There’s always been something appealing to me about backpacking.  The idea of carrying everything I need for a few days or a week on my back is freeing.  Simplifying life, getting away from all the noise and chaos, and silencing my cell phone are all things I believe strongly need to happen on a regular basis.  Beyond that is the challenge.  Pushing my body and mind a step or two (or ten) past what I previously thought possible gives a sense of accomplishment that can be difficult to find in daily life.

So, it was this love of backpacking and the occasional weekend of roughing it that led me to open up the opportunity to high school and post-high kids this summer.  A couple weeks ago we headed up to North Manitou Island for a weekend away.  In all fifteen of us loaded onto a ferry near Leland and made our way across the lake and away from civilization for some time in nature.  With loaded packs, a duffel back of food, and a couple very heavy tent bags we hiked our way six miles to the west side of the island.  And, although the walk was long and laborious and our gear weighty and awkward to carry, we knew the beach and sunsets on the far side of the island would be worth the journey.

We were right.  After setting up camp and having dinner at our incredible site in the woods we sat ourselves in the sand to witness the glory of God’s creation.  We breathed it in and silently some of us may have believed that He painted this one just for us.

After another day of some hikes, a second incredible sunset, some fantastic meals cooked over a camping stove, a brief rain storm, some great laughs, searching for Petoskey stones, finding pictures in the clouds, deep conversations, star gazing, and sleep we packed up our gear, strapped it on our backs and headed on the six mile hike back to the ferry dock.

As we sat in the grass under a tree awaiting the ferry’s arrival I took the opportunity to have us all reflect on what we learned.  The responses varied from the one guy’s surprise love for cooking, to sense of community one person felt when his heavy load was picked up by someone else along the way, to the profound amazement of creation.  And I realized the lessons learned that weekend away that were not taught by me or any other adult but spoken directly from the mouth of God and from one young person to another.

I sometimes wonder how to best present the Truth of the Gospel to young people today.  With all the media and hype of today’s culture how do I get them excited about Jesus?  This weekend in the woods with kids helped me realize that if we give God the opportunity to speak into our lives and into the lives of these kids, He will not be silent.

God spoke loudly that weekend and we were blessed.  Mel