"This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."
Most anyone who knows me is aware of three things thay I love to do; travel, missions, and climb(anything in sight).
Friday I found my personal Holy Grail. At the retreat we set up a rock climb on a small boulder on the beach. With a few penguins looking on I witnessed a bit of a miracle. People that come from groups that traditionally hate each other to the point of inflicting great harm were coming together to cheer and encourage each other to achieve sucess.
Now most of us in the U.S.A. are accustomed to seeing climbing walls here and there for recreation or team building exercises, but I was afraid this activity would not translate to this culture. I am pleased to say I was very wrong. People of all abilities and physiques were roping in and giving it a try to the enthusiatic prodding of their peers.
Although it was a rather small boulder they climbed as though it was Mt. Everest. Amanda Tiege had a hard time keeping up with getting them in the harness as one by one they came for the challenge.
"What does this have to do with religion?" you may ask. Those that attended the retreat continually spoke of how refreshing it was to get together, worship, and have fun in spite of their differences. These are the people on the front lines of everyday care and this retreat helps them know each other on a more personal level, a level where there are fewer differences getting in the way of service.
Today I saw people rise twelve feet closer to heaven.
Ethan
2 comments:
Glad to see you got to use your ropes this year for someone other than you :-) It makes hauling them for you last year all the more worth it! Praying for you guys!
Might know you would find something to climb. Sounds like this was a very worthwhile endeavor. We are proud of your work but it does putmore gray hair on our heads. Love you, Mom and Dad
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