Camp of Israel {Trek}

Our Stake does Trek every four years - that way each youth age 14-18 will have a chance to go.  This year it was Jordyn and Carlee's turn for the experience.  These youth were well prepared - for months they'd been working on Faith in Every Footstep challenges to help them prepare physically, mentally and spiritually.  Some examples of things they did were:  walk 10km, read The Book of Mormon, learn to dry fruit or meat and donate it to trek, upload family history pictures and stories, light a fire with one match and no paper, Index 100 names, etc. and tons more! 

They left the church at 6:00am on Friday, July 4, 2014 and returned around noon on Monday, July 7.  They had absolutely marvellous experiences and didn't want to come home! 



 

When they checked in, the trekkers were each given a bandana and told to go and find their family flag - which was the bandana on a stick. 

 

Carlee (in the blue blouse) getting to know her new family.



Carlee's Family - the Pink Bandana Family.

Her Ma and Pa were Roger and Shauna.

The girls are: Brooke, Adrianna, Tayler, Bethany, Mackenzie, Carlee.

Boys are:  Nelson, Austin, Parker, Josh and Tyson 

 

 

Jordyn's Family - the Royal Blue Bandana Family

From left to right:  Jordyn, Ina, Kaden, Yael, Alyssa, Ady,

Ma Tabatha and Pa Darin, Tristan, Keaton, Jordan and Brady

 

 

Handcart is packed and they're ready to roll out.  The handcarts carried each persons sack and bedding, water and other family supplies.  That round necklace (treklace) she's wearing has an ancestors name on it - Jane Scott, who crossed the plains in a covered wagon.



 

Carlee's family heading out - she's behind the cart somewhere.



Jordyn's family heading out - she's walking behind in the purple bonnet.

 

Trek consisted of pulling the handcarts all day Friday.  They travelled about 16 km, up and down hills, through creeks, rivers and lots of muddy bogs and swampy patches.  The following pictures are all things they experienced while on the trail:

Carlee pushing that last handcart.







 

Jordyn at the back of her family handcart.



 

Being helped through the muddy area by scouts.

 

Carlee is ready to help if needed.  Hopefully that falling sleeping bag didn't get too wet.

Jordyn pulling with Ady, with Kaden and Keaton behind them.

The trail wasn't always smooth.

A handcart tipped in front of Jordyn's family.

They had frequent water breaks.  Each family had a 5 gallon jug in their handcart.



Carlee having fun with her family. 
"Yeah, they're telling us we have to cross a river!  Haha!"

Carlee pushing in the back left corner.

They're halfway across the Twice Crossed River.  On one river crossing she slipped and got drenched.







This is after the Women's Pull.  The women of the family had to pull the handcart up a long hill, without any help from the men.  And it was done in silence too.  As they were nearing the end, they heard the singing of "Come, Come Ye Saints" which was being sung by those who had already finished.  This picture is of singers - Jordyn is on the right.
The Women's Pull is difficult for everyone - physically for the women, and mentally for the men.  Jordyn had low blood sugar after this from all the effort she put into pulling.  The juice box tucked in her handcart perked her right up again.   

 

After the Women's Pull, and at various other times, families went off and had devotionals and wrote in their journals.  This is Jordyn's family.



 

Jordyn - the happy trekker.

 

Carlee's starting to look tired.

 

A river crossing.  Jordyn's Pa and some of her brothers were always quick to help others, and she was proud of them for that.  But she said it also made it difficult for the rest of the family sometimes to maneuver their handcarts without their help.

After a long day of trekking, they made their campsite and put up their teepee tents.  Each family had a "kin" family and the Ma's and sisters of both families slept in one tent together, and the Pa's and brothers slept in the other tent.

 

Carlee's family trying to dry their shoes around their fire.

 

Saturday morning, they were awakened early to the sound of gunfire and told they had 30 minutes to be packed up and out of there - which meant tents taken down, everyone packed up, fireplaces, stones and log and benches made all taken back to where they came from.  There was no time for breakfast - it was just like the mobs driving them from their homes.  They ate dried fruit and jerky on the trail.  Jordyn and Carlee actually slept through the gunfire and were woken up and only had 15 minutes to be on their way.  They were on the trail for about half the day and then made camp for two nights.

Carlee leading her family.

Jordyn's family.

Jordyn with her Ma and sisters.

Jordyn's Pa and brothers.

Saturday afternoon was filled with activities:  The theme of Camp of Israel was

Learn, Choose, Act, Become.

Some of the local seminary and institute instructors taught classes on each topic - and the youth could choose two to go to.



Jordyn and Carlee are together at this class- sitting on a bench near the center of the picture.





They could choose some other activities too.  The choices were learning to square dance, making furniture, killing and plucking chickens, shooting (archery, 22's and Black Powder), and getting your hair washed in the river. 

Jordyn and Carlee chose dancing, shooting (Jordyn shot Black Powder and hit her target dead center) and hair washing.

 

The Hair Washing Station.  Popular spot!



A special roast beef dinner was provided for the trekkers as they began their fast.

Eating in the gathering place.



Saturday evening was a dance.  Jordyn and Carlee are here in the same Square Dance square.  They also danced polkas, jives, Chicken Dance, Butterfly, Virginia Reel, etc.  They had a great time!

The trekkers were told to pack two pioneer outfits.  They wore one outfit for the first two days and then changed into their clean one for Sunday and Monday.

This is Carlee's family on Sunday.

 

Everyone was fasting on Sunday.  They started the day having Sunday School with their kin family.  Then all the youth separated for Priesthood and Young Women's.  During this time, it was announced that there were people out there who needed to be rescued and they asked for volunteers.  It was an emotional time for the girls as they watched their Pa's and brothers volunteer to go out there and face the unknown to rescue those who needed help.  So the men gathered some handcarts and supplies and left and the woman stayed back to prepare room in their tents for the rescued people and to clean up and make meals.

The Bishops from the wards in our stake drove out on Sunday morning with their wives and youth from the wards who couldn't attend the whole trek, or any 13 year olds who could go.  These were the people who were needing to be rescued.  Jenna got a call on Saturday from the Bishop asking if she wanted to go.  Of course we said yes and she got to be one of the rescuees.

The men building a bridge.

They helped the poor rescuees across.  Jenna's the one in the shawl.

Jenna's turn to get helped across.
We didn't know she'd be trekking out there so she didn't wear the greatest footwear.  So someone carried her across a river and she got to ride in a handcart for most of the journey back to the Camp of Israel.

 

When the rescue party was spotted returning, all the girls went running out to greet them.  Carlee's in the lead!

 

Jenna is in the handcart!  She appreciated that there were sleeping bags in the cart to make her bouncy journey a little more comfortable.

 

Jordyn's family is reunited!  {You can see her black shoe.}  I love that lots of the boys collected flowers for their Ma's.

 

The flower centerpiece on the handcart that became their table/counter.

 

The rescued people were adopted into families - Jenna joined the Dick family and was with them for the rest of the day until it was time for her to go home. The rest of the day included Sacrament Meeting which was a testimony meeting. They also had quiet time when all the youth received letters from home. They broke their fast - Jordyn was able to fast the full 24 hours without feeling low. It was a miracle!!! In the evening, the Area Seventy and his wife came and spoke.

Jordyn sitting with her family for Sacrament Meeting.

Jenna having supper with the family that adopted her.

 

Carlee's family with their newly adopted sister in the blue bonnet.

Carlee's family campsite.  Jordyn's family is the tent right in the middle.

Jordyn's family settling in to listen to our Area Seventy.  They used a side of their handcart propped against the tree and a stump as a backrest, and those in front leaned against the legs of the people behind them.  The lad on the far left was their newly adopted brother.

They felt a few drops of rain during this talk, and then it rained later in the evening, but this was the only rain they had on trek.

 

Monday came and it was time to break camp, load up the handcarts and pull them back to the waiting vehicles.

  

Jordyn doing her part with the clean-up.  The milk had to be finished or tossed.

 

Jordyn and her crazy sisters doing the Bloomers shot.



 

One last family picture of Jordyn's family.

 

Group hug!  Jordyn's in the khaki skirt.

 

And the view from inside the group hug!

 

When they got home, Jordyn and Carlee spent hours telling us all their stories.  We sat in the living room and they went on and on - each with their own versions of the same events.  It was wonderful to listen to them.  We finally had to have a break and we were only at Saturday evening!  And we almost forgot to check our email for our missionary's weekly letter home!  Jordyn wanted to keep her trek clothes on - she only eventually got cleaned up so we could go out for dinner and celebrate Daddy's birthday.

 

We were so appreciative of the members of our stake who spent thousands and thousands of hours planning and preparing this amazing event for our youth.  Words cannot express our thanks!!!

Camp of Israel - 2014