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Outdoor Education!
“As we follow him, he will lead us to the people, places, and positions where we can most effectively make disciples of all nations for the glory of his name.”
~David Platt, Follow Me, pg. 222
I sat in the bus on the way to Corregidor, reading Follow Me by David Platt. As he shared his passion for reaching the world with the gospel, I wondered if I should be on the front lines evangelizing the world or making sure I have more interaction with non-believers. But as I read this sentence at the very end of the book, God reassured me that He has me exactly where He wants me to make disciples of all nations. And I was about to embark on a week’s worth of adventures to do just that!
Outdoor Education (OE) was an absolutely incredible week! Here are some highlights:
- On the way to Bataan (said Bah-tah-ahn), we made two stops at places that were significant in the Bataan Death March. We had scavenger hunts to do at both places. It was fun to watch my squad work together to solve the problems!
- We spent the first night with the whole crew at Base Camp on Bataan. We were split into three traveling groups, and the next morning my group got up early to go to Corregidor Island, only to find out that there had been a miscommunication with the boats so we only had one boat instead of two. Needless to say, kids are very good at finding ways to pass lots of time (and the Philippines is known for its karaoke…)!
- We had a great tour of the island of Corregidor, seeing many sites that I hadn’t seen on my three previous trips to Corregidor. This is my squad at one of the batteries that held the big guns.
- We got to explore the Malinta Tunnel at night, and one of my girls and I got separated from the rest of our squad. We were going up and down tunnels, not completely sure where we were. Apparently the rest of the squad was very worried about us for the 30 minutes they were waiting for us to return. They were so excited to see us back!
- We spent two nights on Corregidor, both nights sleeping on a tarp under the stars. Some of the girls had never seen so many stars! Some of them even saw a shooting star! The weather was perfect for gazing into the heavens and praising God for His creation!
- Our second day on Corregidor was filled with a hike, and learning to orienteer, use codes, and rescue people.
- During one of the afternoon free times, we were able to jump about 20 feet off the pier into the ocean. We also swam in the ocean with very high waves. I managed to step on a sea urchin! Ouch! The picture is of the beach and pier at sunrise.
- The last evening, we spent the afternoon making hobo stew and banana boats and then creating a centerpiece for our table. Our squad was called the “Monkey Babes,” so we made a monkey out of our fruit. We spent A LOT of time laughing during the preparation and consumption of this dinner (we might have been a bit tired by this point…).
- Each evening, we had a time of worship, as well as a speaker and squad time talking about the message. I loved seeing and hearing my girls worship our Lord as well as hearing from their hearts during our squad conversations.
- I loved getting to share a different side of myself with my girls. I heard a few times, “You’re not like this in class,” “That’s why we love you so much,” and “Miss Benson, you’re the most honest teacher we know!” They thought I was a bit crazy… :)
This is where God has me - where He can most effectively use me to make disciples. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I love the relationships I have built with these kids, and I’m praying that God will use my life in ways I will never know and could never imagine in order to draw these kids deeper in their walks with Him. I know that OE was a big part of building those relationships, and I pray that God will continue to provide me with opportunities to disciple the next generation of people to spread the gospel to the ends of the Earth!
Thank you SO MUCH for your prayers and support during the week of Outdoor Ed!
Amanda
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