Eight Whitefield dads experienced the beauty of the West during a four-day trip to Montana, the “Big Sky” state. The trip was one of the exciting experiences auctioned off at the 2015 Auction for the Arts.
The group, which included Allen Bell, Chuck Evans, Sid Feagin, Michael Koenig, Erik Peterson, Tony Sanders, Sean Schulte, and Todd Vaughn, stayed at Rising Brothers Ranch, a 66-acre ranch operated by Peterson and his wife, Kara. The ranch rests at 6,400 ft, just below Livingston Peak and 45 miles north of Yellowstone Park. It overlooks the eclectic railroad cowboy town of Livingston and neighbors more than a million acres of national forest.
The men enjoyed breathtaking 360-degree views of Paradise Valley, and the Absaroka
and Crazy mountain ranges.
“The area is full of wildlife like black bear, grizzly bear, mountain lion, moose, elk, wolves, fox, and white-tail deer,” said Peterson.
Activities on the trip included a guided world-class trout fishing trip on the Yellowstone River, hiking in the Absaroka wilderness with a primitive living specialist, saddling up horseback, shooting from an array of guns and bows, and riding ATVs. Each evening was spent fireside sharing the day’s adventures under spectacular sunsets and a blanket of stars.
“We had delicious meals together featuring local cuisine including a whole pig roast with Gullah's Gravy, antelope, elk, grouse, and the best local steak at the Stockman. On Sunday, we made our way to Poet's Point for an prayer service over the majestic cliff views of the valley,” said Peterson.
“Our fellowship during the weekend centered around ‘iron sharpening iron,’ as we all examined our lives to see how we might be better servants to Him,” continued Peterson, “We enjoyed bonding through deep personal sharing of both our fears and ambitions. The recurring message that kept coming up in our conversation was to ‘be bold’ in our walk with Christ, our marriage, our career, our fatherhood, our friendships, and our school.”
Surrounded by the majesty of God’s creation, and the camaraderie of unique friendships formed, the group couldn’t help but recognize and reflect on how God had worked in each of their individual lives and how He had built a unique sense of community at Whitefield.
“After 4.5 miles and 2,000 feet of leg-burning, breath-shortening hiking, the decision to go up the last mile with it’s steeper, 1000 foot segment
was not a light-hearted whim. The snow dusted, muddy, loose, gravelly climb up to the pile of rocks atop 9,297 ft of Mount Livingston deeply spoke to me about perseverance, perspective, and God’s individual purpose in my family and life in Atlanta,” said Allen Bell. “Being together for the long weekend with other Whitefield husbands and fathers reminded me of how unique our school community is. I also thought about how important the work we can all do serving each other in strengthening and building the school can be for future husbands, fathers, and their families. I came down from the Montana mountains re-focused on advancing the essential, Jesus-centered, family-bolstering mission of Whitefield.”