In my last week the ACMNP office sent an email about finishing strong. I’ve felt convicted about focusing on that as more and more people I’d grown to know over the course of the summer had left already and it grew easy to think there was not enough time to establish relationships with anyone new.

I was supposed to go on a night hike with a friend who I had gotten to know all summer. I ran into another guy I had seen from time to time but never hung out with or talked with much.

He asked what I was doing that night and I told him. He said, “cool, have fun” and began to head into his room. I walked out of my dorm and felt pulled to go back inside to invite him along.

He jumped at the chance, telling me he’s been waiting to get a chance to know and hang out with some people. Little did I know what would go down that night.

We went on our night hike to Canyon Overlook, saw an incredible starry night with a shooting star that looked like a missile streaking through the sky. Then we went “tunneling” (hang out of the window of the car driving through the Mt. Carmel tunnel and then down the switchbacks of the mountains). We got back and he opened up, sharing with me his struggle with depression, history of hard drugs, and stents in psych wards.

He told me he was going to use that night and then I came and knocked on his door.

I’m learning, if I am obedient to the Spirit and Act, God is ready to glorify Himself thru our lives, rescue His children, and let us participate in that!

Jon B., Zion National Park, 2014