SaddleLights | Inside Saddle Lights

Fall 2012 Saddle Lights: Update

Dear Friends and Family, we have worked for 2 years to get to a place where we could host our first weekend getaway trip; and thanks to all of you, we were able accomplish that and so much more in 2012! It has been a fabulous year, and Jesse and I have had the rich joy of watching lives connect with Jesus for the first time because of it. We want you to share in that blessing, made possible by all of your donations, prayers, and our sweat and work.

Some of our 2012 highlights include:

·       Our first multi-day mountain biking tour in Northern Arizona!!!

·       Deeper connections with Northern Arizona Young Life through hosting student events

Read on for more exciting details!!!

-First Mountain Bike Tour-

The trip was a multi-day mountain biking adventure around Flagstaff, AZ in October.  We started from the Fort Valley Trailheads in Flagstaff and rode along the Arizona Trail, which skirts the San Francisco Peaks and traverses all the way to Cedar Ranches on the way to the Grand Canyon.  The 44 mile journey took two days and two nights, and cut through beautiful golden colored aspen groves which rained their leaves down on us while 9 young women and 3 staff enjoyed the cool fall air in the mountains.

The first night we set up camp, ran through orientation, ate together, and shared life stories & testimonies around the campfire, with worship, teaching, & prayer. The moon was so full that you could see clearly at midnight without a flashlight!

  We started our first riding day with a broken chain, but a quick fix kept the group going. We rode 21 miles of beautiful single-track the first day, 7 miles of which were climbing and greatly challenged the women to push themselves beyond what they thought they could do! At the top of the climb, just below; the Arizona Snowbowl ski area at 9000 ft,  We stopped for lunch in a meadow before embarking on a fun and winding descent to an aspen grove where we camped night 2.  Jesse and 2 other men cooked and set up camp for us, while one of the riders, a church worship leader, played guitar and led worship around a campfire. Some great teaching time in The Word, more sharing of testimonies, prayer, and s'mores finished the night off with warm hearts and full stomachs under the full moon! The next morning we took off for the long descent off the mountain, practicing new skills and safety. En route we had a wipe out on the gravel and an injured rider. She was quickly taken to the doctors, cleaned and stitched up, and has healed well. The rest of us finished with a lunch break, more sharing of life stories, some fun antics at the finish line, and a group photos at the end.  We shuttled from the finish straight to “The Commons”, our church home in Flagstaff, where the women shared about how the challenges they faced pushed them out of their comfort zones, and how they grew from hearing each other’s life stories, the teaching times, and worship under the stars, away from the responsibilities of life. It was a two day trip that impacted their growth in God, and thanks to you all, with your prayers and financial support, it was able to be accomplished!!!

-Deepening partnership with other youth organizations in Northern Arizona

This year we have begun to volunteer extensively with Northern Arizona Young Life, a student led ministry that reaches hundreds of high school and college students each week in Flagstaff alone.  We host “Club” every Monday at our house, where a group of 20 high-schoolers from Coconino High School take over our living room. 

We also hosted a Flagstaff fall harvest party at our home.  Over 120 high school students attended.  We loaded up the Saddle Lights trailer with hay bales and took students on a hay ride as part of the fall festivities.  It was awesome to see the gospel shared with so many young people, right in our back yard!!!

Beyond just providing a location, our ministry with Young Life has been to pour into the student leaders, 5 college students, who each spend 10 hours or more per week ministering to high school students.  We see Saddle Lights emerging as great partner with Young Life, using adventure based discipleship in deepening the faith and knowledge of God’s word among student leaders.

  

-Keeping the wheels rolling!!! -

One key element in adventure based discipleship is breaking away from the normality of every-day life.  This requires transportation of riders and gear over long distances to access some of the most beautiful areas in God’s creation. For our first trip we were able to borrow a diesel truck to tow our trailer and hired a shuttle service to transport riders.  The borrowed truck was a huge blessing, but will not always be available when we need it, and the shuttle services increase the cost of operating a trip considerably.  Our goal from the beginning has been to keep per-rider trip costs at a minimum, ensuring Saddle Lights trips are accessible to anyone seeking to come.

We have the incredible blessing of a donor who is willing to fund the down payment and some of each monthly payment to purchase a quality used truck to operate our trips.  Hauling heavy loads long distances and across bad roads in remote areas, we require a ¾ ton diesel with 4-wheel drive.  This truck will ensure that we can capably transport our gear and reliably support our riders long into the future.

Together, we can pay off this truck within the year.

*So, here’s how you can help:

This letter you are reading is being sent to 200 families that have expressed interest in supporting Saddle Lights; either through prayer or financial giving.  Together we can purchase this truck in 2013 with:

·       20 people pledging $100 a month

·       40 pledging $50 a month OR

·       80 pledging just $25 a month

Please consider being one of 20, 40, or 80 who gives toward this goal. We need you! As always, one time donations help immensely too!

Thank you, most of all, for all of your prayer support and financial support so far. We have great hopes for future weekend getaways, Border to Border trips, and Coast to Coasts. But we cannot do it alone, only together!

We are praying about this need, and would ask that you would, too! Our God holds the treasures of the world in His hands, and we know He is faithful to provide right when we need it.

Please pray with us, and consider giving! All of your donations are tax – deductible.

Blessings--      Jesse & Kelly Hibbs