Summer of Senior year I was a team leader at a summer training program in the CO rockies. I was responsible for leading, bonding, and helping to grow three students who composed our “team.” We were progressing through the summer living together, having several weekly events together, etc, and we enjoyed each other but there was still not that special bond that long time friends enjoyed. One night someone on our team suggested we take a bag of karate belts we found, push over some small dead trees, tie them together, build a 7ft long raft and see if it floated in the reservoir at midnight. I had work the next day and the thought of going out late on a cold night to jump in a bacteria infested pond was the last thing I wanted to do. But for the sake of the team I said “sure.”
To date it was one of the best experiences I had that entire summer as far as bonding with my team went. It gave our team the shared experience necessary to feel bonded, which translated into a trust freeing us to share more deeply about our lives.
This next year I want to say “Yes” to opportunities provided they meet two conditions: 1. They build relationships, 2. They’re legal.
Relationships are build through shared experiences. I can create quantities of time to hang out with students, but it’s up to God to determine the quality of that time. Pray this semester He give truly quality time when hanging out with students that would develop trust and allow us to experience Christ in our fellowship at a deeper level.
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