CWE365 & Youth Strategies Journey to Colorado (part 2)

The following is part two of a three part series written by Sprindale Ozone Director, Erin Wiltse. Click here to read part one.

Breakfast began at 8 AM, but nothing could have prepared us for the amount of awesomeness that would define our first breakfast, as well as the rest of our meals.  Mamma Teresa of Fish & Cross Ranch has a special gift, a gift from God if you will, for making ASTONISHING meals.  Eating was by no means a trying experience during our stay.

As the week began we became accustomed to how days were put together. The average schedule looked something like this:  Breakfast, Bible study, team exercise or horseback riding, lunch, more exercises, riding or free time, dinner and more group time/Bible study. The days were full and so wonderfully orchestrated to grant us a complete experience.  

There are three things I must explain more deeply in order to do our Colorado expedition any possible justice.  First off, allow me to comment on the horses.  An experience I personally had never been part of before (a Michigan girl such as myself doesn’t get out into the country often) allowed for some funny moments. I was given the “momma” horse, named Gloria, who really disliked the rest of the horses, tooted along the trail a lot (like a lot a lot) and usually left me at the end of the horse caravan as we toured the ranch.  Each day our students were able to ride horses through the mountains; an activity that doesn’t happen regularly in NWA and was such a blessing!  The final day of riding, the ranchers decided to allow us to participate in a small rodeo.  Lassoing, wrangling bulls, bulldogging and an obstacle course served to provide a very entertaining afternoon.  Learning and understanding a new set of skills with a new set of (animal) friends was definitely appreciated and it was an experience that marked the trip with joy and gratitude.

Secondly, I’ll comment on another unique opportunity we were given each day. This came in the form of team building exercises.  Perhaps your mind goes to thinking this is not that exciting or unique, but trust me when I say it was AWESOME!  Being in the mountains, staring into miles of clouds, skies and sunshine really makes anything usual uncommonly beautiful.  That being the case, as we ventured out each day to participate in an exercise, it was very clear that the Lord had created our days there to teach us not only about Himself, but also one another.  

An example of one exercise consisted of the ranchers taking us into the woods and leading us to sit on a log while blindfolded.  They asked us to be silent the entire time and to think on “that which we value the most in life.”  One by one they led us into the woods and handed us two things: an egg (symbolizing things we value) and a rope (symbolizing our “lifeline”).  They explained that we had to find our way out and we would know when we got there.  So blindfolded, with an egg in one hand and a rope in the other, each individual set out to find their way out of the maze.  And although it’s hard to articulate all that went on in the next hour or so, I can say that when we sat down at the end to process how it applied to our lives. Jesus was glorified and his message was understood.  Although we place value and importance on the things in our lives, at the end of the day the only thing that leads us to our destination is the “lifeline” that guides our steps.  If, as Christians, heaven is our destination, then Christ Himself can’t be our egg (something that can break or be stolen), He must be the lifeline.  Things of earthly value are temporary, but Christ is who we must remain allegiant to at every turn, every uncertainty, every moment, “for we walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7).  I left the experience challenged and yet affirmed in a new and wonderful way.  My prayer is for our students to have eyes to see, ears to hear and a mind to understand all God communicated to them personally through the exercise.

Stay tuned for part three!

CWE365 & Youth Strategies Journey to Colorado (part 1)

The following was written by Springdale Ozone Director, Erin Wiltse.

Bulldogging: to wrestle a steer to the ground by holding its horns and twisting its neck.How did I get to a place where I took part in an activity known as “bulldogging?” Let me tell you where all this began: the Jones Center parking lot at 3:30am on a Monday morning, ready to board for our van journey to Yampa, Colorado.  Yampa. Where’s that?  The same thought kept running through my mind as I wondered what exactly I had gotten myself into.  Traveling with 7 high school students on a 16 hour trek across multiple states can be an overwhelming experience when you have little expectation.  What I learned is that at times no expectation is the best expectation to have.

These Camp War Eagle students work together for the organization Youth Strategies (to learn more about the vision of Youth Strategies, please check out their website).  Having worked hard since the beginning of April, the trip to Fish & Cross Ranch was a reward planned to build the students both as a team and in their personal relationships with Jesus Christ.  

And so it began...

Lots of singing, eating, talking, reading, game playing and sleeping defined the road trip, and it was great!  The trip became increasingly intimidating as we entered the mountains during the last five hours of our journey.  Signs stating things like, “Falling Rocks,” “Avalanches Possible,” and “If your brakes fail, keep going until exit is available” can be stressful as you take the wheel (trust me on that one).  As the Lord’s faithful hand guided us safely though, we made it to our destination.  Greeted by cows, horses, dogs and a bunch of friendly faces with dinner ready on the table, we knew we hit the proverbial jackpot of great places in the United States.  That first night we sat around a fire and were asked to throw in a log.  Before we could make the blaze erupt with the addition of our logs, we had to explain what the log represented. It had to be something in our lives, something we wanted to leave behind or be rid of.  Whether it was a lie we believe but shouldn’t, a temptation that easily leads us to sin, an unnecessary attitude, a relationship problem, or something else. We shared openly with one another as our hosts helped bring the goal of the week into focus. The goal was simple: allowing Christ to bring us freedom as only He can.

Stay tuned for parts 2 & 3 of the CWE365 & Youth Strategies Adventure!

Stepping into College

As Camp War Eagle 365 continues to press forward to increase its influence in the lives of 2nd-12th grade students in NWA, we also want to do our best to help with the transition from grade school to college. As a ministry, we deeply value the great gift that continued education can offer our students. Knowing that college can be a seemingly unattainable dream, we want to walk with and guide our students by offering opportunities to explore college and make the process of applying less overwhelming.

Making connections with NWACC has been a great blessing and has offered us wonderful opportunities to educate our students on post-secondary possibilities. On July 20th, 15 CWE students attended a college visit seminar with the professionals of NWACC. They were able to tour the campus and see different facilities, classes, programs offered, etc. They also had some sit down time with Jayme Johnson, Admissions Recruiter, where they listened to a presentation on the process of application, scholarships and finances. With plenty of time for questions and answers, the students walked away with a sense of understanding on the next steps of life as they work to make their desire for college a reality.