I will be asked this question many times in the next few weeks. It's harder to answer than you might think. For those who are looking for the short answer, I can do it in four words: "Awesome. Best trip ever." And they will be satisfied.
But for those who've been on mission trips, or for those with whom I have a spiritual attachment, that won't suffice. So I'll have to gauge how much of their time they may want to invest.
With Leanne,my massage therapist, it was easy. I had her undivided attention (or she had mine) for almost an hour;she asked lots of good questions and heard lots of details. For those who've read my email updates (now a blog at lampcanadaandusa.blogspot.com), I only had to fill in the blanks.
But what about the dear friend who asks in passing at church, "So - how was your mission trip?" I feel the question deserves an honest, detailed answer. It really was the best trip I've been on in five years, due in part to the awesome collection of people who went, and also to the lack of crises we faced.
I could talk about how team members' hearts were touched: how Tyler committed his life to Christ after campfire devotions one night, or how Jen spent several late-night hours counseling teens who were facing some difficult personal problems. Or I could tell how our teens discovered they could give their all one day, come back to camp emotionally and physically exhausted and sore from too many piggyback rides, and do it all again the next day, with more love and patience and smiles than they might ever give at home.
I could talk about arriving at our VBS site and finding kids already waiting for us, no matter how early we were, and how they would jump up and down with excitement, calling "Jon! Alisha! Alex!" and the ever-present "Piggyback!" or "Shoulderback!"
I could talk about the older VBS teens who would initially pretend just to be checking things out but could easily be talked into sitting down and working on a bead-gluing or cross-painting craft. And in the process, engaging in friendly (and sometimes deep) conversations. Or how one of the older guys was actually talked into going up front and helping Matt lead "The Hippo Song" on the last day!
I could tell about the tears - the sobbing, actually - on our last day, when we had to say good-bye. About Jessy and her new 4-year-old friend clinging to each other, tears rolling down both their cheeks. About how David's phrase "Only 360 more days til VBS" was heard spoken by many on that last day (except the one who muttered, "360 days? Dude, that's waaaay too LONG!").
I could even tell about the conversations on the way home, about the number of teens on our last night who admitted the week had changed their lives. About their comments like, "I know now that my parents make rules because they care," and "I never knew how easy it could be to talk about my faith," and "I didn't realize what an effect it would have on my own relationship with Jesus."
If I have the time, that is what I will say. But if I have to give a short answer, it's four little words:
Awesome. Best trip ever.
Sue Acuna
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Kitsegukla - Team from Tacoma, WA - Sun, 11 Jul 2010
Hello, Friends and Family,
We arrived here almost without incident - we had one near miss, but I'll tell you The Tire Story in a moment - and had camp set up by 10:30 last night (when it's still really light up here). Though the rain clouds were ominous, they apparently went AROUND us, and we saw only a sprinkle. This is what Pastor Bart Metcalf, our wonderful liaison in Hazelton, calls "the valley effect." We're thankful that God used it to shield us last night!
So - The Tire Story: After driving over 500 miles on Saturday, we pulled in to our destination, Williams Lake, around 6 p.m. After a stop at Fast Food row for dinner and gas, we headed up the hill to the church where we'd be staying. On the way up there, Mark noticed that the tire on the van in front of him had a serious bulge, what he called "a tumor." Derwin and Tony were getting the van jacked up when our church host friends told us they had BCAA (auto club) membership, so the BCAA put on the spare.
The next day I dozed while Matt drove. When I felt us slowing down, I sat up and looked around. Wondering what time it was, I pulled my phone out of my bag - only to discover Derwin was calling me. He asked where we were, and when I told him we were passing through Quesnel, he said he was just on the other side of town at a tire store, and he needed me to hand over the mission team credit card. We were literally 3 minutes away. Had I missed his call, we'd have been out of town and long gone, and he would've had to pay for it some other way. Also, though I was frustrated by our delay at the coffee shop earlier in the morning, it turned out to be just one more way for God to put us in the right place at the right minute.
Today we worshiped in New Hazelton at a 2-hour prayer and praise service, which really stretched the comfort zones of some of our kiddos. Then it was off to visit our villages. In Kitsegukla we split into 3 groups and - led by some of our VBS kids from previous years - went around the village inviting kids to VBS tomorrow. By the time our 3 groups got back together, we had a crowd of at least a dozen excited kids, many of them already riding on shoulders or piggy backs.
Everyone is healthy and scratching their mosquito bites! Life gets busy tomorrow; I'll update you when I can!
In Christ,
Sue Acuna
I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me. Ps. 6:13
We arrived here almost without incident - we had one near miss, but I'll tell you The Tire Story in a moment - and had camp set up by 10:30 last night (when it's still really light up here). Though the rain clouds were ominous, they apparently went AROUND us, and we saw only a sprinkle. This is what Pastor Bart Metcalf, our wonderful liaison in Hazelton, calls "the valley effect." We're thankful that God used it to shield us last night!
So - The Tire Story: After driving over 500 miles on Saturday, we pulled in to our destination, Williams Lake, around 6 p.m. After a stop at Fast Food row for dinner and gas, we headed up the hill to the church where we'd be staying. On the way up there, Mark noticed that the tire on the van in front of him had a serious bulge, what he called "a tumor." Derwin and Tony were getting the van jacked up when our church host friends told us they had BCAA (auto club) membership, so the BCAA put on the spare.
The next day I dozed while Matt drove. When I felt us slowing down, I sat up and looked around. Wondering what time it was, I pulled my phone out of my bag - only to discover Derwin was calling me. He asked where we were, and when I told him we were passing through Quesnel, he said he was just on the other side of town at a tire store, and he needed me to hand over the mission team credit card. We were literally 3 minutes away. Had I missed his call, we'd have been out of town and long gone, and he would've had to pay for it some other way. Also, though I was frustrated by our delay at the coffee shop earlier in the morning, it turned out to be just one more way for God to put us in the right place at the right minute.Today we worshiped in New Hazelton at a 2-hour prayer and praise service, which really stretched the comfort zones of some of our kiddos. Then it was off to visit our villages. In Kitsegukla we split into 3 groups and - led by some of our VBS kids from previous years - went around the village inviting kids to VBS tomorrow. By the time our 3 groups got back together, we had a crowd of at least a dozen excited kids, many of them already riding on shoulders or piggy backs.
Everyone is healthy and scratching their mosquito bites! Life gets busy tomorrow; I'll update you when I can!
In Christ,
Sue Acuna
I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me. Ps. 6:13
Team from Tacoma - Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:02:53 -0700
Hello all,
First of all, last night was the windiest, coldest night I've spent in my 5 trips up here. All tents have tarps over them, and those tarps were flapping like sails all night. Some of us had trouble sleeping through it, but not yours truly (Lori gave me some earplugs, so NOTHING bothered me). I'm happy to report that all the tents survived the storm (which, thankfully, did not include rain).
We had some good prep time this morning, including a chance to chat with Pastor Bart Metcalf, who lives up here and ministers to people in the villages we are visiting.
By 11:30 this morning all four teams had headed off to their respective villages. This evening each team reported in, and it sounds like everyone had a great day. Numbers in Kitwanga were low: only about 30 kids instead of their usual 60 plus. Apparently there are other camps going on in their neighborhood, so some kids went there instead. However, they still had great VBS time, followed by soccer camp (Brian Valley would like me to mention that he played a rousing game of soccer).
In Kitsegukla we had at least 71 - more came after we stopped writing down names. My team was a little nervous, so they rushed things a bit, but they did a really nice job. We found out when we got there that the main soccer field was unavailable, but Aunna took over the responsibility for finding an alternative field, and it all turned out well. Some of our team played soccer all afternoon while others entertained the younger ones with the jump rope and some sitting-in-the-grass games.
We've only seen one bear so far - and that was on Sunday when we visited Kitsegukla. He ran across the road several dozen feet in front of the van. The Kitwanga group saw 4 bears the same day - a mama bear and three cubs. Not that it's a competition or anything. . . Other than that we've seen a few eagles but nothing else. We'd REALLY like to spot a moose!
Tonight's going to be really chilly - down to 7 degrees. That's CELSIUS, you know. It's about 44 degrees to us Americans. But there should be sun the rest of the week!
Tomorrow's when the relationships really start to blossom. I'm hoping to have some good stories about VBS kids to share!
In Christ,
Sue Acuna
First of all, last night was the windiest, coldest night I've spent in my 5 trips up here. All tents have tarps over them, and those tarps were flapping like sails all night. Some of us had trouble sleeping through it, but not yours truly (Lori gave me some earplugs, so NOTHING bothered me). I'm happy to report that all the tents survived the storm (which, thankfully, did not include rain).
By 11:30 this morning all four teams had headed off to their respective villages. This evening each team reported in, and it sounds like everyone had a great day. Numbers in Kitwanga were low: only about 30 kids instead of their usual 60 plus. Apparently there are other camps going on in their neighborhood, so some kids went there instead. However, they still had great VBS time, followed by soccer camp (Brian Valley would like me to mention that he played a rousing game of soccer).
In Kitsegukla we had at least 71 - more came after we stopped writing down names. My team was a little nervous, so they rushed things a bit, but they did a really nice job. We found out when we got there that the main soccer field was unavailable, but Aunna took over the responsibility for finding an alternative field, and it all turned out well. Some of our team played soccer all afternoon while others entertained the younger ones with the jump rope and some sitting-in-the-grass games.
We've only seen one bear so far - and that was on Sunday when we visited Kitsegukla. He ran across the road several dozen feet in front of the van. The Kitwanga group saw 4 bears the same day - a mama bear and three cubs. Not that it's a competition or anything. . . Other than that we've seen a few eagles but nothing else. We'd REALLY like to spot a moose!
Tonight's going to be really chilly - down to 7 degrees. That's CELSIUS, you know. It's about 44 degrees to us Americans. But there should be sun the rest of the week!
Tomorrow's when the relationships really start to blossom. I'm hoping to have some good stories about VBS kids to share!
In Christ,
Sue Acuna
Team from Tacoma - Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:53:34 -0700
Hello all!
It was a wonderfully exhausting day! But first off, I want to apologize to the Lighthouse parents because my stories will be so heavily biased toward Kitsegukla. I am trying to get stories from the Kitwanga team, but they're all so tired that all they say is, "It went great."
Garett did say that it was funny to see little Amber beat all the little boys out on the soccer field. And one of the kids told Brian that "This VBS is better than that camp with the zipline!"
I spend a lot of time at the registration table checking in kids, and yesterday Kerena told me how to spell her name: "K-E-R-E-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V." It's so hard to hear some of their voices, but fortunately many of them have the same last names. You spell Hyzims "H-Y-ZED-I-M-S," by the way.
We had a bear sighting in Kitsegukla today. A parent told me that it had been sighted "down the hill, behind the complex." Several of the kids walked down to the soccer field anyway, but Mr. Bear never came out to play with us.
We also had a word of the day - "BAM!" It was one of the sound effects from our skit about the houses built on the rock and on the sand. We actually couldn't remember when it was supposed to be used (we'd written the skit and made the prop cards a couple months ago), so we used it for the sound you make when you build a house - BAM BAM BAM BAM. But at other random times team members could be heard calling out "Bam!" - always good for a laugh.
Today's craft involved using watercolors to decorate a small, wooden cross, and then stringing beads on a thin-gauge wire to wrap around it. It was a fairly long process, which gave us lots of time to chat with both the older and the younger kids. Chats usually begin with "What's your favorite color?" and move on to more personal sharing. Many of the kids have gotten really good at working the gospel into their conversations. Today I heard, "I really like how you painted your cross! Do you remember what the cross means?" And if the VBS friend can explain it, the VBS team member will jump on the opportunity.
One of our team members is named Erika. When our five Edmonton friends arrived, one of them asked her who she was. "I'm Erika," she replied. "America?" one of them asked. "You're AMERICA?!" She now has a new nickname.
Today I heard a sad story about one of the young girls. Please join us in praying for her and others like her. (God knows who she is and what the circumstances are.)
We ended our VBS day with soccer camp. Since it was a beautiful, sunny day, my team members got quite warm. Bless the wonderful people in the Health Center adjacent to our field who came out with trays of watermelon, cantaloupe, and pineapple wedges. Very refreshing!
In Christ,
Sue Acuna
I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me. Ps. 6:13
It was a wonderfully exhausting day! But first off, I want to apologize to the Lighthouse parents because my stories will be so heavily biased toward Kitsegukla. I am trying to get stories from the Kitwanga team, but they're all so tired that all they say is, "It went great."
Garett did say that it was funny to see little Amber beat all the little boys out on the soccer field. And one of the kids told Brian that "This VBS is better than that camp with the zipline!"
I spend a lot of time at the registration table checking in kids, and yesterday Kerena told me how to spell her name: "K-E-R-E-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V." It's so hard to hear some of their voices, but fortunately many of them have the same last names. You spell Hyzims "H-Y-ZED-I-M-S," by the way.
We had a bear sighting in Kitsegukla today. A parent told me that it had been sighted "down the hill, behind the complex." Several of the kids walked down to the soccer field anyway, but Mr. Bear never came out to play with us.
Today's craft involved using watercolors to decorate a small, wooden cross, and then stringing beads on a thin-gauge wire to wrap around it. It was a fairly long process, which gave us lots of time to chat with both the older and the younger kids. Chats usually begin with "What's your favorite color?" and move on to more personal sharing. Many of the kids have gotten really good at working the gospel into their conversations. Today I heard, "I really like how you painted your cross! Do you remember what the cross means?" And if the VBS friend can explain it, the VBS team member will jump on the opportunity.
One of our team members is named Erika. When our five Edmonton friends arrived, one of them asked her who she was. "I'm Erika," she replied. "America?" one of them asked. "You're AMERICA?!" She now has a new nickname.
Today I heard a sad story about one of the young girls. Please join us in praying for her and others like her. (God knows who she is and what the circumstances are.)
We ended our VBS day with soccer camp. Since it was a beautiful, sunny day, my team members got quite warm. Bless the wonderful people in the Health Center adjacent to our field who came out with trays of watermelon, cantaloupe, and pineapple wedges. Very refreshing!
In Christ,
Sue Acuna
I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me. Ps. 6:13
Tacoma Team Report from Hazelton Campground - Wednesday, July 14
Subject: VBS, Day 3
Hi Friends,
It's actually Thursday, and we're getting ready to head out to the villages for Day 4, but it's my first chance to update.
Yesterday was a really awesome day for us in Kitsegukla. My team - 15 of us from the Tacoma area plus 2 leaders and 3 youth from Edmonton, Alberta - has really jelled. Not only are they working together well, but they're really having a lot of fun! We had 70 kids again yesterday, so once again we were the last team to return to camp. Our days go like so: leave camp around 11:45 for the 25-minute drive to the site; set up and greet (and play with) kids until about 1:15; sing, teach the lesson and pray until around 1:45; do crafts with older kids while younger kids play outside for about 20 minutes; switch who's doing crafts and playing outside; close with songs and prayer and then serve snack around 2:30.
We then sit in a circle on the gym floor for about a half an hour, taking a well-needed break and eating snacks while we debrief. When we're done we head outside to play soccer and basketball - or jump rope and play on the playground with the smaller kids. We've been heading back to camp around 5, making it just in time for dinner at 6.
Last night we had guests at dinner - Willis and Judith Fitzpatrick. Judith grew up in Kitwanga and attended college in Kansas City, where she met Willis. They married, and eventually moved their family back up here, where Willis was a minister to the village for many years. Both of them shared their stories and thanked us for being here. Willis then encouraged our teens to just love the kids with all their hearts, and to tell them about the love of Jesus every chance they get.
Later in the evening we had our first real rain, which meant a quick scurry from the campfire to the covered shelter. Around 90 of us (teams plus local visitors) crowded into the picnic shelter, where the acoustics made our singing sound exceptionally awesome! It rained on and off all night, which always sounds worse on the tent and the tarp than it actually is.
This morning we woke to showers and gray skies and COLD temps, but it's supposed to clear up by this afternoon. This is good, because we're expecting around 200 visitors for dinner - it's Family Night! We've been inviting people from our villages all week to join us at 6 for a potluck dinner and then maybe some soccer and socializing. We'll end the night with worship around the campfire, when several of our youth will tell how they came to know Jesus and what it means to live for him. Last I heard, Aunna, Dylan, Matt Lambertson, and McCrea were slated to speak, but that keeps changing.
Got to run - need to pack my lunch, gather my gang, and head out to Kitsegukla.
Thank you for your prayers - please keep them coming!
In Christ,
Sue Acuna
I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me. Ps. 6:13
Hi Friends,
It's actually Thursday, and we're getting ready to head out to the villages for Day 4, but it's my first chance to update.
We then sit in a circle on the gym floor for about a half an hour, taking a well-needed break and eating snacks while we debrief. When we're done we head outside to play soccer and basketball - or jump rope and play on the playground with the smaller kids. We've been heading back to camp around 5, making it just in time for dinner at 6.
Last night we had guests at dinner - Willis and Judith Fitzpatrick. Judith grew up in Kitwanga and attended college in Kansas City, where she met Willis. They married, and eventually moved their family back up here, where Willis was a minister to the village for many years. Both of them shared their stories and thanked us for being here. Willis then encouraged our teens to just love the kids with all their hearts, and to tell them about the love of Jesus every chance they get.
Later in the evening we had our first real rain, which meant a quick scurry from the campfire to the covered shelter. Around 90 of us (teams plus local visitors) crowded into the picnic shelter, where the acoustics made our singing sound exceptionally awesome! It rained on and off all night, which always sounds worse on the tent and the tarp than it actually is.
This morning we woke to showers and gray skies and COLD temps, but it's supposed to clear up by this afternoon. This is good, because we're expecting around 200 visitors for dinner - it's Family Night! We've been inviting people from our villages all week to join us at 6 for a potluck dinner and then maybe some soccer and socializing. We'll end the night with worship around the campfire, when several of our youth will tell how they came to know Jesus and what it means to live for him. Last I heard, Aunna, Dylan, Matt Lambertson, and McCrea were slated to speak, but that keeps changing.
Got to run - need to pack my lunch, gather my gang, and head out to Kitsegukla.
Thank you for your prayers - please keep them coming!
In Christ,
Sue Acuna
I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me. Ps. 6:13
Tacoma Team Report from Kitsegukla - Days 4 & 5
Dear Friends,
It's over, and as usual it went by way too quickly. Despite the rain in camp yesterday morning, once we got to Kitsegukla the roads were dry and we had no rain. We finally got a handle on the kids (big and little) playing soccer in the gym, so it was much quieter when we were doing our skit and lesson (no soccer balls bouncing in the background).
Our theme yesterday was how Jesus gives us peace in the midst of life's storms, so we acted out the story of Jesus calming the storm. We created an imaginary boat up front and invited the kids to join the team members "in the boat." Lydia then narrated the story while everybody acted it out. It was a big, noisy storm, believe me! And when Jesus woke up, looked over the edge and said, "It's not that bad. I'm going back to sleep," the terrified protests could be heard throughout the village! (Or at least at the back of the gym.)
Last night's Family Night went well; we had a couple of quick showers while everyone was lining up for dinner, but everybody just pretended not to notice them. I don't think we had as many people as last year, but it was still a good-sized crowd. After dinner the four kids gave their testimonies - a couple of them through tears. It's always good for our guests - teens and adults alike - to hear that these American Christian teens don't all have perfect lives back home. Or to hear how God continues to work in their lives even when they haven't given Him much of their time.
After campfire there were many activities going on simultaneously. I got a group going with the Double Dutch jump ropes (and even managed to jump a few times myself). There was a volleyball game in addition to tossing a football and kicking a soccer ball around. Some hiked out to The Point (the confluence of the Bulkley and Skeena Rivers), and several sat around in small groups, just chatting. Everywhere you looked, you saw visitors mixed in with our teens - we were very proud of their hospitality!
This morning we awoke to at least a hundred crows calling to each other. I'm sure of the number, because on my way back from the shower I counted at least 40 in one tree! It was a very cold morning, and the line for the women's showers was looooong because the last of our visitors had left so late last night that no one was allowed to shower before bed.
After our final planning session we headed up for the last day of VBS. Everything was different because we had to meet in a church basement instead of the gym (there's a big wedding this weekend, and they were going to decorate the gym). My team adapted well, and once again we had around 70 kids. It was easier to hear the skit in the church basement, but it sure was crowded!
After VBS we handed out the Goody Bags - large white lunch bags filled with donated items like toothbrushes, Beanie Babies, books, and school supplies. The veteran VBS kids know these are coming, so they were quite excited all morning. Because it was the warmest day of the week, the afternoon was spent not only playing soccer, but also sitting in the shade playing hand games, and sitting in the cool basement having final conversations with new friends.
At last it was time to say our tearful good-byes - always a difficult time on both sides. We piled in the van for camp, but made a scheduled stop on the highway to load up on huge boulders to be dropped over the single-lane bridge which spans Hagwilget Canyon. It was a fun way to celebrate a great week!
As I write this, the traditional VBS Canada vs. USA soccer game has begun in a nearby field. The winner gets the double-flagged trophy created by a team member a couple years ago, plus bragging rights for a year. In the time I've been coming up here, I believe the wins have been split pretty evenly. However, the Canadian team usually has to borrow a few Americans to boost their numbers, so it's often unclear who the real winner is.
Tomorrow is a free day: a group of about 15 is heading up to Alaska to view the glaciers and visit the ghost town of Hyder; others are driving an hour into Smithers and taking a hike up by the ski lifts; still others will sleep in, maybe catch a movie in town, and hang around camp all day.
Derwin asked at the campfire the other night who felt they had been changed by this trip. Almost every hand went up. When he pressed for details, answers included, "I appreciate how much I have," "I have a new perception of how awesome my family is," and "I can talk much more easily about my faith and what Jesus means to me." Derwin challenged them to make those changes a permanent part of their lives back home.
I can hear cheering from the field - time to go check out the score!
In Christ,
Sue Acuna
I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me. Ps. 6:13
Our theme yesterday was how Jesus gives us peace in the midst of life's storms, so we acted out the story of Jesus calming the storm. We created an imaginary boat up front and invited the kids to join the team members "in the boat." Lydia then narrated the story while everybody acted it out. It was a big, noisy storm, believe me! And when Jesus woke up, looked over the edge and said, "It's not that bad. I'm going back to sleep," the terrified protests could be heard throughout the village! (Or at least at the back of the gym.)
Last night's Family Night went well; we had a couple of quick showers while everyone was lining up for dinner, but everybody just pretended not to notice them. I don't think we had as many people as last year, but it was still a good-sized crowd. After dinner the four kids gave their testimonies - a couple of them through tears. It's always good for our guests - teens and adults alike - to hear that these American Christian teens don't all have perfect lives back home. Or to hear how God continues to work in their lives even when they haven't given Him much of their time.
After campfire there were many activities going on simultaneously. I got a group going with the Double Dutch jump ropes (and even managed to jump a few times myself). There was a volleyball game in addition to tossing a football and kicking a soccer ball around. Some hiked out to The Point (the confluence of the Bulkley and Skeena Rivers), and several sat around in small groups, just chatting. Everywhere you looked, you saw visitors mixed in with our teens - we were very proud of their hospitality!
This morning we awoke to at least a hundred crows calling to each other. I'm sure of the number, because on my way back from the shower I counted at least 40 in one tree! It was a very cold morning, and the line for the women's showers was looooong because the last of our visitors had left so late last night that no one was allowed to shower before bed.
After our final planning session we headed up for the last day of VBS. Everything was different because we had to meet in a church basement instead of the gym (there's a big wedding this weekend, and they were going to decorate the gym). My team adapted well, and once again we had around 70 kids. It was easier to hear the skit in the church basement, but it sure was crowded!
At last it was time to say our tearful good-byes - always a difficult time on both sides. We piled in the van for camp, but made a scheduled stop on the highway to load up on huge boulders to be dropped over the single-lane bridge which spans Hagwilget Canyon. It was a fun way to celebrate a great week!
As I write this, the traditional VBS Canada vs. USA soccer game has begun in a nearby field. The winner gets the double-flagged trophy created by a team member a couple years ago, plus bragging rights for a year. In the time I've been coming up here, I believe the wins have been split pretty evenly. However, the Canadian team usually has to borrow a few Americans to boost their numbers, so it's often unclear who the real winner is.
Tomorrow is a free day: a group of about 15 is heading up to Alaska to view the glaciers and visit the ghost town of Hyder; others are driving an hour into Smithers and taking a hike up by the ski lifts; still others will sleep in, maybe catch a movie in town, and hang around camp all day.
Derwin asked at the campfire the other night who felt they had been changed by this trip. Almost every hand went up. When he pressed for details, answers included, "I appreciate how much I have," "I have a new perception of how awesome my family is," and "I can talk much more easily about my faith and what Jesus means to me." Derwin challenged them to make those changes a permanent part of their lives back home.
I can hear cheering from the field - time to go check out the score!
In Christ,
Sue Acuna
I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me. Ps. 6:13
Tacoma Team - It's a Wrap #1
Hello, Friends and Family,
We're home! But between Saturday morning and Monday night we still had time for a few more adventures:
The Logging Road
On our way into town on July 10 I'd noticed a street called "Bulkley Canyon Road." It sounded like it had potential for awesome views, so on our free Saturday (July 17), I invited people to join me on a little driving exploration. A few leaders - Lynn, Matt, Ardyce, Lori, and Mark - were game, so off we went. Bulkley Canyon Road ended in a dead end with no views, so we followed another sign to Ross Lake. It was so beautiful and so peaceful (but what WAS that calling from across the lake?) that we decided we'd plan a picnic there next year, weather permitting.
On we journeyed, heading up the road to Kispiox, a village about 16 km from Hazelton. After admiring their totem poles, we crossed back over the river and decided to explore a side road, hoping to spot some bears. After 11 km (and still no bears) the road forked: one branch led to an Experimental Forest, but the other was unmarked. We chose the unmarked road and soon found ourselves heading uphill. As the views grew more spectacular and the piles of bear droppings ("scat") grew more plentiful, our hopes of spotting a bear (or three) grew. Unfortunately, the condition of the road deteriorated. Eventually, it wasn't much of a road but more of a bulldozed, narrow track covered with coarse rock (not smooth gravel). When we came upon downed trees we realized it was merely a logging road. Rationalizing that logging trucks couldn't possibly turn around on such a narrow track (and not finding any place suitable for turning around even if we'd wanted to), we deduced the road had to go all the way through to a main road, so onward we went.
Until the road abruptly ended in a stand of trees, 12 km from the fork (we're sure of the distances because there were km markings along the way). There was a small turnaround area, but one small miscalculation with the (14-passenger) van, and we'd either be in the ditch or sliding down the sleep slope into the trees. No one knew where we were, and we had no cell phone service. As we all prayed mightily (as we had been doing for about 15 minutes by this time), I hopped out and let Mark take over driving. With God's help he maneuvered us back over the rocks, through the water- and mud-filled tire tracks, back to the fork, and on out to the main highway. When we were safely home, I kept looking around the camp, thinking I'd never been as happy to be there as I was that day. Oh - and we finally did see a bear. One bear. Running across the road. Near the bottom of the hill.
The Alaska Trip
Two vanloads of teens and adults set out at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning, knowing they'd be spending a good portion of the day on the road the day BEFORE our two days' driving to come home. But the scenery on the 3-hour drive to the border was spectacular - waterfalls and Bear Glacier (and even some bears) and tree-covered mountainsides. Once across the border they stopped at Fish Creek hoping to view grizzlies from the safe viewing boardwalks, but they saw no bears (we never do). They continued on up to Salmon Glacier, where they ate lunch and then played mountain goats, scampering up the rocks to take in an even-more-spectacular view.
After a stop in the "ghost town" of Hyder, where you can buy fudge from the Dulcimer Lady, they crossed back into Canada (getting their passports stamped in the process) and headed home. I was told the van ride was almost the best part of the journey; it was a smorgasbord of music (some of it so old only the adult leaders recognized it), and it was often accompanied by dancing. That's what they told me: dancing in the van. Don't worry - I'm having a hard time picturing it, also.
I'll continue to adventures tomorrow in Part 2, when you'll get all the details of the broken ankle and the flat tire.
In Christ,
Sue Acuna
I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me. Ps. 6:13
We're home! But between Saturday morning and Monday night we still had time for a few more adventures:
The Logging Road
On we journeyed, heading up the road to Kispiox, a village about 16 km from Hazelton. After admiring their totem poles, we crossed back over the river and decided to explore a side road, hoping to spot some bears. After 11 km (and still no bears) the road forked: one branch led to an Experimental Forest, but the other was unmarked. We chose the unmarked road and soon found ourselves heading uphill. As the views grew more spectacular and the piles of bear droppings ("scat") grew more plentiful, our hopes of spotting a bear (or three) grew. Unfortunately, the condition of the road deteriorated. Eventually, it wasn't much of a road but more of a bulldozed, narrow track covered with coarse rock (not smooth gravel). When we came upon downed trees we realized it was merely a logging road. Rationalizing that logging trucks couldn't possibly turn around on such a narrow track (and not finding any place suitable for turning around even if we'd wanted to), we deduced the road had to go all the way through to a main road, so onward we went.
Until the road abruptly ended in a stand of trees, 12 km from the fork (we're sure of the distances because there were km markings along the way). There was a small turnaround area, but one small miscalculation with the (14-passenger) van, and we'd either be in the ditch or sliding down the sleep slope into the trees. No one knew where we were, and we had no cell phone service. As we all prayed mightily (as we had been doing for about 15 minutes by this time), I hopped out and let Mark take over driving. With God's help he maneuvered us back over the rocks, through the water- and mud-filled tire tracks, back to the fork, and on out to the main highway. When we were safely home, I kept looking around the camp, thinking I'd never been as happy to be there as I was that day. Oh - and we finally did see a bear. One bear. Running across the road. Near the bottom of the hill.
The Alaska Trip
Two vanloads of teens and adults set out at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning, knowing they'd be spending a good portion of the day on the road the day BEFORE our two days' driving to come home. But the scenery on the 3-hour drive to the border was spectacular - waterfalls and Bear Glacier (and even some bears) and tree-covered mountainsides. Once across the border they stopped at Fish Creek hoping to view grizzlies from the safe viewing boardwalks, but they saw no bears (we never do). They continued on up to Salmon Glacier, where they ate lunch and then played mountain goats, scampering up the rocks to take in an even-more-spectacular view.
After a stop in the "ghost town" of Hyder, where you can buy fudge from the Dulcimer Lady, they crossed back into Canada (getting their passports stamped in the process) and headed home. I was told the van ride was almost the best part of the journey; it was a smorgasbord of music (some of it so old only the adult leaders recognized it), and it was often accompanied by dancing. That's what they told me: dancing in the van. Don't worry - I'm having a hard time picturing it, also.
I'll continue to adventures tomorrow in Part 2, when you'll get all the details of the broken ankle and the flat tire.
In Christ,
Sue Acuna
I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me. Ps. 6:13
Tacoma Team - It's a Wrap #2
Hello again,
One of the hardest things about being middle-aged is acknowledging how long it takes to recover from big trips. Here it is my second morning at home, and even after two 8-hour nights of sleep, I'm still a little groggy. Thirty years ago my husband and I could drive the 22 hours to Los Angeles straight through, with a few breaks to eat, and it would take one day to recover our energy. It just doesn't seem fair somehow.
The Little Hike
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip
That started with a hike uphill, and ended with a slip...
Tony had heard of a couple of hiking trails less than an hour away, and he was game to try them on our free Saturday. Joined by his wife Carrie and five teens (Cody, Bryce, Sarah, Jen, and Tyler), he left camp around 9:30, promising to be back in about four hours. Around 5:00 I received a call from Jen, saying they were heading to the emergency room in Smithers because Carrie might have broken her ankle. Another phone call a couple hours later confirmed the diagnosis: a broken fibula, down near the bottom. She was getting a cast and they'd be home soon. Around 8:30 I received a text saying they were finally on the highway headed back to camp.
About the same time, some of our local visitors were saying good-bye and heading home, when one little girl rushed up to Derwin and said, "My dad told me to tell you that the bridge is closed because someone is trying to jump!" The bridge she was referring to was the one-way suspension bridge which spans the Hagwilget Canyon about 300 feet above the Bulkley River. It's the only way into the campground from the highway, and it's been the site of so many suicides that the local kids say they hate that bridge. I quickly called Tony and explained the situation, and he said they were already in the back-up at the bridge, close enough to see the young man standing on the railing.
Around 11:00 Terry, one of our local friends, came back and told us we needed to come up with a Plan B, because the bridge might not open before morning. He and Matt Dressler put their heads together and came up with a family on the other side of the bridge that might take in Tony and his crew. I called Tony, he went to the Johnsons' house and explained the situation, and he was immediately offered a place to stay for the night. Not only did this mean they could get finally get out of the van, but it also meant a bed for Carrie instead of the thin camping pad awaiting her in her tent.
They returned to camp the next morning at 6, just in time to pack up and prepare to leave for home. It was then that we heard about how Bryce, Cody, and Tony had taken turns carrying Carrie down the steep trail, and how all the teens were troupers, enduring the long day without complaint. We clucked over Carrie's PLASTER cast (no pretty fiberglass?) and promised to sign it when we stopped for lunch. We also learned that the young man had been talked down from the bridge, and we all thanked God for that news.
A Tiresome Problem
As we were driving through Seattle, so close to Tacoma we could almost smell it, I received a text from the van behind me, telling me my rear tire was almost flat. Matt was driving at the time, so I had him pull off at Michigan Street to check it out. It appeared we'd picked up a nail, so we inflated the tire, consulted with my GPS about the nearest Les Schwab, and headed off to Southcenter to get it repaired. Matt, Jon, Zach, Aisling, Haley, and I enjoyed the TV, free wi-fi, and newspaper crossword in the waiting room, and soon we were on the road again - with two brand-new tires. It wasn't just a nail - it was a very worn-out tire. We made it back to the Dressler house an hour or so after the rest of the crew, having earned the honor of having the final adventure of the trip.
To sum up, it was one of the best mission trips I've ever been on. There was something special about this group of teens and adults, and we dealt with fewer issues than usual. We shared a lot of love around our campfire and in our villages, and our prayer is that the people whose lives we touched will never forget how much Jesus loves them.
In Christ,
Sue Acuna
I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me. Ps. 6:13
One of the hardest things about being middle-aged is acknowledging how long it takes to recover from big trips. Here it is my second morning at home, and even after two 8-hour nights of sleep, I'm still a little groggy. Thirty years ago my husband and I could drive the 22 hours to Los Angeles straight through, with a few breaks to eat, and it would take one day to recover our energy. It just doesn't seem fair somehow.
The Little Hike
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip
That started with a hike uphill, and ended with a slip...
Tony had heard of a couple of hiking trails less than an hour away, and he was game to try them on our free Saturday. Joined by his wife Carrie and five teens (Cody, Bryce, Sarah, Jen, and Tyler), he left camp around 9:30, promising to be back in about four hours. Around 5:00 I received a call from Jen, saying they were heading to the emergency room in Smithers because Carrie might have broken her ankle. Another phone call a couple hours later confirmed the diagnosis: a broken fibula, down near the bottom. She was getting a cast and they'd be home soon. Around 8:30 I received a text saying they were finally on the highway headed back to camp.
Around 11:00 Terry, one of our local friends, came back and told us we needed to come up with a Plan B, because the bridge might not open before morning. He and Matt Dressler put their heads together and came up with a family on the other side of the bridge that might take in Tony and his crew. I called Tony, he went to the Johnsons' house and explained the situation, and he was immediately offered a place to stay for the night. Not only did this mean they could get finally get out of the van, but it also meant a bed for Carrie instead of the thin camping pad awaiting her in her tent.
They returned to camp the next morning at 6, just in time to pack up and prepare to leave for home. It was then that we heard about how Bryce, Cody, and Tony had taken turns carrying Carrie down the steep trail, and how all the teens were troupers, enduring the long day without complaint. We clucked over Carrie's PLASTER cast (no pretty fiberglass?) and promised to sign it when we stopped for lunch. We also learned that the young man had been talked down from the bridge, and we all thanked God for that news.
A Tiresome Problem
As we were driving through Seattle, so close to Tacoma we could almost smell it, I received a text from the van behind me, telling me my rear tire was almost flat. Matt was driving at the time, so I had him pull off at Michigan Street to check it out. It appeared we'd picked up a nail, so we inflated the tire, consulted with my GPS about the nearest Les Schwab, and headed off to Southcenter to get it repaired. Matt, Jon, Zach, Aisling, Haley, and I enjoyed the TV, free wi-fi, and newspaper crossword in the waiting room, and soon we were on the road again - with two brand-new tires. It wasn't just a nail - it was a very worn-out tire. We made it back to the Dressler house an hour or so after the rest of the crew, having earned the honor of having the final adventure of the trip.
To sum up, it was one of the best mission trips I've ever been on. There was something special about this group of teens and adults, and we dealt with fewer issues than usual. We shared a lot of love around our campfire and in our villages, and our prayer is that the people whose lives we touched will never forget how much Jesus loves them.
In Christ,
Sue Acuna
I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me. Ps. 6:13
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Used Clothing and ... Frozen Food?
I just read the LAMP email and thought I too would like to share my experiences from days gone by.
I used to belong to a small rural congregation near my home back in the early 1980's, and volunteered to collect clothing, etc. for LAMP. The items needed to be taken to Thunder Bay, where Pastor/Pilot Gary Sartain would collect it and distribute it on his flights to the northern villages. I never expected the enormous response I got. I had two elderly sisters (both in their nineties) knitting mittens; others bringing boxes of skates, shoes and boots and lots of clothing. I even got a WWII great coat. Now my basement was full! How was I to get it all to Thunder Bay?
My next door neighbor, a Mennonite, suggested I call Erb Transport in New Hamburg and ask for the owner. I don't remember his first name but he was most interested in helping. He said "just bring everything in plastic bags down to our main office and we'll throw it on top of a load of frozen food on our way to Thunder Bay." Wouldn't you know it, Gary had access to a warehouse right next door to Erb Transport. God does work His wonders. I often wonder where our donations ended up. As for Mr. Erb; his name was in our local newspaper just last week being honored for his charitable work in the trucking industry.
May you receive many more happy memories.
Dorothea Faulhafer
My next door neighbor, a Mennonite, suggested I call Erb Transport in New Hamburg and ask for the owner. I don't remember his first name but he was most interested in helping. He said "just bring everything in plastic bags down to our main office and we'll throw it on top of a load of frozen food on our way to Thunder Bay." Wouldn't you know it, Gary had access to a warehouse right next door to Erb Transport. God does work His wonders. I often wonder where our donations ended up. As for Mr. Erb; his name was in our local newspaper just last week being honored for his charitable work in the trucking industry.
May you receive many more happy memories.
Dorothea Faulhafer
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