I’ve met some amazing young people on the trips that I’ve facilitated with AIM. One young man from Derby, Kansas on a mission trip at Encounter Cove in Roach, Missouri especially stood out. My first conversation with him involved him needing a pencil. He used it to twirl and told me it calmed his anxieties. He was a hard worker at the many laborious tasks that he was given. However, when he had the opportunity to work with young boys as a mentor and supervisor, he found his passion. He was transformed. He was in his element, and the boys loved him. He became bolder and stepped out of his comfort zone and instructed and prayed with the boys. I saw him blossom and grow and I never saw him twirling that pencil again. In fact, by the end of the trip he was talking about entering the ministry. I thought he would make a great teacher. A leader, had emerged, and I was so proud of him.
