September 21, 2018
Monday –
It’s 5 am and all of us wake up to obnoxiously loud conches blowing throughout our hallways. We hear knocking on our doors and open them to a packing list on our floor. The RD’s are saying we have to be all packed and ready by 5:30 am. We were all panicking and shoving a bunch of whatever into our suitcases. When we go down at 5:30 they load us up into the vans and take us down the highway and pull off of the road at a random turn out. The RD’s tell us all to pick up a rock that will represent our distractions. We then go on a hike down into the forest with these rocks. A while into it they tell us to put down our rocks into this pile which represented us all leaving our distractions away. We continue hiking and eventually arrive at Wildwood. A place where we sleep in tents, have no source of time, have PB & J every lunch, and learn more about how to grow together as a community in Christ.
Its Tuesday, I wake up to the conch again. We get up and get ready for KP (kitchen patrol) We have bacon, eggs and pancakes for breakfast, then we move on to devotions. After devotions we had a guest speaker named Brad Bell who’s book, Walking with a Limp, we read this past week. He talked about different personalities and we are dead to sin but need to not let it have dominion in our lives still. The most memorable part of the day was probably that evening, when we were taken out into the wilderness and just left to our thoughts and God. Hearing the stories from everyone’s experience of being out there with God and how he spoke into our lives was incredible. The worship music was awesome so powerful and transcendental. BUT THE FOOD…. THAT’S WHAT REALLY MADE THE NIGHT. BEST CHILI EVER.
Wednesday (The Day of Wednes)
On an ever-sunny and crisp morning, the birds and squirrels were only background noises to the sound of the conch shell in the early morning. Some bodies, despite the lack of any possible time reference, were already awake for the next morning – aware another adventure awaited. After a lovely french toast breakfast and a rather easy round of devotionals, the group split, guys and girls, to embark on yet another trial at Wildwood. The challenge showed itself to be a blind rope challenge, metaphorically highlighting our never-ending circling through life without the guidance of God. It was a beautiful and intimate exercise; encouraging healthy vulnerability between the groups. After the event and tears, and another appetizing round of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, all of the students ran free to their hearts desire. In the midst of the heat, it was a terrific day for the formation of friendships, laughs, and memories. Evening approached soon enough, and with it came exciting times with the girls’ and boys’ RD’s. The night concluded with a warm campfire and delicious s’mores among friends, and with the sound of the final conch of the day, came the much-needed call for rest after an exhausting day.
THURSDAY
It’s Thursday. We woke up to the conch again. We had breakfast burritos for breakfast. It was quickly revealed that this would be our last day in wildwood. We were all given instruction on what our task would be for breaking down the camp. We had to take down, pack, and stores all the tents, bunks, and anything else that was needed. Once we all completed breaking down the camp, we had our fourth PB&J bagged lunch of the week. Soon after we took a hike back to the Joshua building and all took showers. It was amazing.
Written by Paige, Andrew, Jessica, and Casey
For photos check out the gallery here!
https://gallery.joshuawilderness.org/2018-2019/Trips/Wildwood-Photos-2018/