Posted October 6, 2014 by
Tags: Spiritual Life My Wheaton Global and Experiential Learning
Our Faces Are Still Illuminated: My HoneyRock Passage Experience
The tiki torches’ flickering light reflected off each face, illuminating them, as we weaved through the woods and up HoneyRock’s ski hill. At the top, I gathered with about 150 of my fellow freshmen around a giant bonfire. Its sparks leaped upward to the vast Wisconsin night sky, beckoning my eyes to follow. The stars were magnificent. We proceeded to lift our voices up to the Creator of those very stars, and then participated in a revitalizing word of prayer.
This was the beginning of our Passage into the Wheaton community. The Camp Track of Wheaton’s Northwoods Passage Program enhanced my transition into college in many ways. I will focus on one: Friendship.
After that large group gathering on ski hill, we split into our cabins. Initially, I viewed my cabin as a motley group. We were introverted and extroverted individuals, morning people and not-exactly-morning people, athletic and artsy people from Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Illinois, and New Jersey. We were “Cabin 12.”
To my surprise and pleasure, we overcame our differences quite naturally and started building deep relationships with each other. We became very much like a family. We ate meals together, overcame challenge course activities together, camped together, served together, shared our life stories together, and grew in Christ together.
These friendships did not end at HoneyRock. We still hang out together, eat meals together, and encourage each other together on Wheaton’s campus. I am truly blessed.
In retrospect, I really admire the way Camp Track emphasizes quality of relationships within cabins rather than quantity of relationships within the track. I know Cabin 12 will have each other’s backs during our entire time at Wheaton and beyond. Despite this, many of the people I met during Passage are some of my close friends now. I met Lincoln, who I now serve with on Student Government, during Passage. I met Charissa, a wonderful floormate, during Passage.
Even though I did not become close friends with everyone I met at Camp Track, it is such a blessing to recognize so many familiar faces and know so many names of my fellow classmates around campus. What really amazes me is that even though there are no tiki torches here on campus, their faces still seem illuminated to me. I believe at least part of that is because of our shared Passage experience, and for that I am eternally grateful.
Read more about HoneyRock’s Passage program and new, year-long Vanguard program. Photos (above): Brielle Lisa ’18 with members of Cabin 12 at HoneyRock Passage, August 2014.