Excursion was simply amazing. The kids are lots of fun, the Jr. High boys are chronic liars, and we had great company. We were lucky enough to have a wildlife explorer with us who hunts deers with knives (jump from the trees when they walk underneath, grab them by the antlers, and slit their throat with a machete), and he also knows how to tell the age of a tree by putting your ear to it, knocking, and listening for the resounding echoes (multiply the echoes by 27, but be careful: sometimes it's a decimal and you have to listen for the point). We did some (kamikaze) rapelling, some (kamikaze) mountain-climbing, some (kamikaze) caving (watch out for the blind cave tortoise; they're like giant snapping turtles, except they go really fast and run along the walls and ceilings).

One of the coolest moments happened late last night; we weren't allowed to make noise because the camp-ground didn't allow it, so I simply laid down by the fire and watched the embers burn. When I looked up, I saw two of the girls reading their Bibles via fire/flashlight. I bathe in Sr. Highers who let their Bibles sleep eternally on their shelves, and here are two yong girls consuming the scriptures. It was just simply awesome to see two girls excitedly reading the Bible, and there was another one who was talking about trying to read the Bible all the way through in one year (we recommended not doing that; you'll simply fail in Leviticus: aim for the Gospel of Mark or John). I just think it is so cool that those girls were reading their Bibles when they could be sleeping. I never thought I'd be inspired by those girls, but after I saw it, I did the same in the tent. Really inspiring.

Yet now I am going through post-vacation depression. Oh well. Maybe I will do something homely yet exciting to suave the pain as much as possible. I just can't wait until I am a youth minister - only four more years (hopefully).