I walked into the day of the Path Finders trip not knowing anyone or even a shred of information about them. I could be surrounded by sociopaths and would have had no idea. When everyone showed up, it was awkward and since we’re all teenagers, barely anyone talked. We got T-shirts (thank you!) and boarded the bus where the awkward silence continued, broken occasionally because nobody knew what to think of one another. As the name games continued, everyone started really opening up to each other and getting excited about the prospects ahead of us. Being uncomfortable always creates memories and getting run through a washing machine and frozen shortly after (we were rained on and then shuffled into the cold indoors) definitely created some unconventional bonding. Watching everyone support each other and offer advice to people they met 4 hours before, and had probably forgotten their names, was refreshing to see. People overcame their fears of heights and uncomfortable situations and realized that we’re not as different as we look. Everyone has something to bring to the table and I think that overcoming our respective challenges during a ropes course allowed us to grow closer together and build a foundation for further service and impact.
–Gemma
