During one of our meetings, the Stake Presidency member over the Young Women suggested that we plan a camping trip with next year's Stake YCLs (Youth Camp Leaders) to help encourage unity and have them do something hard together. The idea in itself was a good one, but I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything we were already doing, so the thought of planning even one more thing made me a little grumpy... not to mention the fact that the event was going to be held in October, and I am definitely a fair-weather camper. Everyone else liked the idea though, so I put aside my complaints and agreed to help with it.
Along with the campout, we invited Todd Jolley (in our ward) to teach the girls how to rappel. He had taken several of the young men's groups previously, so we knew he did a good job teaching the skill and relating it to the gospel.
As the date for the campout got close, the weather report was looking very ominous. It said that it was supposed to rain all day and night that weekend. I voted that we postpone or cancel the trip, but some of the other leaders were really insistent that we still do it. One of them even said that we should make it a matter of faith and have the girls pray for the rain to go away so that we could see a miracle. I believe in the power of prayer, and I know miracles still happen, but I also believe that we need to make good decisions based on the information that we have. I was worried that the way she wanted to present the situation was too much like asking God for a sign. I suggested that the prayer be for strength to get through whatever would come and be able to handle it well. I just worried that if the rain didn't stop, the girls would actually lose their faith. After voicing my concerns, the majority of the group still wanted to pray for a miracle. I let the President lead and tried to have a decent attitude about her decision. These things are so tricky, and I know that everyone was just wanting what was best for the girls.
On the day of the campout, it was raining like crazy (as predicted). I will fully admit that I was a bit frustrated that we were still going. The prayer for the rain to stop was not answered, but that doesn't mean that good things didn't come. We drove up to the campground in the rain, set up the tent in the rain, and then ate dinner under the pavilion while it rained all evening. To make matters worse, the movie that one of the leaders was going to show ended up not working, so we decided to just go to bed. I had removed two of the seats in my van, so I made a bed in the back of the van and slept there that night. It was actually really great, and I slept pretty well, despite the fact that it rained all night.
At the top, we had to wait for our turn. The rain slowly turned to sleet, and the wind blew it right into our faces. We were all FREEZING. At one point, the whole situation got so crazy that I had to just laugh in disbelief that we were actually doing this. It seemed crazy and ridiculous that we were going to hang off a mountain in the rain and sleet... yet there we were.
I did not want to rappel because I am terrified of heights, but I also knew that the girls were nervous too, so I tried to be brave to help them feel safe and able to do it. I got all harnessed up, and then started to slowly back down the edge of the cliff. Taking those first few steps over the edge of the cliff were the hardest part. You have to have trust in your rope and harness and then take the step into the unknown. It took a few seconds to figure out the right movements to get the rope to move so that I could go down, but pretty soon I was moving pretty quickly. I didn't look down at all, and instead I kept my eyes on my feet as I walked down the side of the cliff. At one point, the belayer at the bottom of the cliff didn't realize that there was a bit of a drop-off where I was headed. I stepped off the side of it and started swinging a bit. I hit my hip while I was trying to regain my footing, but other than that, everything turned out fine. It was such a relief to finally reach the bottom and have my feet back on solid ground.
It was only about a 50 foot rappel, but that was definitely enough for me!
After all the people had gone once or twice, we headed back to Brother Jolley's camper where we had a spiritual lesson on the things we had learned. He related rappelling to our journey through life. In order to reach our destination (Celestial Kingdom), we all need to follow the correct safety protocols (keep the commandments) and trust in our rope (Jesus Christ). He did a wonderful job teaching the girls, and I think they will remember the lesson.
So although I didn't have the best attitude, and we were all a bit miserable for much of the trip, I did learn some things from our crazy adventure. First, sometimes God doesn't stop the rain... sometimes we have to move forward despite the rain. This applies so perfectly to our trials in life (and reminds me of this talk on faith given by Pres. Nelson in General Conference.) I truly believe that our God is a God of miracles, but I also know that struggling through some difficult things can be a huge part of our faith-building experience. Relying on Christ and fighting through the trial can be a miracle in itself.
Second, sometimes extremely difficult situations and doing hard things can provide the best memories and the biggest rewards. I will never forget this campout, and looking back on it now, I can see a lot of great things that came from it. Our youth leaders had a really good chance to get to know each other because they did something hard together. There is definitely bonding that happens during trials! My soul was also filled by being up in the beautiful mountains during my absolute favorite time of year. I had been aching to go see the fall colors, but I could never find the time. The rain (our trial) was annoying, but it made the fall colors (our blessings) so much more appreciated and amazing. I took tons of pictures of the gorgeous trees and scenery. That made me so happy!
So, in the end, there were good things and bad things, but we survived, learned a little about ourselves and our faith, and made many memories!
No comments:
Post a Comment