This article was originally written by Eileen Wilder for the very first printed newsletter published by La Vida in 1991.
The most powerful tool of the La Vida Program is undeniably God’s Creation. There is nothing that could be built, done or said that could conjure up more reflection, challenge and growth than His mountains and streams.
The second more powerful tool, however, is the staff that God miraculously recruits every summer. I have been hearing about these “La Vida people” for years from my husband, Eric. After listening to many stories about bushwhacks in the pouring rain, kangaroo mice, deer flies and slugs, I have developed a standard caricature in my mind about what a Sherpa must be like to endure such hardships and earthiness. He/she liked wearing wool next to his/her skin, was born with a disdain for indoor plumbing, and never ate anything without some kind of bran in it.
God, thankfully, is infinitely more creative in His casting call to the La Vida ministry than I had imagined. The one thing I know I learned in the few weeks I had the opportunity to spend with the staff this summer is that there is no La Vida stereotype. I met Northerners, Southerners, Mid-westerners and two Californians. There were teachers and there were students. There was a gifted pianist, a computer wizard and a class valedictorian. Many members of this summer’s staff were also active in other ministries such as Young Life and Coalition for Christian Outreach. I soon discovered that these were people who did miss shaving their legs and plugging in their electric coffee pots in the morning.
What these people did have in common was the desire to help others go deeper in their walk with Christ, and a willingness to sacrifice some luxuries in order to see that happen. That willingness is what makes people who are called to La Vida unique. What I had mistaken as a preference for roughing it, God was using as an opportunity to be crucified and identified with Christ in a partial way. The result of the sacrifices the staff makes is a people who can have an incredible impact on the lives of others.
From my perspective, this impact is clearly in evidence at the time when participants are loading up their cars and vans, eager to head home to hot showers and bright lights. Exhausted, they look around at the staff who are busily packing up their gear, checking it for any repairs that may need to be made before the next group of patrols arrive. It hits them that these people will soon be repeating for what most participants were the most challenging ten or twelve days of their lives. “How can they do this all summer?” they ask. Awed, they realize the depth of the commitment these people have to serving Christ.
Eileen and Eric with summer ADK staff 
Eileen with daughters Corinne and Lizzy
At a time of worship in between patrols this summer, in a crowded, lantern-lit tent, Rich asked how many of this year’s staff were hoping to return next summer. Nearly all of the twenty or so members of the group had their hands raised. Even Rich, who has been involved in this ministry for the last ten years, can sometimes be taken aback by the level of commitment his staff can have.
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” Isaiah 52:7
Snapshots of the Original Newsletter:
