Up on a mountain, higher than the birds

A
 mountaintop experience can be the most amazing feeling in the world. Those experiences can also push you, challenge you and grow you in ways you never expected. 
I had the joy of attending TeenPact Survival at Camp Judson, near Keystone, South Dakota, last week, and it was one such mountaintop experience. It challenged me to work with my team and grow in my relationship with Jesus.
Throughout the week, we participated in survival training, activities, challenges and obstacles that each of the five teams had to accomplish, among other things.
The atmosphere of teamwork was one of the things that stood out to me the most, because each and every activity was only possible through teamwork. On the first day, one of the obstacles in the obstacle course was getting our whole team over a 12-foot wall – something we could only accomplish by working as a team. The members of our team had to rely on each other, work together and trust each other. We had to use each others’ strengths and weaknesses to our advantage and figure out what those were. 
The camaraderie was indescribable —among the members of my team (go, Team Fuego!) and other teams. That amazing camaraderie even crossed the lines between teams as we cheered each other on throughout the week. The deep friendships that we developed as brothers and sisters in Christ clearly displayed the bond that drew us all together. My team was amazing, and I miss each and every one of them already.
One of my favorite parts of the week was praise and worship when we sang songs and worshiped the creator of the earth with our whole hearts. One day, we hiked up to an old mine and sang inside of it. The sound of all of our voices rising in praise to our king was like none other. Another day, we hiked up to the top of Goat Ridge to watch the sunrise and did our praise and worship on top of the ridge as we looked out over the beautiful scenery. 
Curtis Whatley, one of the camp directors, also led us in time in God’s word several nights. He took us through some of the biblical accounts of mountaintop experiences, such as with Moses and Elijah. But, most importantly, Whatley reminded us of the one mountaintop experience that changed the whole world – Jesus’ death on the cross at Golgotha, the place of the skull. When God sent Jesus to be the final sacrifice for the sins of the world, he made a way for us to be brought out of darkness and into light. 
While we were challenged physically throughout the week, we were also challenged in our spiritual walk – to share the light that we have as children of God and to share His word with those around us. While we were at the mine, Whatley took us into an inner room and had us all turn our flashlights off. The result was complete darkness. He then demonstrated the effect that just one light had on that darkness -— it was phenomenal. 
Whatley explained that the effect of that light is how we as believers should be. If we let our lights shine, God can use us to light up the whole world and share with others what has saved us out of bondage to sin and brought us into eternal freedom with Christ. 
Overall, I am beyond blessed for the mountaintop experience that I had – bonding with my amazing team, being sharpened and encouraged by other believers, being challenged to draw closer to my savior and be bold for him and so much more! It truly was an experience that lifted me up higher than the birds.