Hello Everyone!
I just got back from Colorado a few days ago and boy was it an amazing trip! Half of the class ended up carpooling to Colorado while the rest of us who were too out-of-the-way booked flights to the Denver airport. It was so nice to see everyone again though it felt a little strange with only six of us. We found ourselves “rebuilding" our team, redefining our roles within the team, adapting how we operate and embracing a changed dynamic which was much more intimate and required increased responsibility as we distributed the work previously done by the members who had left. As one team member put it, “it's harder to hide in six than nine.” So, whereas it is a different dynamic, I feel like it is a good shift.
The first week of the trip was devoted to WFR (Wilderness First Response) training. We learned all about what to do in medical emergencies in hard-to-reach areas. We also learned resource management and how to assess, treat, and plan an evacuation, even with limited resources. We learned different types of evacuations, different critical system problems, and way more! To help solidify all we learned and teach us to work under pressure we did a bunch of drills. Some people on our team would be “patients" and the others would be “rescuers". The patients would have a story about what happened and then a list of problems. Then the rescuer would have to find the patient, assess them, treat them, and then arrange to get them out by extracting them or organizing an evacuation. In a simulation where I was a panicked patient who had been stung by a bee, I convinced the rescuer to give me an Epi-pen (even though it was unnecessary), and then the other patient went into anaphylaxis and died because there had been only one Epi-pen. It was really educational, but also very fun and now I am officially WFR certified!
The second part of the trip was for AIARE 1, and Avalanche Rescue. This year Chazak made a few changes to their training, so our experience was a little different than previous classes. Instead of snowshoeing up the mountain to the hut, we skied. We also had an extra day of training in avalanche rescue and were the first class to earn Avalanche Rescue 1 certification. Because of that we also got to delve into our AIARE 1 course even deeper and are halfway to being AIARE 2 certified as well. Also, because we were skiing instead of snowshoeing, we were able to tour much further than previous classes and examine all sorts of avalanche terrain and traps in more detail. We also learned the fundamentals of using skis in rescue situations which will help us be better prepared if we go to an area where skiing is the most logical method of transportation. Class Three's (my class) experience was such a success that they have decided that they will be doing it like that every year from here forward.
In this training we learned winter survival, navigation skills, and all about avalanches: how to predict them, how to prevent them, and (my personal favorite) avalanche rescue. The stats for rescuing a completely buried victim are really insane. If you recover someone 10 minutes after they were buried, they have only a 46% chance of survival. With avalanche rescue TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. So, we drilled and drilled until we were able to perform rescues efficiently as a team and also solo. By the end of training, we all passed the test with flying colors beating the clock on every event. One teammate even pulled off a double victim recovery on his own in less than 5 minutes. It was a difficult, intense and very cold course, but it was incredibly fun.
In addition to the hands-on practical learning, there was a big emphasis on spiritual growth. One thing our instructor for WFR encouraged us to do is to pray when we encounter a wilderness crisis. We were strongly encouraged and challenged to become more proficient in the art of praying without ceasing and asking for God's wisdom, guidance and provision in every area of our lives. It was so refreshing. Our team came together several times just to worship God. Being part of such a solid Christian group has been good for my soul and the whole team said they felt His presence which was an amazing experience. It reassures me that I am in fact in the right place doing what God wants me to do.
I received so many encouraging letters from you guys and I just wanted to thank you all for the kind things you had to say. I apologize for the long time between your messages and my responses. Throughout my training my response time will likely be inconsistent. While in Colorado I was without any cell service for a full month and I will have more circumstances like that during my training. However, I will always try to respond and do so as quickly as possible.
I have another big announcement, as many of you know I was really nervous about the end of year PFT (Physical Fitness Test). Well, this week I took the mock physical fitness test, and I passed! The annual PFT is something every cadet has to pass to be able to continue on to the next year. I was so nervous about it, but with a lot of work and God's grace, I have passed the mock test and feel confident about the actual PFT which is scheduled in a few months. My goal is no longer just to pass it, but to do so with excellence. It will be hard, but I know with continued work and prayer God will help me to accomplish this.
Thank you so much for your time and prayers, my prayer requests remain the same:
Prayer for physical strength to continue in the program and not hold my team back in any way.
Mental strength to tackle the mountains of homework I have set before me.
And finally continued financial partnership to help me continue in this path He has set me on.
Thanks again for the prayers you are all covering me in, I can't thank you enough, or express how much it means to me to know you guys have my back. I look forward to updating you guys next month on all that God is doing and will do in my life. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions, comments, or concerns you have, I always appreciate your feedback.
Thank you so much, I pray you all have a blessed day,
Mila
If you would like to send me a one time gift or partner with me financially on a monthly basis you can do so by sending your gift to me directly via Paypal at this link:
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/ermyandmila
Or you can make a tax deductible donation at borderlandsinternational.org. Just be sure to note “Mila Sanchez” when given the option to add a note. To go that route just follow this link:
https://give.cornerstone.cc/lovestrainingground
