a final blog from the Mountain – or actually from the valley below
“To have a beginning is to have an end, and to have an end is to have a new beginning”
-Albert Einstein
As this week on the mountain comes to an end, I often find myself thinking about the beginning. How the first theme the staff offered to us was that of our faith being like roots of a tree, and of offering gods hope to those around us. Last night I found myself thinking back to those words because of our project we had completed. Our partner in the community, Ms. Camm, knew exactly what she wanted. For us to uncover the roots of her tree from 2 extra feet of sawdust and dirt and to move her paving stones and rocks around to form a landscaped garden. It wasn’t until sharing last night that I truly understood how this project tied into my trip to the mountain. Our activities throughout the day included stripping away all the raw materials (rocks, sawdust, dirt, sticks, baby roots, ect) from the base of the tree and the garden. This is similar to how I think of Mountain Top. As a camper you come to the mountain with many of your everyday “accessories” stripped away (i.e.- cell phone service, Facebook, air-conditioning, taco bell). This helps you get back to your roots, and spiritually how you live your life. Sometimes we can have so many distractions in our lives that god just continues to get pushed farther and farther away. So like clearing the roots of Ms. Cann’s trees we go to the mountain to clear our roots. For some it is merely brushing the dirt off the top, others always have their roots exposed, and for some they completely rediscover the existence of their roots. The greatest thing of all is that no matter what shape your roots were in, all of our roots continue to grow through Christ. So when this week on the mountain comes to an end it is normal to feel changed, to have grown in your beliefs, to feel like you have found god in your life. But what next? What do you do when you return to the valley bellow? You keep in touch with your roots; let your roots guide you! Share your beliefs and passion because in doing so you spread your roots. Spreading your roots shares HOPE with others! Use your roots to share the word of the lord! We are fishers of men, followers along the way, trying to make earth as it is in heaven. Remember if you ever question yourself and your beliefs all you have to do is find your ROOTS!
-Trevor Hyssong
