Learning survival skills and spiritual applications

A
 group of teenagers was gazing into a fire underneath the trees and stars quietly listening to Curtis Whatley’s message … when it was suddenly interrupted. 
“Help! Help! Help!” 
As soon as we heard the scream, we picked up our bags and ran into the woods toward the cry for help. Although the situation was only a simulation, it gave us a chance to work on the survival skills we had learned earlier that day. 
What on earth am I talking about, you may ask? Well, last week I had the opportunity to go to TeenPact Survival Northwest near Keystone, South Dakota, where we learned many useful survival skills, such as building shelters, gathering food and water, and helping out in a medical emergency. 
I don’t have any desire to enter the medical field, but it is helpful to know what to do in case of a survival situation. The staffers demonstrated how to construct makeshift slings and splints, as well as teaching us the “ABCDEs” for dealing with an unconscious person. The staffers also taught us the 5 As, which came in handy later. 
During the mock survival simulation, we came across some badly beaten up “staffers.” They were pretending to be a group of nature-loving tree huggers that wound up in a tragic accident in the woods after being chased by hornets. A group of students went to help each person, relying on the information we had been taught from that day so we could treat their “wounds” accordingly.
I immediately forgot everything the staffers taught us earlier and relied on my partner for what to do. However, there was one thing that I did remember, and that was the first A: Admit that God was in control. 
The people we were helping kept referring to “Mother Nature” for help, so I figured it was part of the simulation to show them that God was the only one who could really help us. The longer the simulation went on, the more real it felt and the easier it was to get into character. Izzy (the other student I was working with) and I shared the Gospel with these people who had “never” heard it before. While they didn’t fully understand, it did get them to start thinking about it. 
Even though it was only a simulation, it did show me how easy and joyful it can be to share the Gospel with someone in need and inspired me to do it in real life. It also made me realize the importance of staying calm in a survival situation, even when there’s not much else that can be done. 
And that was only the second day of camp. Throughout the week we learned other useful skills, such as water purification, map reading, recognizing edible plants and making survival tools when there’s nothing to use but nature, including birch bark buckets, figure-four traps, grass ropes and frog gigs. 
We were split into five different teams, and we did everything with our team. It was a great way to make new friends and by the end of the week, we were really close. 
Each team had a chant and screamed it as loud as possible. Our voices were gone, but it was well worth it. 
Everyone on our team had different skills and strengths, and we had to learn how to work together to make a fire and cook our meals, complete the five obstacle courses and quickly but thoroughly run through the survival course. 
The obstacle courses tested our logic, strength and ability to work together. Twelve different people meant several different ideas, so we had to learn how to speak one at a time and work together. Once we did that, it was easier to climb the 12-foot wall, swing around the tree with the rope and cross the “river.” 
In the survival course, we had 30 minutes to look at the map, find our destination, complete the course and head back to camp. With 12 people, there were many different ideas of which way was best, but we were able to push through the conflicts, learn from our mistakes and work together — not to mention have fun. I mean … who wouldn’t want to army crawl through the woods in the rain?
The way we used our different talents represented how we are in the body of Christ. Everyone is different, but if we learn to work together through our common connection (Christ), we can accomplish much more than we could by ourselves. Christ creates a special bond between us that is like no other.
To say I enjoyed myself would be an understatement. But as much as I loved all the activities, the best part of TeenPact and Survival is the desire and goal of deepening our relationship with Christ. It made the fellowship that much sweeter. Christ creates a special bond between us that is like no other. It was so nice to laugh and sing and swap stories without the distraction of cell phones or someone turning it inappropriate. 
As important as it is to know survival skills, building our connection with Christ was the top priority. Every day, time was set aside for us to read our Bibles and spend some time alone with God. There’s just something about being outside in God’s creation that makes Him feel closer. 
Worship time was also incredible because we would all circle up under the sky and sing praises to God together. There were no instruments, no mics, no words up on a screen — just our voices and our hearts. Whether we sang around the campfire or deep in the cave or up on the mountaintop watching the sunrise, it was awesome to give glory to our creator with fellow peers. 
I miss everyone so much, but whether or not I see them again, I have the hope that one day, we will all be together again, worshipping God forever in heaven. Oh, what a glorious day that will be!