Well, here it is. The post you’ve all been waiting for, right? lol!

Rafting was awesome! And I don’t normally say awesome. I use the word awesome to describe God, and that’s why I’m using it now, because God was there! I could feel Him working in me, in my friends, I could see the beauty of His creation all around me in the second deepest canyon in North America (deeper than the Grand Canyon!), and He taught me some pretty important stuff about my walk with Him. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

It all started at 6:30ish in the morning, when the bus left. There were fifteen Juniors and Seniors (including myself), Rob (our Youth Leader), and Brandon (one of the Interns, the rest had left the day before to start setting up camp). The bus ride (including stops) was about 10 hours long. Needless to say, we were all happy to get off when we finally got there!

Lots of stuff happened on Training Camp. We learned how to do our jobs that we’ll have for the rest of the summer (I’m in charge of Life-Jackets and I help out with the lunch crew whenever I can), we rafted on a stretch that we’ve never done before because the water was too high for our regular stretch of river (the rocks we jump off of on our rock jumping days were under the water, except for the thirty foot rock…that was about five feet out of the water…lol), and we bonded with each other.

There were difficulties along the way; I forgot some stuff that I really wish I’d brought, like bug-spray (I got at least 31 bug bites in two nights!); some of the rafts had holes in them that we had to fix (we found the holes while rafting…that kinda scared me…); and Rob had to make a run to the hospital. One of the Interns, Aaron, was with the college group and he was helping Steve (the college group leader) with a demonstration of Jesus’ love for us. Aaron did fifteen push-ups for all of the college people who wanted an ice-cream bar to pay for it. He also did push-ups for the ones who didn’t want ice-cream (like Jesus dying even for those who don’t want Him). So he ended up doing 540 push-ups! Then he went into shock and started having convulsions! Marc (his brother who was a Junior Intern) told us it was the scariest thing he’d seen in his life. Aaron is fine now, but he couldn’t go rafting or do much of anything for a few days.

Then the 1^st High School Camp started. It was so great to have the other campers there with us! I mean, I LUVED training camp and I would have liked it to last longer, but it was great to share it with the others too!

I rode the paddle raft for the first time (all of the other rafts had an oarsman, but on the paddle raft everyone does the work). I was scared to, because the paddle raft flips very easily. Thankfully, it didn’t flip while I was on it (I did fall out on the biggest rapid, though…thankfully I was able to grab the rope on the outside of the raft, so I wasn’t in danger (even though I was scared…)). And I fell off of a Cataraft (which is basically two pontoons and a frame with a seat for the oarsman) on the biggest rapid on another stretch. But I was able to grab onto that too, so all’s well. :-D

I luved Quiet Time! Just sitting in the sun, reading my Bible, praying, and looking around at God’s creation just moves me! I luv it! Really makes me think of heaven, you know? I mean, if there’s such great beauty here on earth, think of how beautiful HEAVEN must be!!!

I also wrote a song over two days during Quiet Time. I wish I could sing it for you all, but at least I can post the lyrics:

I’m sitting here in silence
Basking in Your Glory
I feel Your touch here
And it moves me

I wish I could write down
All of the things that I am feeling now
But there are no words
To say it, but still I will try now

I can’t believe that You love me
You’re the Creator of all the beauty around me
And I can’t believe that You see me
All the wrong things I’ve done but You sent Your Son for me
And I can’t believe

I’m sitting here in silence
Thinking of all I’ve seen
The trees, the hills, the river, the stars
Such beauty

Then I think of myself
And all of the times I’ve put on a charade
Why can’t I remember
That You are perfect and in Your Image I was made

I can’t believe that You love me
You’re the Creator of all the beauty around me
And I can’t believe that You see me
All the wrong things I’ve done but You sent Your Son for me
And I can’t believe

And right now I feel Your very presence around me
No feeling can top when I feel You Love surround me

I can’t believe that You love me
You’re the Creator of all the beauty around me
And I can’t believe that You see me
All the wrong things I’ve done but You sent Your Son for me
And I can’t believe


So yeah, that’s it. :-D Well, two weeks of rafting down, two more to go! Can’t wait to go back!!! I’m leaving again on the 29^th of July!

~SeaChel