What do hiking, wet feet, cliffs, mountains and God have in common?

A Mission Retreat at Camp Alexo. Yes I had the most amazing weekend I have had in a long long time. It all started on Wednesday when I decided that maybe I should go on the mission retreat this weekend. I'll be honest I did not want to and so I had decided simply not to go. However I prayed about it and it seemed to be the right thing to do. So Wednesday I pick up the phone and dial the number of the guy in charge...I look at the pamphlet again "Please RSVP by Feb 5" I laugh to myself, right, well I've missed that deadline so its probably all full, its Feb 13. Someone picks up on the other end, "Hi, I was wondering if its too late to go on this mission retreat weekend thing?" "Who am I speaking to?" Duh that would help..."This is Charlee" "Right, well, your name is already down on the list, someone already said you were going." I hang up the phone and scrunch my nose together, what? I haven't told anyone, but whatever. Friday comes and I don't want to go. In fact I get to the point where I decided to tell Bernie (the director, nicest lady you'll ever meet) that I am not going. Something stops me though, maybe it was Landon's voice saying "someone already said you were coming." So I go. I determine to make the best of this, get it over with and that will be that. Brandi immediately attaches herself to me proclaiming that this weekend I am her buddy. Julie, a new girl at school, (she lives beside me on our hall) joins us in the vehicle as does Sarah and thus the journey begins. Two hours later we arrive at Camp Alexo and to start things off right we go on a hike. This hike leads us to an old tunnel, see Camp Alexo used to be an old mining camp way back in the day. We arrive at this tunnel and of course a few of us decide to go in. Now, let me describe this tunnel to you...its about 3 ft tall, the floor is made up entirely of ice that is at a nice downhill slant and its dark, really dark. We start off in a squatted position and slide along, nice and easy. There is a turn in the tunnel and now you cannot see the light from the entrance, its just dark oh and now you are crawling as the ceiling is lower or the ice is higher, one of the two. We continue crawling until finally you are on your belly pulling yourself along like a worm. Good times indeed, we finally did turn around and head back out, however this was a trip of its own and boy was it hard. Ice, uphill, dark, cold and by this time soaking wet did I mention I was wearing my sneakers...well I was and they were drenched. We get back to the cabin finally and by this time I'm pooped and ready to hit the hay however we still have dinner to go and vespers. By this time I've noticed, due to the Oh my goodness your hands are bleeding statements, that my hands are indeed bleeding, rough ice and bare hands will do that. After dinner we sat around the table and sang hymns, there were 23 of us.

Sabbath morning dawns bright and early, ok bright and early in the sense that I had to get up by 8 am!! The girls are sleeping in the same cabin that has the kitchen and dining room (we are all on the floor) and the boys are in another cabin. So basically, they all come to our cabin first thing to wake us up and eat. After eating breakfast we had a slight break, many ppl went back to bed and then Sabbath school and church. Both of which consisted of singing hymns and studying the Bible or rather what the Bible had to say about going out. After church guess what we did!! We ate!! Then at 1 we all piled into the vans (3 vans) and drove an hour away (passed by Abraham Lake aka Tick city) and went a little further to where there was a pathway that led to a waterfall. We all got out, it was now a little after two and began our long hike up the mountain. At spots we were walking on snow on a nice angle going uphill. Exhausted but happy we finally reached the 'waterfall' or what was one before winter happened and froze it over. We did get to see a beautiful view of the mountains and in one spot the ice was thin enough so it looked like a window in which one could see the water pouring behind the ice. We hiked back down and during this hike I learned I'm insane. I got to do tons of thinking and I realized I think as though I'm writing. I consider that weird, maybe its not but I think it is. At 5 we began driving back to camp where we ate yet again and had a worship service where we discussed missions. After this we took a short break and then regrouped and had 'vespers' where people could share testimonies if they wished. By this point it was 9:30 and some girls were already passed out. When this ended the normal stampede for the 3 showers began meanwhile Brandi and I just laughed. See, we had opted not to shower all weekend. Ya I know, stinky, but we wanted to enjoy the real camping experience and not showering accompanies that. I vaguely remember Julie saying she wanted to go sleep in the tipi outside but after that I remember nothing but darkness until someone was kicking my foot. Sure enough Landon was standing there kicking my foot, I look at my watch...what! its 8:30 on a Sunday morning and I'm being told to wake up. I groan and slowly get up making my way, once again, to the table. It was here that we watched a sermon while we ate and suddenly it clicked. The people over seas are real ppl to. I should clarify something at this point. My stance on missions is one of disdain. I hated the fact that people felt that they must go overseas to do anything but now I realize there is a need for that because there are real people there too. I also realized many people consider the mission field as being over seas and this brings about a dangerous concept. Missions is here and now. One guy brought up a really good point when he said "either you are the missionary or you are the mission field." We are to serve and show Christ in all the little things we do. This weekend I also began reading a book that Steve let me borrow called "divine nobodies" and in this book it outlines this very thought. When we go to the store or out to eat, are we portraying Christ? I learned something else. So often we go out with the attitude that we know it all and we have something, however we need to stop and view the beggar on the street or the sick person as though that person was Christ. So instead of bringing Christ to that person we meet their needs and in so doing we portray Christ in ways that words never will. Anyways that is what I learned and that is what clicked. After watching this movie we went to the living room and prayed.
After this a hike was organized by JD. We were supposed to go to the tunnel again but instead a group of us decided to follow JD on an adventure down a hill and to the river. All was going fine, hiking through the forest, the mountains in the background, the frozen river beside us, the air was a brilliant temperature, it was just a good day. Finally JD decided it was time for us to climb back up and so, at the base of a hill that is not on a 90 degree angle but close enough, he decides we should venture up. I think, hey this looks awesome and I take off. You are literally climbing straight up and you aren't walking, you are sinking your foot into the snow and once again I use the word climbing. Finally I reach the point of no return. I can't go up any higher because well its all mud now and mud, in the winter, is frozen and slippery. In other words I can't go any higher without sliding and sliding is usually good but as I look around I realize I'm about 100 ft up and to begin sliding now means picking up enough momentum to seriously hurt or kill myself at the bottom of the hill. I look around, one option, go sideways. So I inch my way over and then stop, I've run out of snow, its not deep enough to get a good foothold and the mud under the snow is causing me to slip and I have nothing to grab. For a split second I begin to panic, I breathe heavier, I can feel my heart racing and I'm pouring sweat. By now JD is below me in case I begin sliding he can catch me as he has more of a foothold. At this point I begin laughing, why, I don't know. Just the entire situation was funny suddenly. Beck and another girl had made it to the top by using a small root which had given way after they made it up. Another guy beside me, who is brilliant when it comes to books is freaking out, literally freaking out because he sees no way out and in his mind hes dead. Meanwhile his girlfriend is at the top now and is taking pictures of him hanging on for dear life. I look down below me and I realize that if I go now I'm falling for while, hitting some rocks then smashing into a tree. Its funny. Meanwhile Eric has made it to the top because he came up another way (there was a path we could have taken but this way was more fun) and he is throwing down a rope for me to grab. I do so and begin walking up the side of this hill, my feet slipping out from under me but my hands are glued to that rope. Needless to say I made it up, the others who weren't as high up as me made it back down (they were warned to come no farther) and they went up the trail. We made it back to camp and ate again then hit the road. I don't think my feet were dry this entire weekend as I only had running shoes, nope don't own a pair of winter boots, but it was an amazing time. On the way back to the dorm Brandi, Julie, Eric and I played games. Our van was the first back and one hour later the van with the luggage arrived (we all left at the same time). JD, Azalea, Brandi and myself went to Subway for supper and that was the night. Started this blog last night but was done my shift before I had a chance to finish. So tonight...here it is.