It's been just more than a week that I got home from the Compass program RMI. As I process what's been happening, there are a few things that I'd like to share that I miss, and they are about the community.
Compass participants numbered 27, including me, and we were divided into 3 small groups of 9. Each group had a leader, and there was also the director, the worship "specialist" and the missions "specialist," so that came out to six staff members. The groups were named Kaleo ("called" in Greek), TBC (True Blue Crew, Truly Baptized Crew, To Be Continued, or whatever they wanted at the moment), and my group, the Green Machine. No story there. (The group had twice as many guys as girls. Blame them.)
The first leg of the trip: La Vida. Meaning: Each group, the members of which had only known each other for two days, were thrust into a situation with a few key points:
Nate: OK, good. So you're going to use this hand to hold the rope, away from you to go down, close to you to stop. There are two speeds: Moving and not moving.
Me: M-hm. And this hand doesn't do anything?
Nate: Right. So I need you to stand backwards, here at the edge.
Me: I'm having second thoughts. And third, and fourth...
Nate: Back up to the edge.
Me: I am at the edge!
Nate: No, a little more...
Me: Please can I step off now and get it over with?!
Nate: No, keep edging backwards...
Enough said. But I finally managed to get over the edge and repelling was actually loads of fun, once the part about "conquer your fears!" was over. Finally, going back to the rock wall determined to get up, culminated in my standing on the ledge with my entire team standing there yelling, "Do this!" "No, Lisa, do that!" Finally, one of my teammates, a young man from Cali, the only one on my team younger than I am, came over, made a foothold with his hands and helped me into a commitment move. I made it to the top with just that teensy bit of "cheating."
I'll tell more about climbing the mountain and the high ropes course later, but suffice it to say that encouraging each other was such a major part of our La Vida experience it provided an entirely new dimension to our team. We were in this together, as a family, as a team. I miss my teammates with a passion, and community is probably what I miss most from Compass.
Compass participants numbered 27, including me, and we were divided into 3 small groups of 9. Each group had a leader, and there was also the director, the worship "specialist" and the missions "specialist," so that came out to six staff members. The groups were named Kaleo ("called" in Greek), TBC (True Blue Crew, Truly Baptized Crew, To Be Continued, or whatever they wanted at the moment), and my group, the Green Machine. No story there. (The group had twice as many guys as girls. Blame them.)
The first leg of the trip: La Vida. Meaning: Each group, the members of which had only known each other for two days, were thrust into a situation with a few key points:
- My group stayed nine people under a tarp, three people in a tent. For nine days. (Yes, that comes out to 12 instead of 10. La Vida had two leaders or "sherpas" who were part of our group while we were there.) I was under the tarp.
- No showers. 'Nuff said.
- Facing fears. Rock climbing, high ropes course, climbing a mountain...suffice it to say it was the hardest physical ordeal of my life. (This from a black belt.)
- Life stories. Over the course of La Vida, each of us had to share our life story and testimony with the group. Everyone was totally open, with the result that we knew pretty much all about each other by the end from the story and from being around each other nonstop.
Nate: OK, good. So you're going to use this hand to hold the rope, away from you to go down, close to you to stop. There are two speeds: Moving and not moving.
Me: M-hm. And this hand doesn't do anything?
Nate: Right. So I need you to stand backwards, here at the edge.
Me: I'm having second thoughts. And third, and fourth...
Nate: Back up to the edge.
Me: I am at the edge!
Nate: No, a little more...
Me: Please can I step off now and get it over with?!
Nate: No, keep edging backwards...
Enough said. But I finally managed to get over the edge and repelling was actually loads of fun, once the part about "conquer your fears!" was over. Finally, going back to the rock wall determined to get up, culminated in my standing on the ledge with my entire team standing there yelling, "Do this!" "No, Lisa, do that!" Finally, one of my teammates, a young man from Cali, the only one on my team younger than I am, came over, made a foothold with his hands and helped me into a commitment move. I made it to the top with just that teensy bit of "cheating."
I'll tell more about climbing the mountain and the high ropes course later, but suffice it to say that encouraging each other was such a major part of our La Vida experience it provided an entirely new dimension to our team. We were in this together, as a family, as a team. I miss my teammates with a passion, and community is probably what I miss most from Compass.
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