Next Stop... Brazil!

God has been so good to me!!  I thought I'd be working with one of the DTS schools this last summer, but instead God led me to work with the ropes course and I'll have to say that it has been the MOST AMAZING EXPERIENCE!  Isn't it great how God ALWAYS knows what is best for us!?  

Right now the ropes course is closed for the season so we can all stay dry during the really rainy weather.  For the next three months I'll be working in another ministry on base, which I'll share more about later.  I know the time will go fast and I look forward to the start of another season in 2013!

The Curitiba base

To start off next year's ropes season I'm heading down to Curitiba, Brazil to help build another ropes course, train staff, and get my level 2 certification!   I will be there from February 9th - March 15th and I'm really looking forward to meeting ropes course staff from around the world and serving with them as we build another ropes course.  I think it's so cool that we all have something in common... our love of Jesus and our desire to share his love with others in the great outdoors through fun and games!  

The ropes course in Curitiba

As I prepare for this trip please be praying for the following:

• Health and safety 
• Good prices on plane tickets 
• The approval of my visa paperwork
• Additional funds for the cost of the trip: visa, airfare and housing will be around $2,000  

God Always Moves!

Recently we had a college group here on the ropes course and the contact person from the college specifically asked us not to mention anything about God during their time here.  Before the group came the ropes staff gathered and prayed that we would somehow have the opportunity to share with these students without directly talking about God.  The really cool thing is that God can always make a way when the door seems to be shut tightly!  

During the day we were able to share many kingdom principles with the students like trusting, serving, and using your gifts and talents.  It was a good day of team building and all, but God had a lot more planned for the day.  On the last element of the day... the Giant Swing... God totally opened the door for me to talk with a couple of girls.  They were on top of the swing platform and were pretty freaked out about it.  I was talking to them about fear and was being really careful to not bring God into the middle of it all when one of the girls asked if I could pray for them.  Wham!  The door swung open and I got to talk with them about trusting God and choosing to push through the fear to experience the freedom and fun on the other side!  We prayed and... whooosh... they were off! 

So cool that God can open any door that man may shut!

The Climbing Tower Gets a Face Lift!

It rains a lot here in Salem so our beloved climbing tower needed some repairs this summer.  The plywood and beams were rotting and as you can see it didn't really look that great.  This project didn't seem like it would be that big of a deal to me, but boy was I mistaken!  

I'm not real experienced in construction so this was a great learning experience for me.  I learned to measure with the carpenter lingo of "strong" or "weak" to add or take away a smidgen.  I'm pretty thrifty with a drill now, even suspended some 30 feet above the ground and I really know how to slap on sticky glue with a trowel like the pros!  I even know the secret to getting it out of my hair :)  

Here are a few photos that show the progress of the construction:

Our 40 foot climbing tower needing repairs.

Down to the skeleton after taking off rotten plywood.

Had to replace all the rotten beams as well.

Hanging from the wall as we work.

After new beams and plywood.

Adding a layer of Vinyl to protect against the moisture.

What we are calling the "Smurf Tower."

We will be adding more obstacles to this side for an extra challenge.

Only a couple things left to do on the wall... finish the obstacles and put on rock holds so we can once again climb the tower!

Summer Flew By...

Have you ever felt that time goes by faster when you're having fun?  I think it really does because this summer was fun and went by super fast!  Everything about this summer was fast... especially the GIANT swing!

I love how this swing takes your breath away!  Look, I'm just a blur  :0)

This is the top of the giant swing platform... 25 feet up!

I love it up here... hanging out on the edge!

Sometimes I like to keep my feet on the ground playing games like "Chicken Tower."

Or being a safety line so the kids can climb.

I like to climb too, when I have the chance :0)

I don't mind that the job is sometimes dirty.

Because I like to have FUN and help others have FUN too!

Dirty Dash!

This last weekend several of our YWAM Salem staff ran the Dirty Dash in Eugene, Oregon.  This sloppy race was to raise funds for several charities in the community so it was great to make a difference as we had fun in the mud!  We crawled through tunnels... climbed over obstacles... wallowed in the mud pits... and laughed a lot!  

Our attempts at crazy outfits!

The Giant hay bales

We got a little muddy so far

Glad I had goggles when I got totally dunked in the mud!

I can see again... yay!

I think we enjoyed the race :0)

The greatest thing is that my skin was soooo smooth after the race... like I got a special facial at the spa!

Will you hold my leg for a minute?

I never really know what is going to happen when leading a group on the ropes course.  Yesterday was a great example of just that...


So, we started out the day with a large group of 54 people on the lawn playing some get to know you games.  This group was a mix of some different churches joining up to do some team bonding before heading out on a mission trip to Haiti.  Such a wonderful group of people wanting to serve the Lord!  After the games we all harnessed up, split into 5 groups, and headed off to the course.  


The first stop for my group... the Huge Green Cheetahs... was the low circuit, which is an obstacle course just off the ground.  The goal is to do the obstacles without touching the ground.  This is a difficult task for most groups and requires physical strength, creativity, and teamwork.   


On this particular day I had a man named Zack in my group.  I was a little nervous about this because he had a prosthetic leg.  I thought about his safety and wondered how he would do on the course because of the difficult nature of the obstacles, but as I watched I was amazed!  Not only did he complete each challenge, he was instrumental in helping the rest of the team.  Wow!  What an example of creativity and the determination!  


My favorite moment of the day was when Zack came to the underground tunnel.  He was having a little trouble fitting through the tunnel because of the tight space.  I was about to tell him that he could just skip that obstacle... the next thing I knew he was holding his leg out to me and asking me if I could hold it for him.  Oh my goodness... I could't believe it... I was holding his leg and walking it to the other side of the tunnel!  We got a good chuckle out of this and it totally broke the ice for the rest of the day where he rocked the rest of the challenges!


Throughout the day I heard a little bit of his life story... how he lost his leg serving our country in Iraq... and how he has chosen to not be held back, but instead to press forward and give to others.  I'm sure God will use him in mighty ways as he heads out to love and serve people in Haiti! 

So... the end of my day came with another little surprise... a bird decided to poo on my arm.  Gotta love the random things that happen when working on the ropes course!

Loving Salem Ropes!

Hey everyone, thought I'd let you know that I love what I'm doing here in Salem!  Here's a little look into what I do on the Salem Ropes Course. 

First of all, I'm finding that no two days are ever the same when working on the Salem Ropes Course.  Each group is unique and it keeps me on my toes as I do my best to lead them through the course in a way that will challenge them and also give them opportunities for great success.  Sometimes I wonder if I'm the one doing all the learning because I get so much out of the activities that I lead the groups through.  

Teamwork written in many different languages

One of the main reasons that groups come to the course is to work on TEAMWORK.  Most of the elements are designed specifically to require teamwork and it's fun to watch groups begin the day with an independent mindset and leave at the end of the day depending on and even enjoying working as a team.

  

The five commitments that we all make at the beginning of the day

I love seeing how so many amazing things can be learned from these fairly simple and fun activities.  

I can't begin to list all the lessons that are learned through the activities, but I will share a couple to give a general idea.

Flying Squirrel

The Flying Squirrel:  a high element where the "flyer" is pulled up about 30 feet into the air by the rest of the team.  This element allows individuals the opportunity to trust their team with their life as they fly into the air and also for the team to serve the "flyer."  It's really cool to see how much fun people have in pulling on the rope.  Service doesn't have to be an agonizing thing... in fact there can be great joy in serving others as you are joining with them in reaching a goal! 

Giant Swing

The  Giant Swing:  a high element where you climb a pole 25 feet up to a platform and then swing out over the hill to a height of about 60 feet.  Definitely a breathtaking experience!  This element is great for bringing out the encouragement of the group and also for overcoming fear.  There are very few people who don't fear this swing... even I still have a moment of fear up there!  The Giant Swing has been an amazing thing to experience as a facilitator.  To witness the life giving power of encouragement is so cool and seeing people overcome their fears is truly wonderful!   

"For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind."  - II Timothy 1:7