MTI Adventures

We've been learning quite a bit here at MTI. Some of the learnings happen in the classroom, while the majority happen outside of that venue through experiences while building community with our fellow MTI-ers or during our free time.

We had one interesting experience just last week. Kevin and I decided to go for a leisurely walk after class one afternoon before dinner. We were walking along and saw a group from MTI heading off on a hike and they invited us to join them. So we did.The hike started out nicely along a clear path. Soon though we were scrambling up rocks and going up some more challenging terrain towards the ridge of a small mountain behind MTI. Part of the group turned around about half-way there, but we continued on with the rest. I was never quite sure of what, if any, path we were on, but hoped our leaders were not leading us astray. Well, we made it to the top and enjoyed some beautiful views.

However, I could not ignore the dark clouds overhead.

We enjoyed the top of the ridge, took some pictures, and then started feeling raindrops. And I started getting a bit fearful. Every afternoon here in Colorado we've had some combination of hail, rain, and lightning so I figured that was coming. Kevin and I decided to go on down the mountain while the other 4 stayed up top. We began our descent. And the rain started coming down harder. And then the lightning and thunder. So we scooted down the steep parts, climbed over rocks, still not exactly sure of the path. Then we came to the wooded area. We could make out a trail maybe half the time. The thunderstorm continued. We just tried to keep descending, hoping to make it to a distinguishable path at some point. I was praying. Hard. Kevin was focused on the task at hand and somewhat oblivious to my concerns.

Finally, my heart racing and my anxiety surging, we made it to the bottom of the mountain, not too far from where we actually began the ascent. We heard some yelling from our fellow hikers who had found shelter at the top to wait out the storm. They had noticed we made it out and were rejoicing with us. We were still about 3/4 mile from our safe haven of the MTI building (where our dinner was awaiting). So we walked for a while, through mud and pouring rain. Then we decided to jog. Still through lots of mud and pouring rain. A bolt of lightning flashed nearby...way too close to my liking. So I just ran harder. Kevin, still not sharing my concerns, jogged along with me.

So, we did make it back safely to our room. Being our introverted selves, no word was spoken about my fear or Kevin's lack of fear during this adventure.

Lessons learned: We both need to communicate more openly. Thunderstorms concern me more than Kevin. Despite these facts, we seem to handle stress alright. Which is a good thing since another thing we've learned at MTI is how much stress missionaries face overseas.