people from a high ropes course. We climbed out on cables, rapelled ourselves down to "victims", transfered belays from one person to another, and chased away belligerent squirrels. Well....that last one didn't really happen but, our instructor warned us that we might have to deal with those kinds of things on our ropes course. Awhile ago, he was attacked by some squirrels and I think that has given him a tainted view of those little creatures.

The word "Belay" comes from a french nautical term that means to "hold fast".

Right before our training started our instructor read a passage from Romans chapter 12 the ESV version. It says "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. v 9-13

After all of that training I hoped that I learned more than just the technical ability to save someone on the course. I hope that I learned what it really means to "hold fast" to what is good and to value my brother/sister more than myself.

Sugar, Sugar, Sugarloaf!

Last weekend i took a trip up to Maine with my roommate Jill. We went to visit our friend Lucien whose family owns a house on Sugarloaf Mt, a popular ski resort in the northeast. We spent Saturday afternoon hiking on part of the Appalachian. The snow was a little deep in spots and as we were without any snowshoes, the going was a little rough. We would, at undetermined intervals, find ourselves with one leg stuck in the snow up to our thigh. It was like being in the "fire swamp". Trap doors in the ground that just sucked you in. About a quarter of a mile from the trail head we came across the trail registry. It was funny to me that the registry was so far from the actual start of the trail. Maybe, they wanted to make sure you were really serious about hiking this thing before you are official considered "on the trail". haha

Because the hiking was a bit rough we decided to set up the tent at a campsite that was only about a mile and half in. We dug out a perfect little spot for our two person tent, which we crammed three of us in. Spent the evening cooking our dinner and chatting and then hit the sack. All in all, it was a good to be out in nature and spend sometime with friends.

Lately I have been realizing the importance of personal communication in my life. It is so easy to read someone's blog or see things they post on the internet, but not interact with them about this information. So, i have made it a goal to try and either comment on the blogs that I read

or have a conversation with someone about the things they have posted. I challenge all of you to do the same. I would love to hear your comments and thoughts.

ADKs....

Last weekend i took a trip up to our base camp in New York. We did some snowshoeing up Cascade Mt. This hike usually takes 2 hours to do in the summer because of all the boulders that you have to navigate, but we did it in an hour and half. The snow actually made it easier to hike. It was great to get out into the wilderness again, even if it was only for a weekend. I really needed the sunshine and exercise. The winter dreariness was really getting to me.

Discovery

No, I am not on a deep journey of self discovery. At least, not right now.

I have signed up to be a senior instructor for an outdoor education class called "Discovery" or as those of us in the La Vida office call it, "Disco".

Yesterday, all of us instructors had a meeting with the director to go over logistics, schedules, and any other questions we had about our classes. At one point, someone asked how many students we would have in each class. The director said "Well, it's like corralling a bunch of wild cats. 150 of them". This is very true. This 10 week class is a core requirement for students, with the only other option being a 12 day trip into the Adirondack mountains. The majority of students choose to go on the 12 day backpacking or canoeing trip. But those, who for various reasons choose not to do that, this is the only other option. They have to pay for this class but do not get credit. You can see how this could breed an attitude of "Let me find a way to get out of taking this class." Even so, I am excited for the opportunity to get out of the office for awhile and have some more interactions with the students on campus. Our class will include; team building activities, low ropes, high ropes, and a weekend excursion into the White Mountains. All of which have the potential to be a wonderful, refreshing break from the office. Or, it could be as challenging and frustrating as corralling wild cats. We shall see...

Remember When.....

Today, I received an email entitled "Remember When..." This message came from the directors of Youth World, the mission that I use to work with in Ecuador. It was asking, those of us who have left Youth World, to remember significant things about our time as a part of that community. Things that happened to us, things that related the "culture" of our team, or significant events that are part of the Youth World history.

This gave me the opportunity to reflect on the seven years that I spent as a member of that amazing community.I reflected on the things I learned about my self, about others and about God.

I remembered the time when I sat in a room with seven other people to discuss what our mission statement at El Refugio should be. Choosing those words that have come to mean so much to me. Words that have shaped me,given me direction, and purpose. " To provide a training and retreat center which facilitates a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ through nature and outdoor adventure".

I also remembered a time when we choose the verse from Hosea 2:14-15 to put at the end of our video. " I will lead her into the dessert. I will speak tenderly to her. I will restore her fruitfulness and her valley of trouble will become a door of hope." That verse has always been a picture of how God has lead me in my life and given me hope.

There were many hard things about leaving the Youth World team. Leaving the ministry that I loved and people that had poured so much into my life. But, there is an even greater joy that comes with knowing God has provided a "door of hope"

A few more very fun things that I remember about my time in Ecuador are: riding in a thirty foot long dug out canoe through the amazon rain forest, taking care of a little wooly monkey that had to wear diapers and get fed a bottle a formula twice a day, taking rides on a chiva (basically, a bus with no sides and a band playing on the roof) waving flags, blowing whistles, and drinking from cups that were hung around our necks, making spanish mistakes which included; telling the cooks to beat up the hot dogs, asking if i could pee a pizza, telling the cooks to take everything and put it in a flag and stick it in the oven, and (my favorite) misunderstanding a worker who was trying to tell me we had a dead llama and thinking that it was a dead milk lady.

So, here's to all my Youth World friends. Thanks for all the laughs, for all the wise words and for sharing your lives with me. Enjoy the old photos!

30ft long dug out canoe on the Agua Rico River

Kidnapping Elizabeth Payne on her Birthday

(Nancy, Mike R, Elizabeth, Beks, Devin, Cameron, Me)

Devin sporting the apron and cooking up some good food

Cameron and Fabricio (our spanish professor)

My 29th Birthday

(Matthew,Ruth, Sarah, Beth, Paul, Jorge, Dan, Justin, Greg, Daniel,

Alisha, Andrea, Andrew, Christina, and Evan)

Me and Tammy

The Chiva Ride

(Russ, Austin, Me, Gabriel and Gina)

Snowshoeing and other winter activities

Brian sneaking under a branch

Whitney following close behind

The Equipment
Trying to make snow sculptures of people "emerging" from the snow
The beautiful woods. Oh, how I love it!
The " G kitties" in all their glory (Jill, Maia, and Caitlin)