BENCHMARK thanks Chaplain Erik Alfsen, U.S. Army, for taking the time to share his experiences with us. *The views presented are those of the speaker and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its components.* Reflections on Resilience-Building Retreats As I reflect back, there are so many stories we could tell and more to tell in future years [...]
We'd like to thank Barbara Evans for sharing her experience with us in the reflection below. She details here part of her "Hard can be Helpful" story after her 2022 Chuck Wilson Memorial Backpack for BENCHMARK 3-day hike: Independent >> Dependent, Hard can be Helpful I have always considered myself to be quite an independent person. Being independent is not [...]
I went to Walmart to get a head start of some of the items we’d need in bulk for the Appalachian Trail Outreach. Made my way to the register. The line wasn’t very long. The cashier, whose name is Sondra (correct spelling), looked at the tax exemption card and said “BENCHMARK Adventure Min….” I didn’t think she could read the [...]
Time is money…so some say. No. It is not. If I have all the money in the world, I can’t purchase any more time. For those whose time is calculated in billable hours, there is a monetary connection to your use of time, but time is still not money. The commodities are very different. In college, I wasted time. I [...]
These days are pretty unusual. Our schedules and daily demands are changing. For some, they have increased. For others, it’s slowed way down. Either way, today is a good day to make a choice about how to make the most of the opportunity of a ‘day’... I want to ask you to do something [...]
This Veterans Day, BENCHMARK thanks all those who have served in the United States Armed Forces, and especially Lieutenant Junior Grade Hollis E. Johnson, USNR, for sharing his perspective with us as summarized in the following post: It was August 1958, 02:40 at a latitude below the southernmost tip of Africa with no horizon in sight. The sky [...]
Will you take 11 minutes this Good Friday to reflect on Him? Will you plan to spend 11 minutes tomorrow on this Good Friday Reflection?: 1. Use 3 minutes to consider the significance of someone who is willing to lay down his or her life for you. Think about a parent, a first responder, a Soldier, even a [...]
We want to thank Karoline Winchester, 7-year Appalachian Trail Outreach volunteer, for her remarkable service and for sharing her perspective with us all on the following post: I believe that one of the most important aspects of outreach and ministry is meeting people where they are. It means so much more to people when you step into their [...]
2018 marked the 25th year of BENCHMARK Adventure Ministries. If there's one thing I've learned after 25 years, it's that opportunities to serve affect both staff and participants alike. Mike Gingras, a 3-year ministry event staff volunteer, and our current Board Chair, was impacted as much as he made an impact in 2018. In early September Mike traveled to [...]
As a teacher I create active learning experiences. While I like adventure I like even more the pearls of life that can be found as a part of an adventure. Finding those pearls of life and learning from adventure, or any other part of life for that matter, doesn't just happen. I've often said, "As good Americans we move from [...]
