Stories

Unified Through Service and Prayer

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One summer morning, Shane Witters Hicks found himself running a new route that took him through mountain neighborhoods to a scenic, natural overlook of his hometown of Golden, Colorado. While taking in the majesty of the moment, Shane was hit with an “indescribably strong and passionate feeling” that gave him…

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Conquering Fears

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I was overjoyed to see the beautiful transformation that took place in my son Jackson. He was exuding confidence, calmness, maturity, ease and a great sense of peace.

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The Blessings of a Loving Community

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When Nette Bemis and her church – First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Elyria, Ohio – reached out with food and clothing to families in a low-income apartment facility, they also offered to take one of the girls to Sunday School. Soon, this student started to bring her friends. It…

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Being a Healer in the World, But Not of the World

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In the third year of the National Leadership Council program, teens go on a service trip to gain a broader perspective on what it means to be a global citizen. Brooke, who graduated from the NLC at this February’s All Class Retreat at the A/U Ranches, says she experienced “one…

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Learning to Express, Not Impress

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In the beginning, it was all about skiing for Samantha. She had never participated in a DiscoveryBound Outreach activity and was apprehensive about the 2015 New Hampshire Winter Weekend. “I didn’t know anyone else going other than my cousin and wasn’t sure how the weekend was going to play out,”…

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Recognizing God’s Control

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Like all of the summer camp majors at the A/U Ranches, Horsemanship pushes its riders to put their whole trust in God and overcome limitations. Grace was pushed in an unexpected way last summer. A Sky Valley camper, she had barely settled onto the back of her mount when the…

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Seeking… and Finding

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“Oh, these vast, calm, measureless mountain days, inciting at once to work and rest. Days in whose light everything seems equally divine, opening a thousand windows to show us God.” The quote above from John Muir is where Adventure Unlimited’s mission originated almost 60 years ago. The following story is a…

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From Skiing to Biking, Love Triumphs

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At a DiscoveryBound (DB) Outreach Winter Weekend in New Hampshire a few years ago, Ben and his sister, Jessica, didn’t know anyone. They had never participated in a DB event. They didn’t know how to ski. But the moment they arrived, they were eagerly welcomed by a swarm of other…

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Discovering a Sense of Belonging and Worth

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Michael moved with his family to the United States from Great Britain when he was 13 years old. The family relocated to Boston because Michael had been the subject of what his mother described as “very bad bullying” at three different schools. In her letter of gratitude she goes on…

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Growing Closer to God

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Lily is a member of DiscoveryBound’s 2017E NLC Class. She wrote to express gratitude for the financialÊassistance she received that allowedÊher to participate in her second-year Adventure Trip. The trip was, sheÊsays,Ê”an amazing two weeks with my NLC class, growing closer to my friends, exploring new environments, learning more about…

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