Week 10

The tramp up mount Sommers was awesome! The first day was rather difficult with a very steep incline, but after stopping once completely out of breath, I learnt to pace myself. The first day (Tuesday) was the longest (about three and a half hours) and the most difficult. We reached the first hut at about 2pm and had lunch. The hut was really nice with bunk beds and a sink and a wood stove (which, fortunately, we didn’t have to use). However, since there weren’t enough bunks, some of the boys (who had brought tents and mattresses) camped outside. During the afternoon, we hiked up to some neat rock formations and I had my quiet time right beside the stream (it was quite beautiful!). No one slept too well either night, the first because it was our first night in the hut and the second because of a huge windstorm that beat against the second hut.

Peter Thomas, our teacher for the week, lead our expedition. During the tramp, He taught on Ephesians. We had classes in or just outside the huts and we also had a class on the last day on the mountain. It was really nice to get out of the classroom! My journal entry for this week will be posted at a later date seen as I have not had the opportunity to write it out yet.

The second day of hiking was easier and much more informative since I walked with Peter and he told us about NZ wildlife and tons of other stuff. During our tramp, Dale and Peter would give us questions to talk about in pairs. One was “If you were a dog, who would you bite?” Another one was “What fruit or vegetable best describes our life and why?” And another was “Describe the house you lived in when you were five.” All of the questions sparked some really interesting conversations!

Along the lower part of the mountain were tons of beach trees that were covered in a black moss like stuff. There are tiny bugs that live on the beach trees that produce a sweet liquid called honeydew. The last time the Capernwray students hiked this trail in previous years, the beach trees were covered in wasps that would collect the honeydew but this week, there were barely any wasps. This made hiking much easier and it also meant that we could stop for a sweet treat every now and then. You could collect two or three sweet drops on your finger and just eat it by itself.

We didn’t summit mount Sommers, instead we hiked around it and about half way up. We did get some pretty awesome views and we were blessed with amazing weather! We only had one injury. Bryan twisted his ankle on the last day as he was exploring the water caves.

We departed really early from the huts both mornings so we finished hiking for the day by 10 am! That meant that we had tons of time at the second hut to explore. We went swimming in Emerald Pool (a small pool in the river right bellow a small waterfall which we slid down). Since none of us had brought our togs (Kiwi for swimsuit), we went in with just our undergarments (guys and girls swam at separate times). We also hiked a little ways away form the hut to some water caves. We climbed through the caves, up the waterfalls and found some pretty cool places! We also got some nice girl time since the guys and the girls split up to do our exploring. I got some pretty awesome pictures!

In the evening of the second day, we walked up to a place right above Emerald Pool (on top of the cliffs that surround it) and had a worship and sharing time. It was really cool! It really hit me up there how small I am and how big God’s creation is and therefore how ginormous God is. It brought to mind Isaiah 40:12-14:12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
13 Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counsellor?
14 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?
We were asked to pick out one object in nature and use it to illustrate how God has been speaking to us in the past few days. I chose a blade of grass and spoke about Isaiah 40: 6-8 and how it talks about how all men are like grass and their glory is like the flowers of the field. This life is so temporary and small in the grand scheme of things but God’s work stands forever and that is so amazing! One of the other guys shared about clouds. He said he really likes clouds and he was kind of disappointed that there weren’t any. He went on to say, however, that sometimes, even though we like the clouds, God takes them out of our life for a while. But He knows that if it was cloudy, there would be no way we could do what we are doing (in the example, this was swimming in Emerald pool). And God knows what we need and when we need it. And sometimes He takes things or people out of our lives for a time because He knows that that’s not what we need at the moment. I can say that I have seen God doing this in my life, taking away the things that distract me for a time so that I can focus on knowing Him.

God has been teaching me so much! I tend to hear something but then forget it just as quickly, but He has been faithful to tell me the same thing over and over again as I slowly learn. Going back to the basics of the Christian faith in these first 10 weeks at The Crossing have been so amazing! I don’t know why I haven’t heard all of this before – it was probably because I wasn’t listening – but hearing it for what sometimes feels like the first time (even if I have heard it several times already even at The Crossing) has been so amazing. And I am so grateful that God has moved some of the clouds out of the way for a little while so that I am not too distracted and so that I can focus on Him.

On Friday afternoon after a shorter-than-usual workday, we all got dressed up and then we decorated our Christmas tree and the house. Bruce (the elk in our classroom) is now our Rudolph and the rest of the house is all decked out. During our formal Christmas/American Thanksgiving supper, we even closed the drapes and lit candles so it felt more like Christmas. It’s so weird though to go outside and sit on the grass in the hot sun and think that Christmas is fast approaching! Later in the evening, we had a supper of tarts and eggnog and we played a game. The game consisted of pulling a “song title” or subject out of a hat and then we were given one minute to write lyrics and then we preformed it in front of the group. Some “titles” were “25 degrees on the 25th,” “Jordan fought a giant turkey and won,” and “A love song for a turkey.” They were all quite comical and we had a good laugh!

Saturday was a wonderfully relaxed day with ten of the fourteen students gone to Christchurch for some Christmas shopping and to attend the Coca Cola festival. For the four of us who stayed, Patti hosted a delicious meal of barbequed steak, scalloped potatoes, and salad. I managed to get quite a bit done with such a quiet house including writing and article for the trumpet, chatting with people from back home on the phone, and enjoying a quiet read.

After church on Sunday, Mrs Stephenson invited me up to her house for lunch. She is an amazing lady who goes to the first service at St. Andrews (which I have been walking in to town to attend for the past three or four weeks). She toured me around her house and her beautiful property. We chatted about our families. She told me about her grandchildren and how she met her late husband and how they had renovated their house. And she shared her testimony with me. Wow! She has an amazing testimony and I really admire her faith!
This evening (Sunday), the girls will be going to the Epp’s to visit with Patti. She is finding that since she no longer lives at the Crossing, she is not able to bond with the girls as well and so has proposed that we get together every second Sunday evening (when we don’t have Sunday night fellowship) so we can all get to know each other better.