Preparing to Go!

Hello everyone, just checking in to share a bit about my upcoming trip.  I've bought my airline tickets, so now it's time to prepare as I wait for November 7th to roll around.

As the trip is getting closer I'm looking more into where I will be going in Ponta Grossa, Brazil. The weather looks to be fairly comfortable with an average high of 78 degrees F and 81% humidity. Sounds like pleasant weather to climb trees!

I found some pictures of the base where we will build.  It looks like a wonderful place and I'm excited to check out the trees and meet the wonderful people who are serving the Lord there!

Photos of JOCUM(YWAM) Ponta Grossa


This trip is a double blessing for me because I'm also going to Mendoza, Argentina!  The weather in Mendoza will be a bit warmer with an average of 87 degrees F and a humidity around 27%.  I really hope there will be some shade around while we build in the sun!

In Mendoza I will stay a little longer than I originally planned.  I've been asked to work with a camp of around 200 Native people. This camp will be using the brand new ropes course that I'm helping to build so they need experienced people to run things safely. I look forward to seeing people touched by God through the ropes course as they face fears, discover their gifts, and choose to trust.  May God work in a mighty way through this camp!

Photos of YWAM Mendoza

Heading South...

In just two months I will be flying down to South America again to do some ropes course planting.  This time around I will be going to Ponta Grossa, Brazil to build a whole new ropes course that will give the YWAM base some extra tools to reach out to their local community.  I'm really excited for this trip to practice more of my Portuguese and to put my building skills to use.  Ponta Grossa is very near Curitiba, where I went for part of my last trip so I should be able to visit some of the friends I made there. 

I will also go to Mendoza, Argentina to add some more high elements to the course that was started there a couple of years ago.  At this point they have many low elements and one high element, the Flying Squirrel.  On this trip we are building many high elements to complete their ropes course.  I'm very excited about going to Mendoza!  Over the last 2 years I've met a couple of gals who work on the Mendoza YWAM base and have a passion for the ropes course ministry.  Building this course will be so much fun and I'm excited to be a part of their dream of bringing a ropes course to Mendoza!

Alicia and Trudy (both on the left) who work in Argentina and Angelika who works in Latvia

God is doing some amazing things all around the world with the ropes course ministry!  We have YWAM ropes courses in the USA, Brazil, Germany, Russia, Latvia, and Argentina.  Through this ministry thousands and thousands of people are hearing about the love of God and learning to live in a way that honors others and the Lord.  It excites me that what I do here in Salem, Oregon is also being done all around the world!  God is so good and I love how he is using this fun and dynamic ministry to bring people into His Kingdom!

Please pray with me as I raise the funds to go on this trip to South America.  I have some of the funds saved up, but I'm estimating the cost to be around $2,200.  If you are able to help financially in any way - large or small you can click here.  Thank you so much for your prayers and support!!

Going Strong...

Salem Ropes has been going strong for 4 months now and we have hit our half way point in the season... time flies!  The first half has been amazing for me!  I'm in awe of how nice it was to start the season with some experience under my belt... last season there was SOOOO much to learn!  

This season I'm focusing on fine tuning my facilitation skills and learning all there is to know about directing the program in the near future.  I still have a lot to learn, but hopefully I'll catch all the important stuff in the next 4 months. 

We've had some really fun groups this year and I've tried to keep up on some pictures.  Here's a little glimpse of the crazy people I get to hang with on the course...

Tourist Time...

I had a couple of days to do some touring between the building portion of my trip and the facilitator training.  During one of those days I went with a couple new friends on a tour of Curitiba.  We started out early on the city bus to the historical center of Curitiba where we caught a double decker tour bus that took us to 25 scenic places.  We were able to get off the bus at 4 locations to take a closer look around.  

Riding the city bus packed with people.

Riding on the tour bus.

We stopped first at the Jardim Botanico, a classy greenhouse with exotic plants and beautiful gardens.

Overlooking the beautiful landscaping.

Taking a little workout break along the way.  Curitiba has lots of places to just stop and exercise.

Our second stop was at the Bosque Alemao where we hiked a fun brick path through the 'jungle' that led to this structure.  I couldn't resist climbing up here for a picture :)

Overlooking the city of Curitiba.

The third stop at Parque Tangua was my favorite!  Here we got to climb up in the viewing towers above the waterfall and then take a nice hike down the hill, through a tunnel, and around the lake.  It was so peaceful and I really enjoyed the nice weather!

Up in the viewing tower.

The fun little tunnel.

Hanging out at the waterfall.

Our last stop was the Torre Panoramica which is a 360 foot high telephone tower that is open for sightseeing.  Up at the top there is a 360 degree view of Curitiba.  It was so cool to see all around the city! 

This was a really fun day to tour around the city and I think I got a pretty good deal because the total cost of the day was about $15.  This included the city bus fare, tour bus fare, and a snack!  I like that!

 

Training Staff...

After 8 days of building and 1 day of rest, we set in for a couple days of intensive training.  During this time the YWAM Maringa staff learned how to set up the ropes course and lead groups through the activities.  They learned quickly and I loved how they really jumped in and gave it all they had!

    

Here Marlene is showing off the knot she learned... the figure eight on a follow through.  This knot is a specific knot that is used to connect people in to the ropes.  It is a super strong knot that won't slip and is also easy to untie after it holds a lot of weight, (very important!)

In this picture I'm explaining how to set up a group to do the low circuit, which is an obstacle course that is just off the ground.  It was extra fun because I would explain the directions in English and Geninho, the guy in the green shirt, would translate into Portuguese.  

Since the Maringa staff were so athletic we had them carry a log through the course to add an extra challenge.  Along the way they named it "Wilson" and it became just another member of the team.  

The Maringa base has had the ropes course for about 2 months now and I'm excited for all that God is doing there!  I look forward to hearing wonderful stories and passing them on to you all!

Cross Walk!

Today is Good Friday and what a good Friday it has been!  I grew up in the church and have known for years what this day represents, but I've never really done much to celebrate or reflect on this very important day.  

Today a group of staff from YWAM Salem went down town to do a "cross walk."  We literally drug a cross all around the center of the city while others in the group prayed and talked with people.  During this time several people asked questions about what we were doing and gave the opportunity for us to share the Gospel.  It was a great way to get people asking questions! 

I made the choice to carry the cross for a while and, oh my, I experienced a major download during those 5 or so minutes!  The first thing that hit me was how the cross was heavy and I could feel every little bump on the ground vibrate through my body.  I started to really think about how Jesus felt carrying a HEAVY cross... through RUGGED terrain... hearing FILTHY insults... after being BEATEN severely... knowing that he would DIE for the sins of the ENTIRE world.  I don't know how I kept from crying, but I somehow managed to keep walking. 

As I walked, I also thought of how Jesus died for some pretty awful things I've done.  It was a sobering moment, but then a spirit of thankfulness rose up in me and I began praising the Lord for saving me and calling me up into a wonderful life in Him.  God is so good!  He can take anyone from any situation and turn their life around.   

Throughout the morning I heard stories of how God is touching lives through different city outreaches that we have done as a YWAM base.  The man following the cross in the above picture is just one of those stories.  He met a couple of our staff guys several months ago and has really turned his life around.  He has gone from just out of jail and homeless to being connected with a church, living in his own place, and being really close to having a job (he has some secondary interviews coming up).  Please pray that he can get a good job!  I think it's amazing how we ran into him and he joined us in the outreach!  Here he is in the next picture choosing to carry the cross.

 I was nervous about this outreach... something about dragging a cross through the city didn't seem "normal" or fun to me, but I went anyway knowing that God sometimes asks me to do things that don't make sense.  What I found was that I really enjoyed the outreach once I got going.  I can relate this to my experience with the Giant Swing.  I'm scared every time I step up to the edge of the platform and take that step into thin air, but once I step off, I love it and enjoy the swing!  

It was a beautiful day for this outreach and the trees were so thick with Spring blossoms.  I think it's a picture of the new and wonderful season that is coming ahead!  I'm excited for it and all the amazing things God is going to do!

Hanging from Cables!

Hanging from the cables about 60 feet in the air is pretty exciting!  I enjoy physical challenges and always find it exhilarating to be high in the air climbing around on less than stable cables.  The cables wiggle and wobble and I just hold on and keep going to do whatever I'm there to do.  In this post I'm climbing up to show another guy how to string up the rope to use the "Flying Squirrel." For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a high element where someone is pulled quickly up into the air by the rest of the team pulling the rope they are attached to.  In about 2 seconds the person is dangling about 40 feet in the air... weeeee!

This is a carabiner and a daisy chain.

We call this system our "personal protection."  I love using a daisy chain because it has loops on it and allows me to hook in at a long length or a short length depending on what I'm doing.  It's very versatile for doing many different things.  I use this pretty much any time I'm out working.    

Heading out on the cables.

Getting set

Notice how I have two long yellow lanyards for safety?  I always have at least two safety lines, that way I can clip from one cable to another without ever being without a safety line.  Many times I have a third safety line for comfort.  Here I'm clipping the daisy chain pretty short so I can't fall very far at all.  

Moving out on the cables.

Almost to the pulley.

Climbing down to the lower cable to put the rope through the pulley.

 Climbing up in the cables is hard work!  Sometimes you are climbing across and other times you are climbing up and down between cables.  I find that it's a really good workout, but a workout that I can do pretty much all day because I enjoy it.  

Stringing the rope through another pulley.

 I ended up doing this climb 3 times as the "Flying Squirrel" was built.  First to put the pulleys on... then to thread the rope through the pulleys... and once again to double check everything to make sure we didn't overlook anything.

 Later in the week I got the chance to take a ride on the "Flying Squirrel."  I've been on this element several times in Salem, but here in Maringa it was kinda special because I got to experience going on something that I helped build.  It was AWESOME!

Drilling...

Building a ropes course requires lots of climbing and drilling!  

Each cable connection needs to be drilled and fitted with a bolt to connect the cable to the tree or pole.  With all the different high and low elements we had to drill a TON!  My first "in the air" drilling experience was on this fine pole that is now the end of the zip line we built.   

At the bottom looking at the pole I need to climb... totally excited about it!

Ready to climb with my chacos (the best sandals ever) and the drill clipped to my harness!

For all of you who are worried about my safety... my harness is totally connected to the pole with a piece of webbing like this :) 

I made it to the top and am ready to drill! 

The lovely hole I drilled!

Tightening the nut so the bolt can't come out.

I think I remember getting slightly sunburned working up there... it was a super hot day and no shade!


When I think back to all the work our team did up in the trees I'm reminded of the way God kept us safe.  I'm truly thankful for all who were praying for safety!  Other than some scrapes and bruises we had no injuries at all!  Praise the Lord!!

Setting Poles!

We had to do a little extra work to build some of the high elements at the Maringa base.  There weren't  a lot of trees in the right places so we had to dig 5 BIG holes to put poles where we needed them.  

The guys digging a hole - notice the red clay.

The soil was really interesting to work in... it was this thick clay that would stick to everything!  The wet clay would stick to the bottom of your shoes and stack up until it was a couple of inches thick.  Made it really fun to walk around!

Eugenio enjoying the work!

Yana checking the depth of the hole and translating.  

It was really interesting to be building in Brazil... we had people who spoke only English and others who spoke only Portuguese.  This could have been a real big issue, but we had some wonderful people who could speak both languages.  It was really cool that some of the translators were kids... they may not have had the building skills, but they sure were helpful in keeping the communication going!!

How many guys does it take to dig a hole?

Transporting poles

 We were totally blessed to have a Christian construction company donate a truck and operator for the day to help us move and set the poles.  Moving and setting the poles could have been done by hand, but the use of a truck allowed us to get all the poles set in one day!  Thank you to the construction company and to God for providing the help that we needed for this BIG task!

Setting a pole in place.

With all the poles set we were ready to start drilling and hanging cable.... which meant more climbing!  YAY for more climbing!!

Building!

You may be wondering what it takes to build a ropes course.  I asked myself this question before I went on this building trip.  I really didn't know if I had the skills to do the job and going with a bunch of guys didn't help much either... needless to say... I was intimidated!!

We spent the first couple of days prepping the site for building.  We organized building supplies and cut down some trees.  One of the great blessings was having lots of help so prepping went quick and we got to building after just a couple of days!

ORGANIZING

Rapid links... put into groups of 5.

Hooks and light rope to make the spider web.

Bolts to connect cables to the trees.

CUTTING TREES

Climbing a tree with only my harness and 2 webbing straps!  A good workout! 

I climbed this tree to tie a rope around it so they could control the direction it landed.  We decided to do this after the previous tree took out the neighbor's fence. 

We didn't hit anything with this tree... yay for us!

Have I mentioned yet that I love to climb?  Well, just in case I forgot... I do love to climb!!