Impact came together at Yosemite Sept. 21-23 for the first weekend away. We had luxurious accommodations and the weather was perfect! As Paul Baty described, it was more like the "perfect storm." But who could forget a weekend like that, and we have photos to testify that this group are truly campers, willing to brave the elements.
What a blessing to bring 60 of us together in such a beautiful place. Some of you have been to Yosemite more than 30 times, but some of you had never been there so it was great to have a chance to experience it together.
From the photos you have sent to me, I will try to capture in a photo journal the weekend. My apologies that many of you aren't in these photos--only a handful sent me photos and I had to choose the best of those for this article. Thanks to the photographers who so generously have sent me pictures: Howard Walker, Matt Nistler, Hareesh Kesavan, Rajiv Kihilnani, Julie VanLoan, Molly Nonnenberg, Joseph Bedodo, Kurt Konegon and Brad Johanson. So many of you stepped in and helped in different ways and made the weekend really meaningful."May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and Redeemer." Psalm 19:14
During the whole weekend I was aware of the incredible rocks that reached up to the sky, and the magnitude of God's creation in Yosemite. Even with the fog and clouds, you could see the rocks standing firm and pointing to heaven. And the towering trees also pointed upward into the light, providing a covering from the rain and a peaceful place underneath their arms.
The verse above reminds me that my heart is what matters to God. It can be reaching toward the light and Him or moving away from Him. He cares about what is going on in my heart and that will be reflected in my words. How beautiful it is when we are growing towards Him into the light.
What an incredible place Yosemite is! It is a constant reminder of God's presence. Although some of the campers may have wondered how they got themselves into this with 6 people per cabin....
On Saturday morning, we had a worship and sharing time together. Christy Caldwell shared a devotional in Lamentations and 1 Peter. Lamentations reminded us of the faithfulness of God:"This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him." The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him." Lamentations 3:21-25
As we sat under those incredible trees with the morning mist watching over us, hiding the looming rocks, it was all a reminder of God's faithfulness. He is our rock--His compassion and love never change throughout all the ages, although sometimes we don't see Him because there's mist in the way. Who better to wait on than Him?
Thanks, Christy, for sharing these words that started our day with a reminder of God's presence and love for us.
Lara gave everyone suggestions for the different types of hikes and Lisa Cochrum oversaw all the food preparation. She did a great job of providing everyone with lunch food. She also fought off several bears.
Then we set out on several expeditions. Thanks to Brad Johanson for leading such a big group up to Vernal and Nevada Falls. It was good that Brad led the group because I don't know if I would trust the two tour guides below:
It was quite a day out there: rain, lightning, thunder and hail! But we saw some pretty amazing sights and survived the "perfect storm!"
We really appreciated the Yosemite Lodge, the warm food and especially the fireplace at the Yosemite Lodge Bar!
The smores tasted better on a cold night! Matt Nistler cooked up hot chocolate and cider on his stove that helped us to stay warm. He seemed to have come better prepared to Yosemite than the rest of us:
On Sunday morning, Lara Long shared a devotional with us from John 17. Here is a passage from the devotional:"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17:20-23
Jesus prayed that those who believed in Him could have the kind of unity that He has with the Father. We have an incredible gift of unity with one another and with Him by His Spirit! If we follow His Spirit, we will guard and protect this unity. What a blessing to know that we are brought together in Him. Our sharing time on Sunday morning reflected this as we encouraged each other by telling of how we had seen God's presence in our lives. It was wonderful to hear such personal accounts.
But brunch was calling to us from the Awahnee Hotel....
I don't think the photo below captures what the buffet was like. Only those who were there know what I mean. It was like 5 buffets: pretty amazing!
Thanks to all the people who made this weekend possible! Lisa Cochrum came up with the idea and made it happen by reserving cabins and overseeing the food and arrangements at the Awahnee....Donna Bretzke organized all the carpooling, assigned cabins and set up the cots in the cabins before everyone arrived....Brad Johanson took all the registration and checks and led the major hike up to the Falls...Lara Long researched all the hikes at Yosemite and possible activities and set up the Yahoo group for everyone to communicate...Jeff Kearnan picked up the bottled water...Matt Nistler got the firewood and also provided most of these photos...and all of you helped by being so supportive of everything that was planned and unplanned (as we had to improvise!) It was all possible because you came!
Blessings to you,
Marsha
"May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." John 17:23
