Good-bye, Northwoods

Today is our last day in Northwoods.

We took the last Basic Seminar lesson this morning. As usual, it made us sleepy, but since this is our last chance to meet Mr. G on the wall, we tried hard to keep ourselves awake.

Since it is our last day here, Wes let us do whatever we want in the afternoon. I went kayaking across the lake. It was tiring, but it’s worth it. Because the scenery was so awesome!

After dinner, I and Jordan played table tennis together. It made me exhausted.
Today is our last day in Northwoods.

Simon Yeh
Team 3

Photo Credits: Team Three by Karen Chen, Rest Stop by Karen Chen

The Opposite Bank

This morning before the sun rose up, we went canoeing to have our breakfast on the opposite bank. We had bacon, potatoes, toasts, cooked eggs and hot cocoa. Also the yummy donuts! After the breakfast we gathered around the bonfire and sang songs to worship God. Once again I could not help but be grateful for everything God provides us here.

In the afternoon, we went tubing on the lake. It was the most thrilling and exciting activity I ever had. Many times I felt like that I’m flying off the lake!

In the evening, we continued our English speech. Some of them told about the three wishes in their life, other shared about the countries they have been to or something they would never forget. As usual, the tower was still full of our laughter that night.

Charlie Wang
Team 2

Photo Credits: Wrangler's Breakfast by Naomi Kallberg, Splish Splash by Karen Chen

Faith Challenges

We had went to Ox Yoke Lake for faith challenges. Dan split us up into 6 different groups. We had 7 challenges to conquer. My favorite was the “Faith Fall” challenge. Where we had to get to the island by walking a wooden log. The challenge taught me the importance of faith. I had to have faith that my team would catch me. I was the 1st one to fall, so at first I was very scared. But as my small group assured me to have faith, I was able to have enough courage to fall. (Even though I still felt weak at the knees.) Another challenge was the batter balloon launcher challenge. We had to try to catch 11 water balloons with an inter-tube, but we only caught one. At first those catching would run wherever they thought the balloon would fall. As a result there was a lot of confusion. Finally we had one person watch the balloon and yell out the directions to the rest of the team. After we did that we finally caught one! Another challenge was the river crossing challenge. We learned that we need to trust God in all things and take life one step at a time. Another challenge was the pyramid challenge. We had to have faith that those under us would hold us up. Of course, Anna and I ended up on the top. It was a great afternoon.

That night, Wes told us to go to bed early because we would have a full day the next day. So around 10pm I went to bed. Who knew that at 1:30am, Fish would come knocking on our door? I thought it was a small group meeting so I ran out in shorts! But it wasn’t what I thought! They wanted us to put on warm clothing – and off we went on our night hike. It was a great experience (even though we were freezing!) The stars that night were amazing. We walked along the forest – and Uncle Dan told us to be very careful. We crossed a small bridge. (We felt like spies – because it was so dark.) We sat around the fire and thought about how much God loves us and about all that He has sacrificed for us. What a great day! I loved the night hike experience.

Wendy Lin
Team 5

Photo Credits: The Crossing by Rowan Gillson, Faith Fall by Rowan Gillson, Midnight Hike by Rowan Gillson

Worship at the Northwoods

This morning we were very excited because it was our first Sunday in the Northwoods. We put on skirts and the guys put on suits. It felt a little weird because we had gotten used to wearing pants here. We had a lot of sharing by the lake. Pretty soon it started raining. So we moved indoors to continue our service. Rowan gave a sermon on faith. God was with us and a lot of people were touched by the service. When we had communion Wes asked us to examine ourselves to see if we had sinned against God or other people. He wanted us to take care of it so that we could partake with pure hearts. A lot of people were crying. Before lunch we took team and group pictures with interesting poses. We are the team of princesses, so we took a picture beside our princess carriage.

After lunch we rested a little bit. We had a scavenger hunt and divided up the list. Each person was responsible for finding certain items. We had to use creativity to find them. For “something living” we used the Bible. For “something we all dislike” we used hair from the drain, and for “something that reminds us of home” we used rice. We got 23 out of 24 points. After the game we ate dinner, then went to our favorite spot, the tower, for another worship service. The sun hadn’t gone down yet. It was a worshipful atmosphere. Several people gave their testimonies. The day came to a beautiful close.

Team 4

Photo Credits: Sherry's Story by Dan Davis, Clues by Charity Sanders

SURPRISE!

The night before Fish had told us to report to her room at 8:15 in the morning, but Fish over-slept so at 8:30 we began decorating Faith's room. The night before we had already made a crown for her. While we were putting the streamers on the door Rebekah opened the door and we scared her. Juliana had arranged the night before to trick Faith to take her on a canoe ride. We were really frightened while we were decorating because we didn't know when Faith would get back. As we were decorating we were trying to decide where to hide. We decided to hide in the bathroom and closet. At first Faith was surprised by the streamers and Bethany jumping out and saying, "Surprise!" Faith thought that was the end of the surprise and began rummaging through her things when we started singing from inside the closet. Faith was so surprised that she screamed and fell on the bed. Our morning surprise ended successfully.

After memorizing our verses, we had personal quiet time outdoors. Some were by the lake, some under trees. It was such a great feeling. We had an abundant brunch, then had our Basic Seminar test. Then we had our Independence Day celebration! We went to the lake and were divided into different teams, then played some common American relay races such as the three-legged race, the sac race, kayak race, water balloon Capture the Flag, and tug-o-war. Then we had an American barbecue. The watermelon was huge and delicious! We also played speed volleyball and football, then had root beer floats.

Then during team prayer time Olivia kept stalling and keeping Faith away. Finally Fish went to get her and we yelled "SURPRISE!" when she walked in the room. After some cake and sharing time, we went back outside for fireworks and sparklers. We sat in a circle on the runway and sang "Sing Alleluia" before going back inside. It was an awesome day!

Team 4

Photo Credits: Lone Kayak by Karen Chen, Tug of War by Karen Chen, Sparklers by Rowan Gillson

4th of July on the 5th of August

Today is a happy day. We celebrated the U.S. National Day (4th of July). We had a delicious BBQ and played a lot of fun games, such as vollyball and football. This was my first time playing football. It was a little violent but I love it!! Oh! We also had kayaking. I like water sports so I thought it was the high-light today. It was a marvelous day!!

David Chen
Team 3

English Speeches

Today in English class I had to give my speech! I was really nervous before that. When it was my turn I kept shaking, but Gloria kept encouraging me. When I finished my speech, I was really happy! Everyone clapped their hands for me. Thank you God for letting me live until today! The happiest thing to me is that I overcame the shy personality of mine. I seldom have a good time talking in front of people. Eddie was really funny in his speech. I also think that he can be a good doctor after he graduates.

After that, I chose to row a boat again for my afternoon activity. I rode a canoe this time. I was really, really tired after that, but it was fun too. Including me, six people put our boats together in a line. It's a pity that we didn't have a photo of that.

Verna Chen
Team 6

Northwoods!

Today is the first day in the Northwoods. The air is fresh, the scenery is fantastic, and the living environment is awesome. I'm glad to be in the place which is so near and dear to nature. After English class, we gathered to visit the houses and special spots here. And then we paddled a canoe in a big lake, enjoying the sun and the mild wind. It was a great experience because it promoted team spirit and the importance of cooperation. Besides paddling a canoe, we also played in water. This teminded me of the memory of playing at the beach in my childhood. I hope the days we stay at the Northwoods can be as interesting as today.

Sara Hsiao
Team 5

Travel Day

We spent most of the time on the plane and van, after twelve hours we finally arrived our destination: Northwoods training center. Next morning, I was awakened by sunshine which shone on my face. We lived in a beautiful big but strange building, inside the house was designed just like a maze. Looking through our winow, we can see a lot of tall trees, many lakes, and blue sky. The view was so amazing that I will never forget it! Especially the sky when the sun goes down, all the stars out twinkling! Seeing those stars, I always feel God is so wonderful and mighty; we are so insignificant and mere.

In our team prayer time, we also had a good participantion. I was reminded that we need to learn to think about things in God's way and we need more love which is from God to love people whom we can't love by ourselves.

Gloria Chang
Team 4

Queen of the Dark Chamber, Part 2

A Photo Essay by Karen Chen, Part 3 of 3
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Queen of the Dark Chamber, Part 1

A Photo Essay by Karen Chen, Part 2 of 3
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Chinese New Year

A Photo Essay by Karen Chen, Part 1 of 3
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