this past weekend we went on a simple living camping trip and i thought i'd share a few pictures and tell you about it...

first things first, we had to map out where our campsite was based on some coordinates we were given and then hike there using a gps and compass.

once we found our campsite, brett built us an awesome shelter to live in for the weekend. it kept us surprisingly warm in the thirty degree weather. quite cozy for being a tarp.

we had different classes during the weekend to teach us some practical skills we'll need while living in the jungle like: 

working on small engines

 that one in the picture is a generator

building a fire and cooking over it

killing and processing dinner 

yes that is a chicken, yes we ate it that night...yes it was disgusting

we also chopped a lot of fire wood, learned how to suture cuts using pigs feet also disgusting, learned knife care and sharpening, and set up a water pump and filter run on solar energy. 

it was a busy weekend, but a fun one and incredibly beneficial. we learned a lot, even if we froze a little. it's crazy to me all the things you have to learn to think about when living in a remote location. simple stuff like quality knives and clean gasoline for a generator or cleaning off your solar panels with soap and water so they can work to their highest efficiency. things you have to invest in and know how to do so that you can prevent things from breaking and fix them when they do, because you're the closest thing to an expert on the issue within a hundred miles. so, what we're learning is that simple living is not so simple after all. 

    For the past two months we haven't been in the same state for more than a couple weeks at a time. This is the life of support raising. The upside to this is that we've gotten to see pretty much all of the people we love in life in the past eight weeks.

    The past two weeks Brett and I have been down in Florida on a support raising trip. It was a week full of getting to meet new people, catching back up with friends, and sharing the vision God has given us for PNG. It was also our first official support raising trip, so we got a little taste of what full time support raising will be like next May. 

    One thing that I really love about Florida is the relationship Brett and I have with some of the local youth. Brett was a youth intern at a church down in Florida for the past three summers so we've had an opportunity to get to know some amazing teens. Seriously, these kids are so on fire for Christ and are doing amazing things for His kingdom. But anyways, getting to hang out with them was my favorite part of the week.

    Also, before I forget. I got to do this in Florida. It was a big moment for my Midwestern self.  

.....it's harder than it looks in the movies. 

-morgan gordon