Wings Ministry Sonlight Backpacking Trip Comments

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Comments from Wings Ministry Youth – Backpacking Trip Aug. 2004
August 9, 2004

Dear Ms. Ann Edenfield,

I truly enjoyed the backpacking trip to Pagosa Springs. It was tremendously kind of you to arrange a trip like this. Most of us wouldn’t be able to take that kind of trip. I had a very fun time, despite other people not having a good time. I believe we all appreciated what you gave us; we just didn’t realize it in that moment. My favorite part in the trip was the actual backpacking. Just having to work to carry a simple backpack was an interesting experience. What Larson and Hannah were saying about it either breaks you or makes you was definitely true in my case. Although I did want to go home because you couldn’t go outside to do anything but pee, I still wanted to stay and continue on. I am grateful that we got to go on this trip. With any luck, we will be able to go on a trip similar to this again. (If Winston lets us that is!!!!)

Sincerely,

A.F.

August 10, 2004

Dear Winston, Mary, Larson, and Hannah,

Thank you for helping me. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to go to the mountains and go hiking and backpacking. I thought it would have been harder for some of the kids and me. I really liked it.

What I liked best was that we saw deer, bear, and pretty sites. The experience that you gave us to go on this trip was very nice and the country was very beautiful.

What I will remember from this trip was that everyone was very nice and especially Larson was very nice when he hiked me out and helped me get better. Everybody there is a good person. I really liked the hot Tang too.

Love,

T.A.

August 10, 2004

I would like to thank Winston and Mary for giving us the opportunity to go on the backpacking trip. I want to also thank Larson and Hannah for giving up their time to take us up there and for dealing with my attitude which wasn’t the most positive all the time. But I did enjoy the trip and had a really good time. I saw a lot of things that I don’t normally see in New Mexico. I am sorry that the trip ended so soon. An extra special thank you to Winston and Mary.

With love from,

Z.B.

August 14, 2004

Dear Winston and Mary,

Thank for you letting me go on this fun adventure. It was a very nice experience. I remember all the guides because they were really nice. The trip was scary at times as well as exciting. The fighting was scary. I carried my own weight (my backpack) and I didn’t think I was capable of doing that but when I finished I just had this good feeling. The first night in the rain was scary with everything wet and thundering. The next morning I woke up feeling good and happy that the rain was over.

This was a challenge you put in front of us and when we completed that challenge we felt really good about ourselves. I felt a little sad that we came home early but I was happy to come home and take a shower. I learned ways to survive and not to take water and shelter for granted.

Thanks!

M.F.

August 14, 2004

Dear Winston and Mary,

I had fun and I liked it over there. I liked swimming in the lake and had fun meeting new people. I liked the workers, Hannah and Larson, they were cool. I liked sleeping outside in the tent. The most challenging part of the trip was carrying the backpacks. I didn’t want to go home and leave everybody. I was glad to be in a tent during the rain. I was never afraid. I learned how to set up a tent.

I think trips like this would be good because most kids have never done anything like this before and it was challenging. I liked being challenged a little bit. Kids need to not fight with one another, be good to the people there. (Ann, Paul, Hannah & Larson.) I liked being part of a team with everyone over there. I had lots of fun.

Sincerely,

J.C.

August 14, 2004

Dear Winston, Mary, Hannah, Larson, and the other Sonlight Staff,

Thank you for taking me on this camping trip. I wish I could see you guys again but not on a backpacking trip because that was kind-of hard. The food was not bad – it was pretty good. Thanks for supplying us with it. Even though some people got out of control, at least we made it back and no one got really hurt.

I’m thankful to you for letting us have a chance to go on a trip like this because we’ll probably not ever do anything like this again. I learned how to survive and learned safety tips like don’t stay too close to the edge because you might fall off. If I had not taken the rain jacket Ann told me, I would have been soaked. Opportunities like this will help kids stay away from drugs, violence, fighting, and abusive parents. They should have a whole week of cleaning dishes and making food together if they fight. I didn’t really want to turn back but it was kind of a relief to turn back. But I did really want to go on.

To prepare for future trips, get rain supplies, shoes for hiking, a hat and sunglasses. Before you do go you should stretch your legs as much as you can and take some walks around your block a few times.

I would like for Hannah and Larson to write back to me. I don’t have a computer yet for email but I’m trying to do that. I want to thank Hannah and Larson for helping me and staying back with me throughout the trip. Hannah wanted to stay with me and she asked me if I wanted a rest. She saw how I was breathing and she kept checking me to see if I was alright. I am thankful for that. I felt like I was kind-of at home because they were helping me like my mom and dad.

Thanks!

Sincerely,

J.C.

To the Sonlight Staff and Especially Winston and Mary,

Thank you for the opportunity to let us go backpacking. Thanks for the tents. I had a good time. If someone would take me I’d like to go again because it was fun and I liked camping out. It was my first time for carrying so much for so long. I would tell other kids that a trip like this is fun and not that hard. It would be good to jog, or ride a bike, or walk for 15-30 minutes a day to get used to it. If I were to go next time, I’d probably be more helpful. Maybe I’d carry more on my back in case it was too heavy for other kids. I would tell kids we are there for a good time and not to fight.

If I go next year, I’d tell them that if they fight then we couldn’t do the whole trip. We don’t want fighting that will ruin the trip for everyone. There was fighting over racism and it would be good to really get to know one another before we leave on the trip.

Sincerely,

August 14, 2004

Dear Winston, Larson, and Hannah, and Paul,

Thank you for letting us go on the camping trip. I enjoyed it. I learned that water is important and to purify it before you drink it. Thanks for taking us on the bus to get there. It was good, but it was also hard. The hiking was difficult. I learned to hike. I was scared to go swimming but I learned to face my fears. The water was cold and we should have put a salamander in our water bottle to take home. Next time I’m only bringing one change of clothes. I’ll leave the other clothes there for a change on the way home.

From,

I.S.

(I asked him why he thought I called him. He said, “You’re probably bored. I always call my friends when I’m bored.” He stopped me in my tracks. “I always call my FRIENDS”…wow, I wondered if he knew what he had just said. When I questioned him about whether he thought I was a “friend” he said “Yes”. When I asked him if he wanted Paul Collins to be his Big Brother, he said he would really like that.)

August 15, 2004

Dear Winston, Hannah and Larson,

Thank you for letting me come to the camp. I had lots of fun and the food was good. I learned to work as a team and learned about lots of stuff in the wild. I learned that the stream water was clean to drink and that the lake water was not safe to drink.

The most fun part of the camp was when we were all climbing the rocks. It takes time to go to the place you want to and it’s hard to walk and everything because it is a long long trail. I learned the importance of food, an extra pair of clothes, mosquito lotion, a rain jacket, and a backpack cover. If I were given a chance to go next year I would like to go to see the wilderness. If one of the kids can’t physically make it they shouldn’t go.

If we were to go next year I would make sure that I knew everyone’s name, that we packed everything we needed, took our Bibles, had two water bottles, that I had a good attitude and that I knew what to do and not to do. We would need to listen to what they say and do it.

Bye,

R.C.

August 15, 2004

Dear Winston and Mary,

Thank you for letting us come backpacking. I had a great time and I hope that I can come back next summer. I would like to go back as I didn’t have a chance to complete it this time. I learned that we have to listen, it’s important to follow the leader so we don’t get lost, and drink lots of water.

Next time I would listen more and make sure I brought extra water bottles. I will behave, hold my temper, and not fight by asking God to help me. I would tell team members that I didn’t like the way they were acting and that could they act better?

In the future we need to get to know each other – what kinds of thing make them mad, how we could help become their friends, and what kind of things do they like in a friend.

I really appreciated it and God bless. Please write back.

R.F.

August 17, 2004

Dear Larson, Hannah, Winston and Mary,

Thank you for the backpacking trip and I really appreciate what you have done. I had fun. I learned that it is hard to hike and I also learned responsibility. I learned that we had to get everything prepared – to set up camp, to get wood, to get all the food, to unpack it, and how to purify the water. The most fun part was swimming in the lake.

Sincerely,

B.M.

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