THIS IS A PHOTO PAGE WITH A BUNCH OF PICTURES... but they are 'thumbnailed' so it shouldn't take very long!! and by the way... thanks to Mary Hamilton for the great photography!!

A PICTORIAL  GUIDE TO

Located 11 miles west of Hunt, Texas... our Presbyterian brothers and sisters have one fine campground called Mo Ranch.  With the beauty of God's creation everywhere surrounding this place, it's hard not to be close to him.  The Mo Pole is one of the 'elements' in what is known as a 'Ropes Course', a set of activities to test individual goal setting and group participation.

The Ropes Course is located at the highest point of Mo, where you can look out and see the hill country spreading out below you.  The vantage point from the top of the Mo Pole is not just the height of the pole from the ground, but also the elevation of the hill that the pole is on... something like the view above.   Another element in the Ropes Course is the Wall Climb... a 40 foot shear face with small blocks to hold and step on.  Here Kelly Hulett is really working at her concentration.

Mary Lisa Merritt is on the 'Hour Glass', a cable suspended some 30 feet above the ground, where the only thing to hold onto are ropes hanging down from another cable above.  The goal is to get from the pole on one side to the other.

Each element is tackled by a team, and the one above looks like they have had some experience in posing!  Speaking of posing - Kristin and Casey seem to be always ready for a photo op.

Not all of our time at Mo was spent on the ropes... we also did some rehearsing and even performing.  On Sunday morning we visited the Trinity Baptist Church in Kerrville where they let Reflections sing one of their songs for a Sunday School assembly.

We also spent a good portion of time studying again the Life & Witness materials we learned last year at the Billy Graham Crusade.  With this year's mission project coming together, this material is once again proving very important in our preparation and readiness.

BUT... then there's the Mo Pole and a really tough challenge it presents physically, mentally and emotionally. Of all of the things that the students did at Mo, this element was the biggest challenge. Remember the pole rises above the trees which are on top of the hill at Mo... go back up and look at the view again!  Just to climb up to the top of the pole is a real challenge.  The higher you climb, the more apparent it becomes to you that you could fall - then is when the blood starts to pump.   Shauna is about to reach the top, but not without making sure her feet are where they need to be.

Mary Alice has reached the point of hanging on and checking out the scenery.. wondering if this is really worth it or not.. Our lives as Christians are much like climbing this Mo Pole.  It's not hard to start out, with all of the team support and encouragement, but once you've made your way higher, you realize that it's totally up to you how high you are willing to go.

Our goal is to stand, so you can't just stay up there and hold on, you've got to keep going.  Here is where it really begins to get weird.   With nothing to hold on to except the top of the pole.... Lara brings her right foot up to the highest step. It's not just standing up that is tough, but getting to the point where she can stand up.  We work hard to be the witnesses we need to be around our friends, but actually getting ready to take a stand is just about as hard as doing it.   The next step is literally the top.  With the right foot on the last step, the left foot must come up to the very top.  Rhett works at getting his foot on the top while still balancing and holding on to the top of the pole.

				Once the left foot is on, it's time to let go of the pole and stand vertical.  Adrienne is trusting her balance and making herself go on despite the fear that is very real.  When we are about to do something really important in God's work here on earth, trusting our faith in him is many times the thing that keeps us from going on.  If he has placed within us the ability to be conquerors, then who are we to be swallowed up in fear?
	Amy makes one of the biggest moves on the Mo Pole, balancing on the left foot while the other one is brought up to the top.  Nothing to hold on to, just empty air and a lot of it. Once there, Lindsey looks ahead to what is in front of her. When God helps you to finally arrive at a place of service, it's no time to just look around - but it's time to get busy with the task at hand.

I think this is my favorite picture.  Kristen concentrates hard on the task at hand.  The little trapeze is out in front about 8 feet.   The goal is to jump off of the pole and catch the trapeze.  Actually, trusting in God is probably a little more sure than trusting this safety rope to catch you. This is where a lot of Christians go home and call it a day... right at the crucial point of being obedient.  When he says to jump... well...

			YOU JUMP!  Andrew has a near perfect form suitable for the Summer Olympics... but it doesn't matter how perfectly it's done, but just that you do it!
	Just a slight moment before contact, Josh is totally suspended in mid-air.  If he misses, the rope will keep him from falling to the ground. Even if we miss sometimes from the assignment he gives us, he is always there to keep us from crashing - we just have to trust him enough to get airborne!   Then, sometimes we will hit it dead-on, then we can just hang-out, and be like Mike!