Week 3, Day 1

This morning I woke up at 6 AM as usual for devotions. My right arm was tight — I was beginning to think the chilly mountain mornings and nights were taking a toll on my muscles, something I hadn’t dealt with in over 20 years. I got dressed, grabbed my coat, and headed out to meet my group.

We studied one of the stories that has always impacted me: Jesus healing the man by the pool in Bethesda. It’s one of the passages most often referenced when the topic of healing comes up, and honestly, people often misunderstand my heart when it comes to this story.

Jesus saw the obedience in this man’s heart. The man had been lying by that pool for 30 years. When Jesus asked if he wanted to be healed, the man’s response — that he had no way to get into the pool — showed Jesus exactly what he needed to know: the man wanted healing, but couldn’t reach the source. Jesus sees us the same way. He invites us to accept him so he can heal us spiritually and make us right with the Father.

What makes this story powerful is that the pool was believed to bring healing to anyone who entered it. So when Jesus told this man to get up and walk, it went against everything he’d known to be true. On top of that, at that moment, this man had no idea who Jesus was. A stranger was telling him to stand up and walk. He could have laughed it off, told Jesus to stop mocking him, or just ignored him entirely. Instead, he chose to obey — and through that obedience, he was healed.

That’s where people start questioning my own situation and asking for my thoughts. I’d encourage you to visit the About Me page and read my testimony, because it will help you understand why I say I am already healed. That context is also why this story struck me so differently when I read it that morning.

For me, that morning, this story reinforced the same theme God had been showing me throughout this trip: the man chose to focus entirely on what Jesus was telling him rather than what the world — and his own experience — was telling him. That hit me hard. Because here we were in week three, and God was still saying the same thing: Justin, I need your attention, my son. I have something prepared for you, but I need you to seek me a little more than you have been. I need you to focus on me — not just here in Tahoe, but all the time.

That message was still sinking in as I got dressed and headed to the local coffee shop to apply for jobs and work on this blog. I loved that coffee shop. It had a co-working space inside for just $3 an hour, and coffee-shop regulars could skip the line to order — a small but great perk.

When I arrived, I ran into a few friends from camp and started getting to know some of the locals. After applying for jobs and writing some of what you’ve already read in the Week 1 entry, I could feel what God was showing me really beginning to sink into my heart. I wrapped up my writing and headed back to camp for lunch and some quiet time alone with God.

On the walk back, I put in my headphones and found myself gravitating toward worship music and an audiobook rather than anything else. I emptied my thoughts and just soaked in the views. I pictured myself staying in Tahoe long-term — I genuinely loved where I was. I just needed to find a job and follow wherever God was leading. I made it back to camp, had lunch, and took a solid hour-long nap.

When I woke up, my roommates were starting to come home from their jobs and getting ready for dinner. The temperature had dropped again and my arm was beginning to tighten up. I mentioned it to my leader but didn’t want to go to the doctor — I was afraid it would mean having to leave camp.

I got up and started getting ready for dinner. That night we had taco bowls, followed by teaching night — and this turned out to be one of my favorite teaching nights of the entire summer. We played a fun game at the church before jumping into worship, and I used that time to really prepare my heart.

To my surprise, all the leaders were standing up front. That night, we learned that the leaders and directors would soon be leaving and the rest of the mission would be carried out by us students. It caught me off guard, and I wasn’t sure how I felt. Thankfully, I had about a week and a few days before it actually happened.

For teaching that night, the leaders shared a panel discussion about their journeys as missionaries and how they ended up leading this particular trip. Hearing the variety of their stories — and how God had provided for every need along the way — really moved me. It made me consider, for a moment, whether I was being called to missions. The more I thought about it, the more I felt that wasn’t where God was leading me right now. But I came away with a deep respect for those who do choose that path — you are always traveling, always giving, and that takes a special kind of faith.

After the lesson, a large group of us decided to make the hour-long drive to In-N-Out Burger. We packed into about five cars and headed out. It became one of the most memorable nights of the entire summer. We all ordered the same meal so that the people experiencing In-N-Out for the first time could share the same moment with the rest of us. It was there, over burgers and fries late at night, that I really got to know my new friends on a deeper level — and started thinking more seriously about who I was and what I cared about.

I got to express that I love being creative and that I’m passionate about the IT field — I genuinely enjoy studying and experimenting with modern technology. That night I also found out that two of my four roommates were artists and one was a math major. It was one of those nights you don’t want to end. The ride back to camp carried that same energy.

When we got back, there was a little surprise waiting: a bear was trying to get into one of the cabins, drawn in by the smell of snacks. My roommate and a few others followed the protocols we’d learned in week one and successfully scared it off. When the bear finally left, we all laughed it off and made our way to the common room for a little more fellowship before heading to bed.

Week 3, Day 2

I woke up tired from being out late with the crew. I threw on my jacket and made my way to the meal area for breakfast and devotional time. The passage was John 5:16–30 — a powerful message that continued the theme God had been weaving through my weeks here.

This passage describes the Jewish leaders growing angry at Jesus for working on the Sabbath. Jesus responds by explaining that he operates in the Father — he only does what the Father does, and since the Father never stops working, neither does he. Honestly, I didn’t fully grasp the depth of this message until later, after I’d returned home.

Reflecting on it now, I understand it more clearly. This isn’t a passage telling us to abandon the Sabbath. It’s saying that if God is calling us to something, we should follow — because his timing is always perfect. The commands and structures we build shouldn’t hinder us from the work God is actively calling us to do. The religious leaders were so locked into their laws that they were completely missing what Jesus was doing right in front of them.

Jesus was showing the healed man that he was seen — and doing it to make clear that all glory belongs to the Father. This opened up a deep group discussion about why Jesus didn’t heal everyone he encountered during his time on earth. That’s where I got to openly share my own perspective on healing with my group.

If you know me personally, you know I believe I am already healed under the authority of Jesus Christ. From where I stand, he hasn’t physically healed me because he’s using my faith and my disability to draw others into relationship with him. It’s something I’ve witnessed firsthand, and it’s immensely powerful — but it’s also been one of the deepest struggles of my life.

It took me years to understand that the people coming to God because of my story weren’t putting me in God’s place. They were being drawn to God himself. I’m not sharing that to boast — I’m sharing it because, just like those religious leaders in the passage, I had been missing the very message God was trying to show me all along. During this season, I was learning that as your relationship with God deepens, reading scripture becomes less about absorbing words on a page and more about listening for what God is specifically trying to show you through those words.

After that powerful morning, I went for a walk to get some breakfast and let everything settle. Along the way, I started listening to a book my leader had recommended during one of our one-on-one check-ins: Grasping God’s Word. I’d highly recommend it — it helped me engage with the Bible on a much deeper level.

I stopped at Starbucks, got some writing done on the first post for this blog, and felt genuinely inspired. Now, writing this as my third post, I’m more convinced than ever that as our walk with God grows, we all need some kind of platform or journal to document what he’s teaching us. It has helped me study, reflect, and hold myself accountable in prioritizing my relationship with Jesus.

That evening, the head director gave a talk on spiritual warfare — by far my favorite lesson of the entire trip. He had my full attention from start to finish, largely because he grounded everything he said in scripture and in personal experiences he’d actually lived through. The conversation ran so long that he eventually had to stop using the microphone because of quiet hours.

The most powerful story he shared was about his own student takeover weekend. He said that once the directors left, dark thoughts and dark things began to surface around the camp. But instead of dividing the group, it brought them closer together. People started opening up and sharing things they couldn’t tell anyone else. He said the same thing would likely happen to us, and to be ready.

After that powerful time with the director, I headed to bed. It was late and cold — and that night, something happened that I thought might derail my entire trip.

At 1 AM, I woke up to my right arm so tight it brought tears to my eyes. I took Tylenol as I’d been doing, but the pain wouldn’t let up. Eventually, I got up and went to the common area to see if anyone was awake who might be able to help — but no one was. The only thing I could think to do was call and wake up my men’s director, since he already knew my situation and had helped me get on the trip in the first place.

When he looked at my arm, we agreed it might be a torn muscle, and that it would be wise to get it checked and get something for the pain. So at 3 AM, he drove me to the emergency room.

When we arrived, it wasn’t busy and they took me right away. I explained my arm and my disability, and mentioned that this had happened before and that muscle relaxers had helped in the past. The doctor examined me and confirmed that the muscles in my forearm were extremely tight. The nurse gave me muscle relaxers to see if they would help — and once I visibly relaxed, the doctor prescribed them and sent me back to camp. My director drove me home, and I was asleep before the medication had fully kicked in.

Week 3, Day 3

After only a few hours of sleep, I woke up for breakfast and devotions feeling significantly better than I had at 2 AM. That morning we studied John 5:31–47, which highlights Jesus declaring that he follows the Father’s will — a will revealed only to those whose trust in him grows over time. That passage made me stop and really think about my own walk with God.

Reading it reminded me how far God has brought me since the beginning. When I first surrendered my life to Christ, I couldn’t walk or do many things without help. And now here I was, across the country on my own, serving him. That alone is incredible. I also felt God’s comfort as he continued to show me hard things he was asking of me. I felt him say: I know all your struggles, but I will never leave you. That was something I knew in my mind — but accepting it in my heart has been an ongoing journey. Writing this blog several months later, it’s still something I’m working on.

After devotions, the leader who had driven me to the hospital asked if we could meet at 10 AM after we both got a little more rest. I agreed, though I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy conversation. I set my alarm for 9:15 AM so I could call my mom and update her before the meeting.

I woke up feeling more rested. I called my mom, filled her in on the hospital visit, and reassured her I was fine and didn’t need to come home — the medication was working, and taking it before bed would get me through the nights. I also mentioned that I might not have a choice either way, since I had a meeting with one of the directors and would update her after.

When I sat down with my director at the picnic table, we exchanged greetings and he asked my thoughts on moving forward. I told him the medication was already working and I didn’t expect any further issues. But his response made me nervous.

He explained that he was going to sit down with the other directors to discuss whether it would be safe for me to stay for the remainder of the mission once the leaders left — and he wasn’t sure when that meeting would happen.

Even though I understood his reasoning, it made me want to pull back from the people around me. I felt like if I kept connecting with everyone and then got sent home, it would be harder to handle. In my mind, preparing for the worst would make either outcome easier to accept. But if I let myself get fully invested and then had to leave, I’d be so focused on not getting what I wanted that I’d miss whatever God was trying to teach me in that moment. So I chose to pray and ask God to prepare my heart for either outcome.

After praying, I felt genuine peace — and I was ready to share what was happening and ask for prayer from friends and family back home. The most powerful response came from my best friend, who simply told me not to stress: God already has it handled, and either way, you’re going to be okay. Letting go and releasing things to God is honestly one of the hardest mindset shifts I’ve ever had to make, and I still catch myself slipping back into the old patterns today.

With everyone updated, I went for a walk alone because I felt emotionally drained. As I walked, I talked to God — asking why he would bring me all the way to California just to send me home over something as small as arm pain. By the time I turned back toward camp, I felt an overwhelming peace settle over me. It was as if he was reminding me that he had it all under control — and in that moment, that was exactly what I needed.

Back at camp, a group was figuring out dinner plans since it was a night we were on our own. We walked to a nearby Mexican restaurant and I got a cheese quesadilla that was enormous. I ended up carrying a quarter of it back for lunch before sharing day the next morning.

That evening was family night. Some people went on an overnight hike; I stayed back because I wasn’t sure the trail would be wheelchair accessible and I wasn’t willing to risk getting stranded. The lip sync battle turned out to be a lot of fun.

After that, we settled in to watch the extended version of The Two Towers. Watching movies at camp hit differently — we were genuinely present, phones put away, just enjoying each other’s company. I left my phone in my cabin for the whole evening. When the movie ended, we all headed to bed. I was ready to take my meds and call it a night.

Week 3, Day 4

Sunday morning — I woke up genuinely excited to worship and be in the Word. One of the assistant pastors was preaching as the church continued through the first chapter of Luke. His message was centered on God favoring the humble, and it grabbed my attention from the opening line. He was covering the second half of the chapter.

This pastor taught more like my pastor back home in Florida — breaking down scripture in a way that felt relatable and grounded. For the first time, I clearly recognized that there are different teaching styles, and I began to understand which style works best for how I learn. A church service should leave you hungry for the Word — it should make you want to go home, open your Bible, and check everything you just heard against scripture.

If I remember correctly, the message focused on God delivering the news about Jesus to Mary and Joseph. Most people center the conversation around Mary during this passage, but this pastor focused on Joseph — and the quiet, immense weight Joseph would have carried in accepting this news.

Under the law at the time, if a wife was found to be pregnant by another man, the husband had every legal right to divorce her. God had to appear to Joseph and personally advocate for Mary — to assure him that she was telling the truth and had not been unfaithful. As a man, I can’t even begin to imagine what Joseph went through mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

He wasn’t royalty. He didn’t have power or prestige. He was a carpenter. And yet God entrusted him with helping raise the Son of the Creator of the universe. The weight of that responsibility — the responsibility of protecting and raising a child that wasn’t biologically his, but was the most important child who would ever live — must have been staggering.

When that realization hit me during the service, I started to reflect on my own walk. All at once, I understood: I was across the country from everyone I love, on my own, doing God’s work. Most people who glance at me assume my mom is nearby. People rarely believe I’m capable of being out on my own without a caregiver. And yet here I was — traveling, serving, evangelizing. My entire life is a testament to what a relationship with God can produce when you choose to follow and obey without hesitation.

Writing this several months later, I genuinely needed that reminder. God is working on something in me that I hope to write about in a future post. That Sunday, I walked out of that church with tears of joy in my eyes, ready to give everything I had to the mission ahead.

After church we went to Chipotle for lunch. I sat outside, ate my food, and just took in the mountain views. I was excited to call my best friends back home and share this new revelation. And in the middle of that moment, I looked up — and I felt God reassure me that I was not going to be sent home early. I wanted to fall to my knees right there. He saw me. He was with me.

That afternoon turned out to be one of the best sharing days of the entire trip. I went out with a friend and we met a lot of great people, but two encounters stand out above the rest and I still pray for those people today.

First, we came across a Christian couple who encouraged us deeply. The husband was moved to hear what we were doing in Lake Tahoe and what it meant. He then shared his family’s story: one of his sons was a scientist who had walked away from faith, and another was deeply involved in church and community. We stood with them for 45 minutes or more, being poured into — and we got to pray over them before we left.

Then, just as we were about to wrap up, we ran into a couple I will remember for the rest of my life. They were sitting on a bench, a little removed from the rest of the outdoor mall, and the Holy Spirit nudged us to go talk to them. As the conversation unfolded, we learned the wife was a Christian, but her husband was still exploring the idea of faith. We had the opportunity to walk through the gospel with him.

But what hit me hardest was how the conversation ended. As we were saying goodbye, the couple told my partner and me that the only reason they’d let us approach them was because I reminded them of someone they cared for deeply — even the way I spoke. Another God wink. I stood there in awe of what he was doing through me, not just on this trip, but in my heart.

He was showing me that he has something significant planned — something centered on bringing people to him or drawing them closer to him. As I write this, he is still actively working on my heart and guiding me toward that purpose. I’m genuinely grateful for this blog, because every time I sit down to write it, these lessons come back to life in a new way.

Back at camp, I was overflowing and couldn’t wait to share everything. That week also included a social media and texting outreach night, and through that I ended up having a powerful phone conversation with a friend from high school I hadn’t spoken to in years.

I’d texted him asking whether he knew Jesus or had a relationship with him. It turned into a long, honest conversation. He shared that he’d grown up Catholic but drifted from the church, that he still believed in Jesus but wasn’t drawn to organized religion. I got to share the story of how I ended up on this trip — and everything God had been doing in my heart. I could feel the Holy Spirit moving through the conversation. It reminded me that God will absolutely use technology for good — and in profoundly powerful ways.

When the dinner bell rang, I practically ran to the front of the line. I could not wait to share during our group reflection time.

That night at dinner, for the first time, I left my phone in my cabin so I could be fully present for everyone else’s stories. The stories aren’t mine to tell, but it was a remarkable evening. I was on a spiritual high I didn’t want to end.

A lot of us were too fired up to call it a night, so we headed back to In-N-Out — this time as a celebration of how far we’d come in the trip. A few people in the group had never been, which made it extra special.

We got back late. When we pulled into the campsite, there was another bear attempting to get into one of the cabins. I was startled, but my roommate immediately positioned me by the car and made sure someone stayed with me — he knew I wouldn’t be able to get away quickly if the bear charged. It meant a lot. Watching the group guide the bear safely away from camp was incredible.

After that, we were all too wired to sleep. We filed into the community room, closed the doors and windows, and broke out into spontaneous worship — singing together until we got too tired to keep going. We got a noise complaint or two for going past quiet hours. I went to bed very late that night, but I slept well. I was finally, fully part of this community.

Week 3, Day 5

This morning we covered the first 24 verses of John 6 — a lot of scripture to absorb at 6 AM, especially since this section contains two miracles most of us had heard many times: Jesus feeding the 5,000 and walking on water. But because of what God had been working through me during this trip, I was reading them with completely fresh eyes. Both stories are ultimately about faith — about surrendering full control and trust to Jesus.

Let’s start with the feeding of the 5,000. If you’ve never read this story, I genuinely encourage you to — it’s powerful. In short, Jesus was teaching near Bethesda when mealtime came. He turned to his disciples and asked how they would feed everyone. They had nothing. But a boy in the crowd had five loaves of bread and two fish, and he willingly handed them over to Jesus. That boy trusted that Jesus had a plan, even while the disciples — who had seen miracle after miracle — stood there questioning how it was even possible.

Now, walking on water. This is one of those passages believers tend to skim over without fully sitting with it. Shortly after the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus sent the disciples ahead by boat while he stayed behind to pray — something he did regularly. While they were out on the water, a major storm rolled in. Based on research, this was common in the Sea of Galilee due to its geography and surrounding environment. The winds were violent, the waves were high, and the disciples were terrified.

Growing up in Florida and living through as many hurricanes as I have, this passage comes alive for me in a specific way. I can feel what those disciples must have felt. And yet, looking at the story from the outside — knowing how it ends — it’s easy to wonder why they didn’t trust that Jesus knew the storm was coming and would bring them through it. Then I look at my own life and how often I do the exact same thing.

How often do I go through something and forget that he has it in his hands? Honestly, more than I’d like to admit — I tend to go to friends before I go to God. That’s still something I’m working on. But what I’m finding is that the more I bring things to God first, the more he starts orchestrating my life in ways that genuinely strengthen and grow me. I’ll share more about that in a future post. For now, I just want to encourage you: trust him. He sees the whole picture — not just where you are right now.

After breakfast, I grabbed my laundry basket and headphones and walked to the laundromat. This time, instead of calling friends, I listened to John 6 and let myself think deeply about my own story — what I actually need in order to grow closer to God. A recurring theme kept surfacing, both then and now: I need to become my own person in Christ. I can’t let my community become an idol, or let other people’s opinions be the reason I do or don’t do things. It was a long walk, and I wish I had recorded my prayer that day — it was one of the most honest conversations I’d had with God all trip.

That’s still a challenge I’m working through. I’m learning to build myself up independently rather than constantly checking in with others — because the more I check in with God, the more clearly he leads me. And honestly, that’s part of why he has me writing this blog so much later. These lessons keep coming back around, shaping me on a deeper level as I write.

When I got back from laundry, I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the common room with the help of one of my friends. Once most people had cleared out to go back to work, I started writing the first post for this blog. Then two of my best friends FaceTimed me — they were just lying on the floor at home, one of them dramatic as ever, pretending to be dead to see if she could fool me over the screen. We laughed until it hurt, and then they hung up to go get ice cream. I kept writing for a while longer before taking a nap and letting my chair charge before small group that evening.

When I woke up, I had just enough time to freshen up and get to dinner. I sat with a roommate I was really starting to connect with, and we spent the whole meal laughing at the most random things — at one point I could barely eat. Then it was time for small group.

Our group decided to head to the outdoor mall where we usually did our outreach sharing. We wanted to grab ice cream and have our discussion there. We talked about what we were struggling with and wrestling through as men. Before we got too deep into the material, my leader gave me the floor to share about my arm — so that if I were sent home, my group would know why and wouldn’t be blindsided.

The guys were incredibly supportive. They were a little frustrated — in the best possible way — that I hadn’t told them sooner. They prayed over me and immediately offered to help with anything I needed to stay and finish the trip. It wasn’t the response I’d expected, and I felt deeply loved. In that moment, I was almost certain God was going to allow me to stay. I was just waiting for the official word.

After that, we dove into the material and had one of the most open, honest small group conversations of the summer. Despite being nearly ten years older than some of these guys, I could relate to almost everything they were going through — because I’m still in a similar stage of life. It reminded me just how much I was learning about myself on this trip.

When I got back to camp, my chair was running low. Friends helped me back to my cabin. I took a shower, laid down, and just talked to God. I thanked him for this trip and asked him to change my heart so I could serve his plan — not mine. I fell asleep listening to The Chosen, more at peace than I’d felt in days.

Week 3, Day 6

It was hard to pull myself out of bed for devotions this morning, but I’m glad I did. The passage was John 6:25–59 — the section where Jesus calls himself the bread of life. I’ve read it more times than I can count, but that morning it hit me with a completely new weight.

Jesus is speaking to people who don’t yet understand what he’s telling them. And I’m beginning to realize he still works that way with us. He reveals things gradually — things that only make full sense as we continue walking with him in trust. We may not see the whole picture at first, but he always makes the first move. We meet him there and walk forward with him. He is all we need, and as we grow with him, he gives us the next thing — the next direction, the next step. What he wants above all is trust and relationship. That’s what he was communicating in this passage.

He told the crowd he was the bread of life because he provides everything we need and gives us life. He is the one we should bring everything to — he will fill us and grow us precisely where we are weakest, because where we are weak, he is strong. This is one of the most consistent themes of my life, and I see it playing out in me even now. Everything I surrender to him, he replaces with himself — and what he gives is always greater than anything I could have asked for or imagined.

After devotions, I ate breakfast and enjoyed one of the iced coffees I’d grabbed from the store earlier in the week. It was another beautiful day in Tahoe. I decided to go for a ride in my chair and see how far I could get before the battery got too low. It was an incredible outing — being surrounded by trees, animals, and mountain air I simply don’t experience back home. I’d never thought about it before, but being out there in nature made me realize something: I think I love the mountains more than I love the beach. And I’m a Florida kid, so that was a genuine revelation.

On my ride, I found a trail I wanted to come back to during reflection time that evening. It was close to camp and opened up into a wide, peaceful field at the foot of the mountains — the kind of landscape I’ve only ever seen in movies. I stopped there for about 30 minutes, just standing in awe, listening to music, and praying. By the time I headed back to camp, I was motivated and ready to knock out chores so I could return to that spot for reflection night.

Back at camp, I made a sandwich for lunch and spent time cleaning my cabin — sweeping out the dirt while blasting music. I genuinely found it relaxing.

Time flew and it was suddenly dinner. That night was taco night, and for the first time, some of the non-leader students got to share their testimonies. I had really grown to love those moments. There’s always something in someone else’s story that connects to your own, and hearing how God has moved in other people’s lives makes you look differently at how he’s been moving in yours. It’s living proof that we serve a God who is active in all of our stories, simultaneously.

After dinner, I grabbed my headphones and wheeled toward the campfire pit for the reflection night briefing. I already had Spotify queued up so the moment we were dismissed, I could put my head down and get alone with God. That night, he had something to say to me that I will never forget.

When I reached that open field at the foot of the mountains, God started the conversation. I felt him ask: “Justin, my son — do you know why I’m not allowing you to work this summer?” I admitted I didn’t, but that I trusted he had a reason. What came next broke me so completely that I was in tears the whole walk back to the cabin.

“I am going to use your experiences and your blog to bring people closer to Me,” he said. “It will be hard and it will take a lot of work — but as you share what you’ve lived through here and the trust it took for you to get here, people will begin to see Me and build their faith in Me as I continue to work through you.”

The God of the universe wants to use my story in other people’s lives. That humbled me to my knees. And writing this now, months later, I needed that reminder to keep going. I hope you’re still with me for the rest of the ride.

Back at camp, I took a shower and laid in bed, still amazed. That was the first time in my walk where I truly felt the Lord speak to me directly. I talked with my roommate until his girlfriend called. Then I put on my headphones, closed my eyes, and went to sleep more excited than I’d been all summer — ready to write, and ready to talk to more people about Jesus.

Week 3, Day 7

This morning we continued in John, covering 6:60–7:13. This passage picks up where Jesus is beginning to prepare his disciples for his departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Our minds still can’t fully wrap around the Trinity — and clearly the disciples couldn’t either, because they were genuinely confused. But I think Jesus knew exactly what he was doing. He was drawing out who would stay and who would leave — because doing the work of God requires our faith. Not just for our own lives, but for the lives of the people around us.

This section is ultimately about faith and the fact that God is all-knowing. He already knows every choice we’re going to make — yet he loves us too much to take away those choices. He wants a real, authentic relationship with us. That reminded me of my relationship with my own parents. More than anyone on earth, next to God, they know me — sometimes better than I know myself. If they think I’m about to make a decision I’ll regret, and it’s not going to put me in danger, they let me make it and learn from it. But when I ask for their input first, they give it to me honestly and help me make the wisest call. Our heavenly Father operates the same way.

God protects us as much as possible when we’re walking on our own — but when we start walking with him and handing him everything, we begin to feel his Spirit in a way that is genuinely life-changing. From that moment in week three forward, I felt closer to God than I had at any point in my life. And that closeness hasn’t faded. Watching him work is powerful, and I am so excited — because that day, something significant was ignited in me that I carried through the rest of the trip and still carry today.

I was so inspired after breakfast that I grabbed my iPad, walked to the coffee shop, and set up in the co-working space to focus. In a couple of hours I knocked out about a quarter of my first post. After two hours, I stopped for lunch with some friends and then headed back to camp.

I found a table outside — it was too beautiful a day to sit inside — and kept writing. I really started to enjoy the process of reflecting on everything God had done to get me to this point. He was still speaking to me, continuing the conversation from the night before.

I now believe that starting this blog was exactly what God wanted me to do. Every time I sit down to write, the words just flow. The Holy Spirit has been guiding this process — I wouldn’t be able to put any of this into words without his help. I’m so grateful that he and all of you have been patient with me as I work through it all. Writing outside with the mountains in front of me is something I will cherish forever.

While I was writing, my best friend called with some news from back home. She loves sharing things she knows will make me happy. I also got to tell her what God was showing me in that moment. I called home so often during that trip because I do life with my closest friends, and not having them there to experience everything in real time was genuinely hard. But I’m learning that the greatest reward is sharing all of this through the blog — building a deeper connection with them through what can’t fully be captured in a FaceTime call. I’m genuinely excited to watch that unfold.

After we hung up, I put everything away and headed to dinner. That night was pasta — my favorite, partly because it’s the easiest thing for me to eat. I sat with one of my roommates from Washington, who had been carving a guitar out of a stick he found around camp. He’d been at it for weeks, and listening to him walk through his entire plan and thought process was one of my favorite conversations of the summer. I could have sat there for hours.

After dinner, we gathered to watch the Fast & Furious sequel with some of our leaders, since it was their last Wednesday before leaving camp. I really enjoyed the movie, and somewhere during it I realized: I had completely stopped thinking about home. I was finally at peace — and genuinely excited to see what the second half of the summer had in store.

We headed back to camp that night ready to begin week four.