High Ropes, Low Ropes, No Ropes.

I cannot believe how fast my X-Track classes are flying by; sorry for being blog absent for a week!

This past week has been fun, our classes have ranged from learning about the affects of living overseas on kids to figuring out how to avoid health problems and my one to on language learning!

Language learning has been interesting; being the only beginner Italian speaker I've been having one to one tuition from my friend Nicole who has lived in Florence for the past 7 years! It's been great fun, everyone is saying I have picked up lots of things very fast which is nice of them although I feel like some of my knowledge is pretty abstract. My current favourite phrase is "il coccodrillo sta mangiando Matt Mikalatos" Matt is the director of the conference, I'll let you figure out what I'm saying! Here to the right are those of us who will be in Italy, left to right are Nicole (Florence), Amy (Rome), Cassie & Matt (Florence) and Lauren and I.

We have also been busy doing community service every Wednesday to help us develop our team work and serving; it has been really fun (much to my surprise). The first week I visited an old lady and helped work in her garden and last week I went up into the prairie (left) and ripped ouot barb wire fencing for the city! Apparently antelope like to go underneath fences so we weree pulling out the bottom two rows of wire on the fences to give them space. It was blazing hot but a great time to connect with people and see wildlife like prairie dogs, antelope, mountain goats and even rattlesnakes!

I'm sure you're curious about the obscure title to this post. Yesterday we headed up into the Rocky Mountain National Park to do some team building exercises. Initially we had been told it was a high ropes course and last week an email told us it was in fact a low ropes course. When we finally got there there were no ropes and in many ways it was quite a disappointing time beyond the beautiful scenary and good relational bonding. Here is an example of how beautiful it is up in the mountains!

Tomorrow night those of us from Western Europe are hosting "A Taste of Western Europe" with foods from the different countries; I'll be making bangers and mash...I hope it represents British food in a glorious light even if I'm not Gordon Ramsey!

At the end of this week I'll be heading off into the mountains again for the X-Track singles weekend! I have no idea what it'll be like but we are staying for a couple of nights in Breckenridge (where I skiied back in the winter of 2006!) I don't know what to expect but it should be fun with over 30 singles (and even some of the married couples without kids are joining us the second day!)

I hope all is well with you, life is moving fast out here but the Lord is good and is teaching me great things!