Four Januarys ago I sat, halfway through my sophomore year, on the fence between applying for jobs I thought were cool or getting an internship in the industry of my degree to help push me towards the kind of job I was supposed to get. I had never really been camping, the only river I knew moved like honey through the heart of Georgia, and much to my embarrassment, I used lighter fluid to start all of my fires. As I pondered this dilemma I googled “Christian whitewater rafting companies”, saw Noah’s Ark in Colorado, thought it sounded about right, and decided to apply for a summer job that would be memorable and maybe give me some cool skills. Now after four summers of working at Noah’s Ark, I can look back and say I have been right where I was supposed to be every year.
In my time I have been lucky enough to work on Browns Canyon Adventure Park, tackle some land work, tag along for a few backpacking trips, and throw down in the kitchen. When I sit down and try to think of how to describe what the actual work at Noah’s has been like, it’s weird. The majority of my time hasn’t been glamorous. I’ve spent a lot of time standing around on the deck of the adventure park explaining how to do obstacles, loosening harnesses and helmets, or sorting paperwork as I check in guests. I spent a month last year shoveling rocks and digging holes with Severin so that I could fill them a few days later. I’ve chopped what has to have been thousands of peppers, onions, and tomatoes, sliced and counted dozens of hams and turkeys, broken frozen shrimp apart with my hands for hours, and spent days on weeks elbow deep in a lukewarm sink scrubbing dishes. But I have to sit down and think for that to come to mind.
What I immediately think of is Jed and me getting to talk about life over tiny cups of coffee after a ten person oatmeal breakfast. I think of Caleb and me spending an entire adventure park shift getting middle school boys to explain to us what the words they are saying even mean so that we can stay hip. I think of Severin welcoming me into his home for dinner every summer and asking all about my year. I think of the Bolhuis brothers and me giving Fish hotdog water and telling her it’s tea and the week it took to earn her trust back. I think of how badly I wish I could work a kitchen shift right now and get to talk to all of the people who take time out of their day to come see us.
In my summers at Noah’s I have gotten to go backpacking for work and for fun. I’ve learned to skate, paddleboard, rock climb, and a myriad of other little tricks. I’ve summited mountains and paddled through raging rapids. Despite the incredible experiences I’ve had at Noah’s, the two things I am most proud of and cherish the most are the ways God has used my time there to develop my faith and the relationships I have built.
I’ve taken vacations just to visit summer friends, stood in weddings with men I met on a ropes course, and no matter where in the country I travel, I always have someone to reach out to and grab coffee with. I wouldn’t be me if it wasn’t for my time in Buena Vista and the people at Noah’s.
