(this post was written a few weeks ago.)
Yesterday we left Crested Butte Colorado. Our summer project is now finished and we are currently in Santa Fe, NM visiting familia. I am annoyed with myself for not posting on this thing more frequently. The internet signal at our place in Crested Butte was definitively terrible, and we didn't have much time to spend cruising the net anyway.
Stephanie and I ended up serving for 3 weeks with the all girls group. Gina, Julia, Jessica, Sarah and Nicole were awesome. Week 1 was backpacking. Week two we spent 3 days white water rafting. The water level in the Arkansas river goes down all summer, so you want to raft as early as possible in the season. All of the groups got to go rafting, but since we were the first week, we had the best (craziest) water.
The week after that we took the group rock climbing. The climbing was fun, but the programs were even better. Since the group had been together for three weeks already, they were really able to connect with each other and to dig deep as we processed the material. The best program of the week focused on 2 Corinthians 12:9, 10 where the apostle Paul iterates Jesus' words to him saying "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul continues saying, "therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Paul's words are amazing, radical and totally counter-intuitive! He's talking about boasting in and delighting in weaknesses yet we typically don't even want to acknowledge our shortcomings! The emphasis out on the rocks that week was on facing our weakness and imperfection, being real about it and experiencing the grace and Glory of the one who alone is perfect and strong.
The population in Crested Butte (CB) peaks on the 4th of July weekend. That's when we had our biggest outreach event. Over the course of the summer, we cultivated a close relationship with the CB Chamber of Commerce. This enabled our students to serve in the community at different events including the 4th of July parade. We were the official "parade marshals".
After the parade we partnered with one of the local churches who was hosting a big 4th of July BBQ in the park near downtown CB. I helped run some of the kids' games while our students hit the crowded streets to engage people in spiritual conversations. They used the tool we call "Soularium". It's a 'tool' designed by staff and students at NYU and in Spain and it uses pictures to get people talking about what they believe. By fostering open dialog we get to communicate the good news of Jesus in a very relational way.
On the 2nd to last day of the project we attempted to summit a 14,000 ft. peak called "Red Cloud" The weather turned on us, so only a few of the fastest hikers made it up the hill. That was a bummer, but it was good to hike and have some final conversations with some of the students.
