Garrett Koepke

Join the Adventure

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In the Storm

At the end of July I helped guide an inflatable kayaking trip down the Owyhee River in northeast Oregon. The river is a classic western U.S. landscape: high desert, complete with canyons, sage brush, juniper trees, dry creek bottoms, scorpions…the whole lot. Yet this particular trip had one dominating element: storms. A pattern emerged after the first day. Partly cloudy mornings and sunny afternoons, followed by some mean looking clouds around 5pm. For days this pattern held true like clockwork. It was bananas.

On day 3 we paddled to a place called Chalk Basin where we would camp for the night. The days storm was on our tails, gaining on us as the afternoon wore on. We pulled in around 4pm and started to unload our kayaks. As we did the storm pulled in. Imagine this: the wind starts to pick up, you start to smell the moisture in the air, a few drops start to fall. The wind strengthens and you can see the rain falling in the distance coming closer. You start to brace yourself and then lightning flashes. CRACK! Thunder joins the fray, and then the rain hits you, a wind gust cools the water pouring down your face and brings a shiver, and you know the storm has fully arrived.

Other days we had been able to get shelter partially setup before the storm hit, but not that day. That time it caught us early and we felt it’s presence. We found what shelter existed among the sage and willows on the shore, huddling together with nothing more to do than wait it out. We were drenched, every one of us. Sometimes a rain jacket helps, other times it’s pointless. This instance was the latter. We crouched next to each other. A song broke out: I’m siiiiiinging in the rain, just siiiiiinging in the rain! I looked around, taking stock of our group. Some seemed to be doing okay, others were shivering from being wet. Although we made light of it for a bit, not much had changed in the elements…we’re not out of this yet.

We made some moves and ended up huddling under tarps for temporary shelter. After a solid 35 minutes the storm let up a little bit and we setup our group shelter and made hot food and drinks for all. The weather didn’t change for a while, but the evening ended with clear skies and incredible stars as usual. What a day!

I share this story because Jesus showed me something powerful through it. I was viscerally reminded what it’s like to feel a storm. I felt the sting of the wind on my face, I tasted the rain on my lips, I smelled my surroundings, brilliantly brought to life by the water, I heard the crack of thunder unfiltered above me. It struck me how when I’m in town I often retreat to shelter when a tempest blows through. I sit inside and watch as it rains, thunders, and gusts. Maybe I see a person running inside under an umbrella, or a car drives by with it’s wipers blasting as it hits a puddle and douses the sidewalk. From my comfort and safety behind walls and looking through a window I observe.

But we are not called to observe, we are called to participate, to be present. How many people do we know in life going through hardship and our response is to stay at a distance, hoping and praying for them to make it through in okay shape? I’ll be the first to say I do. I am challenged, though, to not just sit inside where I am dry and safe, but to go outside and be in the storm, to feel it. Maybe I just need to remember sometimes what it’s like to feel, maybe I need to go sit next to someone getting “drenched” by pain in life, or grab an umbrella and go walk with someone and hold it over us. I think of Jesus who did this very thing for all of us when He left the glorious presence of His Father and came to Earth to be with us, suffer pain, and die for our sake (Phil. 2:1-11). I am inspired to follow Him in this.

Whatever it looks like, I invite you to stand up, grit your teeth, and get out into the tempest. And maybe I’ll see you there…in the storm.

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What’s Inside

“How are you doing?” It’s a question we get asked often, sometimes genuinely, sometimes not. I’m blessed to have people in my life that ask that question and stick around for the answer. I never have a simple or clear answer these days. As I walk through the process of gathering a partnership team to step into missions work with Youth Dynamics, I’m challenged daily. I always seem to have 10 things on my mind to work through. In mid-March I took a bit of time to stop and assess this question more in-depth.  Okay, frank appraisal time, I wrote in my journal. How am I doing?

The answer was, okay. Just, okay. I’m usually an upbeat person, so such an answer was out of the ordinary; it actually kinda worried me. The natural next question: why? Why was I just, okay? Because I’m uncomfortable. Uncomfortable at a greater level and for a longer time than I’ve ever experienced. Ministry partner development is no easy thing. It requires much of you and your community day-in and day-out. But then I was confronted with the fact that my job for years has been to give people opportunities to challenge themselves and encourage them to do so. The fruit is often inspiring. It is a joy to see people grow and become more mature, open, and healthy.

I can’t escape the feeling that now it’s my turn. The very things I’ve shared with and guided people through over the years are now staring me in the face.  As I wrote back in March, it flowed right out of me:

All my life I’ve said to folks: find adventure, take the road less traveled, explore, try things out, take risk, brave the unknown, trust the Lord, be yourself, define success, don’t live to please others, don’t conform, find the place you thrive, seek to understand, listen for the still, strong voice of God. Jesus does not fail, check your heart, step into family, receive the Father, you’re valued; you’re you, and that’s enough for anyone to celebrate. Don’t be “normal,” be you. Follow your dreams, test yourself, discover the wilderness.

I’ve shared these themes (appropriately within different settings) without realizing commonality across situations. It has subtly taken many forms, but it is now so apparent. Across the world this has flowed out of me naturally, like an underground spring coming up. It’s the overflow of the revelation of my heart about the Father heart of God and family. It’s based off my life experience, my testimony. I’ve realized it’s what I am called to share with others, the message I am given to offer to all.

The initial prospect of putting together a partnership team intimidated me. In fact, I said no to it for the better part of four years. When I started to consider it more seriously I asked a friend who had done it before about his experience. His response has stayed with me. “It’s totally doable,” he said, “You just have to believe that whatever you’re raising support to do is worth going through the process for.” It provoked me to dig deep and ask, what am I actually doing this for? Is it worth it?

For me, absolutely. Many days I’ve thought about how it would be so much easier to do something with my time that didn’t require so much vulnerability, trust, and effort. But it’s on those hard days that my heart revelation rings out and it’s undeniable: yes, it’s all worth it. What Papa God has done in my life, what He’s given me, how could I ever keep it to myself? So I keep moving forward, knowing the current season of preparation is fully in line with what has been placed in my heart to give away, the message I have to share. They key now is to learn how to convey it to others well. More on that in the future…

So, what’s inside of you? What comes out of you naturally that gives life to others? Write it down, live it, share it.

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Reflections on Berkshire Life.2

Life lessons from my time in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, continued.

For part one visit Reflections.1

Summit View, Monument Mountain, Stockbride, MA

Summit View, Monument Mountain, Stockbride, MA

3.) The Need for Healthy Boundaries: In 2015 I entered into the outdoor industry for the first time in a full-time permanent way.  I was no longer holding positions for three months before going back to school; I was in it, and I wanted to stay in it.  I realized that if I wanted to stay in love with this work I would need to be intentional about how I went about it.  I’ve learned there are many facets to stewarding your passions, but the most prominent one in recent years for me has been setting boundaries.  For the past four years I have worked solely in a camp setting, which means very little separation between my work and living spaces.  You see, when working and living at a camp facility your co-workers are your housemates, your “office” is your backyard, your dinner table is just a few feet from the students you’re working with for the day, week, or month.  If you’re not careful you can end up working twice as much as you’re scheduled for in a week, which means less energy for next week, and next week usually won’t let you off just because you’re tired.  If it happens again, and again…do the math.  It’s a slippery slope that quickly leads to burnout.  This is where boundaries come in.  You have to know when to say no and when to say yes.  You have to know where one area ends the next begins, and then stand by it.  For me this meant leaving camp a few times a week, redirecting a participant with an issue to staff who were working when I was off the clock but on-site, even just cooking my own food was an act of separating my personal life from work.  These sort of decisions helped me save energy for when I needed it, fully engage in my work, and fully reap the benefits of work and personal time.  In this world of mine where there was so much overlap between work and life, boundaries helped me maintain integrity in both.  

Working and living out in Becket, MA, with BOC and Camp Becket brought to my life an incredible level of growth, challenge, friendship, and discovery.  Between August 2016 and October 2018 I spent some time away in Montana and New Zealand, but through it all the community in Massachusetts was constant, always in contact, always there waiting for me to return.  My last day of work there was October 16, 2018, and on November 8 I drove away for the last time, heading west to move back closer to family and pursue new opportunities.  As I drove west I knew I was leaving something special.  There were countless other lessons I learned, but best of all was the company.  Such amazing people!  The lasting joy of making new friends season after season and deepening friendships with those who stayed over time is hard to describe.  The Berkshires will forever hold a place in my heart, and it is absolutely clear to me that my time there will produce fruit for decades to come.  To all the places and people that were part of it: thank you. 

Rudd Pond Sunset, Camp Becket

Rudd Pond Sunset, Camp Becket

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Reflections on Berkshire Life.1

Smith Pond at Camp Chimney Corners

Smith Pond at Camp Chimney Corners

In spring of 2016 I was in the midst of an outdoor education season at YMCA Camp Seymour.  I was back in job searching mode, looking at options for the coming fall season.  I spent free times browsing job listings on backdoorjobs.com, outdoored.com, and more.  A few things piqued my interest, but the leading candidate at the time was from a referral.  My friend had told me about this place in Massachusetts called the Berkshire Outdoor Center.  Supposedly they had a lot going on with some unique programming.  I looked into it and her recommendation coupled with the fact that they had a program that included spending 6-months in New Zealand (bucket list location for me) motivated me to apply.  A bit later I got an interview.  A bit later I got the job.  A bit later I got on a plane and started a chapter of life that would grow to be a huge part of my story.

That fall I started work at the Berkshire Outdoor Center in Becket, Massachusetts, as a Program Instructor.  I remember arriving on site at Camp Becket (one of two facilities the outdoor center operated out of) for the first time.  I looked around and thought, I wonder what this place will mean to me when I finish here?  I had just concluded two years at YMCA Camp Seymour in Gig Harbor, Washington, and I couldn’t help but think about the affection, admiration, and fondness I felt for that place and its people.  If I felt about this new place the same way I did about Seymour when I left, it was going to be something special.  I’m happy to say, two years and a bit later, that is unquestionably the case.  I’d like to share the lessons that rose to the surface upon reflection.  I hope they inspire you to go to a foreign place, do something new, and keep your heart open.

1.) The Power of a Growth Environment – Staff members at BOC are given loads of autonomy and are trusted to use it responsibly and effectively.  It’s a pretty cool thing to be given freedom in the work place.  How many days a week are you given a small group of people, goals for what they want to get out of their time with you, tools to empower you, then told to go make it happen?  At BOC it happens every day!  It’s a big responsibility, but it’s incredibly exciting as well.  On top of being put in challenging situations daily, the concept of growth is encouraged and supported at an organizational level.  Supervisors give you one-on-one support, the need for sustainability in your career is acknowledged and addressed, opportunities to take on more responsibility are provided.  Of course there is an onus on you to take advantage of the situation, to engage with the possibilities.  But when a growth environment is created, a setting is conditioned to produce fruit, that’s a powerful thing.  In the fall of 2016 I had a few conversations with my brother Jeremy and read a book he recommended, John Maxwell’s 15 Laws of Invaluable Growth (read it, SO GOOD).  The combination helped me realize the need for growth and that growth is not the means to an end but is in fact THE end itself.  Growth is a constant in our lives.  I’ve learned it is always worth our time.  When you take your passion and skill into an environment that promotes and supports its progression, all the ingredients are there for you to reach your potential.  Simon Holley states in his book Sustainable Power that, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”  He’s right.  I experienced the power of being in a growth culture in Mass and I can say with certainty that it truly is a powerful thing.

2.) The Camp Effect – Time spent at camp is different for participants and staff alike.  As a staff member I worked, played, and lived with the same group of people.  The seasons I spent with fellow staff were made up of such concentrated times together that the few short months we spent with each other produced friendships far more meaningful and lasting than you’d expect.  In the span of a few months at camp you’ll spend as much time with someone as you would in a year of normal life.  This truth revealed itself many times over when it came to the end of a season (Ex. – the ten weeks of summer camp) and I would say goodbye to folks who weren’t returning for the next.  I’d give ’em a hug and exchange some last words, sad they were leaving our community at their contracts end.  It never ceased to amaze me how hard it was to say goodbye to people I had met just a couple months before.  Can you make a lifelong friend in that short of a time?  For me, my experience undoubtedly says yes.  But think about it: could you meet a stranger today and be best friends with them by mid-March?  It’s pretty crazy.  Camp is a special place for many reasons, but the relationships it produces is a big one.  When you live at a camp you and your fellows get to determine the culture and atmosphere at a level not possible in many other scenarios.  Add doing meaningful work and walking through the ups and downs of everyday life to the equation and before you know it, you’ve fallen in love with the place.  I’ve left the camp setting and I’ll go for a week or two without seeing a friend.  Inconceivable!  Honestly, it’s been hard to adjust, but it helps remind me how remarkable the effect being at camp has on life and relationship.  You should try it sometime.

There’s more comin’ next week

A Berkshire Classic in Lee, MA

A Berkshire Classic in Lee, MA

 

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Life Update 11.28.18

Adirondack Views with Jon and Dan

Adirondack Views with Jon and Dan

Things are happening people! These update posts always excite me as they only happen when a new thing is going down. So here it is, the latest and greatest from the life of Garrett!

My last post was on May 17. Since then I’ve experienced my second summer at Camp Becket in Becket, MA. It was a fantastic season and I really enjoyed the 10 weeks I had with campers and fellow staff. The high point of the season was  much levels of worry and, frankly, stress than summer 2017. I felt so much more at home and went about the Becket days with a faith that programs in my area (the ropes course) were going to work out, that we could take things a bit easier than I used to think. I didn’t realize how much I thought about things my first year! It was just a more enjoyable summer, which was a freeing and gracious experience.

Immediately post-summer I took a week off and adventured with one of my English brothers, Jon Sanders, plus another friend from camp for a few days. I came back from the trip refreshed and ready for the fall season with the Berkshire Outdoor Center. I have gained a serious appreciation for vacation after that experience. Make it happen in your life people! The fall season at BOC was one of my favorites of my entire career there. It was busy but the group of staff was a good bunch and we had a blast. My time at BOC came to an end on October 16. I’m happy to say that day was a wonderful note to end on with an enjoyable last day of work and a memorable 27th birthday party. At that point I had been around for over two years (minus my time in NZ) and I felt it was a good time to launch into life’s next step.

That next step started with a tour of a few different potential employers. Over the last year I’ve felt a growing urge in my spirit to find a place, people, and program I can invest in for 3-5 years. I’m looking to get back into trips based programming (my first love), be closer to family, and go back west. I’ve missed all these things and so I started job searching at the beginning of this year. I found a few outdoor ministries that lined up with what I felt in my heart and so I got in touch with them. We talked, I applied, they invited me to visit, I accepted their invitation, we put together a plan, I bought some plane tickets, I packed my bags, and on October 17 I stepped into the great unknown of my new season.

I visited a team in Bend, OR, that was with Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) and had an outdoor adventure emphasis, then spent time in Horseshoe Bend, ID, and Canby, OR, both of which hold adventure bases with Youth Dynamics, a PNW based parachurch organization focusing on reaching teens and connecting them to Jesus and His church. After 2.5 weeks of asking questions, meeting new people, taking notes, processing information and feelings, and praying, I was pooped. I had a lot to consider.

November 5th brought me to the airport in Portland for my 19th flight of his year. I returned to Massachusetts, packed my car with all my belongings still at camp, said my final goodbyes to those lovely people out there, and hit the road. My end destination was Portland, OR, for Thanksgiving and I was intent on seeing some things along the way. So I went south to Phili (cheesesteaks!), then to Gettysburg (wow, sobering), DC (hey Lincoln!), Shenandoah (“Country roads, take me home…”), North Carolina (Hi Em!), Nasheville (rock on my friends), Memphis (can I get more of those baked beans please?), AK Ozarks (wow, that’s pretty), north Texas (thanks for keeping me company George Strait), Colorado Springs (Hello mountains, Jesse and Katie!),  Boise (More family! And an oil change), and finally, Portland (Happy Thanksgiving!). It was 4,000 miles, 60+ driving hours, 14 days, and 17 states of fun. So glad I invested the time and energy to explore those places! America, you’re huge, beautiful, diverse, and awesome.

Ozark Valley, AK

Ozark Valley, AK

As you might expect, I had a lot of time to think on my drive. With all this time I needed to decide where I was headed after Thanksgiving.  The moment of decision came in Virginia after much prayer, thought, consideration, and advice seeking.  In the end it was clear that moving to Horseshoe Bend, ID, to join the Youth Dynamics team there was the best fit for me. There were a lot of factors that I considered in the process; it wasn’t easy. At first I had some doubts about whether I made the right decision, but as time goes on and things start to move along I find myself getting progressively more excited and affirmed by those around me.  My position with YD will be a Volunteer and Summer Staff Training Manager.  My responsibilities (give or take) will involve recruiting and training summer staff, developing relations with volunteers and community partners, guiding in the summer, coordinating a program area or two (rafting, climbing, etc), and otherwise helping administrate local ministry.  Honestly, it’s exactly what I’ve wanted to do for years!  So what happens now?  There are a few things to accomplish before I start work in earnest with the team.

Yesterday I returned to Missoula, MT.  I’ll be here for the next few months to start a process called support raising.  Being a missional organization, Youth Dynamics requires staff to fundraise their own salary.  The prospect definitely is challening, but it’s one that I have peace about and foresee being a reality in my life for a while, either in ministry or secular non-profits.  This involves meeting with anyone and everyone I know and inviting them to join my support team in one form or another: donating monthly to my salary, praying continually, and any other form of support folks want to offer.  Once enough people have joined the team and my monthly salary is covered I can start working full-time with Youth Dynamics in Idaho.  I’m told this process averages 6-12 months, but the goal is to get to Horseshoe Bend for the busy summer season when programming peaks.  I’ll be in Missoula until it’s no longer more beneficial for me to be here than elsewhere, a period of time I anticipate being 2-3 months.  But hey, who knows what will happen?  Ultimately the goal is to start working with the team in Horseshoe Bend as soon as possible.  God willing it will be sooner rather than later.

There’s so much I am going to learn in this next season.  Already emotions and thoughts are surfacing that I’ve had to work through, and I haven’t even started the training with YD!  It’s all going to be so new, I’m excited to tackle challenges and lean into the Lord and my community to grow and develop as a friend, servant, and leader.  There’s a lot of questions I still have, a lot of uknown.  The only way to uncover it all is to keep moving forward; each day gives me the opportunity to take more steps.  I’m excited, nervous, curious, unsure, and hopeful all at once.  I’m confident, though, with the guidance of Papa God and the love and support of all of you reading this that this next season will be the best yet of my life.  It’s going to challenge, grow, refine, stretch and redefine me so much!  Ahhh I’m getting jumpy just thinking about it. Life is incredible isn’t it?

As always, family, let’s do this together.  Please get in touch if you have any thoughts or want to connect more about anything.  Gosh I love you all!