Again, I've been terrible at posting! But in my defense, it's been a pretty crazy/traumatic week! Monday and Tuesday were great with the small exception that I've had a nasty cold since last Saturday. We went on a hike on Monday to a few lakes. I couldn't breathe well because of my cold, so I wasn't really concentrated on taking a lot of pictures! Sorry!
On Tuesday, we received two evangelism tools called Soularium and Perspectives. These tools provide a disarming way to start spiritual conversations and possibly transition to sharing the Gospel. If nothing else, it gets people thinking about what they believe, which in today's culture, is a big deal. The afternoon was spent playing kickball and volleyball as it was a beautiful day! I had almost forgotten how much I love volleyball. Our team ended up winning! That night we had men's and women's times, where the staff women shared a lot of their personal stories with us.
On Wednesday, things got interesting. Wednesday was the day we went white water kayaking. Now, if you know anything about Wyoming, you know that this is the time for Spring runoff from the mountains. So, we have watched the rivers swell with icy water for the past 2 1/2 weeks. I was really apprehensive about going, but everyone kept saying, "Oh it's no big deal. It's a lot of fun and it's really safe." So, I went. We got fitted up in wet suits and fleece jackets and a splash guard on top of that so we wouldn't get cold on the river. The wind started to pick up, so the rapids on the river were picking up with them. We got to the spot where we were going to start, and we practiced a little bit in a pond. My partner and I were feeling really confident, so when we got in the water and hit our first wave, I thought, wow there really was nothing to worry about. This is a lot of fun! So, we got behind our guide, and she hit the next even bigger wave. As soon as we hit it, I knew we were in trouble. We were tossed out of our kayak and plunged into the 40 degree water. It felt like it was forever before we surfaced, and we both struggled to get a breath. I looked around and realized I was about 40 ft downstream from my kayak. My partner managed to get right back in, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get anywhere near it. I honestly thought I was going to drown there in that river. Finally, the guide got to me and they pulled me back in the kayak. I was exhausted and couldn't breathe. But, we went on. Not ten minutes later, I found myself back in the icy water again really far from my kayak. Luckily, another kayak was near me and they pulled me in their boat. I was terrified when we hit the next rapid, but we made it through without flipping. Eventually, we pulled off to the shore, because at that point, just about everyone had been flipped into the water and was a little shaken up. Four of us decided that we had had just about enough white water kayaking to last us a lifetime, so we waited there while the rest of the group finished out the trip. A few hours later, I started noticing that I was really sore, and by the end of the night, I couldn't turn my head to either side. The nurse here at the camp says I pinched a nerve, so I've been popping advil like candy (according to her advice!) ever since. It's loosened up a bit, but still tightens up at night. I also kicked a few rocks in my effort to swim to safety, so I've got a couple nice bruises on my leg and foot. Moral of the story: DO NOT GO WHITE WATER KAYAKING. EVER.
Thursday was much more tame, thank goodness! In the morning, we learned about heaven. I didn't realize how much I didn't know about heaven until we started learning about it! Lisa, one of our project leaders gave the talk. She is so incredibly knowledgeable and communicates so well that it is impossible to leave without taking some gem of knowledge with you. Then, we were supposed to have a picnic lunch at a famous barn, but the weather didn't cooperate, so we went into town and ate lunch there. In the evening, we talked about personal development followed by a night of reflection. It was an excellent time to think about all of the things that I've learned here and how I'm going to apply them to my life after project.
Yesterday morning, we heard from Pastor Don, the creator of the Bible college that is located here at the lodge. He is really involved in an organization called Answers in Genesis (www.answersingenesis.org). They are a group that seeks knowledge about creationism and teaches it throughout the world. He spent three hours with us talking about the background knowledge we would need for his talks on Monday and Tuesday. Friday night was the "Jackson Hole-lympics." We played dizzy bat, chubby bunny, egg toss, trivia, and volleyball. Because I've been a little dizzy from my sinuses messing with my ears already, dizzy bat was disastrous, but hilarious. My team wasn't even really mad that I made them lose because I went in the wrong direction because it was really funny. We lost every event except trivia and volleyball. It was a blast.
Today, the men and women are taking different paths. The men ate early and went to play paintball while the women slept in a bit and had brunch. Later, we will be having a tea and then going to an art museum. While I'm not really a girly girl, I'm looking forward to wearing something besides jeans and a t-shirt. Then, we are meeting the guys in town for dinner. Tonight we will be going to the rodeo! I haven't been to the rodeo in years, so I'm really excited! I'll try to make a few more updates before we leave on Thursday. Can't believe it's gone by so fast!
No comments:
Post a Comment