Every student on the spring break trip was challenged to grow in some way. One of those students was “Rob.” I didn’t know Rob until he showed up to the Campus Life kickoff in February after being invited by a friend. He continued to come to Campus Life club each week but seemed more interested in the games and hangout times. As he continued his involvement, it seemed like he was enjoying himself but also evaluating the group and how open he could be.
Throughout the semester I saw him start to become less defensive. He started joking and telling embarrassing stories about himself, but mainly stayed in the realm of humor. I asked him on several occasions if he would be interested in getting together, and although he said he was interested, he never did. However, that all changed when our spring break trip came along and he decided to join!
It was on that trip where I really saw Rob start to share about his life and let others in. It was incredible how he opened up in ways we hadn’t seen yet. He shared quite a bit with me about: how this trip was a new experience because he had never really taken a vacation before, his love of basketball, his family, and his story. He talked about how he and his family were plugged into church when he was younger but haven’t been in a long time. This trip challenged him to get plugged back in and restart his relationship with Jesus! Rob also wanted to meet with me more regularly. So, we decided we would workout together two days a week (which we have consistently done) as we continue to explore and learn what it looks like to follow Jesus together!
- JR Gray, Warsaw Campus Life Director