Denver Gap Year came at a pivotal point in my life, and the eight months I participated in this program changed me. Through both insane adventures all around Colorado and the mundane moments of community life, I got much more than I came expecting.
Coming out of high school, I knew there was more to life than working endlessly to get into a college that I wasn’t even sure I wanted to attend. The first seventeen years of my life were full of busyness, and I knew there was more to life than that.
Though I grew up in the church and knew many of the “right answers,” I came back to the core questions of “Who am I?” and “What am I made for?”. I was unsure how exactly I’d figure these out, but by giving God these eight months and saying yes to what came in DGY, I grew into who He made me to be.
Alongside students, staff, teachers, mission partners, and other wonderful people I met along the journey, I experienced the full beauty of community. Doing every element of life together, I had the honor of getting to know people from all across the globe. Though it may appear to be a crazy bunch of folks, DGY is a picture of the body of Christ, and I got to witness the multitudes of ways that people serve and live for the Lord.
In this slower season surrounded by community, the Lord worked on my heart, and I relearned what it was to be loved by God. He broke down the walls of my heart, even breaking down my idea of what it looks like to live for Him. Classes with Bridgeway Church were life changing as the Holy Spirit moved, and teachers prophesied over each of us. I then got the privilege of serving in both the Dominican Republic and Guatemala, experiencing an entirely new side of God, teaching me that God can not be put into a box, and He moves in many ways beyond what I previously ever imagined.
One fine day, I was praying for the conference where we were going to serve that day, asking for it to be more than working at a table, but to somehow experience impact. On this day, I met a community of Christian artists who became mentors, guiding and encouraging my art journey.
Because of these women and the support from DGY staff, I am now studying art in college and chasing after my dream of being an artist. Though it was a journey, I grew in confidence and belief that God wanted to use me and I have purpose here.
Denver Gap Year and the people who I met there are the hands and feet of Jesus and helped teach me what fullness of life truly is.
“For the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you may have life and life abundantly.” - John 10:10