From my hiding place within the boughs of an enormous pine tree during a Sunday morning game of hide-and-seek, I could not help but think that college is nothing like what I thought it would be. It’s so much better.
Last Saturday I went on an overnight excursion to Stromsburg, Neb., with nineteen friends.
After a little more than an hour of driving past farms and open fields, our caravan arrived at a lone country house, illuminated by porch lights in the middle of a black, empty field.
Stepping out of the car, we were greeted by the distinct (and rather repulsive) scent of the country, which caused one of the girls to, out of reflex, draw her hand across her face in an effort to repel the nauseating smell.
A dog came out of the garage to greet us as well. When the revolting scent suddenly grew stronger, we realized that the dog, which reeked of skunk, was the source of the putrid stench.
Around 11:30 p.m., our leaders, and Stromsburg natives, drove us out to a pasture to hunt for legendary “snipes,” which no one has ever been able to catch. Their accounts of what the creatures look like were a bit conflicting: one said that snipes are little birds while the other said they are four-legged animals. Despite the inconsistency, we were all up for the hunt.
We divided into teams and stumbled all through the night in search of the snipes. A few times some people started screaming as they ran through the dark with flashlights, trying to chase the snipes they had just spotted into burlap sacks. Each time someone thought they made a successful capture, however, the bag was opened to reveal that the prisoner had somehow managed to escape.
If you are a farm kid, you may be aware that snipe-hunting is a practical joke that country folk like to play on inexperienced city-slickers. Some of us knew ahead of time that it was all just a game, which we graciously went along with. Others were convincingly misled to believe in the legitimacy of the hunt, not knowing that there were no snipes to be caught. I hope by now they’ve figured it out.
That was only the beginning of a very long and fun-filled night. After a failed hunt, we played a few rounds of freeze tag and hide-and-seek in the dark.
A couple years ago I never thought that I would be where I was, hiding in the boughs of a tree at two in the morning on a Sunday.
As a senior in high school preparing for the college life, I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect. I was apprehensive about classes and wondered how I would make friends on such a large campus.
In my first few weeks as a freshman at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I started getting involved with the Navigators Christian ministry. One of my first experiences with the group involved an outing to the Platte River where we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over a bonfire, and freshmen were invited to camp out.
The event was one of many that introduced me to an array of incredible people. Nineteen of those people comprised the party that I traveled to Stromsburg with this past weekend.
What I love about Navigator people is that they know how to have a good time. Many of my memorable moments come from events with the Navigators, such as our annual barn dance, Christmas parties, retreats and formals.
Our trip last weekend wasn’t a Navigator function: It was just a group of college students, set out to have a fun time, who happened to all be involved in the Navigators.
As much fun as we have together, that’s not what I love most about my Navigator friends.
Around 3 a.m. Sunday, while we were making popcorn and drinking hot chocolate after a cold game of hide-and-seek, one of our members received an upsetting phone call. Not many of us knew what was going on, but what was happening was clearly unsettling and concerned us all.
As we looked around at each other with blank stares, one of the guys suggested we do something that was really all we could do at the time: pray.
After receiving a brief outline of the anguished situation of our friend, we split-up into small groups and prayed that God would comfort him and use the brokenness to create something beautiful, something worth the pain.
As I listened to the heartfelt prayers being lifted up, I was moved by the compassion of my companions. The moment reminded me that this is why I love them. Their faith is inspiring and moves me beyond words. It is so encouraging to be surrounded by people who would pause to pray at three in the morning because they believe that God is big enough to take care of us and handle any situation.
There’s an authentic quality about all of the people I know in Navigators. It’s obvious that their love for God is what drives their genuine love for everyone in their life. It’s what compels them to care for and pray for one another.
I’ve always believed that God puts people in my life for a specific purpose. My niche in the Navigators is where I find support and affirmation from a large group of people. Within that group I have my Bible study girls, the young women I’ve grown close to and struggled through personal issues with. I also have the sweetest, most caring freshmen girls I’ve ever met whom I look to for advice, even if they are younger.
All of these people have encouraged me in ways that I may never be able to fully express. We have shared many moments together, from fun and lighthearted to more solemn and painful. Our shared joy, as well as pain, has carried us through college and given us strength.
Although we find support from one another, our strength inevitably comes from our firm faith in God. He supplies us with the power to endure challenges and hard times; we simply transmit that power among one another.
I am so thankful for the wonderful college experience I have had so far, which I accredit much of to my Navigator niche. I look forward to the coming years and the memories to be made, and to echo the words written by the Apostle Paul almost two thousand years ago, “I thank my God every time I remember you” (Philippians 1:3).
Bethany Trueblood is a sophomore News Editorial major. Reach her at bethanytrueblood@dailynebraskan.com.
