The past two weeks of my life have been spent in the lovely town of Manitou Springs, Colorado. One may wonder how a girl from a small town in Alabama arrived in a place bursting at the seams with hippies on every corner and bears prowling in the woods. I occasionally found myself wondering the same thing. Up on a large hill (or a small mountain) a place called Summit Ministries resides. Summit is not just a summer camp; labeling it as such would be an insult. I learned more about myself, this world, and the One who has captured my heart.

The least I can do is say thank you.

Dear Summit Ministries,

Thank you for the best two weeks of my summer. Ever since my best friend told me about her experience at Summit last year, I knew I had to go for myself.

My entire trip from start to finish was an adventure which pushed me out of my comfort zone. I went to Colorado without knowing a single person there. I flew on an airplane for the first time in my life, learned more about the Christian worldview, and met people from all over the United States (and even Europe). I was pushed to my limits mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Coming from the state of Alabama that has an elevation of about 800 feet, a hike up a mountain in Colorado with an elevation of about 7,400 feet was quite challenging. Even scaling the stairs of the Summit hotel was no small feat.

Each day proved to be an intellectual challenge as well. From listening to at least five lectures a day to asking questions at open forum after dinner, my brain was exhausted. At first, I was worried about the early (to me) bedtime, but I saw very quickly that 11:00 PM could not come quickly enough some days.

Once I got home I slept for over twelve hours, and I am still in the process of catching up. The love and support that I felt at Summit will not be forgotten.

Now, instead of feeling discouraged when thinking about the current state of the world, I can think back on my time at Summit and remember that this nation is sprinkled with Summit alumni who are striving to make a difference for the Kingdom.

To the Summit campus,

Thank you for the cold showers, sticky notes on the doors, wake up calls, morning traditions, worship, bus rides, and everything else in between. The stairs that initially seemed like a mountain eventually became part of my daily routine. The bell that signaled the beginning of each class was hard to ignore no matter how much I wanted to take a nap. The front porch with the rocking chairs became one of my favorite places to sit and reflect on God’s creation. No matter what time of day, coffee could always be found in the kitchen and for that I was grateful.

To the Staff,

Thank you for taking me in and loving me from the very beginning. Your thoughts and prayers were constantly felt throughout my time at Summit. Your love for the Lord and your servant hearts were evident in all your actions. The food was amazing. There was not a day that I went hungry. Every morning began with an inspiring thought of the day, saying the Pledge of Allegiance, and singing a verse from Amazing Grace. The worship each night was so intimate and genuine; I always looked forward to that after a long day of learning. Even though my session has come and gone, I will continue to pray for all of you and the rest of the students headed your way this summer.

To the Speakers,

Thank you for challenging me. Many of you addressed controversial topics that I have had questions about for a long time. You answered many questions that I had, but you also left me with more questions. I am now inspired to dig deeper and learn more. The lectures in the classroom were jam-packed with information, and the time you spent on the front porch answering questions at open forum was much appreciated. Because of all the new things I learned, I have a stack of books that are waiting to be tackled. I am less intimidated by the hard questions and feel more confident in starting conversations about my faith.

To My Small Group,

Thank you for enduring my shy, awkward self at the beginning and then accepting the crazy, loud person that I really am once I got comfortable around all of you. Thank you for tolerating my southern sass and funny accent. I think that it is amazing that we all came to same session and stayed so close throughout our time there. It was so easy to be vulnerable with all of you. I loved our hiking adventures, trips to town, and shared meals. None of you will not be forgotten, and I look forward to seeing all of you again soon.

Much love, Grace

All in all, Summit altered my perspective on the social and political climate of this world for the better. These past two weeks have been life-changing and ended all too soon. This experience gave me new hope for this generation, and I pray that all of us become bold ambassadors for Christ.

“…and take every thought captive to obey Christ…” – 2 Corinthians 10:5