So for the past 2 weeks, I have been at Summit Ministries Student Conference in Manitou Springs, CO with my sister Abigail. We ended up being in the same room, which also happened to be one of the only rooms with a bathroom and a shower. We shared the room with 2 other girls, Lilly and Samantha. Each of us shared our testimonies before going to bed the first night and after that, we just connected! We were pretty close the whole time at Summit.
View off the back porch where I did my devotions
Samantha, Lilly, me, and Abigail at Garden of the Gods
There were 5 to 6 classes a day which meant that we were in class for about 60 hours in total. A lot of the classes have helped open my eyes to the world more and helped me understand how to back up my faith and defend it. It wasn’t all serious, I also laughed with some of the speakers. My top 5 speakers would probably be Jeff Myers, Dustin Jizmejian, J. Warner Wallace, and Megan & Tripp Almon.
Attending classes wasn’t the only thing I did. There was “Sports Time” 2-3 times a week. During that time I got to play speed volleyball, ultimate frisbee, throw a football or frisbee around, or just read and talk with friends. I also did some bigger activities during the week. I went to The Garden of the Gods, rock climbing, white water rafting at Noah’s Ark, and went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. All of which I loved!!
Whitewater rafting with Samantha, Sara, Lilly, me, Eric, Noah, Moose, and Caleb.
Whitewater rafting with Samantha, Sara, Lilly, me, and Eric.
At the zoo with Samantha, Lilly, Ethan, Sara, and Noah
My favorite part about Summit was the community! I loved being around people who, for the most part, were my age. I made friends with several people. The guys that ended up being on either side of me, Nathan and Tyler, were both pretty cool. They were kind enough to pick up my stuff when I dropped it and they each seemed to have a smile on their face whenever I saw them. Tyler and I both ended up getting a cough about halfway through Summit, so I would go to the front desk and get us both cough drops for the sessions. I also made friends with a few of the other students, Eliya, Sara, Noah, Samuel, Harris, and Ethan. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to meet more people or get to know some of them better.
The small group I ended up having was awesome! There were 6 of us total in it; my leader Rebecca and 4 other girls, Becca, Marian, Sara, and Julianna. At first, I was wondering why I got the leader I did. Nothing really seemed to stand out to me, but once she shared her testimony in the first Small Group I literally went “OH! That’s why I got her! Thank you, Lord! You’re amazing!” (all of which I said in my head). After that Small Group, we talked and found out we had a lot in common with how we thought about some things. I also connected some with Becca.
Small group: me, Marian, Julianna, Sara, Becca, and Rebecca (meeting in an elevator)
Lastly, I made friends with several of the staff. My Small Group leader Rebecca, Lara who was Abigail’s Small Group leader, Jake one of the front desk people, Ben from Dish Pit, Bailey one of the kitchen staff, Emily one of the interns, Ryan another one of the kitchen staff, Hannah the head cook, and more. All of them were very friendly and loved to talk. They told me about their life and listened when I told them about mine. They were all amazing! They helped me through the weeks in many ways. Rebecca, Lara, Bailey, and Emily all helped me think things through and just listened when I needed to talk. Jake helped whenever I needed cough drops before a session and also talking with me. Ryan taught Abigail and me how to make a couple of pies (+ gave us the recipes). Ben was a friend who made me laugh and smile. Since a few other students and I bought “Dish Pit Throw Down” during the staff auction, we got to throw water balloons at him and the rest of Dish Pit staff. Hannah (and the rest of the kitchen staff) made amazing meals the entire time. I ended up getting seconds for several meals, even the ones I don’t normally like! She was nice enough to give me some of the recipes for the meals too. The biggest thing I loved about the staff was just being friends with them and being able to hang out.
So, to answer the question “How was Summit?” It was amazing! I loved everything and everyone, the people that attended and all the staff. I could see God’s hand in a lot of what was happening and in all of the nature around the area, which made it an even cooler experience. I have many stories and so many great memories! I’ve been home since about 6 a.m. this morning and only been up since 11 a.m. but I miss everyone so much already!
Now I am going to get some sleep so I’m ready for my next adventure. My youth missions trip to San Antonio TX. We leave early tomorrow morning. I know these experiences are helping me to grow in my relationship with God and ministry and helping to prepare me even more for my World Race adventure!!
Until the next time……
Graduation Day (Lilly, Sara, me, Abigail, and Samantha)
