So I got to go rock climbing today!!! And it was pretty awesome!!! Actually, it was very awesome. We started out the morning by meeting at the church at 9 and heading out to Garden of the Gods. I was a little disappointed by the turnout because only 4 students showed up, but then I was told that smaller groups were better, so I was satisfied. Once we got there, we realized that we left the gear in the church van, so as Alan and Zach ran back to grab the gear, I headed out with two students to explore the park a bit. Now, I had been to Garden of the Gods a few times, and had just gone there on Tuesday with Eric and did lots of exploring off the trails. So I went into it thinking I had seen some pretty sweet things there, but I had no clue how big and beautiful that whole place is, and probably still have no clue. The students and I found this sweet rock to climb on, and we just sat there and talked for a while. It was such a blessing. The day was already for sure going to be great because I would get to rock climb with students, but it was even better that God planned in time for us to have more time to talk. That's my favorite anyway. : ) It was wonderful looking out at the beautiful mountains and talking with students. What a great mix.

After about an hour of hiking around, we met Alan, Zach and 2 other students at the rock we were going to climb. It was 80 feet tall, which isn't that big compared to the others, but MAN was it far to climb! I had never been rock climbing before, so this was a big deal to me. Eric and I were supposed to go rock climbing with Alan and Julie on Sunday, but it had rained, and Eric left on Tuesday so I was doing this on my own. Everyone else went before me, so I tried to watch and remember how they got up, but my memories not so hot, so that didn't really help a whole lot.

Finally, after watching and cheering as everyone else scaled the rock, it was my turn. I was pretty nervous, but excited too. It was scary! And hard! It was definitely a challenge for me and I conquered some fears. I found out rock climbing is a lot of pushing yourself to trust your body. You need to trust that your legs are stronger than you think they are, and that you can keep yourself steady balancing on the toes of one foot. There were so many times when I had to stop myself, take a deep breath and reach for a rock that I did not think I could reach. But it turned out I could. There were some parts that, at first glance, just seemed to be impossible. But after people coaching me from down below, and trusting my legs in a new way, it turned out to not be impossible at all. It was actually quite possible if I took a minute to look at my surroundings. As I neared the top, it became windier and windier, which stopped me in my tracks a few times and frankly scared me a bit. Again I had to say, "Kristin, you can do this. God, help me" and continue on. Man was it awesome to get to the top of that rock. It was so great. But I couldn't have done it without coaching from below. There were so many times when I stopped and asked for help and direction on what to do next. I wouldn't have made it to the top without that.

The best and worst part for me was once I made it to the top. I had seen 5 people before me struggle with belaying once they had reached the top. I saw Alan explain it 5 times, how they had to fully extend their legs, keep them out in front, drop your butt and just let yourself fall. By the 4th person I was thinking to myself, "Come on guys, just get this already." But when it was my turn to belay, it was a different story. After checking out the awesome view from the top, I told myself exactly what Alan had said to do so many times. But every time I tried to drop my butt and fall, my legs kept bending again, keeping me from being able to do it. The problem was, I was scared, and didn't trust that Alan had me. I didn't trust that he was watching me and would keep me safe. After 3 or 4 times of trying to belay and failing, I finally said to myself, "Kristin, you have to do this" and then - legs extended in front of me and after dropping my butt - I finally began to belay down the rock. While it was a humbling experience for me, it was also a very encouraging one as well.

I can't wait to keep thinking about this experience because there is so much to learn from it that I can relate back to life!