Day 6

It's going to be a scorcher. At 5:15 this morning, it was already 76 degrees and the sun was just beginning to come up. We did get a good deal of packing in last night, so this morning should go fairly quickly. The adults begin to gather on the church's front porch at about 5:45, and as we do each morning share stories of the day prior and hopes for the day ahead. As usually happens on our last day, we compare it to previous trips; and all agreed, this was one of the best weeks we enjoyed to date. There was no drama, the teams worked together extremely well, and the kids had a great deal of fun. All thought this year's youth leadership team was the best ever and that this is a testament to why we had so few problems. The fact that so many of our youth are returning probably has something to do with the success of our trip, but we were still amazed that some of our recurring rivalries and tensions just didn't seem to manifest themselves this year making this a really enjoyable time for all involved.

Our wake up team had one last opportunity to make our waking experience a memorable one, and they did a good job. However, as quickly as we thought things would go, it seemed like we were in slow motion. Not pressed for time like we usually are when we are heading to the river, final pack up and cleaning seemed to lack its normal sense of urgency. We actually ended up leaving 30 minutes later than planned. Still, as we had not special timetable to keep, it didn't matter and all worked out great. After saying morning prayers, we said our good-byes to Mother Karen and headed off to Pawnee Plunge, a large water park in the city of Columbus.

Most slept on our journey (not the drivers) and when we arrived, seeing the giant water slides got everyone excited. But before we headed into the park, we sat under the trees in the adjacent park to have lunch. Needless to say it was a quick lunch as even in the shade it was definitely warm and the sounds of splashing water was enticing. Once in the water park it was a free for all as kids broke into teams to ride the lazy river tubing, slide down the different slides, soak in the deeper pools, climb the rock wall, and jump off the diving boards. A few found a place in the shade to rest and enjoy a little peace and quiet.

Looking at the way the kids broke up into groups was interesting. They were not in the groups they began the week with. Youth on their first trip were intermixed with our experienced youth and some of the groups were the same groups that worked together all week. When it came time to head home, everyone grabbed a cool drink waiting for them at the vans and we stopped to fill up the vehicles and get some dinner at McDonalds. After dinner, the chatter in the vans was electric for about the first hour, the last 45 minutes seemed to quiet down. Not sure if they were just tired from all the water and sun, or if they realized our trip was about to end. But the rest did them well. When we arrived at the church, this year they had enough energy to empty the trailer and clean out the vans faster than they had ever done before.

With the trailer empty, the vans cleaned, and items stacked at the church, the team gathered for one more prayer of thanksgiving. We said our good-byes, and a parking lot that had been filled with excitement was now quiet. However, our story does not end here. Over the next few days our youth began posting the pictures they took on Facebook and the excitement continues.