I have just come back from a weekend at Rocky Mountain House Alberta, Pioneer Ranch camp, run by Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, that is located on Crimson Lake,
not far from the foothills.
This was a 60th anniversary on the establishment of the site….summer camps, outdoor education, riding camps,
retreat and teaching weekends, a few staff but mostly volunteers.
So in attendance were many alumni and others who had been involved over the years. A great weekend of catching up, dog walks,
canoeing
and good food, silent auction and much bidding on other items, stories, humorous and serious songs by many including Wayne “ Cinch “ Arthur,
throwing a lad in the lake
whose birthday it was, teaching by Neil Graham, and shift of different generations of strong women in leadership from 86 year old RN Tilley to newly married leader Jenny.
However what I wanted to share was one activity Sunday afternoon, which involved the building of a cairn.
Corner stones and piles of rocks have been markers in many different times and cultures, from Old Testament biblical times to foundations of new buildings, some of which may have time capsules to Stonehenge to Inukshuks in the arctic, just to name a few.
Our theme for the weekend was foundations. One parable quoted that one involved the wise and foolish house builders, who chose either rock or sand as their house foundations with predictable outcomes when the the storms or difficult times hit.
The culmination was a time in which we each gathered up a stone of a variety of sizes and met in small groups outside the lodge. Each person lifted up their stone and stated what it represented and/or what they were thankful for over the years. For example, the 3 cornered rock represented the Trinity, another times of personal growth in their Christian faith and leadership skills, another for safety on outrips on high mountain trails or jumping into waterfalls or crossing flowing high creeks, another the generations of both volunteers and campers.
Personally as I have been involved since about 1968, from university camps in the 70s, to leading Junior Girls summer camps in the 80s, to family camps in the 90s and work camps somewhat less frequently in the last decade, I was thankful for the role Pioneer has played in the lives of friends and family members.
Subsequently each stone was carried and loaded into the center of a flowered round about, piled and a comment for what each represented.
The wafting smells of marigolds were present.
Later to be cemented with a plaque, each indeed an Eben-ezer stone, a stone of help… “Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means "the stone of help"), for he said, "Up to this point the LORD has helped us!" 1 Samuel 7:12
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