Rodney's Wedding and Yosemite Trip
Eric and I were honored to be in Rodney Abriol's wedding on Aug 10. It was a beautiful, Christ centered event and created memories I will treasure always. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so there aren't any pics we can post :( :( But please keep reading for the adventure that followed the night of the wedding...(wedding ended at 3:30pm we drove 2.5 hours home and at 7 pm I left for Yosemite)
Yosemite escapades
I just returned from probably the grandest adventure of my life: Yosemite in August with 18 kids ages 9-17 who'd never been more than 50 miles from Linda, CA (a city 75 miles NE of Sacramento). UCD, where I'm a 3rd year pediatric resident, requires a community collaborative project for all its residents. They give you 2 weeks/year to work on it. I was assigned to Harmonay Health Collaborative in Linda, CA.
Never heard of Linda? Well-known for nothing (good or bad), not one famous person claims it as hometown. Far from any sort of mountains, miles from the ocean, it's a god-forsaken town in the middle of nowhere. There are a few people that eek out an existence--migrant farmers, a few military personal from the nearby airbase, bedroom commuters from Sacramento, and of course meth dealers. Unfortunately, meth dealers seem to be taking over like hardy weeds in a small vegetable garden.
But Linda city has young people. And these young people want something better. R spot was formed to target young people whose parents have been sited for drug abuse. Rather than having the children removed from the home and transplanted into a underpaid, overutilized, overgovernmetized foster system, these children are an intensive program to keep them with a parent. I first became acquainted with R spot about 6 months ago. I was struck with the odds these kids have to fight against: parents that both use and therefore cannot parent, poverty, social stigma, learning disabilities (as parents used while they were in utero), gangs, violence, temptation to use drugs themselves, sex, and so on. I realized that although these kids wanted something better, they didn't have the tools to get it.
So, I dreamed up a trip to Yosemite where I would take them away from gangs, TV, radio, drugs, bad food, and bad parents and drop them into the middle of wilderness where they could be indoctrinated with something better. It sounded very good and simple on paper. So good that I was able to get a $1000 AAP grant and the collaborative was able to raise another $1500. Filled with high aims, high hopes, high ambitions I begin planning the great Yosemite 2008 adventure back in February, 2008.
Despite date changes, volunteers backing out, and a counted on bus giving up the ghost (Biblical term applied to inanimate object to indicate death), plans for the trip continued. On August 11, 2008 our group of 18 children, 6 adults, 5 cars, 8 tents, 4 camping chairs, and 1 hammock started out for Yosemite.
I drove the pick-up truck, which was piled so high with gear I couldn't see out the back window. I took two boys with me: Sam aged 13 and Ben aged 16. Sam had never been to Sacramento before. His "well-traveled" brother had been to Sacramento once before. He enjoyed pointing out the large, old buildings, draw bridge (X2), and various other landmarks to his eager younger brother. Both boys were amazed at all the traffic. The younger one kept asking me if we would get lost on such a busy freeway that kept changing lanes, names, and so on. He was so worried that I finally gave him a map and told him he could be my navigator. He took this job very seriously, but got a bit mixed up and kept asking if the next exit was for Yosemite (which was still 120+ miles away!).
Thankfully, we made it through Sacramento without event. This was one grand adventure for these boys. As we turned along highway 120 and started toward Groveland we passed a long desert session with pointed hills and flat topped mountains. Sam was convinced this MUST be Egypt and the pointed hills HAD to be pyramids. Ben said it wasn't Egypt but looked more like Africa with the flat topped mountains. An argument would have ensued until I pointed out that the left side of the road could be Egypt and the right side could be Africa. That seem to settle things a bit.
As we started up the steep ascent to Groveland, they could hardly contain their excitement, I thought they might crawl through the window. "You mean we are driving up a real mountain. Is Yosemite at the top? Will Yosemite be as tall as this mountain. Will we camp on the tip of the mountain? How will we keep our tent from falling off the mountain top? Will I see a mountain lion. What about a bear. I heard that bears like to eat people. I hope I see a chipmunk. Can I feed the squirrels? Will birds eat out of my hand?" You would have thought this was the land of Canaan by the way they talked.
After 3 hours of driving, we made it to our campsite. Unfortunately, the reservations I had carefully made for Sweetwater campground next to Yosemite were actually for Sweetwater campground next to MONO LAKE (5 hours away). What a catastrophe. I started praying (one of many prayers). Mercifully, the camp manager graciously offered to honor our reservation. Technically, he should have charged us for 6 spots, but he liked our group and so only charged us for 4. We ended up saving almost 100 dollars thanks to this mistake!!
Kids poured out of vehicles. Surprisingly, the kids were really adept at setting up the tents. They had so much fun figuring out where each tent would go. I nixed the idea of girls/guys sleeping in one tent. I said that if that happened I WOULD SLEEP IN THE GUYS TENT with the girls. That definitely wasn't cool, so guys and girls slept separately. I pitched my tiny backpacking tent next to the guys tent, it was so close, I could touch their tent from inside mine. No monkey business with me around.
Our first hike was somewhat challenging. Most of these kids (and adults) had never hiked, let alone walked in their lives! I THOUGHT the initial hike through the pine forest to the large Sequoias would be an easy warm up. 3 hours later, I was worried I'd be carrying a couple of the adults out on stretchers. I didn't help that they had had cigarettes just prior to the hike. I prayed again, and they all managed to hobble back to the cars, stiff, sore, and a little out of joint (their mood that is). The kids, however, had a blast. They saw deer, chipmunks, huge trees, and large pine cones. One child alone took 130 pictures on a borrowed camera.
After supper back at camp we discussed our first character trait: responsibility. It was a great one to start the trip with, as many of them had already displayed some LACK of responsibility on the hike and with dinner clean up.
After dinner, I had planned a long night hike to make sure they were completely worn out before going to bed. None of the adults went (save myself). The kids tried so hard to be quiet, they all wanted to see a bear or a mountain lion. Of course, they were scared. Two of the little boys and one of the girls clung to me, jumping at every snapping twig. Ben carefully shined his light along the forest wall. "AHHHHHH I see a Mt lion!!!!!" All the kids SCREAMED. I was skeptical. "I did," insisted Ben. "I saw something with 2 green eyes that stared at me and it had large white teeth." I think he actually saw a cow (our hike was through a cow pasture next to camp...) but he was sure it was a Mt Lion. He wanted to see one SOOOO badly, I decided to not try to ruin his delusion. Having seen our "mt lion," we slowly made our way back to camp--and bed. I thought the boys would stay up talking but they were so tired they fell asleep almost as soon as their heads hit their pillows.
Our adventures on Tuesday began early. I had originally planned to take the entire group up Bridalveil falls. After Monday's hike, however, most of the adults and at least 6 of the kids were clamoring for an easier hike. So... I divided the group in two. One group +2 adults went to happy Isles, the other headed up the mist trail. Of the group that started the mist trail, only HALF made it to the top, I left the other half with the remaining 4 adults at the bridge (about 1/2 way up). Only about 8 kids made it all the way up (1.5 miles to the top).The boys that made it were super pumped. They were SO proud of themselves. I was SOOO proud of them, as well. On the way down all the guys were saying how easy the hike really was and how next time they were going to climb half dome! I hope they do.
We recollected our group on the way down and eventually joined up with the group we'd left at Happy Isles. After a wonderful picnic under the pine trees, we headed back to camp. The kids tried to drag the evening out as long as possible. One little boy kept asking me why we had to go back tomorrow: "But Rachel, YOU don't have to work tomorrow, why don't YOU stay with us?" The lack of food, transportation back, and showers really didn't seem logical explanations to him. Another 12 y/o boy, Bill (not his real name) wouldn't leave my side. His parents have basically abandoned him. He looked at me like his own mother. When we were sitting at the fire, he said "Rachel, can I just sit by you?" I said, "Yes," and he sat next to me the entire time. Sam also pretended I was his mom. Although he's 13, he's the size of a 9 y/o secondary to very poor nutrition. He told me that I NEEDED him to help me. He insisted on carrying anything that I picked up. If I was helping with dinner, he wanted to help. Anywhere I went, Sam was with me. Both boys made it to the top of Bridelveil falls. Sam didn't have much trouble, but the only reason Bill made it up is because he wanted to hike with me. It brings tears to my eyes, they were so hungry for someone to love them.
We drove back the next morning. At first, the kids did NOT want to take the tents down: "Rachel, you promised we could stay an extra day, I heard you say so last night!!" (amazing what kids think they hear!). I suggested that if they got the tents and all gear packed up by 10 am we could go swimming on the way back. That worked like magic. Tents came down, food disappeared, and the camp was peopleless before 10:30 am. As I promised, we stopped by a really beautiful swimming hole on the way out. It was complete with a waterfall and a 17 foot cliff you could jump from into the pool below. The guys had a great time. I even went off it once. After an hour swim, we loaded up the cars and begin the 3 hour trek home.
The boys spent half the time telling me about all the things they would put up in their rooms when they got home (sticks, stones, Yosemite map). I noticed that Ben wasn't drinking out of his water bottle. I asked him why. He told me he was saving the water so he could take it to his mother. He wanted her to see how good Yosemite water tastes. He was sure once she tasted the water she would want to bring him back again!
Saying goodbye was hard for me. They had become like my very own children. For three days I'd been their mom and I loved each of them. Kids are resilient, it's harder on us adults. Sometimes I wish I could take them all home with me and be a loving mother to them and make up for all the bad times they have had in their life.
Oh I hope that Jesus comes soon and puts an end to all the misery that these kids face on a daily basis.
Eric and I were honored to be in Rodney Abriol's wedding on Aug 10. It was a beautiful, Christ centered event and created memories I will treasure always. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so there aren't any pics we can post :( :( But please keep reading for the adventure that followed the night of the wedding...(wedding ended at 3:30pm we drove 2.5 hours home and at 7 pm I left for Yosemite)
Yosemite escapades
I just returned from probably the grandest adventure of my life: Yosemite in August with 18 kids ages 9-17 who'd never been more than 50 miles from Linda, CA (a city 75 miles NE of Sacramento). UCD, where I'm a 3rd year pediatric resident, requires a community collaborative project for all its residents. They give you 2 weeks/year to work on it. I was assigned to Harmonay Health Collaborative in Linda, CA.
Never heard of Linda? Well-known for nothing (good or bad), not one famous person claims it as hometown. Far from any sort of mountains, miles from the ocean, it's a god-forsaken town in the middle of nowhere. There are a few people that eek out an existence--migrant farmers, a few military personal from the nearby airbase, bedroom commuters from Sacramento, and of course meth dealers. Unfortunately, meth dealers seem to be taking over like hardy weeds in a small vegetable garden.
But Linda city has young people. And these young people want something better. R spot was formed to target young people whose parents have been sited for drug abuse. Rather than having the children removed from the home and transplanted into a underpaid, overutilized, overgovernmetized foster system, these children are an intensive program to keep them with a parent. I first became acquainted with R spot about 6 months ago. I was struck with the odds these kids have to fight against: parents that both use and therefore cannot parent, poverty, social stigma, learning disabilities (as parents used while they were in utero), gangs, violence, temptation to use drugs themselves, sex, and so on. I realized that although these kids wanted something better, they didn't have the tools to get it.
So, I dreamed up a trip to Yosemite where I would take them away from gangs, TV, radio, drugs, bad food, and bad parents and drop them into the middle of wilderness where they could be indoctrinated with something better. It sounded very good and simple on paper. So good that I was able to get a $1000 AAP grant and the collaborative was able to raise another $1500. Filled with high aims, high hopes, high ambitions I begin planning the great Yosemite 2008 adventure back in February, 2008.
Despite date changes, volunteers backing out, and a counted on bus giving up the ghost (Biblical term applied to inanimate object to indicate death), plans for the trip continued. On August 11, 2008 our group of 18 children, 6 adults, 5 cars, 8 tents, 4 camping chairs, and 1 hammock started out for Yosemite.
I drove the pick-up truck, which was piled so high with gear I couldn't see out the back window. I took two boys with me: Sam aged 13 and Ben aged 16. Sam had never been to Sacramento before. His "well-traveled" brother had been to Sacramento once before. He enjoyed pointing out the large, old buildings, draw bridge (X2), and various other landmarks to his eager younger brother. Both boys were amazed at all the traffic. The younger one kept asking me if we would get lost on such a busy freeway that kept changing lanes, names, and so on. He was so worried that I finally gave him a map and told him he could be my navigator. He took this job very seriously, but got a bit mixed up and kept asking if the next exit was for Yosemite (which was still 120+ miles away!).
Thankfully, we made it through Sacramento without event. This was one grand adventure for these boys. As we turned along highway 120 and started toward Groveland we passed a long desert session with pointed hills and flat topped mountains. Sam was convinced this MUST be Egypt and the pointed hills HAD to be pyramids. Ben said it wasn't Egypt but looked more like Africa with the flat topped mountains. An argument would have ensued until I pointed out that the left side of the road could be Egypt and the right side could be Africa. That seem to settle things a bit.
As we started up the steep ascent to Groveland, they could hardly contain their excitement, I thought they might crawl through the window. "You mean we are driving up a real mountain. Is Yosemite at the top? Will Yosemite be as tall as this mountain. Will we camp on the tip of the mountain? How will we keep our tent from falling off the mountain top? Will I see a mountain lion. What about a bear. I heard that bears like to eat people. I hope I see a chipmunk. Can I feed the squirrels? Will birds eat out of my hand?" You would have thought this was the land of Canaan by the way they talked.
After 3 hours of driving, we made it to our campsite. Unfortunately, the reservations I had carefully made for Sweetwater campground next to Yosemite were actually for Sweetwater campground next to MONO LAKE (5 hours away). What a catastrophe. I started praying (one of many prayers). Mercifully, the camp manager graciously offered to honor our reservation. Technically, he should have charged us for 6 spots, but he liked our group and so only charged us for 4. We ended up saving almost 100 dollars thanks to this mistake!!
Kids poured out of vehicles. Surprisingly, the kids were really adept at setting up the tents. They had so much fun figuring out where each tent would go. I nixed the idea of girls/guys sleeping in one tent. I said that if that happened I WOULD SLEEP IN THE GUYS TENT with the girls. That definitely wasn't cool, so guys and girls slept separately. I pitched my tiny backpacking tent next to the guys tent, it was so close, I could touch their tent from inside mine. No monkey business with me around.
Our first hike was somewhat challenging. Most of these kids (and adults) had never hiked, let alone walked in their lives! I THOUGHT the initial hike through the pine forest to the large Sequoias would be an easy warm up. 3 hours later, I was worried I'd be carrying a couple of the adults out on stretchers. I didn't help that they had had cigarettes just prior to the hike. I prayed again, and they all managed to hobble back to the cars, stiff, sore, and a little out of joint (their mood that is). The kids, however, had a blast. They saw deer, chipmunks, huge trees, and large pine cones. One child alone took 130 pictures on a borrowed camera.
After supper back at camp we discussed our first character trait: responsibility. It was a great one to start the trip with, as many of them had already displayed some LACK of responsibility on the hike and with dinner clean up.
After dinner, I had planned a long night hike to make sure they were completely worn out before going to bed. None of the adults went (save myself). The kids tried so hard to be quiet, they all wanted to see a bear or a mountain lion. Of course, they were scared. Two of the little boys and one of the girls clung to me, jumping at every snapping twig. Ben carefully shined his light along the forest wall. "AHHHHHH I see a Mt lion!!!!!" All the kids SCREAMED. I was skeptical. "I did," insisted Ben. "I saw something with 2 green eyes that stared at me and it had large white teeth." I think he actually saw a cow (our hike was through a cow pasture next to camp...) but he was sure it was a Mt Lion. He wanted to see one SOOOO badly, I decided to not try to ruin his delusion. Having seen our "mt lion," we slowly made our way back to camp--and bed. I thought the boys would stay up talking but they were so tired they fell asleep almost as soon as their heads hit their pillows.
Our adventures on Tuesday began early. I had originally planned to take the entire group up Bridalveil falls. After Monday's hike, however, most of the adults and at least 6 of the kids were clamoring for an easier hike. So... I divided the group in two. One group +2 adults went to happy Isles, the other headed up the mist trail. Of the group that started the mist trail, only HALF made it to the top, I left the other half with the remaining 4 adults at the bridge (about 1/2 way up). Only about 8 kids made it all the way up (1.5 miles to the top).The boys that made it were super pumped. They were SO proud of themselves. I was SOOO proud of them, as well. On the way down all the guys were saying how easy the hike really was and how next time they were going to climb half dome! I hope they do.
We recollected our group on the way down and eventually joined up with the group we'd left at Happy Isles. After a wonderful picnic under the pine trees, we headed back to camp. The kids tried to drag the evening out as long as possible. One little boy kept asking me why we had to go back tomorrow: "But Rachel, YOU don't have to work tomorrow, why don't YOU stay with us?" The lack of food, transportation back, and showers really didn't seem logical explanations to him. Another 12 y/o boy, Bill (not his real name) wouldn't leave my side. His parents have basically abandoned him. He looked at me like his own mother. When we were sitting at the fire, he said "Rachel, can I just sit by you?" I said, "Yes," and he sat next to me the entire time. Sam also pretended I was his mom. Although he's 13, he's the size of a 9 y/o secondary to very poor nutrition. He told me that I NEEDED him to help me. He insisted on carrying anything that I picked up. If I was helping with dinner, he wanted to help. Anywhere I went, Sam was with me. Both boys made it to the top of Bridelveil falls. Sam didn't have much trouble, but the only reason Bill made it up is because he wanted to hike with me. It brings tears to my eyes, they were so hungry for someone to love them.
We drove back the next morning. At first, the kids did NOT want to take the tents down: "Rachel, you promised we could stay an extra day, I heard you say so last night!!" (amazing what kids think they hear!). I suggested that if they got the tents and all gear packed up by 10 am we could go swimming on the way back. That worked like magic. Tents came down, food disappeared, and the camp was peopleless before 10:30 am. As I promised, we stopped by a really beautiful swimming hole on the way out. It was complete with a waterfall and a 17 foot cliff you could jump from into the pool below. The guys had a great time. I even went off it once. After an hour swim, we loaded up the cars and begin the 3 hour trek home.
The boys spent half the time telling me about all the things they would put up in their rooms when they got home (sticks, stones, Yosemite map). I noticed that Ben wasn't drinking out of his water bottle. I asked him why. He told me he was saving the water so he could take it to his mother. He wanted her to see how good Yosemite water tastes. He was sure once she tasted the water she would want to bring him back again!
Saying goodbye was hard for me. They had become like my very own children. For three days I'd been their mom and I loved each of them. Kids are resilient, it's harder on us adults. Sometimes I wish I could take them all home with me and be a loving mother to them and make up for all the bad times they have had in their life.
Oh I hope that Jesus comes soon and puts an end to all the misery that these kids face on a daily basis.
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