This fall, I sat across the screen from a college student calling in from Spain. She was warm, curious, and honest about her hopes for the summer—and even over a glitchy Zoom call, I could tell she was drawn to something deeper than just a job.
These conversations—hundreds of them—have been a steady rhythm through my semester as Staff Coordinator. And they’ve stirred something in me, too: a deep gratitude for the years I spent in the Canyon at LLYC and LLFC, and the ways they quietly shaped me. Those summers shaped me the way the river shapes the Canyon itself.
Truly, it is humbling to step back and take in the big picture enough to see that who I am, who I know, and how I interact with the world have all been molded by the Lord working in and through me in this very setting. I undoubtedly trust that the same will be true of each and every staff member this summer.
In our summer staff interviews this is actually something we look for—difficult as it is to capture—the desire to be changed, to be captivated by the heart of God with a passion to look more like Him, the longing to reflect Him clearly and seek to point to Him in all you do, as you yourself also humbly learn and grow.
Reading through staff applications, visiting with references listed, asking intentional questions, listening wholeheartedly and communicating thoughtfully with these young adults—it’s all a process. More than that, it is a prayerful process. It is the rewarding, and at times laborious, slow work of people—nearly impossible to measure and definitely more of an art than a science.
Perhaps the most encouraging thing of all is hearing about the growth, leadership, and ministry that continue beyond the Canyon—proof that something lasting took root. Ultimately the group of staff that comes together is itself a reflection of Christ working all things together.
In the end, it’s the work of invitation. The team of staff that is being built is invited into the transformative work that the Lord has been doing on a daily basis in this place for 60 years, an overflow of how he loves us and calls us to Himself.
As I help build this year’s team, I know it’s not just about logistics or planning. It’s about participating in something sacred—an invitation into the slow, transformative work God has been doing here for decades.
I feel honored to play even a small part in that story.