During a church camping trip, teenagers received the unique opportunity to act as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to someone in need.
The teenage years are when most begin to assert their independence and take a little bit of control over their lives. Unfortunately, this is also the time period when young people can become vain and too focused on themselves, often bordering on selfishness.
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Thankfully, selfishness and oversized egos were not an issue for a group of teenage boys in Utah, according to KSLTV.
The outlet reports that a group of young men between 11 and 15 enjoyed time in the Utah wilderness. During their time out in the wild, the young men learned about being of service and helping others in need.
"We had a bunch of, like, devotionals about being, like, one heart and one mind," according to 14-year-old Spencer Brown.
However, as KSLTV reports, God soon gave the young men an opportunity to put those newly-learned lessons of service into action. That's because, on the last day of their outing in the woods, two strangers approached their campsite.
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One of the teenagers recalled that a father and a son walked up and stated that their dog had sustained an injury and required assistance. It turned out that the father and son's dog, Otis, had suffered an injury to one of its paws.
The father and son knew their pet needed medical help, but they were unable to carry the animal the more than four miles down the trail.
The Young Men Came Up With An Idea To Help The Injured Animal
When the boys approached the animal, it refused to exit the tent. So, the young men came up with an idea. They constructed a makeshift stretcher, incorporating a couple of logs, zip ties and a tarp.
The dog was then carefully placed onto the teenagers' stretcher. However, the hard part was just getting started. They still had to complete the four-mile journey downhill while carrying heavy camping gear.
The group's adult chaperone, Jeff Eaves, explained the difficulties.
"We all have heavy backpacks," he said. "We're also trying to carry this dog. We're going up super steep hills. So, super rocky, and you're trying to go side-by-side on this single path trail, and so you're a lot of times you're off the path."
Despite the struggles in helping Otis and the father and son, the church group was not willing to give up.
"What was going through my mind? I got to do this. These people are in need,"' 12-year-old Wyatt Brouwer said. "There's a lot of us, but you got to take turns. Other people were tired. I was tired."
Eventually, the young men got the injured animal down the hill, at the beginning of the trail, where help was sought for the dog. Otis' owner told KSLTV that the dog is now on the mend and recovering.
But that would not have been possible without the determination, kindness and help from the church group.
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“When somebody asks you to help, you help. And not try to make excuses," Spencer said. "And it's going to be hard. You just have to push through it. You have to believe you can."
"And be kind to one another, full of pity, having forgiveness for one another, even as God in Christ had forgiveness for you." – Ephesians 4:32
WATCH: Church Group Talks Helping Injured Dog, Father and Son
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h/t: KSLTV & YouTube.com/KSL News
Featured Image Credit:YouTube.com/KSL News