Before this summer, when I would be out hiking, playing sports, or just enjoying nature, I would never notice God in creation.

Over this summer, again and again, I saw God on every hike and every time I would star gaze.

It was not only in nature but also in other people that I saw God. In the hours I spent with my co-workers inside and outside of work, in all the times that I spent talking, working, hiking, and having fun with my teammates I could see God.

The conversations I had with co-workers and teammates challenged me the most this summer. It caused me to look at issues from a different perspective. Not that what I thought or what my teammates thought was right or wrong, but that people’s life experiences will determine their stance on different issues. Whether that issue is a worldwide issue or one pertaining more to Christianity.

Bernt L., Great Smoky Mountain National Park, 2014