The last 8 months
while being in the Kaleo program has presented me with many ministry
opportunities. Overall even though there were not too many brand new
experiences for me I was still able to learn a lot of new things from these experiences.
Our main ministry focus was camp and
youth groups which I have been involved with prior to this year but these look
very different from place to place and are almost incomparable. My youth group
at home consists of approximately 6 youth whom are mostly in High School and
have a Christian background of some sort. My youth group here in Crofton,
however, consists of approximately 15 youth and very few are at the High School
level yet and most of them no idea who God is. It has been such a great
experience being able to get involved with this youth group because I have been
able to broaden my youth experience and learn how to lead in different environments.
The camp ministry is very different than what I am used to. The camp that I am regularly
involved in consists of approximately 25 people a week while camp at Qwanoes
has a hundred more than that for their retreats and four hundred more during the
summer. The staff here outnumbers my entire camp. It has been incredible to
experience how smooth everything here can run on such a large scale. The team
work and leadership here is phenomenal and great to be a part of. My ministry
experiences here have helped me develop my leadership skills in a much more
encompassing way. I was able to get involved in areas which I have a passion
for but experience them in such a different way and learnt how to further
develop my leadership skills in ministry.
This year has definitely
been a year to stretch and to grow. I have experience this in many ways. I was
able to develop leadership skills in many areas and discovered more of my
strengths and weaknesses. I grew in my knowledge of the Bible, the importance
of a strong community and personal spiritual development. But I think the place
where I grew the most is in leading a healthy dating relationship which is
honoring to God. This was certainly not what I was expecting to get out of this
year. Coming into the year I was focused on personal development, strengthening
my foundation and discovering what Gods plans are for me. I was blessed immensely
this year and God provided with that and to my great surprise I believe that it
was part of his plan for me to find a girl here. Shortly after the second semester
started I engaged in a dating relationship. Throughout the rest of the year I
was not only able to learn more about what it meant to be the leader in a
relationship, I was able to practice it. It has been one of the biggest
learning experiences I may have ever had. There were ups and downs but through
it all I was able to learn how things should be done and how I can improve on
things. I came to the Kaleo program to develop my leadership skills. God
stretched me farther than I expected and taught me how lead a healthy
relationship, one that I believe will last a life time.
There are so many
great things from this year and I will miss them all but I think it is safe to
say that I will miss the community the most. The academics, adventures,
ministry opportunities were all fantastic but they are all things which can be
found elsewhere. The community here is potentially a once in a lifetime
experience and cannot be found in many places. Studying, playing, eating,
working, hiking, exploring, sleeping, serving, and about anything else you can
think of we did together and through that shared countless experiences which
created an indescribable bond between us. We can be completely open and honest
with one another and not be judged. The encouragement is like none other. The environment
is so healthy and uplifting. The community developed here is a result of every
individual playing there part and being intentional with one another. Oddly enough
I even enjoyed the experience of having roommates. We got along s well and I
loved being able to talk with these guys at any time. Sleeping in an empty room
will defiantly be different I think I will miss having to share a room. I could
spend a day with any individual from this program and have a good time; there
is not a single person who I won’t miss.
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