Connecting

One of the things we at Compass Wilderness strive for during our summers is being intentional about engaging students in conversation about their relationships with God. We have plenty of talks during group discussion in small groups, but we also try to talk one-on-one with the students about their spiritual lives. Sometimes this is challenging, sometimes we feel awkward, sometimes we’re met with little response, and sometimes we just don’t find good opportunities. But sometimes we find students we really connect with. This past week I was really blessed by a conversation with one of the campers. He was hiking behind me on our long descent down the backside of Engineer and began asking me questions about what would happen to his camp high when he returned home. He talked about what he was learning from the week and about how he wanted to regain the excitement for Christ that he had earlier in his walk. It was so encouraging to connect with a camper and be able to share some of my stories with him and to hear some of his. When he left to return to Texas, he told me that he was no longer sad to leave or afraid of returning home and losing what he had gained at camp, but rather that he was excited to return to his friends and family and share his excitement and what he learned.
The Lord really blessed me through simple conversation and reminded me why it is we do what we do every summer.

Hannah Eubanks