Jesus on Sugar Mountain
previously published in May 2005
When I moved to North Carolina almost 11 years ago, I became a member of the Greensboro Korean SDA Church. Now, as a student at The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, (a.k.a. Tarheels!!) I also attend the Raleigh Korean SDA church, which I am proud to say is the newest addition to our SDA family. Sadly, throughout those 11 years, I can actually count on ONE hand, the number of times all the churches (Charlotte Korean SDA church being the third) have come together for fellowship or for any other reason. It wasn’t because our churches did not WANT to come together in fellowship; it was more that no one church really took an initiative to make that happen.
However, I believe that is all in the past now. During the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the three churches, also joined by the New Heaven SDA Church from Georgia, went on a joint ski trip to Sugar Mountain. From the moment they first stepped into the cabin, which was pretty amazing, the “fun” had begun. People were running up and down the stairs, in and out of rooms and all the while, you could here all the “ooooohh’s” and “ahhhhh’s.” Everyone was excited and giddy; everyone, that is, except me. I was brought to Sugar Mountain kicking and screaming (well, not THAT bad). I had so much to do back at school, and initially, I had no desire to go on this ski trip. Nevertheless, due to circumstances, there I was. We wasted no time and went right out onto the slopes the very first night we were there (Saturday). At that point, there was no denying that everyone was enjoying his/her experience, but it was obvious that the churches were still separated. For the most part, the members of the individual churches kept to themselves. Things didn’t seem to change for the better part of Sunday as well. It was that night, that things would change.
After a full day of skiing, we were all tired and most definitely ready to eat. We decided on an Italian restaurant located about ten minutes away from our lodge, and a group of nearly thirty people, in five cars, ventured out into the night. By this time, the snow that had melted earlier in the afternoon, had frozen due to the sudden drop in temperature, and the roads had iced over. Not far into our trip down the mountain, the car that I was riding in started to slip several times. We were the only car that was not a four-wheel-drive, and up until that point, the other four cars seemed to be making it down okay. Then, we saw the cars start to slide, one by one. First, the truck that was leading the group started sliding toward the cliff (which, by the way, did NOT have any railings), but luckily, hit a fairly large patch of snow that stopped it from going over. Furthermore, the truck stopped, leaving literally only a couple inches between itself and the car in front of it. The next car, an Expedition, also started sliding towards the cliff. It too, got caught on a patch of snow and stopped right at the edge of the cliff. Some of the guys then jumped out and went to the back of the car, and as the driver pressed the gas, the guys started to push. Well, this SEEMED like a good idea until the car started sliding back towards the cliff, with the guys still struggling to push the car from behind. I am sure what I was feeling right then could not even compare to what the guys behind that car were thinking, but let me tell you, as I watched the car slide back and stop with the guys’ feet barely holding on to the edge of that cliff, I don’t think I took a single breath. As if that was not enough, soon after the ordeal with the Expedition, another one of our cars a 4Runner, started moving across the road on its own. The driver was actually not inside because he was helping out with the other cars. I could see something white out of the corner of my eyes, and when I turned around, the car behind us was rapidly making its way towards the edge of the cliff. I remember yelling “JUMP OUT! JUMP OUT!!” well aware of the fact that they could not hear me. Luckily, the kids in that car were thinking the same thing; the doors flew open, and they started jumping out of the car, one by one. Quick thinking allowed the person in the front seat to reach over and turn the steering wheel, just in time to stop the car from going off the edge. My goodness, right? This sounds like something from TV or a movie.
At that point, we decided that even if the cars were not sliding, it was not safe for any of us to remain in the cars. As we literally fell our way across the road, (we could barely walk because we were slipping every third step we took!) we could feel the ice- cold wind cutting into our skins. Many of us were not even sufficiently dressed to be out in that kind of weather. All of us huddled together for warmth while we prayed. After about half an hour out in the freezing weather, the majority of the group found a ski rental shop that was open. The drivers of the cars, however, had to remain outside, still freezing, waiting for the tow trucks to arrive. After what seemed like hours, all five cars were taken off the road. As you can imagine, we were all emaciated by that time, and we were more than happy to FINALLY make our way to the restaurant. I know—after all that, we STILL went ahead to the restaurant? Hey, we have to eat, right?
That night was an experience that I am sure every one of us will NEVER EVER forget. There were so many variables that could have completely changed the situation. For example, if the engine of that car was not turned on, there was no way the steering wheel would have turned enough to stop the car from going over. The truck could have easily gone a couple more inches and hit the car in front, and the Expedition could have easily slid a little further and off the cliff. Furthermore, most of the New Heaven members had already eaten and did not join us that night for dinner. We later realized that if they had gone with us, the chance of one the cars going over the cliff would have greatly increased because none of the New Heaven members had four-wheel-drives. So, were these all coincidences? Did we just get lucky?
I believe that, apart from the fact that this experience brought everyone closer, it also helped reaffirm that God really is looking out for and protecting us in every moment. In addition, it showed us that God has a way of communicating to us. Someone, when asked what they took away from this experience, said that she believed it was God’s way of telling us that we were definitely not where we needed to be in our spiritual lives. If, hypothetically, we had not survived that experience, probably not a single one of us would have made it to heaven. Another person believed it was God telling us to get our priorities straight. We had come on a “church” trip, but honestly speaking, we basically put everything else (fun, fellowship, skiing, etc) before God.
In this way, God used this experience to not only bring us closer together as people and as churches, but ultimately to bring us closer to Him. What was supposed to be just a “trial” run of getting the churches together, turned out to be a true blessing and learning experience for everyone, including myself. We are already in the process of planning our second youth event—a youth rally. Now that we have taken the initial step, which is always the most difficult, I see a brighter, more united future for our churches.