Coming together

From July 26 to Aug. 2, 42 kids and adults from three Lutheran churches in Seymour were surrounded by some beautiful country.

The place was Lutheran Valley Retreat in Woodland Park, Colo., and it was for a mission trip in the Rocky Mountain area.

While there, the collective group known as Seymour Servants from Redeemer Lutheran Church, Zion Lutheran Church and Immanuel Lutheran Church constructed a handicapped-accessible trail, stained a building and began work on another trail.

Lutheran Valley Retreat is a summer youth camp and year-round retreat center in the middle of Pike National Forest. Five years ago, structures at the retreat were burned by a forest fire and all but three were lost.

"We saved them by doing projects around camp," Redeemer Associate Pastor Dan Lepley said.

Two years ago, when Lepley was at a church in Iowa, he had taken a mission trip to Lutheran Valley Retreat. But for Redeemer, this was the first servant event for the youth group.

With the recent purchase of a youth house at Redeemer, Lepley said the youth group needed something to do and a mission trip seemed right.

"It seemed to be the next logical step to bring everyone together," Lepley said. "I think this will become a yearly thing. It was an opportunity for us to kind of work together with other churches. Our goal is to grow closer to each other while growing closer to Christ. We are really trying to teach them to serve."

During the trip, the 200-yard Journey Trail, which had to be five feet wide and level, was completed. Along the mountainside trail are sensory stations, including a listening station to hear the mountain stream, feeling station to touch grass, leaves and dirt and smelling station to smell a tree that smells like coffee beans and vanilla.

By building the trail, Lepley said, "Physically you feel zapped and you're doing physical work. It really forced us to grow as a group."

For Trinity Lutheran High School sophomore Alex Schepman, building the trail was important.

"It will help the handicapped people be able to do stuff in our perspective," he said. "We had to make the trail and now that's always there for us."

With the mission trip shortly following the death of Amanda Stahl, a 17-year-old Seymour High School student killed in a wreck in late July, several of the students were unable to attend Stahl's funeral.

But they were able to honor her in two ways on the trip.

Benches along the Journey Trail were placed and dedicated to Stahl. And at 3:30 a.m. on Friday that week, 17 people climbed Cedar Mountain and placed a rock at the base of a cross, which is something others have done over time representing the leaving behind of sins and baggage at the cross of Jesus.
Stahl's name and birth date were written on the rock.

"All the kids gathered and put it at the foot of the cross," Lepley said. "We watched the sunrise on the side of the mountain. Words cannot describe how beautiful it was and how powerful of an experience it was for everyone who was there."

Being at an altitude of 9,000 feet, Lepley said that presented some difficulties at times, like breathing, altitude sickness and dehydration. It was a new experience for many involved.

"Nobody had any clue what they were getting into," Lepley said. "But once they got out there, nobody wanted to come back (home). It was taking people completely out of their element."

Besides the labor, those involved also participated in devotion and prayer, which was held at an amphitheatre that Lepley had a hand in building two years ago.

Then came some leisure time, including mountain and rock climbing, high ropes and whitewater rafting. Lepley said 10 hours a day were spent working or doing activities.

The kids learned how to cope with only the bare necessities, and most importantly, how to grow their faith and friendship with each other.

"It was a transformative experience for everyone that was there," Lepley said. "I saw God bringing everyone together. I hope they got a sense of what it really means to be connected and apart from these things."

Schepman, and all the other youth, took something away from the week.

"I learned to never take anything for granted," Schepman said. "I got a lot closer with people from my youth group. I met some people from Colorado. It was a pretty cool experience. Next summer, I hope we do another one."

Lepley noticed positive changes as the week progressed.

"Once they got out there and realized that what they were doing will make a difference for 500 handicapped campers and everyone else who uses the camp and they can see and move around freely, I think it really made an impact on them," Lepley said. "It will make an investment in the camp that will last longer than we do."

The group also placed a sign reading "Seymour Servants '08" at the retreat.

"You take ownership of what you're doing so you can really see what you did when you go back," Lepley said. "We're closer to each other and closer to God. Everyone on that trip was broken down physically, emotionally and spiritually and built back up. Anytime we go through that experience, we're better for it."

Lepley said it's up to the youth to show the congregation that they made a wise choice in supporting youth activities.

"I just hope now that we're back and they can see how some of our youth have changed, they realize God has been faithful with what they've given, and what they've invested in the youth is already paying huge dividends in the lives of our youth," Lepley said.

And for the youth, he said, "This is the beginning. They need to continue to show faith in their lives because they're definitely better for it."