On April 1-8, we had 40 students and 13 adults go to Winter Park, Colorado for the 37th Annual Ski Trip. We had a great week and could not have asked for better weather for some epic skiing and snowboarding. Being my first year on Ski Trip, needless to say I was a little nervous. I have never had to lead a trip that had such a rich legacy, having never attended the event before. I was able to relax very quickly when I saw how every volunteer just jumped right in and helped things run so smoothly.
The theme for the week was Disappointment. No, not how the trip was going to be a disappointment, but how do we deal with disappointment. We looked at several examples from Scripture (Abraham, Joseph, and Jesus Himself) and also several examples from fables and personal stories. The key to dealing with disappointment is where we place our ultimate hope. Are we placing that hope in Christ, or something else like personal achievement?
As always, the week is book ended with quite a long drive. It takes about 20 hours one way to drive to Winter Park. This includes many stops to switch out drivers and get fuel. We were able to take our new bus on its first long haul and it performed beautifully. We had many people volunteer in the two leading up to the trip to prepare the bus for the trip. We were able to reconfigure the inside to make it more comfortable for travel.
I want to thank everyone for making this trip happen. From the guys who helped convert the bus, the volunteers who helped out on the trip to the parents who made sure that their students could go. It could not have happened if it were not for all of you giving up your time. I thank you and you may never realize the impact that you had for the Kingdom.