Hi Everyone,
Please read on for an inside scoop on what is happening in the Venture Community! Two of our Venture students participated in a Q & A session about their experiences so far this semester.
Q. Describe your experience ice climbing from day one and progressing throughout the week.
A. Ice Climbing was one of the most difficult, and most enjoyable classes so far this year. I was nervous at first in the days leading up to the class, but the first climb cured my fear quickly. The climbing was incredible, it had looked so structured and somewhat simple, but I was soon finding out just how athletic and spontaneous the sport was. Adam and Brooke also told us of how rare a chance it was to climb, since the sport is so expensive to do. The enjoyment of the class only increased as the week went on. The next day us students were shown different techniques and ways to climb; everyone improved from the lessons given and made us that much more confident and happy in our climbing. The third and forth days were just as fun. We traveled to Bozeman MT, where world class ice climbing is found in Hyalite canyon. Here our skills were again improved and we become bolder in which ice we wanted to climb, how we wanted to climb, and how many times we could climb. The climbing was awesome overall, but to be honest the true enjoyment for me was found in the fellowship and bonding brought by the class. The fear of hanging on a rope, the physical strain, and adventuresome feel was a very blessed doorway for all of us to grow much closer to each other. I know that had my fellow ventures and Adam and Brooke not been there, I would have been much less brave and adventurous in my climbing and it most assuredly would not have been as enjoyable. The class taught me much about conquering fears, climbing techniques, climbing gear, etc. However, my favorite parts of the class were its lessons in encouraging and supporting one another; and the greater love it gave me for the whole venture team.
-Kent Atkison
Q. What did the class Christ in the Old Testament do to your view of God?
A. We looked at theophanies and christophonies in the Old Testament and how whenever God appeared, that person he appeared to was immediately on their face and terrified. God hid Moses behind a cleft in a rock because he wouldn’t have been able to bear the weight of God’s glory as he passed by him. Gideon thought he was going to die after he had seen God. God’s glory is far greater than I could ever imagine and after reading these stories, it has given me a better view of who it is I’m talking to when I pray, and of who my creator is. I’m serving and putting my trust in God who is almighty. Having this class helped me see that more.
Q. What did this class do to your view of Jesus?
A. I had always heard that Christ was present in the Old Testament. John 1 talks about how Jesus was there from the very beginning. It has been easy for me just to think of Jesus as a New Testament being who came in the flesh and not to recognize his appearances in the Old Testament. We learned that scripture says Christ is the image of the invisible God. In the Old Testament God appears several times to man and we learned that it was Christ who came a bore the image of God during those times.
- Megan Downing
As you can see, students are learning alongside of each other. Not only in the classroom and community life, but in the midst of adventure in the wilderness. In the near future we will be taking them out Winter camping and then heading to downtown Seattle. Please be in prayer for thier community life, and their hearts to learn more about God. He is good and faithful God. His word says that those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.We are praying that these venture students would seek Him earnestly with diligence.
Thanks for your prayers!
