A leader is someone who is able to bring a group through thick and thin. I never really thought of myself as a leader; I preferred to be told what to do instead of choosing what to do. I couldn’t bring myself to make risky moves and challenge myself. It wasn’t until a weeklong camping and canoeing trip with the Chicago Voyagers’ Journeys program that I was able to become a leader.My growth to becoming a leader started one day on my second CV trip. We were canoeing on lakes in the Minnesota Boundary Waters, and I marveled at the wonders of God’s creation. Lush green trees surrounded the countless glassy lakes. The water was clear and cool while the refreshing summer breeze flitted over my skin. It was the perfect atmosphere for a time of reflection and faith.
A few days into the trip, our group found a campsite around lunchtime, so we had all afternoon to hang out and have fun. A couple of my friends and I tried to see how many people we could get to stand on the gunwales (sides) of the canoe. So we paddled out away from shore and climbed up on the canoe. After three of us were standing on the canoe we lost balance and tipped over. The normal procedure for rescuing a canoe is to do a T-rescue with another canoe, but we only had the one canoe so we couldn’t do that. We also could have swam it back to shore, but I was intent on flipping it back over so we could paddle back to shore. At first I was scared that no one would follow my lead because I had never taken charge before, but once I started telling them what to do they listened to me. It took a lot of work, but I finally was able to convince everyone to give it a try and lead the process of flipping the canoe back over to the right side, and we were able to climb into the canoe. We were then able to paddle back to shore with our heads held high. When we got back I realized that I had finally broken out of my shell and took charge of the group. This was the first time I stepped out of my comfort zone and took the role of leadership. My eyes were finally opened up to the possibility that I could be a leader.
Throughout the rest of the trip I became a leader in different ways, but I felt especially called to be a servant leader. I would sometimes take charge of the group. Other times, I was the supporter, helping people portage (carry) their canoes or make dinner. I would also allow others to grow in their leadership abilities by stepping back and letting others take charge or shine. For example, I really wanted to portage the heavy canoe from lake to lake all the time as a personal challenge, but I realized that sometimes it is more important to give others opportunities to grow. I realized that in that scenario, leadership meant stepping aside. Servant leaders put others first. This attitude helped me grow as a person throughout this trip and now throughout life. Now as a junior at Fremd High School, I put my leadership skills from this trip into my everyday life. I currently am a choir sectional leader. This means that I lead the tenor section whenever our director isn’t there. This was something I never would have taken the initiative to do before I went on this Chicago Voyagers trip.
Before Chicago Voyagers, I was someone who avoided leadership like the plague, I would much rather have been a follower than a leader. Now, with all of the confidence and experience I’ve gained through this program, I jump into leadership roles every chance I can. I only have been willing to accept these leadership roles because of what I learned on that Chicago Voyagers trip. I am so very grateful for my family, friends, and neighbors that have supported me to go on a CV adventure. I hope that everyone is able to experience such an amazing trip and learning opportunity like I have. I am extremely grateful for the chance to discover my leadership strengths through this amazing organization.
For more information on our Journeys Program click here.