Jackson Hole: Because He is worth it

Week four wrapped up our final week out in Jackson Hole as the project came to a close. The final week of a project is always overloaded with so many different emotions from students and staff alike:

1. Relief ("I don't have to share a shower with 20 girls anymore!")
2. Excitement ("I cannot wait to share with my friends and family all that I have learned!")
3. Sadness ("I'm going to miss all of these new and wonderful friends I have made")
4. Nervousness ("I am nervous I will get home and slip right back into my old lifestyle")
5. Fear ("I am going back to a place where I have no Christian community or support")

Because of the reality of these things, we spend most of the end of the week addressing how to handle what we like to call "Post Project Depression" or PPD. You may laugh when you read that but I promise, it is a very real thing! When you embark on a summer project, you spend anywhere from 4-11 weeks surrounded by uplifting Christian community. Most students that come on summer projects are coming from schools and atmospheres where Christianity is NOT the "cool" thing to do. Loving Christ and living unashamed in His commands is looked down upon and most times, criticized (by fellow students, parents and professors alike). Most students are coming from non-believing families, non-believing friends, and not many people to walk together with in Christian community. Because of that, going back home after  4 weeks of being surrounded by a very close, Christian community can be very hard and very overwhelming (which is why we spend time addressing how to handle PPD!)

In addition to discussing things like this, we spent the last week just having fun! Although I realize many people did not consider our final hike to be very "fun", Mitch and I thought it was a blast! One of the last days we were in Wyoming, we hiked up 3,000 ft on a 9 mile (round-trip) trail that placed us at one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen. It is a good thing that the lake was so pretty because the hike was HARD. We crawled across two boulder fields, scrambled up on our hands and knees at points, and the switchbacks looked like they would never end. But the moment we made it to the top, it made it all worth it.

Delta Lake

The hike to Delta Lake couldn't have been more perfect for our closing week of the project. For hours we climbed, sweated, cried, complained, fell, and became extremely tired. It was hard, and it was extremely challenging, but we kept going. The moment we reached the top and saw the lake we literally jumped and cheered. Why didn't we stop when it got hard? Why didn't we stop when the fear of heights got the best of us? Why didn't we stop when we were so tired we didn't think we could keep going? Because the prize was WORTH IT. What a perfect and beautiful picture and real-life experience of why we press on as Christians.

Why do we press on even though our friends criticize us? Why do we press on when our professors balk at our beliefs? Why do we press on when God asks us to do hard things? Why do we press on even when it seems like things will never get better? Because the prize is WORTH IT. Because HE is WORTH IT.

But as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing EVERYTHING

2 Corinthians 6:4-10