Sarah's lessons on community

I've just got back from an end of season ski-holiday with Oakhall and I had a blast. Lots of laughs, fun, food and a real sense of community. I'm not the best of skiers - in fact I'm one of the worst! I have many bruises to prove it! I have perfected my wipe out well! On the 2 trips I've been on I've learnt some fantastic lessons about community that I wanted to share with you. Ski-ing makes me realise the importance of others helping me to stand when I fall and to get up and down the mountain in one piece, having fun on the journey.

Mountains are amazing! There is something about being up in the mountains that makes me think about how big God is and what it is to climb higher with Him and to touch something of heaven. The higher up you get in the mountains there is usually better snow for ski and boarding fun. This is true to God as well - the closer you get to God you get in on God's action and have more fun. Jesus was an action man - he travelled, went on boat trips, climbed mountains and still impacts the world today with his love, teaching, healings and miracles. I don't know about you but as a Christian I want in on the Jesus action. I want to get further up the mountain so I can experience more of him and his fun adventures.

Thankfully I don't have to put lots of physical effort into getting up the mountains at a ski-resort as there are lifts that will take me to the top. I just need to take the time out to travel to the top. From the top I can see a bigger picture of what is happening below. Fortunately it's not my physical effort of being well behaved that enables me to relate to God because Jesus has made a way for people to travel into God's presence - he has gone before us and created a ski-lift for us to journey on. I also think that there is something about drawing closer to God that enables you to see things from a different perspective that changes you. You can see the bigger picture. The views are amazing. I stood at the top of the mountain in awe of what God had created. Spectacular! Pure beauty! It changed the way I related to the mountain and those around me. It gave me a new respect for creation and people.

Being on the mountain in different places from the bottom to the top, enables me to appreciate His creation in different ways. Each ski-run has a different feel to it and different views surrounding it. Had I been a good skier I could have enjoyed all of the runs and also the off-piste bits. There is so much to explore. Exploring is best when with others. I get the most fun out of exploring when I ski with others. We get to appreciate the surroundings together.

On my first ski trip I found that my boots would often get ice stuck in them and my ski-partner would use their pole to get the ice out of my boots so that I could get them into my ski's. I could get most of the ice out myself but there was often hard to reach bits that required my friends help. This trip I didn't have that problem but did need friends to encourage me to overcome fear when faced with a steep or icy bit of a slope and also there were occasions when I needed help getting up from an amazing fall!

On one occasion doing a spectacular wipe out my ski-pants got ripped through the fall! Yes, it was on the bottom too! Beautiful! Fortunately it was just the top layer so nothing but lining was exposed! It was a friend that pointed the rip out to me and then leant me cotton and a needle so that I could sow them up and get back on the slopes the next day shame free! The cotton was even the same colour as my ski-pants - result!

It was friends that gave me tips to improve my technique and showed me how to get down the steeper bits that made me nervous when we had free time on the slopes. Oh and I better point out that it was the amazingly talented and patient ski-instructors in lessons that aided me on many of these occasions too! One moment when I was at the top of a slope almost paralysed by fear the instructor held my hand and skied backwards helping me overcome my fear until I could ski myself (well..ski beginners style!). Friends walk with us and help us overcome fears. They also empower us to do it for ourselves. Later on in the week when I tackled the same slope I realised it wasn't that steep after all and enjoyed ski-ing down it. I could see my progress. I thought about how God is the ultimate ski-instructor and holds our hand when we are fearful. The closeness of His love removes our fear as we focus on Him rather than on the things that make us afraid.

I'm thankful to the ski-instructors and my friends for their good humour, patience and care of me! I enjoyed the moments that we were able to laugh at my spectacular falls! I enjoyed learning from others about ski-ing, life stuff and God. I also valued being given some sun glasses when my goggles kept steaming up! This is the Christian journey through community. We learn from one another, we face fears together, we provide for one another's needs, we pick one another up when help is needed and we stand back smiling when people learn how to pick themselves up, we cheer one another on when we do well and we cheer one another on when things don't go so well and people need encouragement!

This love and sense of community was expressed on the mountains and back at the chalet. People mucked in with cooking, serving and cleaning. Everyone had a part that they could choose to play and an ability that would bless others. Back at the chalet there was fun when helping with a bit of the work and entertaining activities too and there was plenty of hot chocolate - I was one happy girl!

I went with a friend from home and met lots more new friends on the trip. Some people came with families, other friends or by themselves and by the end of the week it was like we'd known each other for ages. I enjoy meeting people from different walks of life and church expressions. I love that it doesn't matter what church background you are from because there is unity in relationship with Jesus. Each night people from the team told their stories of how Jesus had changed their lives. I was really encouraged by what was shared and also seeing people use their musical and speaking talents. The Bible talks about Christians being part of a body and each person is a part of that body - all are equally important and they all grow through God's love.

With the ski season now pretty much finished I'm now thinking where shall I go for the summer season? What new lessons will the summer season hold? I have a copy of Oakhall's summer brochure (check out www.oakhall.co.uk) so I may well try out another community holiday adventure minus the ski's! If you are interested in holidays with a Christian flavour there are lots of great companies out there to suit all tastes. Holidays can be a great place to meet new friends and to find out more about God whether for the first time or to deepen your relationship with Him.