by Sharon Hardel, Adult Guide
The hike on Monday was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. We had many challenges before even beginning the actual hike. The camp was over extended due to many groups rescheduling their cancelled Youth Gathering trip to do adventure trips, so there were three other high school groups besides our group, plus their regular weeklong camp program going on. Flathead Bible Camp, like every other camp and summer program, was short staffed, but they still wanted to try to accommodate everyone. It took us a long time to get our community gear (camp provided items like tents and cooking equipment) and food that the kitchen staff had to prepare. We never got out on the hiking trail until 3:00 pm that afternoon, in the heat of the day (Montana was also experiencing the heat wave). Our four guides were experienced hikers and amazing, but they had not ever hiked this particular trail before, so no one was sure how far we had to go, so we just kept walking. As you can tell by the reflections, Monday was not a great experience for our group. However, they turned it around and Tuesday evening were enjoying making s’mores around the campfire and by reading their reflections. I can see how they grew from the experience and knew that God was with them. We all grew in this experience and had to trust and rely on God and each other. We are so proud of our youth and the challenges they had to overcome! The adults met with the camp staff and had a long conversation on Thursday morning to express our concerns, frustrations and to advise them on changes they could make to do this hike in the future with other groups. Camp staff took our comments very seriously and apologized for not getting us out on the trail sooner and are working with us to compensate our experience.
by Carter Scribner, High School Youth
I want to start off by saying this trip was good despite the hike and the organization. I had a really good time with your church and I grew and got to know more about the people on the trip. Thanks so much. The way I saw God during the trip was when we were struggling to get everyone to the camp site, but after all the stress and walking, I knew that God was on my side. In fact, he was and I knew that deep down in my faith he would be able to help and lead us.
by Elsa Cortinas, High School Youth
What challenged me most on the Montana trip was definitely that first hike up the mountain. I mean it seriously messed me up in those first two hours. My entire body screaming at me to just turn around and my mind thinking about how much I wanted to go home. Eventually, I reached a point where I was started to feel comfortable about the hike and so I trekked on at a slow pace in a small group of three. But then, all of us were reunited again near nighttime, in the rain and with almost no water. By the end of that day, I felt exhausted, tired and dizzy. I’m pretty sure I was hallucinating objects in the dark, too.
Despite the challenges, I believe I saw God the night we hiked back from the trip. There was a sense of comradery I felt with some of the people there and I felt like I had an appreciation for the simple fact that we were almost done with the week. In that case, I guess I didn’t really see God as much as I sensed him watching out for me— finally giving me hope after the dreading moments I had felt little to none. It was a powerful feeling.
by Aden Niebuhr, High School Youth
A challenge for me was being able to keep up morale during the hike because it was so long and there wasn’t really an end in sight. It was dark too so we literally couldn’t see anything. It was a test for us to stay positive and trust in God even in the face of something difficult.
I saw God during the night when it was quiet and dark and you could see all the stars. It felt like God’s way of bringing a moment of peace to us during a challenging time.
by Caleb Ruch, High School Youth
What challenged me the most was probably staying positive throughout the whole trip; even after Monday when everyone was frustrated and tired. It was really challenging to stay positive through it all.
Where I saw God during the week was at our campfire on Thursday night. I saw Him in our prayers, in the people talking, and just in the general being of the campfire.
by Cora Hoeft, High School Youth
Challenging: Physically it was not challenging for me, but mentally not knowing when we were done, when we could get more water, and where some people were was scarier and harder for me. I was to the mental breaking point; I was crying and if you know me that is pushing quite far. But through all of it we all made it through even with the challenges.
Where I saw God: I saw God on my bed because every night I would lay down to go to bed and think “Wow, I made it another day.” It also showed how I am capable of so much more than I thought and God helped push me to see that.
by Brian Niebuhr, Adult Guide
I am not a quitter. I find it difficult to give up when just a little more effort could get me there. However, on Monday on our hike up the mountain I was ready to quit. I was tired, frustrated, sore, and it was getting late. I started going through all of the ‘Plan B’ possibilities in my head since I was certain that we weren’t going to make it to the campsite. I think the only reason I continued was that I really didn’t have much of a choice, and it took every bit of will I had to keep moving forward.
Reflecting back on the despair I felt at the time, and knowing how I was ready to give up, my respect and admiration for the other youth and adults on this trip continues to grow. They were all in this same situation – I’m sure most of them were ready to give up too. Yet every single person made it. Every single person was able to push beyond their limits to do something that, for most of us, was probably one of the most demanding things we’ve done in our lives.
So how did we do it? I’m certain God isn’t there to make life easy for us. He wants us to learn and grow, and sometimes that means putting us in an impossible situation and then helping us find our way out. He was there keeping watch over us. He was there giving us the strength to take one more step when we had no energy left. I know I couldn’t have done it alone – I was ready to quit. Instead, with his help I learned more about what I can truly handle, and I know that I now have a profound respect for the people who made that journey with me. I think, for all of us, the next time we’re ready to quit we’ll stop and look back and feel God’s hand nudging us on to push ourselves just a little harder.
by Xander Niebuhr, High School Youth
Personally, even though the hiking and the physical aspects of the trip were very challenging, I also felt very challenged in my faith over the week. I found myself closer to God through nature and the personal connections I created with the others on the trip. I learned and grew in my faith and understand more about God and myself.
I saw God in the safety of everybody throughout the trip. Even when things looked like they were going badly, we all made it safe on the hike. Nobody was harmed or injured the entire trip, and it helped to make a fun and memorable experience.
by Emily Sears, Adult Guide
What was most challenging and why?
Where did you see God during the week?
In order for me to answer the prompts and for it to make sense to everyone, I need to relay a little backstory on how I ended up here and why this journey meant so much to me. In October of 2020 I filed for divorce. My marriage was awful, and it turns out I married a narcissist who whittled my barely existent self-confidence down into the negatives. I slowly started digging myself out of that hole and truly thought I was doing better with all my self-work and therapy. This spring though, my depression reared its ugly head again and I went to the darkest place I have ever been in my life. I was constantly sad, felt that I had no purpose, and truly had no will to live. At the end of April, I checked myself into the Bryan hospital outpatient program for suicidal ideations. This was my lowest low point in life, and I truly had no hope that I was ever going to make it out. I was alive but I wasn’t living. I was just struggling every day and trying to make it through. I was searching for something, but I had no idea what. I truly wanted to go to a rehab or some kind of program where I could just get a break from my life for a little while and just find a purpose and meaning on why I was still here.
Fast forward to maybe end of May or (June? It is all kind of a blur) when my Mom pointed out an ad in the church bulletin asking for anyone interested in going on the Montana adventure trip with the youth. My mom was totally joking when she showed it to me, because if you know anything about me, I am NOT an outdoorsy girl and I have never been camping in my life. My family always considered “roughing it” as being in a hotel that had a broken air conditioner and not a lot of choices of cable stations on the tv. When I read that summary and talked to Sharon about going, I knew that this was God’s sign of telling me, this is exactly what you need and exactly what you’ve been looking for. I was very involved in the youth groups back when I was a teen and I’ve really been needing to get back into service and becoming more involved once again. I just knew this trip had been the answer to my prayers because I’d be able to disconnect from social media and everything back home, that I would be able to serve the youth and get involved in Church again in a more meaningful way, and that maybe out in the wilderness I could find God again and have him tell me what my purpose is. This was a huge deal for me, because I didn’t really know anyone that was going and all the activities were out of my comfort zone, but I knew that somehow all of these things were put into play, and it was going to save me.
Now that I’ve given you some back story, I can answer for you what was most challenging and why. Silly me, I thought that peeing and going number two in the woods would be the most challenging things for me. Boy was I wrong! After the insane hike, doing those things were a breeze! What was most challenging for me was the grueling hike in. I was not mentally or physically prepared for how hard that hike would be. Carrying 40+ pounds on my back, going up a steep incline and in thinner air than normal, I thought I was going to die. I know I am not in the greatest shape, but I didn’t think that hiking would’ve been that hard. I’ve done small trails in Arizona and California but never with weight on my back or being in a higher elevation. I think the first mile in I wanted to quit. I just stopped and leaned against a rock and started bawling my eyes out. I was begging our guides to let me turn around. They told me that I was barely in and that I would forever regret it if I didn’t try going a little further. They helped me with mental games and positive self-talk, and even though I kept wanting to quit, they told me to just go a little farther. Eventually we got so far that we were closer to the destination, and it would take longer to turn back. Once it got dark though, things got super scary. It was raining and we were up high, having to navigate across rugged terrain and sliding rocks. I think everyone at some point thought “This is where I am going to die”. There were so many times I thought myself or one of the youths was going to fall to their death. Somehow God protected us all and we all made it safe and sound. I knew God had to be watching over us at that moment because that was one of the scariest and hardest things I have ever done. I remember joking with a lot of people about how going through my divorce was easier that what I just did. I said I cried every day for 6 months during my divorce, but never once did I think I was going to die. I thought I was going to die here, and now this hike was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I can truly say after surviving the hike in and out and sleeping in a 6-person tent with 8 girls (including myself) that I can do anything. Doing that made me feel like now I can do anything, and my confidence is back and my depression is at bay. It is so crazy that the thing I just knew was going to save me, actually did.
Now for the second question. Where did I see God over the week? I literally saw him everywhere I looked! When I wanted to quit and got encouragement from the guides and my peers around me, I saw God. When we all had low morale and just wanted to quit but we all kept going and made it (somehow) safely to camp, I saw God. In all the beautiful views in Montana, I saw God. Interacting with the kids and doing bible studies, I saw God. Watching myself grow and be changed by this hike and all these people and feel their encouragement, I saw God. God was everywhere in this trip everywhere I looked and with everything I did. I grew in my faith, and I grew so much mentally and physically in myself.
Upon reflecting on everything that happened, yes, I probably complained every step of the way and may have said I hated every moment of it. Now that the experience is over, I can say it was everything I was looking for and more. It cured my depression. I am in the happiest place of my life now than I have been in several years. I got my confidence back. I found me again. I found a purpose and I found God. This trip came to me exactly at the right time and I am now no longer lost but I am found. Would I ever do it again? No probably not! But I would be willing to serve the youth and do other things with them besides camping. This has been the hardest thing I have ever done, but definitely the best thing I have ever done. This trip saved me and to everyone who went on it, I am forever grateful for your support, love, and encouragement.
by Aidan Cotter, High School Youth
The most challenging part of my trip was most definitely the hike. Especially when the front group was waiting on the back groups going up the mountain cause we where almost all out of food and water. Where I saw God at work was definitely in the patience in all of our guides and their willingness to help us all as it was our fist time hiking.
Daily Reflection written by youth and adults
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
On Wednesday we prepared to go back to Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp. We all got up early and fixed a breakfast of oatmeal. Let’s just say, most of us had to choke that oatmeal down and it was not our favorite thing to eat. (Especially when we had to rinse it out with water and swallow everything to clean the bowl!!) We tore down camp and divided the supplies and split into our two groups (the fast group and the more leisure group) to get back to the vans and back to FLBC!
If we thought going up the incline was hard, going downhill was almost worst! Our muscles ached but we all pushed through because we were ready to be out of the middle of nowhere. It was crazy seeing all the sites that we missed when we came in, in the dark. The views were breathtaking, and our great guides helped keep up morale by playing fun games.
The two groups all met up for lunch and we took a short break and group picture before trudging on. Even though the hike back was a tad easier than the hike in, it was still grueling on our bodies. I felt pain in my toes and knees! I was more so crying in pain this time instead of crying and wanting to quit, so progress! : )
Once we all made it back to the vans, we all had such an amazing feeling of accomplishment. The Cotters bought everyone a Huckleberry milkshake on the way back, and when I say it is the best tasting thing I’ve ever had, I’m not lying! We got back to FLBC and were able to swim in the lake or take showers. I have never been more excited in my life to finally shower!
That night, we all cooked together and made foil grill packs on the fire. Everyone loved them, except me because I am a weirdo when it comes to food. We did make amazing bananas stuffed with marshmallows and chocolate that we grilled, and those were tasty! We spent the night talking about the prodigal son and doing some bible study. The group morale was up again, and we were all so happy being back closer to “civilization”.
