Friday, May 30, 2008

TJ and MaryAnn - Don't Leave!!!!



The much dreaded day finally came....we had one LAST TIME to get together as a whole group of friends to tell MaryAnn and TJ goodbye!!! It was fun...but it was sad! We started the evening with delicious food and conversation, and then ended it with a slide-show highlighting the memories we've had with TJ and MaryAnn over the last couple years. Then they opened their cards and gifts and we cried and cried!!! "Pass the kleenex please...."

While it's hard to see them go, we know God has special things in store for their future, and we know that God will keep us close in heart! Also, we know that some people in Michigan are going to be very lucky to get TJ and MaryAnn as their new friends...

Here are a couple of my favorite photo's from the evening...and then following is a slideshow with a few more pictures from our special time together!!

WE LOVE YOU, TJ and MARYANN!!!

We'll Miss you!

TJ and MaryAnn's Goodbye Group

MaryAnn loves her apron!!

Friends Forever

Thoughtful moments



Goodbye hugs



Sad Eyes



It's going to be sooooo sad without YOU!!!! :-(((((

More Pictures from TJ and MaryAnn's Goodbye...

Sunday, May 25, 2008

A Special Graduation...


This past weekend was Graduation for Loma Linda University! And it was an exciting graduation for all of us since TWO very special guys graduated!!

The first special guy was, my soon-to-be brother-in-law, Tim Arakawa with his PhD (read more about Tim's fascinating over-view on his whole research process on his blog). Tim is not done yet though. He will complete his Loma Linda University experience when he graduates with his MD next spring 2009!

The second special guy was my good friend, TJ Knutson, who graduated with his MD!!!! TJ and his wife MaryAnn have gotten to be some of my closest friends here in Loma Linda over the last couple years I've been in the area! The sad thing is that NOW that he's graduated, they have to move to Michigan where he'll be starting his Emergency Medicine Residency in mid June! Booo....hooo...sniff sniff...

We're proud of both of them though, as well as the other friends from Advent Hope that graduated. And we know that God has special things in store for their future!!!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

How to Plant a Real Garden...



First, you come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses.... Then plant the following, and cultivate daily!

PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS:
1. Peace of mind
2. Peace of heart
3. Peace of soul

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:
1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE:
1. Lettuce be faithful
2. Lettuce be kind
3. Lettuce be patient
4. Lettuce really love one another

NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS:
1. Turnip for meetings
2. Turnip for service
3. Turnip to help one another

TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME:
1. Thyme for each other
2. Thyme for family
3. Thyme for friends
4. And most importantly, THYME for God!!

WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE.

*The garden photo at the top is from my Mom's garden in Arkansas!!! She has a real green thumb! I just wish I could be home right now to be helping her out in the garden. But....ho hum....since I can't be....I'll just seek to keep cultivating my own little flower bed....right here in Loma Linda!

Sunday, May 18, 2008

With Vanessa & Ruben

This Sabbath I had the special treat of having my friend Vanessa and her baby boy Ruben come to spend the day with me. Vanessa is a sweet little Hispanic girl (barely out of her teens) that Dave introduced me to last Christmas. We've gotten together to make cookies, but she has also been wanting to come to church with me for awhile. In fact, she planned to attend "Restoration" back in February, but it never worked out. And since then, every time I asked her if she wanted to come, something always came up! But finally, this Sabbath.....things worked out! Praise the Lord!

Vanessa has not been to church since she was a child, and she's never been in an SDA church at all. But she seemed to love the experience and told me she wants to come back again. She attended the "FAST Scripture Memorization Class" that I've been teaching and soaked it all in. Then during church when they passed around the offering plate, Vanessa went digging in her torn jean pockets. "I only have $1 dollar left, but do you think that will be enough to give?" I smiled at her. "You just do what God is telling you to do. He will bless your giving!" She happily plopped in her $1 dollar bill into the offering plate. ("If only all of us gave with such happiness and generosity!" I thought to myself!)

While Vanessa is already a mother of four, her sweet childlike innocency and simplicity amaze me! After we left church, we went to my house and talked and talked.....about God, about the future, about how to get ready for Jesus coming. Ruben played happily at our feet, oblivious to the important topics at hand...

After a delicious vegan potluck (many more new experiences for Vanessa and Ruben), we took her home! We plan to get together again soon, and she hopes to come to church again next week. But I know the devil will not be idle....

Pray for Vanessa....and for all her family, and for her cousin Junior whose already been exposed to much of God's love, but still sits on the fence. She sooo desperately wants to see them all saved! And I know her heart is in earnest...but it is a tough environment that these kids come from...and no victory will be gained without a serious fight!

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." II Pet 3:9

The stages of Faith...

"All things are possible to him that believeth." Mark 9:23

The "all things" do not always come simply for the asking, for the reason that God is ever seeking to teach us the way of faith, and in our training in the faith-life there must be room for the trial of faith, the discipline of faith, the patience of faith, the courage of faith, and often many stages are passed before we really realize what is the end of faith, namely, the victory of faith.

Real moral fiber is developed through discipline of faith. You have made your request of God, but the answer does not come. What are you to do?

Keep on believing God's word; never be moved away from it by what you see or feel, and thus as you stand steady, enlarged power and experience is being developed. The fact of looking at the apparent contradiction as to God's Word and being unmoved from your position of faith make you stronger on every other line.

Often God delays purposefully, and the delay is just as much an answer to your prayer as is the fulfillment when it comes.

In the lives of all the great Bible characters, God worked thus. Abraham, Moses, and Elijah were not great in the beginning, but were made great through the discipline of their faith, and only thus were they fitted for the positions to which God had called them.

For example, in the case of Joseph whom the Lord was training for the throne of Egypt, we read in Psalms: "The word of the Lord tried him."

It was not the prison life with its hard beds or poor food that tried him, but it was the word God had spoken into his heart in the early years concerning elevation and honor which were greater than his brethren were to receive; it was this which was ever before him, when every step in his career made it seem more and more impossible of fulfillment, until he was there imprisoned, and in all innocency, while others who were perhaps justly incarcerated, were released, and he was left alone to languish.

These were the hours that tried his soul, but hours of spiritual growth and development, that, "when his word came" (the word of release), found him fitted for the delicate task of dealing with his wayward brethren, with a love and patience only surpassed by God Himself.

No amount of persecution tries like such experiences as these. When God has spoken of His purpose to do, and yet the days go on and He does not do it, that is truly hard; but it is a discipline of faith that will bring us into a knowledge of God which would otherwise be impossible!

~From Streams in the Desert May 12th -

Friday, May 16, 2008

Live, Laugh, Love



Well, another loooong week has come to an end...and with it, I breath a sigh of relief. I've had a lot on my mind and a lot on my shoulders (probably too much) and am feeling the drain. But God is faithful...one day at a time.

Seems I can't keep up with the news and all the horror happening around the world....Burma, Chile, India, China....what next?? Sometimes I don't even want to know for I feel so helpless...

I know our days are numbered too here in America...what lies around the corner for my life and my world, no one knows except for God. It could be a physical earthquake...just like China's....or it could be another emotional land slide. (Seems there have been far too many of those lately!) Why does life have to get soooo complicating when you grow up?? I was having fun being a kid!! I wasn't ready for the problems of the grown-ups world!!!

I can't change the circumstances of life, nor can I control other's actions (deep sigh)...but I will continue to live and love and press forward...one day at a time.

Sometimes I'm cautioned, "Mel, don't get sooo involved in other's lives and pains, don't take on the weight of the world! Don't let yourself feel sooo deeply!!" And they've got a point. I can't carry the load...only God can. And I must keep reminding myself to "give it to Him." Yet, how can I not care? How can I not get involved when a friend asks for help, how can I not hurt when I see others hurting??

Yes, plain and simple, life hurts sometimes! For those on the other side of the world, life hurts all the time!! I must just be thankful for each day that God gives me....and I will continue to love and care.

I firmly believe it is better to have loved and lost, then never loved at all. It is better to have laughed and cried, then never felt at all. And it is better to live today to it's best, rather than to live a hundred, but discover you haven't really lived at all. I don't know what tomorrow holds, but TODAY, the day God has given me, I will LIVE....I will smile, laugh and if needed, I will cry! I cannot help but love with all my heart. For who knows, it may be the last day of all...

My new "little" camera...


After much deliberation I have decided to part with my nice big Digital SLR and am going back to something cheaper and more light-weight. (A tiny pocket handheld!) Although I love the quality of the SLR, I'm tired of the hastle of lugging the huge thing up the mountain when I go hiking. I am also tired of drawing soooo much attention when I take pictures. So....back to simple life again!! You can view a few of my first shots with my new little camera above.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Back to a "Thousand Steps" beach...

Climbing on the rock...



The wise man and the foolish man...

This past Sabbath Val and I, along with a few of our friends, went to "A Thousand Steps" beach to enjoy some sunshine and fresh ocean air. There weren't a whole lot of people around (I suppose the name "A thousand steps beach" helps cut the crowds down...) so it was peaceful and refreshing. I climbed up on a overlook to have some time alone and to enjoy the beating of the waves against the shoreline and fresh air upon my face.

Down on the beach not far from where I sat reflecting was an old beach house, tattered, falling apart and with windows broken. It was a perfect picture of disarray and disrepair. "How many of our lives look just like that house!" I thought. "In fact, it's the perfect example of what Jesus talked about in the Bible...The foolish man built his house upon the sand..."

And, just as in the parable from Matthew 7, up on the hill above stood a huge beautiful mansion...it had a hanging garden spilling over the hill and flowers were all around. It truly looked like a beautiful place to live. "And the wise man built his house upon the rock..." I thought as I smiled to myself. "That house should be what our spiritual lives look like with Christ!!"

It's been only 4 days now since our trip to the beach when I encountered the "wise man's house and the foolish man's house." Yet I'm amazed at how true this incredible parable and Sabbath school children's story is in our world today!

Just since this weekend, not only has another cult leader been arrested in Southern New Mexico who called himself the messiah. (What's scary is he use to be a member of the SDA church!) But a massive volcanoe erupted in Chile spewing ash for up to 20 miles into the air, and a Cyclone has ripped into Myanmar Burma killing thousands. In fact, over 60,000 are still missing. The pictures are incredible, and the numbers mind boggling. Yet, how easy is it for me, sitting here curled up in my cozy home, with warm blankets wrapped around my shoulders (yes, mornings are still chilly here in Southern CA) and with plenty of food and water on my shelf... how easy is it for me to just brush the casualties aside. (In fact, initially I did brush them aside!) I first saw the news about the Cyclone on the way to work on Monday when I checked into MSN. I only read the headlines "thousands killed, and thousands more missing." But I was rushed and didn't hardly give it another thought besides "Wow - another disaster, and more sad stories." I checked my e-mail, grabbed my breakfast, and headed off to work in my comfortable car on our clean dry roads. It was just another day in my neighborhood...and another day in my world.

But as I've been off from work the last couple days, and spending some extra time on my knees with friends from Advent Hope as we pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit during "Operation Global Rain," I've thought about it all more, and about the parable of the houses upon the beach. For the scope of the matter is: These disasters may not be imminently affecting my world at the moment, and I may be quite numb to the pain of the thousands lost and struggling just to find a drink of clean water on the opposite side of the world. Yet, it should be shaking my world, and waking me to the urgency of the times is which we live...the urgency to share Christ Jesus with those around me, with the lost masses in my own neighborhood, and beyond. Sometime, someday soon....I too, along with the rest of comfortable America, will be cast into our own crises....bigger than any Hurricane Katrina, and bigger than dozens of Tornadoes! What then? Who will come to our rescue? Will I be able to stand, even when the fierce winds blow and everything I know is under water? What about when someone I thought stood for truth ends up preaching falsehood....will I be able to tell what is the truth?

"Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." Matt 7:24-27

So, I am reminded again, and nudged out of my "comfort zone" as I realize, our only safety is in building upon our Rock Christ Jesus...when the storms come and the fierce winds blow, it is only in Him that we can ever hope to stand.

"To the law and to the testimony. If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isa 8:20

Most of our world chooses to build their homes and lives upon the sand...the sand of change, of superstition, of pride, of tradition, of selfishness, of vain glory, and of other gods...any god but the God of the Bible. They think they can stand, they think they know what is best. Yet sadly, one by one we can see these homes and lives fall apart. (Just like the house on the sand...and just like the thousands who built their homes upon the sand of Myanmar!)

"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Prov 14:12

Let's make sure we are building upon the ROCK of JESUS CHRIST!!!

What am I building my house on?? Rock or sand?

The foolish man built his house upon the sand...


You can't see from here...but this house is falling apart and looks like it's endured too many storms!

The wise man built his house upon the Rock!!



Flowers along the ocean...



Worship on the beach...

This day with God...and everyday with God!



A peaceful ending on another beautiful Sabbath!



Sunday, May 04, 2008

Let's Pray...while there's still time!!


This last Thursday was National Day of Prayer, and currently "Operation Global Rain" is hosting another 10 day Prayer event!

To get an idea of what we've been talking about at Prayer Meeting lately as we seek to get more on our knees, visit: http://www.adventhopeprayer.blogspot.com/

As my Grandpa use to say, "Don't just stand there, do something!"

Well, my challenge to all of us is... "Let's don't just do something....let's get on our knees, and Let's Pray!!!"

"The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray." - Samuel Chadwick

Thursday, May 01, 2008

A Hike to remember...

Lost in the snow in Southern California...

Well...it seems I've had a few "Mountain high experiences" lately, huh? And of course, as the snow melts and the weather becomes nicer for hiking in the high altitudes...that will only increase. Vanessa and Season and I plan to hike all the peaks here in this area between now and July. (I've already been on the top of all of them except for one with Jennifer, so part of this is old terrain for me. But still, I'll never pass up the opportunity to climb a mountain!) We're hoping to go up to Yosemite and do Half-dome in July...so that helps us stay motivated.

The experience of this last "mtn climb" was quite a wild adventure though...and one I don't think I'll soon be forgetting...or repeating!

The day dawned bright and clear and promised to be perfect for hiking. After a hearty breakfast, we set out energetically for Palm Springs in Season's sporty SUV. Geared with Camelbacks, Hiking poles, and enough food to feed an army (or at least several hungry girls), we felt like real "Mountain women" ready for adventure!!

As we got closer to Palm Springs, we could see the mtn top that we planned to scale. It rose more than 10,000 feet from the desert floor, and it's peak (a stark contrast to the brown around) was covered in snow and glistened in the early morning rays of sunshine. Even if there was snow, it didn't bother us. We were enthusiastic and ready for the challenge.

Our final destination was the "Aerial Tramway" to the Mtn Top Visitor's Center on Mt. San Jacinto. (This would be the 2nd time I've ridden the tram in the last 2 weeks!) But this time, rather than just walking the short little trails around the Visitor's center, we headed off down the trail past the sign that announced "Wilderness Area - must have Pass to hike past this point." We had the pass, and our destination was San Jacinto Peak - 10,834 feet!

At first the trail was easy...and any snow that lay around had been cleared away. But then we crossed a small creek and headed up a hill...a hill that had obviously not received as much sun and was still covered in snow. Others had gone ahead though, and so we plodded along stepping in the foot steps that had already been carved into the mountainside. Even though we were walking in snow, the temperature was great...and we were not cold at all. However, as we got further up the trail, we passed different hikers stopping to rest. Some had ice-picks and huge back packs as if they planned to "stay out" awhile. They asked us where we were going. "To the peak!" we energetically replied. "Do you have crampons?" they'd ask. "No!" we replied. (I didn't even know what crampons were. But now I know. They are the shoes that have sharp pointy things on the bottom so you can walk on ice/snow without slipping or sliding!) "We're going up there too, but you probably wont make it very far without the gear..." the other hikers* cautioned. But we trudged fearlessly on.

I'd been up the trail several times before, so even though it was hard at times to stay on track as the snow got deeper and deeper...I knew the direction we were heading, and I had a map, so we kept going! I knew that WE could make it!!!!

Somewhere about halfway up the valley, we met a middle-aged gentlemen that was lost. We weren't lost, so we directed him in the proper way and headed on...soon leaving him panting and huffing behind. Up we climbed....pretty soon we had no footsteps to follow at all, but still I was confident...I knew where we were going! I pointed out land-marks to the girls, and kept my eyes open for different things that alerted me that we were still on track.

"We're sooo glad you're leading us Melody!" the girls piped up! "We wouldn't even attempt this if you didn't know the way! We can tell you're a real hiker women...and so it's not scary to be following you!" I laughed at their comments. But as time went on, and we climbed higher, I began to pray that I wasn't leading them astray. The map helped, but it wasn't detailed enough for me to know if we were still on track. We came out on a ridge that I thought I recognized, but then I expected the trail to cut back to the right and head up the mtn...and I couldn't find it. So, praying...I set out once again blazing my own trail. As the mtn got steeper and the brush thicker, I knew we couldn't keep going unless we found a trail. We kept falling through the snow and cutting our legs on the brush, and it was getting to be impossible going. I kept praying silently, not wanting to make the girls panic. But I was growing increasingly concerned, and as the leader in the group, began to think more seriously about it all. "What if I can't find the trail up the side of this mountain...We still have many miles to go to get to the peak! Or worse yet, what if we get stuck up here and have to spend the night in the snow! Is this wise to keep going forward??"

We kept struggling upward, but progress was slow. Thankfully we had our hiking poles to help us not slide around and lose our balance in the snow, and even though our feet were soaked and we kept falling in holes, the temperature remained comfortable. We stopped on some warm rocks for a breather and ate a snack, surveying our progress. Even though I didn't want to worry Season and Vanessa, I told them, "I'm not sure where the trail is, and we really need to find it if we're going to be able to keep going! Why don't we pray!" So we did! I can only imagine God's amusement at our plight...yet I imagine He was also looking down in tenderness and love. The verse from Isa 30:21 flashed through my mind: "And thine hears shall hear a word behind thee saying, this is the way...walk ye in it!"

We set out again. The going was tough, and the common jabber of our girl-friend talk went silent. I think we were all concerned and praying! "If we don't make it to the top by 3pm, we're turning around!" I told the girls, "Or we may get stuck up here on the mountain in the dark! And we don't want THAT!!!" They agreed. I pushed ahead, searching for the trail that would be hidden in the snow..."Is it here? Is it still higher?.....hmmm....it seems when I remember climbing this mountain we had a better view of that clearing down in the valley. I think I need to be higher up still...." I mused to myself as I searched and prayed. Finally, I stumbled across a solid line of snow slowly twisting its way up the mountain! The snow that covered the trail I was looking for!!! Breathing a sigh of relief I yelled to the girls below. "I found it!!! I found it!!! God answered our prayer! I found it!!!"

Now, although the going was still tough, we no longer had to fight through brush...we just had to stay on our feet and keep going! Praise the Lord. And so the hike continued... two more times we lost our way, and two more times God answered our prayer and brought us back to the trail again. By 3pm we had not made it to the top, but we were sooo close that I knew we couldn't turn back. So while energy was waning, we pressed eagerly forward!

Just coming down from the peak were two hikers clad in long pants and coats, with professional ice-hacking gear, and of course wearing....you guessed it..."Crampons." They looked at us in almost startled surprise. We found out that one of them was from "Alaska"...and you could tell by her "get-up" that she travelled prepared. Here we were, three crazy girls...wearing shorts and tank tops, and shoes that were hardly more than glorified tennis. I can only imagine what they thought! But that didn't matter, because WE HAD MADE IT!!! We were at the top!!

By this time it was 3:30, and we had been hiking for over 4 hours trying to get to the top! (The 12 mile round trip usually takes no more than 5hrs total, so I knew we had to hustle if we were going to make it back by dark!) We enjoyed a few minutes of the glory of being on the top of the world, ate a quick snack, took some pictures, then headed down. At least slipping and sliding down the mountain was faster than slipping and sliding up it!!! ;-)

Thankfully, we made good progress, and this time did not waste time looking for the trail. Although it was often lost to sight, I knew now where we were headed and kept my eyes on the landmarks I'd used coming up. Besides falling in the ice a couple times, and getting more soaked, and cutting our legs up a bit more...we literally plowed down the mountain with our hiking poles! It was awesome!!!

Two hours later, with tongues hanging out, we dragged into the Mountain Visitor Center where our adventure had started. Some hikers asked us where we'd been. "To the peak!" we replied. "No way? You went to the peak like that?" We laughed. "Yep, we did!" "The ranger said you couldn't make it without Crampons!" they insisted. We just shrugged. "Well, we made it without them." Soon, everyone was talking, and as we boarded the tram for the ride back to the valley everyone had questions. Some even took pictures of us! I had to laugh...it was almost like we were "celebrity's" or something.

Yes, we had made it!!! But...none of it would have happened if God hadn't taken care of us and seen us through...despite my stubbornness to keep walking when caution began to tell me otherwise!

It was an exhilarating adventure...one I wouldn't attempt again...but one that I'm glad that I had. And it is one I will always remember!! You wouldn't think an Arkansas girl could get lost in the snow...in Southern CA! But think again...even here I am learning to take nature seriously!! (Especially when it's at an elevation above 10,000 feet!!!!)

As we drove home with the setting sun before us, I thought about the adventure of the day...What lessons had I learned and what would I take with me for future climbs??

  • It pays to have a goal and know where you are going...You may get lost, but if you look up and see that goal, you can get back on track again! (I'm reminded of the quote, "Those that aim for nothing usually hit it every time...")
  • It pays to watch the signs around you!! (landmarks and signs of the times all tell us something important! We should be taking heed!)
  • It pays to have strength from lots of hikes and training before. If we hadn't been hiking and jogging and making exercise a way-of-life for months before...we couldn't have just gone out and climbed that mountain! We'd have been huffing and puffing and struggling with the first little hill!! (So our spiritual muscles of faith are also strengthened!!! We have to use them and build them if they are going to stand the big mountain ahead of us!)
  • Determination and optimism go a long way! We could have been grumbling and crying as we fought through the snow, but instead we were laughing and enjoying ourselves...at least most of the time! (Seeing trials as opportunities to grow and gain greater joy make all the difference in the world in how life goes!)
  • A detailed map really helps the journey. This we didn't have...yet I am reminded that for the real journey called LIFE...God has given us a map! And it (The Bible and Spirit of Prophecy) is filled with details, if we will only take time to read it! So many people are wandering around lost in this world because they've never read the map...some even have the map sitting in their homes...but it only collects dust. How much good will it do if we don't read it, study it, memorize it....and really take it to heart?? ;-(
  • Ultimately, it pays not to trust in ourselves, our map reading ability, or even in our "Crampons." We have to trust in our ultimate guide...Jesus Christ! No matter how well prepared we are, or how much experience we have, we're all humans...and humans fail!!! The only one that never fails is God. We may not always understand what God is doing...but He will not fail!!
  • The small miracles that God worked for us out on this mountain are only glimpses of the larger miracles that He wants to work in our every day lives. Are we willing to trust Him? If so, how are we seeking to trust Him now? Are we really preparing to make the summit called "Heaven." It's a pretty big prize to gamble losing, simply because we want to do things "our way."
  • Finally...it seems that often times the distractions of life cover up the trail that God has for us to walk, just like the snow covered the path to the top! Often, because of these distractions, we lose our way. But we don't have to stay lost! All we have to do is turn back to Him...
"And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, THIS IS THE WAY, walk ye in it..." Isa 30:21

"In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths..." Prov 3:6

*Incidentally, we never again passed any of the other hikers that said they were going to the peak. I only hope they didn't get lost on the mountain! But then...I guess if they did get lost, at least they had their "Crampons." ;-)