Hot off the press from Camp Bighorn, MT:

DJ B ETT CA 185 MP BIG IS: 0M HOR Plai T N ns, MT Hwy 13 598 5 TEL 59 EPH USA (406 ) 82 ONE 6-31 44 SMI LE! :)

THE EXPLORER
September 2012 Issue No. One facebook.com/DJBettis

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of a College Education

WELCOME TO MY WORLD

Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive. ~ Elbert Hubbard

When my mind wanders, it tends to get lost. One moment, Im browsing spectacular nature photographs online, and the very next moment, I receive a postcard from Kenya which reads, Gone to play with the elephants; be back soon! Love, your mind. Unfortunately, all of this went down in the middle of a lecture on communication being given by Prairie Bible Institutes president, Mark Maxwell. As soon as I received the postcard, I sent for my mind posthaste and checked back into class when it arrived. Later, upon reecting on the incident, I got to wondering, what am I really gaining from Explore? What is all of this actually preparing me for? Those questions have continued to haunt me all month. What is next? I have spent many nights sitting down by the river, watching the reection of the stars dance on the water, pondering my lifes direction. This newsletter is, for me, a way to debrief my experiences and process what I am learning. It has the added bonus of letting others know where I am in my life and what Im doing. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. ~ DJ ~

- Top: aerial view of Camp Bighorn. Bottom Left: stamps from the postcard my mind sent me. Bottom Right: an elephant somewhere exotic that I wish I could go.
PHOTOS

The Explorer, 1850 MT Hwy 135, Plains, MT 59859 USA | 406-826-3144 | www.facebook.com/DJBettis

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Explore year 2: Team Zao-Rohai

Canoeing on the Blackfoot River, MT

THE MONTH IN REVIEW

Goodbye college dor ms, desks, and classrooms, hello swift-water mayhem, carcamping canoe-style, and apple bannock cooked on a stick over a campre... One word to describe the rst week of school: mayhem. The school was a beehive of activity with rst-year students going through all the welcome ceremonies and orientations, and with many returning students beginning their rst classes of the year. For me and most of Explore 2, our rst class was a two-week class called Leadership Foundations, which took a close look at the administrative aspect of leadership and the foundational principles of a spiritual leader. August 31 was little more than a 10hour bus ride. The driver went the wrong aka LONGway around Flathead Lake. Rumor is, the driver was momentarily lost. We made it anyhow, and we were warmly welcomed by Bighorn staff. Seated around a bonre later that night, I looked around at the many familiar faces of Bighorn and Explore 2, and all the fresh new faces of

rst-year Explore: my family in Montana. I am excited to get to know them all. Monday morning, the rubber hit the road with Explore 1 leaving for their veday hike on the State-line Trail and Explore 2 beginning a three-day swift-water rescue class, followed by a three-day team-building trip, canoeing on the Blackfoot River. During the canoe trip, Tom Collins (one of the wisest, most Biblically knowledgable men I know) met us on the river to give a leadership training lecture. As a side note, bannock cooks in a at pan (i.e. skillet) much better than on a stick. Also, cooking it in an un-greased pot is a terrible idea. My pot has yet to fully recover. Moving on... Also on that trip, my team began to develop a constitutional covenant; a document that we will hold ourselves and each other accountable to throughout the year. We nalized it a couple of days after the trip. You can read it on page 4. I am very pleased with how it turned out, and the way that my team handled creating it, I am condent that our year together will be a splendid one.

Dont judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson ~ The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. ~ Zephaniah 3:17

The Explorer, 1850 MT Hwy 135, Plains, MT 59859 USA | 406-826-3144 | www.facebook.com/DJBettis

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As soon as we returned to Camp Bighorn, we joined in the celebration of the marriage of Timo and Corinne Towne at their wedding reception. I have never seen a bigger, more authentic smile on anyones face than the one that Timo wore every time he looked at his bride, with the possible exception of the one she wore when she caught him looking at her. Watching them dance together was breathtaking. Explore 2 is in the process of planning and programming the Wycliffe Race to 2025, the purpose of which is to raise awareness and funds for Bible translation (visit www.wycliffenextgen.com and click Race to 2025 for more information about the race). First-year Explore will be our Guinea pigs and run the course before the actual competition. It sounds exciting, and our team is pretty stoked. It will be the rst time this race has ever been run in the States. We have also been learning how to teach. That has been a stretch and an adventure for me! I successfully gave practice lessons on how to strike a lighter and how to stack chairs (everybody passed both classes). I was required to develop a lesson plan to teach the rst-year students the art of eddy-hoppingswimming in the river from one eddy to anotherfor their Whitewater Acclimation. Day one of Explore 2 teaching Explore 1 Whitewater Acclimation was fantastic! After lunch, we all facilitated a relay race for Explore 1 in which they towed kayakers, carried rafts, drew river features, swam across the Clark Fork River, then ended with a game that combined water polo and ultimate frisbee. Afterward, Joe (my roommate) made those of us in Explore 2 who were watching the game get in the water and oat downriverin our street clothes, jeans and all! He made up for it by inviting us all to his house to watch a movie. The next day, I gave my lesson to Explore 1. I gave it three times, once for each team in Explore 1. It went very well, and we ended the day with a rafting trip on the Triple Set rapids of the Clark Fork River. Toward the end of the trip, my captain deserted me and the crew mutineered. I was thrown overboard and marooned on the shore with nothing but a pistol and a single bullet. Wait, wrong movie...

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Chillin at the Circle diner in Plains

Thursday the 20th, half of my team (myself included) went on a threeday trip to Montanas Stone Hill to do some rock climbing. We camped in a beautiful corner of Lake Koocanusa, a 90-mile long lake that is fed by the Kootenai River and crosses the US/ Canadian border, hence its name. I made a dozen climbs on that trip, successfully conquering a wicked 5.9 overhang and a 5.10b face, as well as lead-climbing several routes. I love climbing. I havent had very many opportunities to climb, but now that I know how to do it, Im going to be making more opportunities for

myself and others who would like to join me. I almost have all the gear I need, and Im so excited! We nished that trip with a visit to Kootenai Falls for dinner. As we sat next to the river, eating our campcooked pizza, we got to watch four kayakers go over the falls and play in the rapids. It was no small feat; our group was thoroughly impressed. Tuesday, my team and I woke up around 4:00 a.m. to practice orienteering in the wilderness. We spent all day in a small area of wilderness, using our compasses, maps, and land features to get from one point on the map to another. Now, we are preparing for an ultralight backpacking trip. Well be hiking along the Montana/Idaho State-line Trail, covering thirty-ve miles in three days. That doesnt sound like much, but theres a lot of major elevation gain and loss in that. My goal is to pack everything I need for those three days into my daypack and try to keep the weight of all Im carrying (minus the weight of my water) under fteen pounds. More on that to come! The rest of whats been happening this month: classes, of course. Assignments and pre-class readings have kept us busy in our spare time. Still, we nd time to hang out at Quinns Hotsprings Resort, Plains, and Missoula; hunt squirrels, grouse, and turkeys; watch movies...we talk theology over a pipe and epistemology around a campre; guns, trucks, relationships, and the latest outdoor fashions and gadgets...and every day, in all that we do, we get to explore the mystery of God. Life is a grand adventure!

The Explorer, 1850 MT Hwy 135, Plains, MT 59859 USA | 406-826-3144 | www.facebook.com/DJBettis

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We The People of Explore

TEAM ZAO-ROHAIS CONSTITUTIONAL COVENANT

We the People of Zao-Rohai value and desire growth as a family in unity while building each other up as individuals to prepare and equip each other as servant leaders on behalf of our Lord Jesus Christ. We agree to accept the authority of the arbiter (the leader of the week), understanding they are responsible to the team to equip, empower, and protect the team, not for selsh gain, but for the good of the group. As a family, we submit in body and in heart to the arbiter, understanding they are in authority to grow as servant leaders while seeking others good. We are all committed to cultivate an environment for failure and for success. Love is our aim and grace is our guide. Interpersonal conict will be dealt with interpersonally. Group conict will be dealt with as the arbiter as the servant head. We intend to be a holistic community as one body under Jesus, being inclusive and building each other up in love. As members of one body, we understand our individual inuence on that body. We are as strong as our weakest member. When one member suffers, all suffer with it. When one member rejoices, all rejoice with it. We strive for joy and peace amongst each other while giving each other grace. We commit to having attitudes that build the body up towards the love of Christ. We desire to be a sacricial community who gives each other praise and encouragement. Individual humility breeds team unity. We seek to employ our teaching methods wherein feedback is for edication and growth, not attacks on the individual. We commit to harbor gentle spirits that are quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to grow angry. These commitments are comprised as a vehicle for growth. Christ is our desire and our aim. We are under one

Lord and this constitution is a tool for Christ, water to the growth of the Holy Spirit. Upon conict, whereas a consensus is made that requires revision, the two arbiters can call a meeting whereof eight of the eleven individuals must agree to make said revision. Ephesians 4:15-16 But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being tted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Fellow Bond-Servants Under the Banner of Our Lord Explore 2, team Zao-Rohai, consists of the following people: Alana Tomlinson Chad Lengsfeld Christopher Schorsch Joe Bratz Kate Milner Matthew Zondervan Megan Eli Stephen Reynolds Sarah Vandenboogaard Taylor Finstad ...and me! Our CICs (Explores program directors) are: Dennis Hennis and Hannah Dannah Landon Next step: a team shirt!

The Explorer, 1850 MT Hwy 135, Plains, MT 59859 USA | 406-826-3144 | www.facebook.com/DJBettis

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Rhoncus tempor placerat.

Maecenas pulvinar sagittis enim.

A TIDBIT ABOUT ME

Recently, I was asked why I wear a totem raven pendant around my neck. I didnt really have a good answer. I found the pendant on an earring in an alley while cleaning up for the Roslyn Farmers Market. I have since done some research on the animal, and I have given it personal meaningor, perhaps, God revealed its meaning in my life to me. First, because it is a totem pendant, I looked up the symbolism behind totem animals. In Shamanism and Native American spirituality, totems are important nature symbols used to get in touch with the qualities found within the animal that is represented by the totem. Next, I looked up the qualities of the Raven in totem symbolism. The raven is considered one of the oldest and wisest of animals. It is known as the keeper of secrets, and a teacher of the same. While often associated with darkness and mystery, the raven is said to bring heightened awareness and a deeper understanding of our consciousness, granting perception into

the hearts of others and empathy toward them. To have a ravens knowledge is an Irish proverb that means to have supernatural insight into the future. Curiously, when I looked into the Bibles portrayal of the bird, the rst thing that I found was that God sent ravens to feed a prophet. At the beginning of 1 Kings 17, God commands the ravens to bring bread and meat to Elijah during a drought. Every morning and evening, they provided for him. This isnt an isolated incident. In the Bible, Ravens are always associated with Gods provision. In Job 38:41, God asks Job, "Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for help, and wander about for lack of food?" The answer to that question is in Psalm 147:9: "He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry." In Luke 12:24, Jesus reassures his disciples, "Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!"

So How does all of this relate to me? Well, rst of all, I need constant reminder that God will provide for me, especially when it comes to the uncertainty of my future. I frequently ask Him, God, what do you want with my life? Where are you taking me? He always responds, Dont worry about it; I will get you where you need to go, and I will provide for your needs. Be patient, just like Jesus told his disciples in Luke 12. Do not worry about your life. Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? As far as the symbolism in Native spirituality, I do not believe that the raven grants me supernatural insight or powers, but I do think that the raven is an animal that represents me well. God has given me the gift of empathy. Also, the Raven is a reminder to me that I need Gods wisdom. So in a sense, it is a tting totem animal. The next time somebody asks me why I wear this pendant, I will tell them that it is because God provides, and I will have a story to tell them.

The Explorer, 1850 MT Hwy 135, Plains, MT 59859 USA | 406-826-3144 | www.facebook.com/DJBettis

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THE LAST

Thank you!
{ THIS IS THE PART WHERE I SAY GOODBYE. }

Thank you so much for reading my newsletter. I really appreciate your care and interest in my life. If you feel like it, send me feedback! What would you like to see included in my next newsletter? Is there anything you read about in this one that you would like to know more about? What was your favorite story? Or, just send me a note to say hi. If thats the only word you say, even that is encouraging! My email address and Facebook page are: psychoanalyze_me@yahoo.com www.facebook.com/DJBettis I can also be reached via phone and snail mail at the address found at the bottom of each page of this

newsletter. After October 28, I will be back on Prairie campus, and my address will be: P.O. Box 4602 Three Hills, AB T0M 2N0 Canada Finally, before I bring this newsletter to a close, I have a couple of requests. Please, send me some encouragement! Like I said, all it takes is a single word. I love snail mail! Send m e a l e t t e r, a p h o t o g r a p h , a postcard...anything to let me know Im on your mind. Also, if you will, say a prayer for me. I do many potentially dangerous activities in this program, so you can pray for my safety. School is

stressful at times, so you can also pray for my sanity. Understanding and attentiveness in my classes is kind of important as well. (Who would have thought, right?) Lastly, I have no idea where God is taking me after school is out, so you can pray that Gods direction will be revealed to me and that I will have the courage to follow where He leads. Thank you again for your prayer and your support! I appreciate it more than I can say. May God bless you and keep you.

~ DJ ~

Maecenas pulvinar sagittis enim.

Rhoncus tempor placerat.

The Explorer, 1850 MT Hwy 135, Plains, MT 59859 USA | 406-826-3144 | www.facebook.com/DJBettis