Backpacking Update - Mr. Mabry
It would be impossible to write a short update on what happened while we were out in the woods. Given the opportunity I could sit and talk for hours about it. It was such a great time. This is second OLD School trip I’ve been privileged to lead and believe me I am so honored to have this opportunity. It was great for many reasons. I think what stands out the most is that this was the first time that most of the OLD Schoolers had ever been in the woods for more than a night and they all did so well. We had some really rough days out there. And by rough I mean there was one day that we hiked for hours to find our campsite only to find it taken with no other sites around… so we hiked on. One night we went to bed in September and woke up in the middle of the winter. It was so cold… so we sang some Christmas carols and got out of bed. Then there that we dropped several thousand feet of elevation in less than a mile of hiking, sometimes having to sit down just to reach the next step. But throughout the whole 2 weeks I really don’t remember any complaining.
We were all really challenged by the idea that nobody can take our joy. The only thing that can take the joy is our own sin. This was really convicting, especially since we had a ton of time in silence and simplicity out there. I think all of us want to know how we can continue to incorporate that silence and simplicity in our lives here. We really do complicate things too much.
Anyway, it was awesome and you’ll just have to hear stories about the rest of it. Be sure to ask about Blueberry’s confectionary delights, and the constant jokes, songs, and cadences that we can’t get out of our heads. Be encouraged, these OLD Schoolers along with Blue and Katie and really impressive and God is working in all of our lives in real, tangible ways.
Under His Mercy,
Zach
Monday, September 29, 2008