“One faith event that changed everything for me” - Winning Essay

By Averi Bauer

Starting out when I was younger, my family always would go to church every Sunday morning. I feel as any little kid would, I just went because I was forced to but over time that changed drastically. About three years ago, I attended a church camp for a weekend and I think that’s when everything changed, for the better. Ever since then, it’s not just something that I get forced to go to every Sunday, it actually has meaning behind it and I thoroughly think it makes my life better overall.

I also have found myself trying to seek God daily, instead of just once a week mass. I thoroughly believe, though, that this all started at Source and Summit in 2021, my freshman year of high school. Going on this trip, I originally just thought it would be a great time to hang out with my friends away from home for a couple days, and maybe go to church a couple of times. I don’t think I could’ve ever guessed that it would change my whole perspective on life.

During this event, we had group discussions with teens throughout the state, got to listen to outstanding speakers, went to reconciliation, sang worship songs, went to masses, and most importantly we got the chance to have adoration and be face to face with the Lord. I simply do not have the words to describe how adoration at Source and Summit makes one feel. This was the moment that I realized that God is meant to have such a bigger impact on my life than just a weekly, Sunday morning mass.

Additionally, after adoration was over, they started playing “We Are One Body” and we all came together in the Mater Dei High School gym and sang along. There were many smiles, laughs, and many tears shed this night, but they were all purely from God's love being shined through each and every one of us in that gym, that night. I think I can speak for the whole group that went to Source and Summit, that we all experienced something so impactful in our lives that weekend, and we didn’t even know what we were signing up for in the beginning. We all ended up going again our sophomore year, and it was, again, one of the best weekends being able to reconnect with God and meet new people that are in the same shoes as we are.

I could not imagine how differently my life would be if I would not have taken the chance to go to Source and Summit my freshman year. It truly changed my life for the better, and I am forever grateful for the opportunity God gave me to go find my true purpose through him at this wonderful event.