An Explosive Experience
The Awaken Project so far for me, has been explosive, in every way one might imagine you could apply the word. Friendships exploded into something more than that, deep Christ-rooted relationships. The inviting environment of Mt. Carmel and all of its staff, and more specifically those affiliated specifically with The Awaken Project, immediately made a positive, fun, and joyful setting in which myself, and my peers were able to open up, learn, and flourish without a moments’ delay.
I wish I could tell you every great moment I had so far with Joe, Jacob, and others at Mt. Carmel, but I find myself without the days of time that would be required to describe them all. To summarize, getting to know the area, the people, and the goal of The Awaken Project, as well as the incredibly wise instructors these first two weeks has led to explosion after explosion. The first explosion was in the decor of our cabin as we were able to take the highest degree of creative liberty when decorating and laying out our living quarters, in order to transform it from a regular camp cabin into a truly homey environment. The next explosion was in the conversations I began to have with my peers, as I began to absorb all the knowledge and experiences they had brought with them from their diverse backgrounds.
Following the initiation week, a cascade of wisdom and truly awe-inspiring, thought provoking, and worthwhile knowledge simply overwhelmed me in our first week with Kendra Diehl. She created explosion after explosion in my mind as she led us through the book of Colossians in a deep, intentional way I couldn’t have even imagined possible prior to actually doing it. This wonderful trend continued the entire week, as Kendra continued to share her vast expertise of theology and the book of Colossians both during the class sessions, and outside whenever we had any questions, because we had a lot. Our minds were blown time after time, session after session, fact after fact, creating a lasting intrigue, and wanting for more. That week could not have been long enough for me to learn all Kendra could have taught me, she was truly a scholar and expert, who not only proved to be an extremely skilled teacher, but also a caring mentor who sought to foster interest and develop understanding. If our minds are being blown again and again from delving into the 4 page book of Colossians, you might not be surprised to hear that it happened again, and again into the second week with Dave Wollan and Steve Olcott, in which we focused on the Gospels.
I can confidently say without a doubt, now being in my third week of participating in The Awaken Project, that I have never had so much fun, I have never learned so much, I have never had my mind blown, my entire understanding of history, theology, and myself blown up in my face ever before. All in the best way. In the short, but truly fantastic time I have spent here so far, I cannot compare the amount of personal growth I have experienced to any other time in my life. Even past mission trips, school events, and traveling falls short compared to these past weeks with Joe, Jacob, Steven, and an incredible sensation I can only describe as the nearness of the Lord in a way I had never experienced before.