Hey yall
So the pictures are finally all up!
Check them out at http://popyouth.myphotoalbum.com
If you are a parent, or if you are a monetary contributor to this trip, please plan on attending the Shareholder's Dinner on Thursday, July 31st at 6pm.
I have been doing trips for 5 years now and I can honestly say that I have never been on a trip with such a great group of kids. You all impressed me with your various moments of grace, leadership, great faith and understanding. It has been my great blessing and privilege to have planned and experienced this trip for and with you. I love you guys.
Blessings to all for a great trip!
natalia
aka mom
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
We're back!!
Hey faithful blog readers! Just wanted to let you know that we made it back safe and sound! We spent the afternoon and evening at the Gronli abode again - it's so gorgeous there. Dan took some group members on a hike and some of us did outdoor yoga and we just sat and enjoyed the scenery. Adults went to bed and the kids stayed up all night... and at 4am mountain time we left for MN. We had a beautiful sunrise and a great day for driving. We pulled into Prince of Peace at 8pm and now all are happily and safely at home!
Thanks for all the prayers - we had a great trip!
Remember - shareholders and parents are welcome at the Shareholder's Banquet on Thursday, July 30. Invitations to come! Hope you can make it to hear more about the trip and what we did!
natalia
Thanks for all the prayers - we had a great trip!
Remember - shareholders and parents are welcome at the Shareholder's Banquet on Thursday, July 30. Invitations to come! Hope you can make it to hear more about the trip and what we did!
natalia
Friday, July 18, 2008
Time to leave...
Today was a good day. As you saw from my post we slept in and then we headed up to Glacier National Park along the "going-to-the-sun highway." It was a beautiful drive up to Lake McDonald and once we got there we went horseback riding and hung out by the lake. It wasn't a very eventful or exciting day, but it was really great to just be in the park and enjoy the smells and the views and the horses. We wore our matching shirts today... so there are some pics of the whole group matching... so here they are. :)
We leave for the Gronli place again tomorrow... we're all sad to leave this amazing and beautiful house, but we're happy to be headed home!
See you all in two days!
Parents: we'll probably get back around 10:30pm on Sunday, I'll have kids call when we get close (using one of the adult cell phones).
Pray for safe travels once again
natalia
Lullabye, go to sleep.... zzzzzz
Oh how glorious it is to sleep in!
We decided to take the morning off and let the kids rest - and I tell you they have never been happier on this trip... after I announced the new plan last night I got cheers, many hugs and a chorus of "THANK YOU NATALIA!!!" It's 9am right now and there are a few up, but mostly they are all still asleep. Praise Jesus for comfy beds, fresh mountain air, and the freedom to sleep in.
Last night we went to the Passion Play at FLBC. It was powerful and very good. I'm glad we went to see it, and the kids seemed to appreciate it (it's hard to say they liked it when it's a passion play). We had some good talks about it on the drive home. In a row a few rows behind us there was a little kid that kept on asking questions - and I think that it added a lot for some of our kids. Instead of being annoyed, they saw the story through the eyes of this young Christian who was struggling to understand why Jesus died and why it happened. In some ways they saw it for the first time again - which was a very cool experience.
We're off to Glacier again today - for one last journey at Lake MacDonald on horseback. It's going to be beautiful. There is a chance for rain, so pray that we miss it and can enjoy our last day of adventure!
natalia
We decided to take the morning off and let the kids rest - and I tell you they have never been happier on this trip... after I announced the new plan last night I got cheers, many hugs and a chorus of "THANK YOU NATALIA!!!" It's 9am right now and there are a few up, but mostly they are all still asleep. Praise Jesus for comfy beds, fresh mountain air, and the freedom to sleep in.
Last night we went to the Passion Play at FLBC. It was powerful and very good. I'm glad we went to see it, and the kids seemed to appreciate it (it's hard to say they liked it when it's a passion play). We had some good talks about it on the drive home. In a row a few rows behind us there was a little kid that kept on asking questions - and I think that it added a lot for some of our kids. Instead of being annoyed, they saw the story through the eyes of this young Christian who was struggling to understand why Jesus died and why it happened. In some ways they saw it for the first time again - which was a very cool experience.
We're off to Glacier again today - for one last journey at Lake MacDonald on horseback. It's going to be beautiful. There is a chance for rain, so pray that we miss it and can enjoy our last day of adventure!
natalia
Thursday, July 17, 2008
A big day
Today we did a hike and a raft in Glacier NP. Basically, if you combine the last two days together you get today. We did a 6 mile hike, but with no break and apparently at record speed (the guides told us we made it faster than any group they'd had before). It was fun, beautiful and exhausting. Then we got in a raft and did the rapids again. We had an amazingly beautiful day too... warm, sunny and perfect. Lots of the kids decided to jump out of the boat at specified times and brave the 45 degree water... we took some pictures of it so you can see your kids in freezing action.
After the raft we drove to Kalispell and went to the local "must experience" spot for dinner... Moose's Saloon (not Salon, which I said to the group once and they won't let it die... sheesh) It was definitely an experience though - sawdust on the floor and peanut shells that you walk on as you get to the table in the almost-darkness. Then after a wait we had yummy pizza. The kids mostly fell asleep on the way back to the house and now we're in a little rest before we do Bible study and then head to Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp to see a passion play. It should be a long night, but a good one too... we're thinking of deviating from the itinerary tomorrow... so that should be exciting! I have to check a few things to make sure it's ok, but I'll update you on it tomorrow!
keep praying! We really appreciate the health and safety you've sent our way!
blessings
natalia
After the raft we drove to Kalispell and went to the local "must experience" spot for dinner... Moose's Saloon (not Salon, which I said to the group once and they won't let it die... sheesh) It was definitely an experience though - sawdust on the floor and peanut shells that you walk on as you get to the table in the almost-darkness. Then after a wait we had yummy pizza. The kids mostly fell asleep on the way back to the house and now we're in a little rest before we do Bible study and then head to Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp to see a passion play. It should be a long night, but a good one too... we're thinking of deviating from the itinerary tomorrow... so that should be exciting! I have to check a few things to make sure it's ok, but I'll update you on it tomorrow!
keep praying! We really appreciate the health and safety you've sent our way!
blessings
natalia
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Day Hikes are FUN!
Today we got to sleep until 8am!!! It was amazing. We had omelets for breakfast and then got in the vans and headed up to the Jewel Basin. It was a GORGEOUS hike... lots of wild flowers and great vistas of the valley below and Flathead Lake. We got to Birch Lake around lunchtime and the kids took some time to do their devotions, pump water and have lunch. Then Tom gave us a talk on goals and the kids have been talking about it ever since. Thanks Tom!!! While I'm at it - I'll thank the other adults on this trip too... they are such great people and the kids love them and they have really made my job a whole heckuva lot easier.
So back to the hike:
We ended up going a total of 6 miles... it was a difficult hike both ways with narrow ridges and steep hikes but it was great and the kids handled it really well. Although I should mention that about a half of them are sleeping right now before dinner. :) Also - on a side note, would you believe that I ran into someone I know on the trail? No Sam, it wasn't an Ole... but it was really crazy and very small world.
We're planning on having a campfire tonight, especially since it drizzled a bit today and made the fire danger pretty minimal. I'm looking forward to smores!
Tomorrow is going to be another long day, where we hike AND raft - this time deeper inside Glacier National Park. Then we'll take a break at home and then head to Flathead Lutheran Camp again for their passion play. (Maybe we'll stop at the DQ on the way)...
Keep on prayin!
natalia
(aka mother earth)
(aka mother goose)
(aka little woman big burps)
So back to the hike:
We ended up going a total of 6 miles... it was a difficult hike both ways with narrow ridges and steep hikes but it was great and the kids handled it really well. Although I should mention that about a half of them are sleeping right now before dinner. :) Also - on a side note, would you believe that I ran into someone I know on the trail? No Sam, it wasn't an Ole... but it was really crazy and very small world.
We're planning on having a campfire tonight, especially since it drizzled a bit today and made the fire danger pretty minimal. I'm looking forward to smores!
Tomorrow is going to be another long day, where we hike AND raft - this time deeper inside Glacier National Park. Then we'll take a break at home and then head to Flathead Lutheran Camp again for their passion play. (Maybe we'll stop at the DQ on the way)...
Keep on prayin!
natalia
(aka mother earth)
(aka mother goose)
(aka little woman big burps)
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Bonecrusher, Pinball and Jaws
Today we had our full day raft. It was so much fun. We were in two groups of 10 ... and we spent the first two hours on the scenic part of the river with little to no rapids and learned how to paddle together, learned commands and all the safety things while getting history lessons on the river and nature lessons too. It was really fun.
We stopped for lunch at a little river and enjoyed amazing grilled steaks (oh baby were they good) and fruit, veggies and some ramen noodle salad.
Then it was back in the boats to head to the rapids in John Steven's Canyon. Our guide told my boat that this was the best rafting he'd had all year - the water was not too high and not too low. We did all class III and II rapids and they were so much fun. We have lots of pictures - and they had a photographer on the side taking pics too, and I got those as well. The first rapid we hit was crazy - just a class III but huge waves that crashed over and around us. It got some screams from the group, especially since it was the first one, and then from then on it was nothing but fun fun fun. The water was freeezing cold (around 45 degrees) but we got soaked and some people jumped in just for the heck of it (some not voluntarily).
Below I'll post pics from the trip so far...
Tomorrow we head to the Jewel Basin for some hiking... we're expecting thunderstorms in the late afternoon, so pray that we can get in and out before they hit.
Everyone is doing great - thanks for the continued prayers!
natalia
We stopped for lunch at a little river and enjoyed amazing grilled steaks (oh baby were they good) and fruit, veggies and some ramen noodle salad.
Then it was back in the boats to head to the rapids in John Steven's Canyon. Our guide told my boat that this was the best rafting he'd had all year - the water was not too high and not too low. We did all class III and II rapids and they were so much fun. We have lots of pictures - and they had a photographer on the side taking pics too, and I got those as well. The first rapid we hit was crazy - just a class III but huge waves that crashed over and around us. It got some screams from the group, especially since it was the first one, and then from then on it was nothing but fun fun fun. The water was freeezing cold (around 45 degrees) but we got soaked and some people jumped in just for the heck of it (some not voluntarily).
Below I'll post pics from the trip so far...
Tomorrow we head to the Jewel Basin for some hiking... we're expecting thunderstorms in the late afternoon, so pray that we can get in and out before they hit.
Everyone is doing great - thanks for the continued prayers!
natalia
Monday, July 14, 2008
Ropes are scary ... and fun too
Today was a full day. We got up early and headed to Flathead Lutheran Bible Camp on the west side of the lake... and we did high ropes and low ropes. For those of you who don't know what those are, they are sort of obstacle courses... low are more for group bonding and team building and high are more personal challenges to conquer fear and physical hurdles. It was an exhausting day, but the kids did amazingly well. There were some tumbles and some freak-outs but that's expected and they all handled it really well. You all should be so proud of these kids -they are amazing.
Flathead was great - they hooked us up with maps and a water pump for the hike on Wednesday and they fed us and let us play on the docks right on the lake.. we took lots of great pics. I wish I could describe how beautiful it is here... but I promise I'll post a bunch of pics tomorrow since we'll be home for dinner and it's not my turn to cook. :)
After ropes we went into Polson and had dinner and then got on a boat for a "Twilight Cruise" on the lake. Many more pictures, lots of laughter... it was great.
All the students are good, healthy and happy. Thanks for all the continued prayers. We really appreciate it.
Tomorrow is our full day of rafting... YEAH!!!
look for more then. :)
natalia
Flathead was great - they hooked us up with maps and a water pump for the hike on Wednesday and they fed us and let us play on the docks right on the lake.. we took lots of great pics. I wish I could describe how beautiful it is here... but I promise I'll post a bunch of pics tomorrow since we'll be home for dinner and it's not my turn to cook. :)
After ropes we went into Polson and had dinner and then got on a boat for a "Twilight Cruise" on the lake. Many more pictures, lots of laughter... it was great.
All the students are good, healthy and happy. Thanks for all the continued prayers. We really appreciate it.
Tomorrow is our full day of rafting... YEAH!!!
look for more then. :)
natalia
Sunday, July 13, 2008
We Made It!!!
Hi all!!!
We made it here safe and sound... no complications. :) The wind was INSANE in North Dakota... it made for an interesting drive. After 16 hours we arrived in Martinsdale Montana at the home of Jeanne and John Gronli, the grandparents of Kayla Gronli (a newly graduated senior). The place was gorgeous and we were VERY happy to be out of the vans - even if it was only a few hours.
We slept and amazingly everyone was up early.. with the sun and we went on walks, a group did morning yoga on the porch facing the mountains and then we had a great breakfast. We headed on the comparitively short drive to the retreat house... which is also amazing. We overlook Flathead lake and the view is nothing short of breathtaking. We stepped out of the vans and the first thing we saw?? A bear cub!!! So cute. We of course did NOT go close enough for a mother to be mad, but it sure was cute!
We're going to take it easy tonight, hang out as a group and then be ready to go for our full day of ropes, food and a sunset cruise on the lake.
All is well - kids say hi - thanks for the prayer for safe travels - we really felt it keeping us on course against that wind!
natalia
We made it here safe and sound... no complications. :) The wind was INSANE in North Dakota... it made for an interesting drive. After 16 hours we arrived in Martinsdale Montana at the home of Jeanne and John Gronli, the grandparents of Kayla Gronli (a newly graduated senior). The place was gorgeous and we were VERY happy to be out of the vans - even if it was only a few hours.
We slept and amazingly everyone was up early.. with the sun and we went on walks, a group did morning yoga on the porch facing the mountains and then we had a great breakfast. We headed on the comparitively short drive to the retreat house... which is also amazing. We overlook Flathead lake and the view is nothing short of breathtaking. We stepped out of the vans and the first thing we saw?? A bear cub!!! So cute. We of course did NOT go close enough for a mother to be mad, but it sure was cute!
We're going to take it easy tonight, hang out as a group and then be ready to go for our full day of ropes, food and a sunset cruise on the lake.
All is well - kids say hi - thanks for the prayer for safe travels - we really felt it keeping us on course against that wind!
natalia
Friday, July 11, 2008
And we're off!
I thought it made more sense to get this in tonight rather than at church tomorrow at 5:30am... and I'm sure we'll have other things on our minds anyway...
So we are all set to go! We leave Prince of Peace bright and early (hopefully around 6:30am) and we'll be driving ALL DAY... about 15 hours. I told a lot of the kids to stay up all night so that they could sleep for pretty much the entire van ride... good times for the drivers. :)
Prayers for us as we trek along I94 through MN, North Dakota and most of Montana. If you want to see our route - we'll be going from Brooklyn Park, MN to Martinsdale, MT. Then on Sunday we'll head from Martinsdale the happy little 5 hour scenic route to Bigfork, MT on the north shore of Flathead Lake - which is the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi. (little factoid for you)...
I'll post again when I get a chance!
natalia
So we are all set to go! We leave Prince of Peace bright and early (hopefully around 6:30am) and we'll be driving ALL DAY... about 15 hours. I told a lot of the kids to stay up all night so that they could sleep for pretty much the entire van ride... good times for the drivers. :)
Prayers for us as we trek along I94 through MN, North Dakota and most of Montana. If you want to see our route - we'll be going from Brooklyn Park, MN to Martinsdale, MT. Then on Sunday we'll head from Martinsdale the happy little 5 hour scenic route to Bigfork, MT on the north shore of Flathead Lake - which is the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi. (little factoid for you)...
I'll post again when I get a chance!
natalia
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Welcome to the MT blog!!!
Hey yall...
T minus 4 days until we leave for MT. Can't wait!
This is the blog site for our "Mission:Adventure" trip to Montana. We'll be leaving on July 12 at 6:00AM (!!!) and driving to the middle of MT and then sleeping, and then we'll finish the drive up to Bigfork, MT. We've rented a house on the edge of Flathead lake and it's going to be a great week of rafting, hiking, horseback riding, Bible study and individual devotion time. I'm excited to take kids out of their comfort zones a bit and throw them in the midst of God's amazingly beautiful creation.
I'll try to update with stories and pics as often as I can - the house has some internet, but I'm not sure how it will work yet... hopefully very good! :)
Steph told me yesterday that she was packed already, which I find hilarious and yet I'm a little jealous about it - I have random clothes laying all around my room - which I fondly refer to as Mount Laundry. Hopefully I'll get organized soon... I guess very soon since we leave Saturday!
Until later!
T minus 4 days until we leave for MT. Can't wait!
This is the blog site for our "Mission:Adventure" trip to Montana. We'll be leaving on July 12 at 6:00AM (!!!) and driving to the middle of MT and then sleeping, and then we'll finish the drive up to Bigfork, MT. We've rented a house on the edge of Flathead lake and it's going to be a great week of rafting, hiking, horseback riding, Bible study and individual devotion time. I'm excited to take kids out of their comfort zones a bit and throw them in the midst of God's amazingly beautiful creation.
I'll try to update with stories and pics as often as I can - the house has some internet, but I'm not sure how it will work yet... hopefully very good! :)
Steph told me yesterday that she was packed already, which I find hilarious and yet I'm a little jealous about it - I have random clothes laying all around my room - which I fondly refer to as Mount Laundry. Hopefully I'll get organized soon... I guess very soon since we leave Saturday!
Until later!
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