A month into my season at Mt Rushmore, I was asked by a co-worker if I could give her a ride to Ohio as I was coming back to the East Coast at the end of my contract. I saw throughout the upcoming weeks our relationship grow as she began coming to services and as I joined her and another friend on a trip to the Grand Tetons. She would periodically ask me questions about my faith.

On the way home at the end of the season, we were thirty minutes from her house when she asked me why I was a Christian. As I told her my testimony and how I believe in showing hope and love to others, I saw myself witnessing to her in a way that was different than previous interactions. We talked about worship; I was able to explain to her how I see worship in what I do in my daily life as worship is something that is continually happening as I go throughout my daily tasks.

I was able to tell her about my hikes this summer as I would worship God silently but also in a mindful manner.

In talking with her, I had the ability to talk about worship, witnessing, and leadership simultaneously as I shared the Gospel with her and how God is and currently is working in my life. It was powerful because ACMNP was a big part of her summer as she was questioning her beliefs but had been open to the Christian faith.

There was a level of boldness as I was vulnerable with her. I shared the joys but also the hardships of what has transformed my journey as a follower of Jesus Christ. I was able to communicate love and understanding as I listened to her story and where she was in her faith. It was at that point that I realized the power of each moment of this summer. I saw the impact that ACMNP can have on someone else. I saw God at work in a way that I would have never dreamt of at the beginning of the season.

Renee B., Mount Rushmore National Memorial, 2017