Friday, September 3, 2010

akwachink

yesterday i got to go on a little adventure :) and :( because i nearly froze, but other than that, it was good :)

here i am in the cold rain right before we left.
my little adventure consisted of a food drop for the akwachink group that is currently out braving this cold arctic tundra in which i now live. the day started out cold and rainy, and i figured it would probably warm up towards the middle of it...but it didn't...it just got colder.


this picture here kind of sums up how most of the day felt.

akwachink is a super fun but challenging canoe trip which is offered through rosedale bible college. it is a spiritual formation class. basically, a group of college kids go out into the canadian wilderness for 2 weeks of hard-core camping. they canoe and portage their way through the wilderenss, make their dinners over fires, sleep in tents, filter their water, go to the bathroom "squat style," bathe in the lakes (if they bathe at all), and put up with more bug and mosquito bites than any of them have probably ever seen in their life :) it's great fun! they take turns leading the group...but not to worry, there are actual leaders who know what is actually going on and can help them out if/when things get hairy.

the group carries all of their food with them. most of it consists of things like pasta, trail bread, granola, pancake mix, peanutbutter, spam, bagels, etc. carrying enough food for 2 weeks would be a little on the impossible side, so half way through the trip there is a food drop. that's what i took part in yesterday. we met the group and brought them restocking supplies.

this is a picture of them filling up their food buckets as well as loading up their canoes. because of some zoning issues we had to transport them to a new spot to continue with their trip. it made for a long day. we left at 11 in the morning and didn't get back until 7:30 that night.

another part of the food drop consisted of bringing this lovely group of smelly kids (and believe me, they absolutely reak!) a hot meal :) they were pretty excited about that! so far it has rained every single day of the trip...reminds me of my year lol...the year i went on akwachink it rained every day but the very last day of the trip. kinda miserable at times!

another fun little thing that we did for the akwachink group was to bring them a little snack pack and a little card to lift their spirits :) each person has a prayer partner here in red lake who prays for them and sends them this little snack pack half way through the trip.

my prayers person is my sister!!!! it was so so good to see her again!!! so wish she could stay up here in canada with me for a bit...she was definitely the highlight of my day :)

another highlight was that i got to see my good friend merideth :) she is one of the leaders this year, and is planning on continuing to help lead the group in years to come

well, that's it for now...not a very wifey post, but it was a good good day (besides the whole being cold pretty much the whole day thing), but dave helped to warm me up when i got home, so that was good too :)

5 comments:

  1. Parla what a dear post. I can almost feel those sister vibs that were going on with Autumn. I am so happy you are doing this blog. It's great being able to check in on what's happening in your new world. Take care and warm yourself up a bit by the fire with your man. Love You, ~Aunt Polly Wolly~

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  2. The other day when I tried to get on your blog, it said that I wasn't invited. I almost had me feelers hurt!!! But today it sailed me right to here, so that is good. Wonderful post -- and I hope it stops raining soon. Love getting a glimpse into your life. Keep posting!

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  3. Parla, Yay for you having a blogspot. I wish I could have come along with Autumn to visit you and go on Akwachink, but school happend :(

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  4. That was wonderful seeing the pictures of you with Autumn and Meridith. Looked like Autumn is having fun. Keep the blog spot updated. I am loving it. Much love, Mom

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  5. What a great job you are doing with your blog site. Loved seeing you and Autumn together. Made me a little teary,(you know me). So glad you are feeling much better and are able to enjoy your new home. Don't be in a hurry to fill it up as it will happen before you know it. Love you, Grammy

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