Airmen visit Wales to improve resiliency Published June 2, 2017 By Airman 1st Class John A. Crawford 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- The Liberty Wing chapel sponsored a trip for single, first-term Airmen to Llandudno and Betws-y-Coed, Wales for 22 Airmen on May 27 - 29. “Our chapel trips are to provided single Airmen, particularly those on station one and a half years or less, with the ability to connect with one another, build camaraderie, perhaps find great Wingman support and to begin to learn to develop and think about different ways to exercise resiliency skills,” said a chaplain from the 48th Fighter Wing. The Airmen visited the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in Trevor Basin, the Snowdon Mountain Railway in Snowdonia National Park in Llanberis, Conwy Castle in Conwy, the National White Water Centre in Frongoch, and Gwydyr Stables in Betws-y-Coed. "Wales is such a beautiful country filled with history, great food and amazing scenery," said an Airman on the trip. "My favorite part had to be the white water rafting." The excitement and vacation-like atmosphere help distance Airmen from any stressors they may have been dealing with. “Spiritual Resiliency is important because it involves being mentally and spiritually fit so we make good decisions as we deal with family, emotional, relational, and financial stresses that are part of life inside and outside the military,” said the chaplain. Participation in team-building activities like white water rafting, where Airmen are working together against the currents translates to teamwork in resiliency to help fellow Airmen get through emotional or spiritual stress. “Since the Air Force is now embracing a culture of spiritually fit Airmen who are able to be resilient and bounce back from life circumstances, it is very important to understand, in relation to resiliency, ‘time’ is the acknowledgement that a resilient outcome is a process that may happen quickly or may take many years or decades,” the chaplain said. “We must be patient with those who are exercising their resilient tools, but find that their resilient outcome might take longer than expected." The chapel sponsors several trips during the year for Airmen and their families to remain emotionally and spiritually able to handle the burdens of life in the military, whether in day-to-day work or during deployments. Airmen or their families interested in participating in chapel resiliency trips can contact the chapel at DSN 226-3711.