Email: Jessica Samoy

Friends,

November began with two different hikes that have added a little perspective to what I’m doing here in Belfast. The first hike was our Boys Brigade (BB) night hike on 1 November. I work mostly with the company section of the BB at Whitehouse Presbyterian Church. The boys are aged 11-17 and are a handful of fun! There were about 20 of them on the hike. The night hike is something the boys do every year, but this year’s hike was “legendary.” Here are some highlights:

There are certain spots in the forest that are used for games. The first game we played was called “hunts.” In this game there are four or five people who are “it.” They hunt and capture the other boys who are trying to return to base. The boundaries were the two paths, so they were literally running through the forest. Torches (what people in the States call flashlights) are not allowed. No way was I going to be playing this game. The forest was mucky and scary. Plus, I was wearing my puffy white jacket so there would be no way for me to blend into the darkness unless I wanted to freeze. The other leaders and two of the youngest boys also opted out of the game. Once the game began, Maurice (also known as Mo), the BB captain, gathered those who were not playing. He wanted to tell us that Andrew, 17, was going to be in costume to scare the other boys. He was letting them in on the secret so “Jessica wouldn’t be scared.” A minute later I hear a noise in the bushes behind me, so I spun around quickly and shined my torch toward the sound. It landed directly on a werewolf! Well, it was Andrew dressed as a werewolf, all in brown with a furry mask, but I scare very easily. His hands are up like he’s going to attack and I just started screaming and running behind the other leaders. They were cracking up because just a minute ago they told me it was Andrew. The boys in the forest were calling out “You all right Jess?” That was only the first 15 minutes of the hike.

Later, we came to a “river” (more like a stream of muck). To get back to the cars we had to cross the river. The ground we were standing on was higher than the other side we were jumping to. Some of the boys just went for it and made it. Some didn’t make it all the way across to solid ground, but landed in the loose mud and sunk into the mucky river. I knew that that would happen to me. So my friend Lee, 14, showed me where I could cross the river on a wee bridge. The problem was that the bridge was even with the other side, meaning I had to get down the steep drop in order to cross the bridge. I tried to use a tree that was on my level to balance myself as I tried to stretch down to the bridge. However, the branch snaps. I scream, falling face first into the muck, breaking the bridge in the process. Oh what an adventure.

We continued walking up through the forest, no longer on a path, towards the cars. Behind us I can hear Mo shouting, “Help! I need a torch.” Some of the other boys came forward laughing. They said Mo and three other boys, around 14 years old, are trying to use a mobile phone to guide them! When Mo and they boys made it out, Mo told us how proud he was of those boys, who don’t usually like participating, for their teamwork. He also said that he probably called 17 people trying to keep his light on, and had to hang up on someone for fear his battery would run out! The BB Night Hike 2007 was a night that will be remembered for years to come.

The Alpha weekend retreat in Carnlough was where the second hike took place. Alpha is the program I do on Wednesday nights in which people come for a meal and open discussion about faith. The weekend was focused on the Holy Spirit, helping me to refocus my life even more. There were conversations about who the Holy Spirit is, what the Holy Spirit does in our lives, how we can be filled with the Holy Spirit and make the most of our lives. Often heavy stuff, but amazing all the same.

Saturday afternoon we had free time before the evening activities. I had been thinking a lot and needed to clear my head. I was wrestling with a lot of ideas about my purpose in this world and how I’m letting God use me. Am I really open to however it is the Holy Spirit wants to use me, even change me? Or am I open as long as it fits with my agenda? So I went out for a jog. I knew I was heading up to a cranny falls (a waterfall), but I had no real idea where I was going. I came to a field full of cows that I was supposed to cross. The cows were a little too close and a little too big for comfort, but I kept going. Unfortunately, this field was covered in large piles of cow poo. I was afraid that I may fall and land in it! But I didn’t and I reached the incredible waterfall! Completely and totally worth it. I got to thinking about how perfect this experience is for life: sometimes we have to get through a ton of poo before we get to the glorious waterfall at the end.

I’m here in Belfast, building relationships with people of all ages. I’m also here to build my relationship with God, to allow Him to work in and through me. It is through these relationships that together we can hope and work for a better future.

Jessica