I came to Yellowstone as a non-believer the summer of 1999. My best friend and I had been hired to work at opposite ends of the park. So, I was assigned roommates & suite-mates I’d never met before. God had plans for me that summer I could’ve never expected. I was placed in a 6-person suite with all 5 women on the ACMNP staff for Grant Village that summer. Due to past negative experiences, I was initially uninterested in pursuing Christianity. However, I did become friends with all of the sweet women in our suite.

Midway through the summer, tragedy struck when one of the women fell 80 feet into shallow water while hiking at Firehole Canyon. She was life-flighted to a hospital in Idaho, where she spent the next 6 weeks. The group of us took turns visiting her on our off days. I noticed a peace and trust the ACMNP staffers had regarding God’s power to heal and love us all. Miraculously, our friend walked out of the hospital 6 weeks later with no permanent damage! During those long car rides to visit our friend, the ACMNP’ers shared their faith, the gospel and a Christ-like love with me. By the end of the summer, I began to sing in the ACMNP services in place of our friend. In July of 1999, I committed my life to Christ and prayed to accept him as my savior.

I met Bill Young (head of YNP ACMNP at that time) at the end of the summer and he asked if I was interested in serving on the ACMNP staff the following summer. At first, I was really hesitant as I was a new believer. But, my friends encouraged me to think about it over the following months. I served with ACMNP at the Lake location in Yellowstone the summer of 2000. I am still dear friends with most of the 1999 & 2000 staffers. We have visited each other cross-country & enjoyed keeping up with each others’ lives. A couple of them went on to marry each other too…in Yellowstone 🙂 ACMNP will always hold a very special place in my heart!

I am now married, with 2 teenage boys. We live in Roswell, GA. We enjoy attending church and I have enjoyed many years in a women’s Bible study there. This changed the trajectory of my life as I am a believer because of my experience with ACMNP staffers the summer before I served on the staff.

-Elizabeth, Yellowstone National Park Alumni, 2000