2017 Trek - Day 5 - June 10

Theme: Returning to Babylon & Keeping Zion in your heart

 Good morning! It is our last morning on Trek and our families will be packing up and getting ready to head home. It is a special time for many of our Trek families, that last bit of bonding after a week that may now last a lifetime.

 

Our leaders will talk about how we feel, united as a Trek family, and some of the doctrines we have discussed. Some of what they will hear will be that while they have a strong feeling of Zion now, that sense may seem to wane when they arrive home. We will talk about ways to keep that feeling of Zion in our hearts as we return back to the ‘real world.”

In many ways it is like trying to find Zion in the midst of Babylon.  We will talk about how to keep our hearts soft/humble, how to continue to look for ways to be united and create Zion in our homes, wards, and stake. We’ll talk about how grace is always available to us.

We have a small hike, about a mile, from our campsite to the place where the buses will pick us up, and then we will be heading home.

We are tentatively scheduled to arrive at the Easter building between 5 and 6 pm. Parents are encouraged to be prepared to welcome their kids home at that time.

Things you can do today:

• Pray for us to return safely and that you will have opportunities to express some of the things you have learned with our Trekkers, and that you will have the chance to hear from them the things they’ve learned.
• Listen or watch this talk by David R. Stone “Zion in the Midst of Babylon” https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/04/zion-in-the-midst-of-babylon?lang=eng 
• Write or journal ways you can keep Zion in our hearts and homes despite the outside world and the influences of the cultures around us.
• If you have had the chance to ponder any of the doctrines or stories we have shared from our Trek planning, journal your feelings, share them in your testimony, or write a note to someone about your experiences.

• Parents of Trekkers: Be prepared for the kids to be tired, dirty, probably smelly, but also pleased that they participated and happy to be home. Make time when they get home to express your love, share things you may have written or done while they were gone, and to listen to their experiences. Some kids may need encouragement to share more than the physical journey, and you may want to allow them some time to absorb the experience, but consider making a special Family Night that has them report on Trek.