Day 5: Our work is done (for now)

Our last late night entry. Looking back over the week, while we had our ups and downs, we had a really great trip. This morning’s wake up was much gentler than others and some were disappointed, others relieved. Only the old timers knows what awaits them tomorrow morning. Today was much like all the others, except we knew it was our last with the kids we have come to know. We arrived early again, to avoid the heat of the day, and we finished up most of what needed to be done before the kids arrived; including preparing something special for our guests. This was nice because the whole team was then able to spend time with the kids. Good thing too, today was our largest crowed with 19 guests arriving for fun and games. Speaking of games, the kids even had Fr. Tom out there playing kick ball with them.

As the end of our day came to a close on Rosebud, we gathered in the church for worship and half of the kids who joined us jumped up front to help lead the songs. What a change from the first day. Back to the community center for snacks and special gifts. As each child left today, they got a bag full of the things they made, a hug and something none of them expected, backpacks with school supplies and some toys. As is usual, the good byes went on and many didn’t want to see this week end. But end it must and we waved farewell to the kids of Rosebud until next year. After cleaning up, we headed down to a local waterhole for a series of gross games and swimming (after the games the kids needed to jump in the water to clean off before getting back into the vehicles).

They don’t call the games grows for nothing, and a few kids had trouble with unknown flavors of baby food, and bobbing for marshmallows in a sea of cheerios, water, and chocolate syrup. However, they really enjoyed the water balloon fight, especially when the adults were the only unarmed targets. A short swim in the lake and it was back to Valentine where we unloaded and then sent the kids off to the pool. The adults followed with the supplies for our last night BBQ. For those of us who only got showers this week, up until today, the soak felt great. Of course going down the slide was fun too. With a hearty meal of hamburgers, hot dogs, and pasta salad, the kids (and one or two adults) went out to the swings or sat around chit chatting until it was time to pack up.

This evening’s time was a bit different as we did not have a bible study. Instead we talked about what our expectations were, the places these expectations fell short or when we were surprised about what we encountered, the best things that happened on the trip and how we might make the next one even better. There were some really great (and not so great) things that happened this week, and I suspect only the great ones will really live long in our memories. With our trip down the river tomorrow, and our long drive home, I suspect that I will not complete the last entry for Friday or begin posting pictures until the early part of next week. But I hope to do it as soon as possible. We give thanks for the time we have spent together and we pray for a safe day on the river and on the roads we travel to get home. Good night.

Day 6: The River

Early wake up today; not only do we need to pack up, we need to give St. John’s a good cleaning. After a week of youth camping out in the parish hall and basement, we wanted to make sure everything was a clean as it was when we arrived. We enjoy the hospitality of the folks here so much we want to make sure we are welcome back. To make sure we didn’t have any sleepy heads today, we had a special wake-up that was sure to let them know it was time to rise and shine, and it worked. In fact it worked so well, we had a trip first. Typically this last day we have a bunch of tired youth who need a little motivating in order to get things done and get on the road in time so that we are not late for the tubing bus. But this morning, we found we were ready to roll about 20 minutes early

Not sure if it was the mode of wake-up, the team’s composition, or just a genuine desire to hit the river that moved things along so quickly; but looking back over the week, I should not have been surprised. Throughout the week, we often found ourselves with some time on our hands. Chores seemed to get done more quickly, teams seemed to be where they needed to be and doing what they were supposed to be doing without a lot of encouragement, and this helped things run more smoothly. I’m not saying this week was not without its moments. When we put this many teens together in close quarters, there is always a little drama. Thankfully, most were able to look beyond it in order to accomplish what we came here to do.

Today’s task; pack up, clean up, and load up so that we can have some fun on the river. This we did with flying colors. We switched tubing companies this year. We paid a little more for easier access into and out of the river area. It was worth every penny. Arriving early, the company was able to get us up river a little early and we were on the river about an hour earlier than normal. Of course there is one drawback to this, the water felt a little chiller without the mid day sun shining down on us. But this didn’t seem to bother anyone. Not ten minutes down river, team members were tube surfing and jumping in and out of the water having a good time.

The first leg of our journey was about 90 minutes, stopping at Smith Falls, at about 11:30, for lunch. With a quick trip to the restroom for some, we all headed back to the falls for our annual team photo at the falls. The water was cold but this didn’t stop most of the team from joining others who were as they stood under the falls and climbed on the rocks. Picture taken, we headed back to the picnic area for lunch. By now the noonday sun was in full force and the team dried out quickly and soon was anxious to get back on the river. Our second leg was just a little longer than the first and more scenic. Along this leg we saw a hawk, frogs, a crocodile snapping turtle warming itself on a log, and an eagle that seemed to float above us. Before we knew it, we were at the pickup point and it was time to drain the water out of our tubes and help load them in the trailer.

After a short ride to the company headquarters, it was time to change out of swimming suits and say good bye. As always, there is a genuine reluctance to do so. The relationships formed over the past week are real and nobody wants them to end. But with assurances of returning next year, the exchange of phone numbers, and the promise to connect on Facebook, we gathered for one last group prayer, shared one last hug, and then loaded up the vehicles to head out in the different directions from which we came.

Thankfully, everyone returned home safe and sound and if what is happening in our parish is indicative of what is happening at others, the stories are being shared with all who will listen and excitement is already building for our return to a place where friendships were formed and relationships began to develop between our youth and the youth of Rosebud.