You're Only Allowed to Bring...

On our camping trip Exodus we had no idea where we were going, or for how long. All we were informed on was what time we were leaving the base on Sunday morning and the items we were allowed to bring. What we weren’t allowed to bring were essential items like a tooth brush, deodorant… or any hygiene products for that matter, not even a pillow. When we headed out that morning the staff members drove us to a soccer field where we decided four teams, made team names and cheers to win a prize. I was pretty excited that our team won and the prize was receiving an advantage in a scavenger hunt.



My first hitch - it was a blast!

Our hunt started in Paia and we were to take photos of certain landmarks and collecting specific items. After we finished that portion, we needed to hitch hike (yes, I said it… hitch hike. It’s legal and safe here  J) to Kahului about 5 minutes away. I have to say that hitching was quite exciting… riding in the back of a stranger’s truck with some friends… haha! When we hopped out of the guy’s truck in Kahului we needed to take more pictures and collect more items. Our last landmark was the mall three miles from where we were located… unfortunately we couldn’t catch a hitch so we walked the entire way under the hot sun with hungry stomachs. After reaching the mall, relieved and in an air conditioned building, we needed to prayerfully catch one last hitch to reach our final destination, Iao Valley.

When we stepped foot outside of the mall I prayed that the Lord would provide a vehicle after having such a difficult time earlier, and being exhausted and hungry… and Iao Valley was not necessarily close by. Sure enough after a couple minutes of walking the Lord provided that vehicle, and sure enough the guy driving loved Jesus! This was the hitch we had all been waiting for… We sat in the bed of his truck as he had his arms folded over the tailgate, and he blessed us with a 10 minute conversation about Christ’s love. He told us that he would take us all the way to our final destination, the top of Iao Valley… and even offered to buy us food!

Once we reached Iao Valley I was BLOWN away at the sight… mountains that absolutely towered over us that looked like they reached the sky vertically! It was warm with the sun on our faces, and a sack lunch that never tasted better. After all the teams had gathered and finished eating, we met a couple from the Island who spoke with us about Hawaiian culture, and the locals. Afterwards we headed out to our campsite with the students having not a clue where we were going. Despite what was to come, the place we pitched tents was incredible! It was out away from the busyness of life and on a cliff over the ocean.

 

We had three responsibilities to take care of: put up tents, collect firewood, and make squatty potties. Yep, this was real camping J. We built up an appetite after our duties, and were informed that Ramen noodles were for dinner. Unfortunately, two of the four teams had to eat it plain after the results of the scavenger hunt. Apparently it wasn’t exactly tasty. Our night came to an end with sharing testimonies around the campfire, and hitting the sack early (we didn’t have cell phones or watches, so the majority of us never knew what time it was – sometimes I think we went to bed as early as 8:30).

Many of us girls woke up the next morning feeling pretty dirty without a shower, or brushed teeth. The day continued on to some quiet time with the Lord, plain oatmeal for breakfast, a trip to some awesome tide pools (a saltwater bath is basically what it was), more testimonies, Ramen for lunch, team bonding, Ramen for dinner, and another night without a shower or brushed teeth. That following morning I thought to myself when I woke up, “We honestly could not get any dirtier than this.” Oh was I wrong…

After our quiet time and breakfast we were instructed to change into shorts and a T-shirt, and to follow the leaders down the road barefoot. It rained the night before, which wasn’t exactly pleasant I might add, so we trudged through muddy gunk to find out that were going to be playing games in it. Like I said, I was wrong about getting dirtier. I remember at one point I just had to embrace our situation, and that afternoon was when we all had the most fun. The refreshing part was that we walked further from camp to a freshwater spring and got to “bathe”, so to speak. All the while I keep thinking to myself, “how much longer might this go on for,” but trying to keep a positive attitude at the same time. 

When we got back to our campsite the leaders announced they had some good news for us. We had 45 minutes to pack up camp, and head to a new destination for three more days. At that moment my heart sunk and I truthfully almost got upset, but then I gathered my emotions and reminded myself that I wasn’t going to die. On our way to this new destination we stopped at this amazing forest that almost reminded me of home; more pines. We hiked down into this canyon and explored caves in the surrounding walls. Despite the fact that we were all exhausted, it was still really cool. When we made our way back to our vehicles our leaders had yet another announcement that a church down the road wanted to house and feed us for the night. I can’t express the joy that filled my heart…