Sore Muscles and a Quiet Corner

Well this weekend was very eventful.  My dorm and the dorm of the same aged boys went out camping at a place called Quiet Corner.  I would not really call it camping because we pretty much stayed at a retreat center in the jungle.  One of the really cool things about this place is it is run by people who know the father, and the money they raise there helps to get the word out to others.  But there will be more about Quiet Corner later.

The adventure started on Friday at 3 pm.  All the kids were checked out of school early, and all of them came running to the dorms ready to leave.  So we hopped onto the bus, and set off for Quiet Corner.

We rode on the bus for 20 mins and all was wonderful.  I sat at the very front of the bus.  I mean the very front.  If we would have had an accident I would have no hope, but to just through the windshield.

My view from my Seat

After 20 mins we told the kids that we would be walking for some of the way because the bus had to go around the long way.  So we got out cheerfully ready to walk.  It was great for the first 5 mins....then I heard our fearless leader say we would be walking 2 hrs with 32 kids...insert frown here...Then we saw exactly what we would be walking...36 hairpin bends which at some points they had signs saying that cars could only be in first gear to take them...oh did I forget to mention that we would be walking on the main road between the hills and the plains.  So the walk started slowly walking down the mountain and it got slower and slower.  In the first 10 mins. one of my little girls fell and got hurt.  She got up and kept walking.  Soon she started hurting really bad, so we called one of the other sponsors who was driving a jeep like car.  So he picked her and a few other injured girls up.  That was wonderful for the first 5 mins, until my girls figured out if they were "hurt" then they would get to ride in the car and not have to walk.  So we began to have so many "injuries".

Before I knew it we had been walking for over a hour, and it was tea time...this school has tea no matter where we are...(football game or side of a mountain)...so the kids got a box apple juice and a bag of chips.  As we were sitting there trying to catch our breath I hear a group of kids screaming because a wild animal has came out of the bush.  I run over preparing myself to see a group of crazy monkeys, a rabid dog, or a tiger(that was a big stretch).  When I get over there I find my kids staring in terror at 2 little goats.  These goats did not even come up to my knees, but my kids were screaming like the goats had already eaten one of them.  So me and the other sponsors got the job of screaming at the goats and chasing them off.

The Wild Beast!

Once we finally got moving again I had lost even more of my girls to "injuries" so they had been put in the car to ride in comfort.  We kept moving and just encouraging the boys to keep strong when they questioned why they could not ride in the car.

 The next thing I know we have lost all the girls but 2 and then we had 18 boys, 3 male sponsor, and 1 female sponsor aka yours truly.  At this point it is starting to get dark and we sponsors are starting to really get nervous about the real wild animals coming out of the jungle to get us.  So we had the kids go single file and we marched them as fast as we could possible go to make sure we were not eaten.  By this point in the journey my arms and my shoulders have been used as a crutch to help people get down the mountain.  This is were the sore muscles start coming into play...so finally we make it down the mountain to meet up with the bus again at 5:45.  (After much discussion among the sponsors we decided that our hike was about 14 km, which in miles is 8.7miles.)  We all know what great physical shape I am in, so at this point I was hurting so bad.

Once we finally get on the bus it is so nice just to sit, but when it is time to get off I start to realize how sore I really am, and I am ready to go to bed...this did not happen.  We still had not had dinner and we also had to play games.  So finally at 10pm we tell the kids to go to bed.  I got to lay my girls down for bed, but they had other plans.  They did not finally start being quiet until 11pm.  I finally got to go to sleep and it was so nice.

The next day we all got up at 7am and after a bucket bath I went to have breakfast and to get ready to go swimming.

The food I do have to say at this place was wonderful.  Everything we ate was Indian food and we had no silverware so we ate with our hands. Quiet Corner was nice compared to what I had in my head of what it might be.(insert thoughts of mud huts)  The whole retreat center was not that big but the people who kept it worked very hard to keep it beautiful, and clean which in India that is hard.

Pictures of Quiet Corner.

Our Rooms

Jungle Behind the Rooms

This trees roots grow from the branches to the ground

Closer view of the tree

A trash can...yes you put the trash in the fishes mouth

Bamboo Path

In the middle of the Bamboo

 Back to the story.  So we went swimming in the river, which was fun and great until one of the little girls figured out that there was glass in the river the hard way.  So after she got cut, my fun in the river was done....I just stood on a rock close to side so that I jump out easily if I need to.  We also got to go shopping as well.

Then today was had a little service about the father.  The whole theme of this time was Kindness...these little ones have a hard time loving each other.  So we talked about the Fathers forgiveness and his kindness to us.  It was wonderful because some the kids seemed to really understand what was being talked about.  The other great thing is some of the kids believe in other types of powers, so they got to hear about our Father.  Then later I did get a little rest, in a wonderful hammock.  So I just put my iPod in and took pictures from there.  It was such a nice break from things.

 Pictures from the Hammock

Now that I am back home and typing this I am so tired, but I am not ready to go to bed yet.  I have a day off tomorrow so hopefully I will get to sleep in.  I hope that this blog finds all of you well and that you are seeing the Father work in wonderful ways.  I can not wait to come home and tell all my stories in person.  I miss you all and I love you!!!