Monday, July 24, 2006




"Up On the Mountain"
To kick off the Summer, High School minister, Dennis Yaeger took a group on their annual “trek” up a mountain in Colorado. The trip was made possible through funds given to the youth program to allow these young people a chance of a lifetime to see a side of God’s raw majesty like never before. When asked what the coolest part of the trip was, Dennis beamed with pride as he said, “They all made it up.”


All had some problem during the trip, and all saw the climb as impossible. Experiencing the summit helped them realize that they can do more than they can imagine. And now Philippians 4:13 has a powerful, new meaning.

ANOTHER ARTICLE ABOUT TREK by Luke Boyd


Youth from the Impact Houston Church of Christ traveled to Salida, Colorado earlier this summer to take part in Wilderness Trek, a Christian youth camp that uses mountain climbing as a spiritual motivator for teens and college groups all across America.
The Impact group, made up of 15 teenagers and three sponsors, rappelled a 150 foot cliff and were able to summit a 14,000 foot peak.
The summit consisted of a 26 mile trek up the side of Mt Hope, a mountain in western Colorado, in just over 3 days.
At times the hike became so strenuous that many members of the group were compelled to sit down in the middle of the trail and refused to go any further. Forced to lean on God and each other, the young inner-city group valiantly pressed on, hiking as many as 10 miles per day.
On their second day of hiking as they approached their destination for the night, Kenneth (Ray Ray) O'Neil reached the campsite first. When he realized that some of the others were having difficulty moving up the trail, he immediately began to help the exhausted, by carrying their packs to the campsite. O’Neil said he recognized the situation and just wanted to help out.
“I saw some of the others struggling and just wanted to do what I could to help,” said O’Neil. “It was no big deal, I know they would’ve done the same for me if I’d have been in that situation.”
So much was made of his heroism that the High Camp area for Mt. Hope, was named Camp Ray Ray, in honor of his actions.
After a day of rest, the unified group hiked the remaining six miles to the summit of Mt. Hope. The wind, at times, was almost unbearable, reaching nearly 70 miles per hour. Although the conditions were less than ideal, the view from the top was worth it all, according to senior Sheena Jones.
“About halfway up I was ready to quit,” said Jones. “But once I got to the summit and saw the incredible view, it was totally worth it.”
The question of whether or not those that participated in this year’s trek will return again next year is still in doubt, however the experience gained from the incredible struggle is one that sophomore Jerald Varner says everyone should take part in.
“I think everyone should go on trek at least once,” said Varner. “I mean, it was tough on you both physically and mentally, but you come out it closer to God and closer to your group. It definitely made me a stronger person.”
Despite the incredible hardships faced by the Impact group on their journey, with God’s help they were able to overcome their adversity and accomplish their goals. Trek proved that according to Jeremy Varner.
“You can do anything with God’s help,” said Varner. “You just got to have faith in His power and He will be there when you need Him.”

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