Packed with all they’d need for the intense week of camping, canoeing, and cooking in Minnesota, young and old alike were in varying states of preparation and mental readiness.
Packed with all they’d need for the intense week of camping, canoeing, and cooking, young and old alike were in varying states of preparation and mental readiness. After all, who’d know what to expect? Though a good number of attendees were first-timers, the regulars knew that the natural world is, at best, unpredictable.
What was predictable, however, was the encounter with God. As one would imagine, five days of several groups paddling with all their strength, finding islands or peninsulas to set up camp, and gathering enough firewood to start a good campfire, gave every individual plenty of time to reflect. Especially being completely immersed in what appeared at times like an endless expanse of water, the hours spent in various lakes and rivers provided much material for spiritual and personal introspection.
At the end of the week, when all the groups reunited for a Sabbath camp, many such thoughts were shared: people had encountered the God of the wilderness in sightings of beavers and otters (and one had spotted a moose!), in the gentleness of the picturesque landscapes, and even in the brilliance of one particularly starry night sky, replete with dozens of shooting stars. The evident tranquility of the natural landscapes was reflected on everyone’s faces, from children to elders. There was a palpable sense of peace on each countenance. Having the opportunity to withdraw from the busy rush of daily life and be centered in the simplicity and slowness of nature was a much-welcomed change of pace for all.
But it had also been challenging. Some groups had spent grueling hours paddling against intense winds, others had been stuck spinning in circles due to their group’s navigator being confused by the map, and still others had struggled with finding a sufficient site at which to camp. Many people experienced the wilderness pushing them to their limits, with bugs, beasts, and outdoor latrines. All participants faced the physically-demanding task of ‘portaging’: mooring the canoe at the end of the accessible waterway and then carrying everything—canoe, luggage, and all—by foot, across portages up to half a mile in distance.
Nonetheless, despite initial setbacks, all eventually experienced the great joy of teamwork. Despite several cuts, scrapes, and bruises, thanks to God, there were no serious injuries (unless you count mild muscle soreness).
The wilderness was not isolating, though. Without sufficient internet coverage and no possibility of charging stations, phones and devices were tucked away and human connection was easily enjoyed. In each group, there was bonding between adults and youth.
One adult remarked on how the trip had helped him to improve communication with his son, enabling him to be a better father.
Young people were able to build confidence, and the Sabbath worship gathering gave many of them the chance to be the spokespeople for their Sabbath school discussion groups.
Many also shared their own personal reflections on the week. One had discovered the hard way that he’d packed too much; but his teacher commended him that in spite of the heavy weight he’d been unnecessarily shouldering all week, he had never once complained and had constantly remained cheerful.
All the Forest School eighth graders who shared their reflections spoke with confidence and warmth that had been encouraged in them throughout the trip by their teachers, to whom was clearly due a great part of the students’ positive, ‘can do’ attitudes.
The same could be said for the Village Adventist Elementary School (VAES) eighth graders; their enthusiasm and cheerfulness was infectious, and their hands-on attitude toward the great outdoors was greatly amusing, especially at Kawishiwi Falls, where several of them banded together to relocate unsuspecting crayfish to a little pond they’d built in the middle of the river to collect tens of them. (A frog was captured too!)
There were many exciting adventures — almost-capsized canoes, slips and trips on the rockier parts; an accidentally-broken paddle; using phone GPS when the map got too tricky to read; catching and cooking fresh fish over blazing campfires; and all kinds of interesting culinary camp concoctions.
Equally, there were many miraculous encounters — a phone that got lost early on during a portage was returned to the outfitters by the end of the week, the spotting of a moose, and a flown away hat that made it into the back of another canoe.
At the end of each day, all groups wound down with a campfire reading from the Sam Campbell book, Moose Country, telling the thrilling story of a journey to Sanctuary Lake, in the expansive Boundary Waters Canoe Area, where the Michigan group was living their own adventure.
By the end of the week, memories had been made, friendships had been built and strengthened, and fun had certainly been had. Meeting God in nature through His created works, cross-generational bonding, and adventures that far surpassed doom-scrolling on social media, all affirmed one thing:
There’s nothing quite like the outdoors.
Rianna Davis, originally from the concrete wilderness of London, is currently serving as an intern at the Berrien Springs Village Church.
