PNCC Camp Twinlow

We're back from our 2011 Mission Trip. For the second year in a row, we joined the PNCC at Camp Twinlow in Rathdrum, Idaho. We had a good time last year, but THIS YEAR WAS BETTER. Everything went JUST RIGHT this year.

Look at us in our Shirts!

Dakota took the lead in designing our shirts this year, and she did a fantastic job. They say "Know God, Know Peace. No God, No Peace" on the front, and then "I desire to do you will my god. Your law is written on my heart." Or something like that, from Psalms 40:8 I believe.

One thing that I really enjoyed this year was working at the camp to improve the camp itself. Here's a lumber shed we built. While this was going up, Dakota and I worked on cleaning out the fireplace.

Before

After

Elderhelp program

Of course one of the best projects is working with Elderhelp. We had the perfect job: doing light yardwork for man who had Parkinsons. Tim and I were out back stacking wood when the man’s wife came out. She was crying. She called us angels and was very specific about giving all of us lots of hugs. She kept calling me “Big Papa” which I kind of liked. When we finished up and drove out of there, Tim and I agreed that jobs don’t get much sweeter than that one.

P.E.T. Project

Another project that we worked on was the P.E.T. project. We drove about 45 minutes into Spokane to this INCREDIBLE work shop where assembled and box these "Personal Energy Transports", which are three wheel wagons with pedals where the handlebars should be. These enable the legless in third world countries to become productive members of their communities. We had a blast building these things and it just felt great!

Human Rights Institute

Our third outreach was to volunteer at the Human Rights Institute in Spokane. We did a lot of light renovation and mural painting for them. The work that they are doing is good stuff and we had a lot of fun with it.

JD working

JD and I spent an evening just cleaning the beach stairs. It seems counter-intuitive to spend your vacation weeding someone else's property, but there was so much satisfaction in it, it really brings peace to one's soul. While we were working on it we watched the camp counselors doing their own challenge: they had to build a raft and use it to cross the lake. They got about 1/2 way across before the raft came apart and they had to swim the rest of the way.

Sunset

Shannon and Me

We have become very close with our friends up in the Methow Valley. Here's a a shout out to Shannon, Dylan, Tim, Hannah. We miss you guys already.

Zam and Me

Campfires were like a party every night. Much more so than last year. Tyler and Zam, the new management, ran a tight ship this year and it really showed. It was basically all high-schoolers this year at camp, so the level of maturity was way up. Much less baby-sitting, much more interesting discussions and serious work.

Super China Buffet II

Again, we were so sad to leave! Everyone napped on the way home, but of course we had to stop at Super China Buffet II and chow down! At some point I realized that this was the best week I had had all year, and probably would remain that way until next year when we decide to go again.

Mission Trip: Riley's Report

First, I want to say that the mission trip was an amazing week, in so many ways, and I want all of you who helped make it possible to know how grateful I am for that opportunity. Thank you.

I’ve been thinking for a week about what I would say to you today, trying to find an “aha moment” or something to describe that would wrap up everything I felt that week into a nice little speech that wouldn’t put you to sleep and might even make you laugh once or twice. I couldn’t find that moment. I never had a voice announce in my head, “Congratulations! Your life has been changed!” or anything like that. I didn’t get any great advice that changed the way I looked at life. But despite the lack of one defining moment, the week definitely did change me. I couldn’t find one defining moment that summed it all up, because the week was the moment. It was everything added together that made the full effect.

There was the time that Tabby and I mustered up our courage and encouraged each other to take our swim tests in the cold lake so we could go kayaking together. Once we got out onto the middle of the lake, we just pulled our paddles out of the water and sat for a while, trying to take in all the beauty around us.

There were the times at the work sites, when we worked together to get our projects done and did our best to improve the lives of the people we’d been assigned to help. There was always a lot of work to do, and it was sometimes overwhelming, but everyone put in their energy and enthusiasm and we accomplished some impressive things.

There were the times the whole camp played Ultimate Frisbee. It started with the most athletic guys doing the whole thing, leaving the rest of us out, but with some encouragement from the counselors, they learned that all of us could contribute, and wanted to. We all started to pour out our energy trying to get that Frisbee into the goal, congratulating each other on great passes and encouraging each other to keep trying after making a mistake. That was a great feeling.

On the last full day of camp, Tabby, Elizabeth and I had some extra time and decided to explore a trail we hadn’t been on. We talked and laughed on our way up, and at the end, we found an outdoor chapel with a perfect view of the lake. We sat there for a while, silently. I don’t know what the other two were thinking about, but I was thinking about how this week had brought me together with them, and with the rest of the group from my church, and with youth and adults from all across the state. I looked out at the lake and realized how much I’d miss jumping off the dock in a line with all these people I now call friends. I have a feeling we were all occupied with similar thoughts about the significance of the week. Eventually, the silence passed, and we all got up and went back to camp, laughing and talking about seeing each other at school and maybe returning to Twinlow next summer. We didn’t say a prayer, but to me, that whole hike was a prayer, of thanksgiving, of wonder, and of hope.

There were so many moments, too many to tell in one speech or twenty. I really, really, really, really want to go back next year. If I could go back next week, see everyone again, and keep working to serve the community, I would. One week wasn’t enough to get to know all of those amazing people, and the need for our enthusiastic help in the community will never be met if we don’t step up.