Little video update

 We've had another incredible weekend here in preparation for our Kenya mission trip. Yesterday 14 people climbed Snowdon. I (Claire) have been reflecting on the trip in the last 24 hours and there is so much I could see. Here are a few thoughts, and a few photos. 

 Firstly a few 'prizes' - 

 - craziest climber - Simi (with Matthew as a close runner up)

 - most helpful - Matthew

 - bravest - all of us, but especially Grace and Heather battling through injuries and pain

 - most sacrificial - Kevin, Hazel, Amy and Nicola - giving up half their weekend and climbing Snowdon with us despite not even going to Kenya

 - mountain goats - the Maynards - they made it look easy! It wasn't!

 - most shocked by how big Snowdon actually is - Grace and Josh L

 - leader of the pack - Josh G -  somehow managed to keep at the front for most of the climb up and down to help keep our young people safe

 -  wisest and most sensible and so helpful in decision making - Ali

I feel so incredibly blessed to have experienced this trip with them all, and am honestly so grateful for every single one of them. We all supported each other incredibly well. 

 

On the Friday night we read a bible passage, Luke 18, togethere where Jesus asked - 'what do you want me to do for you?' and then it says the healed man 'started thanking God. And when the crowds saw waht happened, they praised God.' What did I want Jesus to do for us? For us to get up and down safely and for the weather to be safe enough for our trip and for us to raise lots of money. So here are some of the things that I amd thankful and praise God for.

There were so many points where this trip could have been different. The weather forecast in the run up was atrocious we considered cancelling all together. Even on the morning of the trip we'd decided on Miner's track because of gale force winds on the western side of the mountain, and my only hope was for us to get as far as we could before turning back. It was such a hard slog to the point where Miner's track meets Pyg track, and then Llanberis track - climbing large steps, clinging to the side of the mountain in places, hands and knees climbing / crawling - and add the snow and ice in the last section going up and down and it was treacherous - many of us had little slips and falls, but thankfully no major injuries. I'm not joking - several of us have said since there came a point where we had no choice but to keep going up, as going down the way we'd come felt too dangerous! And then the wind when we got to the Llanberis path - we've been told the gusts were 35-45mph, and windchill was -15 - I believe it. Taking gloves off for even a minute was incredibly painful. A hardy 8 made it to the summit, while the rest of us headed down Llanberis path, with the summit crew catching us up at our lunch break.

 Snowdonia is incredibly beautiful, and its a very meaninful place to me as somewhere I holidayed often as a child, and the glory of God's creation was just incredible at all times. But its also dangerous - we were reminded of this on the way up as we were overtaken by mountain rescue - as we continued climbing we found them tending to a casualty who they then carried part way down. We also watched the helicopter come in with great difficulty to land near the mountain rescue team and carry the man away as we continued our climb. What an incredible mountain rescue team and pilot of the helicopter. It didn't appear to be a life threatening injury, but our prayers go with the man nonetheless. 

 

I am so grateful for a fabulous team, for God's amazing creation, for protection and for safety. And for rasing over £1500 at time of writing. Its not too late - you can still sponsor us - https://www.stewardship.org.uk/pages/stjamessnowdon