Today we went white water rafting. It was my first time rafting and I would totally do it again, there was some amazing scenery and a lot of history as well. After we finished we ate Subway and then headed over to Garden of the Gods. There were incredible views and you could see for miles. We climbed some rocks and did some walking around. Next we drove to the Garden of the Gods Trading Post (souvenir shop) and got t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats. I am so glad I got to fly out and be here for a couple days. Thank you for picking me up at the airport at midnight and getting back to the church at 1:30 in the morning, Chris!
~ Justin Gartman
Today was our free day and we did a lot of fun things. We got up in the morning and left by 6:45. We went to a place called raft masters, where we spent the whole morning white water rafting through the mountains of Colorado. It was so cool and so much fun. After we were done rafting we ate subway for lunch, which really hit the spot. We left and went straight to the Garden of the Gods after lunch. The Garden of the Gods is a park in Colorado Springs where there are mountains and rocks and bushes and trees, that all are so beautiful and fun to walk/adventure through. Once we were finished there, we came back to Sunrise Church where we ate supper and listened to a few testimonies from the leaders, which were very encouraging and moving. We finished the night by playing games and having free time for a few hours. A great day to end the trip!
~ Sam Hendrikse
Today was a very fun and exciting free day from work. We got up and packed a few things to go rafting. We put on our swim trunks and left on around an hour trip to go rafting. I had never gone rafting before and I had an idea on what to expect but I really was just excited for a new experience. When we got to the shack we got our wet suits and helmets and waited a while for the bus. Once the bud came, we got called onto the bus and one the ride there we got briefed on what to except and safety measures. We were about to pull up to the river when the bus started to slow down and the brakes suddenly locked up and we jolted back and forth. The bus had something wrong with it and we ended up having to walk a little ways to the river. When we got there our names were called and we went to our guide by the rafts. He checked our equipment and showed us how to sit and paddle and we got on our way. The rafting was a great experience and I would definitely recommend it to people who love adventure. There were high mountains and cliffs on all sides and it was very cool all the way down. We paddled through really big and long rapids that looked like they were gonna flip our boat! In the end nobody really fell off on purpose but we got out and swam a little bit. I would really like to go back and do it again sometime and it was especially fun with all our friends.
~ Nate Alsum
Today we got up early to go white water rafting. I was slightly nervous about it at first but it ended up being a super fun and memorable experience! After that we ate lunch and drove to the Garden of the Gods. We got to hike up some rocks and get a really good view of the mountains. Before heading back to the church we went to a souvenir shop called the Trading Post. Overall it was a really good time and it was so cool to spend the day in God's creation!
~ Julianna Claerbaut
Today was our free day where we got to choose what we did for the day. We chose to go on a white water rafting trip(which was super fun!!) and to Garden of the God’s. On our Water rafting trip our guide was very fun and kept us on our toes. He took us through class 1,2,3,and 4 rapids while continuously making us laugh, even though some of us were a little scared. As we went down the river we got to see some tall beautiful red rocks and hear the history behind all the sights along the way. It was definitely a blessing to see this different side of Gods creation! After rafting we headed over to Garden of the God’s which was also beautiful and filled with those tall red rocks. We walked though them, climbed them, and took pictures with them. Then we stopped at the souvenir store near by and bought all of our Colorado merch! After we got back I had the chance to write letters to some of the people who were on this mission trip, whether in our group or not. Overall, today was such a blessing and I’m so glad I got to see a new part of God's creation that I’ve never seen before!
~ Renee Rauwerdink
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| On our way to Cañon City to go rafting through the Royal Gorge! |
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| A group shot before heading back for lunch |
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| Back to Colorado Springs to see Garden of the Gods |
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| Michael, Brandon, Will and Justin |
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| Back at the church, right before worship |
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| The guys getting a game of Settlers of Catan |
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| The girls playing a little Banana Grams before bed |
