Colorado Adventures, Lake City Like a Shining Star

Week five or so here. I'm back in Lake City, CO, basking in the unrivaled glow of time off. It's a lovely Colorado day, light cumulous clouds overhead, providing cover from the sun. The air is at 65 degrees or so, a mark from which it does not often stray. This week, kids finally showed up to Ute Trail Ranch for a Wilderness trip. It was an atypical trip, lasting only two days. But, we hiked them four miles up to 10,000 feet where we built a camp fire and put up tents and watched the sunset. There were fifty of them, traveling as a youth group choir from a seemingly well-to-do Naperville, IL church. The hike was difficult, and I held back with the ones that were having a more difficult time adjusting to the altitude. But, we made it in glorious culmination to the campsite, and ate dinner as victors of something that many of these kids thought themselves to be incapable of. It was awesome. From there, we hiked up one last leg to a spot above the tree line, affectionately called "top of the world," to watch the sun set over the San Juan Mountains. Once there, we spoke a bit about how great our God is, and how much greater His love is for us than we give him credit for. As we were preparing to leave, the kids stood together and sang "Mighty to Save" as the sun sank underneath the mountains across a giant valley. It was beautiful. We sang out, 50 strong, shouting the name of the great Creator that held us tightly in that place of unequaled beauty. It was one of the most serene and satisfying moments in my life. It was beautiful.
So, from there, I push forward into this summer. He is holding us tightly out here, and we get to come face to face with Him week after week. And now, we can walk with kids as they come face to face with Him, too. I'm very, very ready. Now, just to find adequate rest...