Camping Trip!

   Well, as you can probably guess from the title of today's blog, I just got back from a camping trip! We went to the beautiful Carpathians Mountains and camped out there for about four days; four days, away from the city, without any Wi-Fi, just enjoying the fresh air and the amazing water. We actually had a fresh water spring that was very close by with the most refreshing and delicious cold water that I've ever tasted!

   So, who all went camping? Well, there were about thirteen of us that went and most of the people were from our youth group. With a group that small it was really an amazing time to draw nearer to God, and to draw nearer to each other. Over the few days that I was there I really felt like the friendships that I had have grown even stronger than before. It was truly an amazing time and God moved in all of our hearts during those few days together.

   We had been praying for awhile that the weather would be in our favor, and God blessed us abundantly with the weather! There were hardly any clouds in the sky the whole time we were there. On the very last day, as we were packing up, we saw some clouds coming in, but even the clouds that we saw didn't look very threatening.

   For the most part, everyone was very healthy during our stay. My younger brother, Josh, hurt his back on a trampoline a few weeks ago, and ended up hurting it again at camp, but other than that, nobody really got hurt. We were also blessed that all of the food was good and no one got food poisoning or something bad like that!

   Of course, with four days in the Carpathians Mountains, we really took advantage of all the opportunities we had to do things together. We managed to teach the Ukrainians how to play Ultimate Frisbee and they absolutely loved it! We also played other games like volleyball, or UNO.

   And, of course, we took advantage of every chance we had to get wet! The first day that we arrived we decided to go creek stomping. We also went swimming just about everyday that we were there. The water was absolutely freezing, but that didn't really stop us from trying. As you can see here we had a small waterfall and, of course, the natural reaction for a guy when he sees a waterfall is to see if he can stand under it...so I did! The water was freezing and so powerful as it pounded me with all of its strength, but it also felt amazing and I definitely felt a sense of accomplishment after doing it.

   Well, what would a camping trip be without a campfire? Just about every night we gathered around a bonfire and cooked something. Unfortunately we didn't have everything that we needed for s'mores, but we did roast marshmallows over the fire. Which actually is a rare treat and a new experience for most Ukrainians, because you can't buy marshmallows here and most Ukrainians have never even heard of s'mores. So, everyone loved the marshmallows!

 

   We also had a great time playing games around the fire. We played several games, but the game that we played over and over again while gathered around the fire was Mafia. We stayed up until midnight one of the nights while we were there, just playing Mafia! It was really great to see everyone having so much fun!

   Honestly, one of my favorite things about that camping trip was seeing our youth group out there. I currently teach our church youth group, and almost all of the youth kids came. I really felt like the whole time that we had together in the mountains really knitted us together like a family. We even had an opportunity to have a little youth group Bible study along the creek. It was a just great time when we talked about what God is doing with our youth group, and about how we can draw closer to God, and about how in times of weakness He gives us the strength that we need to go on. 

   

   So, God really blessed the whole time that we had in the Carpathians! The weather was amazing, the food was great, the fellowship was a major blessing; in the end, the whole trip was a blast and everyone left the camp feeling very blessed! I wore a particularly big smile on my face as I watched everyone, working together, helping to take down tents, or washing dishes, or serving in whatever way they could.

   I love the kids that I teach at youth group. I pray for them constantly, praying that God would shape their hearts as they are growing into the young men and women that He has called them to be. They were all so blessed by camp and I can't wait for the next big opportunity that we'll have to bless them. As you pray today, please pray for these young teenagers, as they continue to grow in a knowledge of the Word, and in a love for God!

   So, after a few days of camping, we packed up and headed home. We were all happy to be going home, but at the same time, sad that we had to leave. But it was very evident that everyone felt completely blessed and filled with encouragement as we got packed up and got ready to go. God has new and exciting things to do with the youth in L'viv too, and I look forward to seeing that!

   

   Well everyone, that's it for today. I hope you guys enjoyed this and are encouraged by it!

God bless you all,

~ Alex R. Pratt

Hey Everyone!

   I just wanted to say hi to everyone and to welcome you guys to my blog! This is a new blog but the purpose behind it is a dream I've had since I was about thirteen years old; that's when I visited Calvary Chapel Bible College Europe for the first time. I was still a little kid and I wasn't really thinking too much about college at that time, but the more I was at the college, the more I dreamed of studying there.

 

 

   And now, here I am, getting ready for my first semester at the Bible college! I am currently still in L'viv, Ukraine, where I am staying with my family and serving with the church here until I leave. It is always a bittersweet feeling, getting ready to move away from your family, but I can't wait to see what God is going to do with the next few years that I'll be spending at Bible college.

   If you want to know more about the Bible college I'm going to, or what my goals are for college, feel free to read my About Me or My Mission pages on this blog.

God bless you all,
~Alex R. Pratt