People from this summer

Jake: 

We had some free time in Bozeman to do some last minute shopping before we were isolated by Old Faithful for the duration of the summer. During this time the group of people I was with; Haley, Colleen, Madeleine and Dan M. met a homeless man named Jake. After sitting on the ground with him and giving him food we bought he started to open up to us. He poured out his sad life story of living on the streets since he was only nine. He has hitch-hiked over 2500 miles and seen most of the Western Lower 48. He explained to us etiquette for Pan-Handling and after receiving a $20 bill he was ready to move on because he didn't want to get greedy. His life situation did not allow him to get a good job because he was the father of an abused dog he couldn't bear to abandon. He was also paying child support for his 15 year old daughter who he was not able to see. After our conversation he told us he didn't even talk this much to his therapist. He allowed us to pray over him and then we parted ways. After this conversation I was so heavy-hearted I could barely hold a conversation. I had been praying that God would humble me and He answered my prayers. This however was just a preview for how my summer was going to be. 

Daniel:

For summer project I am part of the Outreach Team. This means we are responsible for planning outreach events. One event that we have done a few times already is the bonfire. This is where we have a fire down by the river and invite people we have met at the park to come hang out and make smores. After an hour or so we have two project people willing to share their testimonies. Before fires we have our life groups. This is a safe place to discuss faith and our thoughts about the Bible. Our first bonfire night, which was a Wednesday was a night I will never forget. After life group before the fire I received a  call from my roommate James who was really excited to tell me some news. He informed he about a man named Daniel who he just bumped into during his quiet time. Daniel is a heroine addict and alcoholic who came to Yellowstone following God's call and trying to get sober. He would be coming to the bonfire and James told him to look for me. I was very excited to see how God would use me that night. I was responsible for starting the fire and while I was getting things going, Daniel arrived. 

At first Will started talking to him and his pain was obvious from a distance. I went and sat with him and he started to pour his life out while I had my arm around him. He told me about his parents splitting up and him not knowing who his mother was for a few years. He told me about voices in his head which he prayed about for God to take away. He told me about being molested by a friend which turned him into a homosexual. He told me about living on the streets and becoming addicted to heroine and other drugs. There was a lot of pain here remembering all the things he had done to get  high. I sat there with Daniel nearly in tears as he inaudibly told me his story through the sobs. I did my best to speak truth and grace about God to Daniel which he already knew in his head but not his heart. He was really drunk already and it was a challenge to get through to him. Tim and I prayed with him and I spent nearly two hours with my arm around him while he cried and apologized for everything. Before we walked him back to his room he shared with everyone at the fire about his pain. It seemed to me that there was hope for him after he prayed for God to change his life. We exchanged phone numbers and with the help of Dan M and Tim we dropped him off at his room. My heart was broken for Daniel and still is. I can't imagine how much pain and suffering he has endured because of people using him his whole life. 

The next day we were supposed to meet for breakfast but he slept in and texted me later asking to meet for lunch, which then turned into dinner. I called him so we could meet up and he said he already ate with some friends and that he was sorry. I felt sad but I understood where he was coming from, not quite ready to do what it takes to make a change. When I went to dinner later I saw him there with some 'friends' that he drank with. I bumped into him and he apologized and I instantly forgave him. Sadly we did not get to catch up that night. Monday night however he was ready to meet up again. After an amazing night of prayer and worship we were able to meet up. We walked around and talked and I again did my best to share the gospel and speak some truth he needed to know about God. He believes that the devil loves him more than God, which is impossible. He also thought that he committed too much sin to be forgiven which is also impossible. Daniel also shared how he would already have killed himself if it weren't for his friends tackling him and taking his gun away. In my opinion this was God saving him and already working in his life. Daniel wanted to get sober so he could help people who had experienced a horrible life. This meant that he would have to get sober and to be able to reach them. 

Daniel had been jumped the night before by four guys who accused him of stealing from them. His collar bone was broken which restricted the movement of his arm. This meant that he could no longer work at the park and would be heading back home the next day. There was no heroine in the park but there was back home. His only sobriety was at Yellowstone which meant that it could very well end at home. I was scared and concerned for him. Daniel had already been drinking a little bit and during our conversation his friend called and asked him to go to the pub. He told me that he needed to go and that he would get sober tomorrow. I did my best to get him to stay but he was not ready to change. I watched him walk away while I sat on the corner feeling broken inside. I knew that nothing I could do or say would be able to change his heart. All I could do was pray that God would rescue him. I think God was teaching me how I have zero control which is actually really comforting. I also decided that seeing people the way God sees them is painful and humbling. I am so thankful that God rescued me and I have hope again. I am praying that Daniel will find this hope and hold on to it for dear life, literally.

Donald:

One night we were all hanging out at the Rec; an employee sports recreation hall her at the park. There is a weight room, cardio area, basketball court, ping-pong table and an upstairs with benches and a projection screen. After I got done messing around with some weights I went to join two guys playing ping pong. Their names were Donald and Wilson. Donald is a young man from California who was raised as a catholic but fell away from his faith but loves learning about many religions. Wilson is his friend who claimed Christianity. Donald and I started playing ping pong and talking about faith and religion. He asked me why I was in Yellowstone which prompted me to share my faith with them. Eventually I shared my testimony with them which made a huge impression. We even engaged in apologetics (defending faith) for nearly an hour. I was so thankful for the Holy Spirit who led that conversation through me. Eventually we put down our paddles and just talked about God. Donald told me had only ever met one other true Christian who he had never got a chance to talk to like we did. He wanted to exchange numbers and Facebook so we could chat again one day. After that conversation I felt so lifted up I nearly skipped the whole way home. Which was scary because it was nearly midnight and I walked a quarter mile by myself with no light. I was definitely running on a spiritual high and feeling very thankful that God used me in that way. Sadly Donald already went back to California I am praying that he will be able to learn more about the Gospel if that is God's will.

Bailey:
Bailey is a young guy from Portland, Oregon who I met at the gym one afternoon. We talked for a little bit and I shared with him a small part of my testimony. Basically about how I used to do a lot of drugs but I have not in over a year now. We didn't talk much after that until just a few nights ago. I had been having quiet time then decided I wanted to have a spiritual conversation. So I went back to the dorm, found my Soularium picture game and went into the lobby. There were only a few people there who left quickly to go drink. This was discouraging because it seems there are always people there. Of course God had something else in mind for me than I anticipated. After returning to my room; I folded laundry then read some scripture. I decided I would head upstairs to chat with Will when I was stopped by Bailey in the hallway. He had a bandana over his eye so I asked him what happened. He had tripped in the lobby and smashed his cheekbone on the vending machine. It had caved in and he needed to have a metal plate put in his face to reconstruct the bone. While he was waiting for the surgery he was on pain killers which he was seriously worried about. He asked me a lot of questions concerning them because he knew I had experience in this area. I was able to give him some truth about the pills that may or may not have helped him. This conversation continued and we ended up talking about life in general and our interests. He told me that he was kicked out of his house at 18 and had been living on couches ever since. He seemed happy about it and determined to get a motorcycle to cruise the country. I shared my faith and beliefs with him which included the gospel. I'm not sure how it affected him. After an hour or so my roommates came back and Bailey decided to go to bed. This experience was awesome but he has not showed any interest since. My hope and prayers are that he will not have any struggles with these pain pills and that we will be able to talk again. There seems to be a pattern with me meeting people who leave! After Bailey's surgery he will be on a leave of absence back in Portland until he is healed.

Yi (Ee), Eleven and Jason
These three are all international college students from China. I work with Eleven and Jason, Yi works in the dining hall. I have never become friends with any Chinese students. After meeting these three I hope to become friends with many more. Jason is a Christian, the only one in his group! On Friday I had the day off and they wanted to come fishing with us. Kayla rode up front with me driving with our new friends in the back. It was  cold and rainy that day which were a bad combination for fishing. However the lake we went to was still beautiful and we had a lot of fun. Peter K., Scott, Ben and James also came in the other car. After trying out a few different spots we ended up going to Lake Village to eat lunch and do some exploring. Yi was reading Kayla's notes on the Bible which prompted a spiritual conversation. She had some really good questions about Christianity and the hypocrisy of Christians in the past. Kayla and I did our best to answer with the help of the Holy Spirit. I am not sure how she responded but she did not ask any more questions or have any rebuttal. After lunch we drove back and found some absolutely beautiful spots along the coastline of the beach. We did not catch any fish and lost a few lures but we had a great time. We were able to exchange information about cultures and enjoy each others company. Yi told us that her home town is the home town of pandas. There are also warm springs there to bathe in. Jason told us that there is no drinking age in China and his hometown is famous for beer. We also talked about past relationship and laughed a lot. I am so happy that I was able to spend time with them. They leave in a few weeks but I pray that they will see Christ's love through us if it is in God's will. Thank you all for reading this and I hope to have more people to talk about by the end of the summer! Please be praying for us as a project and these people by names if you can.
-In Him, Pete :-)

CRU: Yellowstone Summer Project 2013!!!

Our first night in Yellowstone 

This is a picture of all the students minus our student staff on our first hike together the day we arrived here. At this point in our project all of us had been together a few days. Before driving to Yellowstone National Park we spent a few days at the Mountain Top Retreat in Bozeman, MT. While we were in Bozeman we began to know each other through various group activities such as hiking, signs, monkey in the middle frisbee and learning about God. After just a few days we already felt like lifelong friends; God was building a community that would change my mind forever. We also had men's and women's time where we shared our testimonies (God's work in our lives). This time helped us realize that we all have struggles and can be here for each other to fight the good fight of following the Lord together.

We just hiked our first Rocky Mountain!!!

Wow... so much has happened in three weeks I am blown away. Today is day 22 at the park, day 27 of project and day 32 of being with project people. I suppose I should start with the road trip here. All of us from UNH drove here together. Josiah picked Tommy and I up to drive to Haley's house in Temple, NH. Mack, Steve and Haley were already there. Ben arrived at nine and we picked up Dan the next morning. Later that day we picked up Colleen in Erie, PA. That night we stayed with a friend Gary in Ohio. The next day we were on the road 17 hours, finally arriving in Minneapolis at Deb's house. We drove to the Badlands, SD where we camped the next night. At this point we all started to feel like friends and the bonding began. Day four was spent touring South Dakota. We stopped at Wall Drug and Mount Rushmore and then drove a few hours to a camping spot. We roasted hot dogs for dinner and played on the playground. At around nine we realized we would be too early and started laughing because of the ridiculous hours we drove to get there. We played manhunt in the moonlight and rejoiced life. Our next day was easy and we drove through Wyoming to arrive in Montana where we again camped out for free! We were all excited and spent a lot of time together laughing and joking about our road trip. We finally arrived in Bozeman and were filled excitement about the amount of signs announcing Summer Project. The Mountain Top Retreat was an amazing place in the Rockies overlooking a beautiful valley. All the guys from UNH bonded one last time at a restaurant called Fudruckers where we ate juicy hamburgers.
Later that afternoon two girls named Hannah and Madeleine arrived. Mack, Steve and I started playing frisbee to pass the time. Everyone who was arriving started to join us and we started bonding immediately. Every time somebody received the frisbee they stated an interesting fact about themselves. We started to get to know each other right away. On our project there are Josiah, Tommy, Ben, Dan M., Steve, Mack, Haley, Colleen and myself from New Hampshire. Dan W., James, Jeff, Kayla and Mary Kate from Maine, Madeleine and Hannah from Illinios, Jennifer from California, Michelle from Pennsylvania, Joanna from Georgia, Jamie from Missouri, Maddy from Wisconsin, Will from Mississippi and Scott from Tennessee. Scott arrived on the second day and Maddy on the third. We spent a lot of time together in Bozeman getting to know our staff, acclimating to the elevation, bonding and growing in the Lord. We hiked a mountain together, did outreach at Montana State, praised the Lord, pinned clothespins, laughed, cried and ate a lot of ice cream. John and Laura Iamaio were there in Bozeman but did not come to the park with us. Our staff members are Andrew and Rachel Gilson from Yale and Tim and Pam Schuman from UNH. We are also priveleged to have some student staff; Peter K. and Bekah Schuman from New Hampshire.
Finally after a few days which felt like weeks we were ready to go Yellowstone. We convoyed to Gardiner, MT where we did paperwork and became employees of Xanterra. After that we drove to Mammoth Geyser to eat lunch. Then it was onward to Old Faithful where we would be living for the duration of the summer. Driving through the park for the first time was such an amazing experience. There was steam coming from the ground, pine trees, wild animals, beautiful landscape and snow!

 Mammoth Geyser

Thermal Pool

We were all so thrilled to arrive at Old Faithful. Of course we went to look at Old Faithful geyser first then went to get our room keys and get settled. Chris, James and I got a cabin which only lasted a few days until some room in the Laurel dorm opened up. There was another dorm called Columbine where half the project students live. That night we all met up to hike Observation Point, look at Solitary Geyser then walk around Geyser Basin for a few hours. James and I made some ridiculous survival videos with Australian accents. We realized that we have similar personalities and bonded well instantly.

After a few days we were all settled in and Room Attendants who felt confident that we could do our job well. Our schedule here is the same every week. Sunday is a night of reflection and then G-3. Will, Dan M., Steve and I our together with Andrew as our leader. Monday is a night with worship then a message from the staff. Tuesdays are free nights for adventuring. Wednesday nights are faith groups then bonfires where a guy and a girl share their testimonies. In my faith group Hannah and Will lead Dan M. Steve, Colleen and myself. These are open to non-project people as well. I have gone on a few adventures here during my time off that have been legendary. My first time out and about we hiked through the woods without a trail to find Lewis Channel. I did not do any fishing but some other people did and we caught 8 fish collectively. Later when we got back to the cars we drove to the bank of a lake to gut then cook the fish. After a long day of hiking and exploring we ate the most delicious fish I have ever had. There is so much beauty here in the park below are just a few examples.

Lake Yellowstone

Reflecting Pool

This summer has been epic thus far and one night has stood out beyond the rest. June 10th was a Monday and normal day of work. In the afternoon I was helping Jenn make beds and I shared my testimony with her. I love being able to share with other project people but this time it was different. Part of my testimony is me giving up drugs and turning to God. This is probably the biggest part and it happened June 10th. While I was sharing I had no idea what the date was. That night we had prayer and worship during which I realized what day it was. I started weeping and shared with the group how it had been one year since I was free from drugs all thanks to God. I was drawn to my knees consecrating myself before the Lord. Peter, Scott and Haley all prayed over me praising God for His work in my life. At that moment I felt so loved and appreciated. I am so thankful to be here in the park scrubbing toilets for Jesus. There are so many awesome things that have been happening that I will be writing about in a later blog. Thank you for sticking through to the end and God bless.
-Pete :-)