Each year, our juniors and seniors in high school choose which trek our high schoolers go on during the summer. These are the options we have provided so far:

Wilderness Expeditions
There is nothing quite like hiking with forty pounds on your back for five days in order to reach the top of the mountains, or not showering that whole time for that matter. Every summer we take a small group of kids on a wilderness trip to get them out in nature where they can see God around them and to challenge them both physically and spiritually. When we are exhausted is when our true nature comes out, and it is the goal of these trips to take us to the edge of where we can go physically in order to push ourselves further spiritually. I am a firm believer in teaching kids that they can do more than they ever thought was possible; that they can live on less food, walk further, sleep more uncomfortably, and focus more on God than they ever thought possible. We go out into the wilderness to find God and I hope that we all realize that He has been near us the whole time. I was told once that the Hebrew word for wilderness was the same word they used for voices so we go out not only into the wilderness, but into the voices of God to hear what He has to say to us. 

River Trek
Ever kayaked down a river in south Texas during the summer with all the gear you need for five days? With two people to a kayak and unpredictable obstacles around the next bend, the adventure of river trek keeps one paddling down the Del Rio until they have reached their destination. Cooking over a campfire at night, sleeping under the stars in the kayaks, and being able to take a quick dip in the river to cool down in the summer heat all pave the way for a fun and unique bonding experience with each other. Nightly devotionals and daily conversation with each other about the Lord and His creation are all perks to this interesting trip!

Dry Bones Denver
Much like Wilderness Expeditions, three days of this journey are spent backpacking through the Colorado wilderness with the goal of summiting a mountaintop. As soon as we get off the mountain, we are thrown into the homeless community of downtown Denver to help serve and exist next to people we sometimes have a hard time even making eye contact with in our busy lives. This is an eye-opening, enriching trip which helps us to understand Jesus on a whole new level as He ministered to the marginalized and calls us to do the same.

Trek Leadership Retreat
Very similar to trek and Dry Bones, this trip lands our group in the mountains hiking and pushing us to our max. The perks? We rent out a cabin for the week and have hot meals cooked in the oven. After hiking each day, we go back to the cabin for showers, journaling, devotionals, meals, games, and sleep in soft, warm beds. The bonding on this trip between each other and with the Lord is remarkable.