Everything that Should Happen

Before I crawl into my nice, warm, inviting bed, 

let me just take a moment to tell you just how AMAZING it is camping in the great state of Wyoming!!! 

That's where I've been for the last 3 days. I went up into the mountains with Sarah (whom I'm staying with before I begin my summer ministry at camp), and also her dad (who is as cowboy as they come :-), and her little 8 year old nephew Bud, and our friend Jen. 

And her two dogs.

And their four horses. 

For the first two and a half days, the horses wondered why they had even come, because the rain didn't let up for more than a half hour at a time. My heart sank a little bit at this, because the highlight of my trip was going to be getting to ride, and the rain prevented us from that for the majority of the time. 

Actually it seemed everything was working to prevent us from riding, because as soon as the rain let up and we went to prepare the horses for our mountain ride, we experienced one obstacle after another! This was just not a good day for riding horses. 

The usually calm and reserved horses (or so I'm told anyway ;-) were antsy and unmannered today. 

But I don't want to give a bad report on the horses. I know they're good most of the time. I guess they're a bit like people. They have their good days, and their.... not so good days. Either way, they're still beautiful animals! I am filled with wonder every time I grip that lead rope and hear the thumping of hooves in the grass behind me. Within these creatures lies a majestic power far greater than any physical force that I myself would be able to exert. All that power, plodding submissively toward the riverbank. And all the while, I'm thinking, "This big guy NEEDS me. He needs me to help him get a drink!" as I am bursting with pride. I am convinced there is not a feeling like leading a horse. 

I especially love watching Bud and his horse interact. Buddy is eight years old, with his very own horse. It is the most charming thing in the world to see this little blond boy with his plaid green shirt and cowboy boots on, standing not even to the horse's flank, as he lovingly shows her who's boss by firmly steering her in the right direction. Bud's ears perk up and his striking blue eyes sparkle anytime his horse is brought up in conversation. How he treats Dusty leaves no doubt in my mind that he loves her very much. And I think she likes him pretty well too!

Even though the horses turned out to be a smaller part of our trip than we had originally planned, I really loved every bit of it. Cooking was a major operation usually, either carried out over the propane stoves in the cook tent, or just over the blazing campfire in the middle of our campground. I am particularly proud of the french toast that we made this morning after Sarah's dad couldn't be there with us to supervise the cooking process. I don't think we did half bad! 

It was everything that should happen on a camping trip (at least a little bit of everything....) Roasting marshmellows for delicious Smores - decidedly my new favorite dessert!

Singing praise songs with Jen's guitar around the campfire.

A visit to the lake a few miles away.

A deathly cold wade in the lake that had our jeans sopping wet for the rest of the day (!!) Afternoon naps curled up in a warm sleeping bag.

A short-lived attempt of a horse ride that was great fun while it lasted. 

Rock contests that have us combing the ground for the coolest rock long after the official winner is announced. 

Whistling for the dogs as they came tearing back after their romp across the mountainside. Staying warm and dry while we played hours of card games on end as the rain pattered outside the tent. 

And all this for me to come to the conclusion of the cool thing about being the West... It really IS a different mentality. I had always heard that in the West strangers waved to each other, and shared what little they had, and didn't care as much about the stuff they had as the people they were with. And I always thought it was a cool idea, but it couldn't really be true. But it is. Those card games in the tent today proved it. A little time spent in the great outdoors will drive you back to what's really important. The God who created it, and His people you are spending time with. Maybe I was wrong when all that time I was thinking the horse riding in the mountains would be the highlight of my trip... because after spending those few days up there, I came away filled to the brim with thoughts of thanks for the laughs and the good times and the great character of our little camping group.  

 I hope this is the first of many camping experiences here in Wyoming with the friends God has so graciously brought into my life.