This summer, in places like Estes Park and the Adirondacks, college students stepped into ordinary spaces and watched God do extraordinary things. 

As part of my role as a Reliant missionary, I have the privilege of overseeing our two summer Leadership Training (LT) programs for the Collegiate Church Network. Each year, it’s a joy to watch God transform the next generation, but this summer was especially marked by students choosing to place Christ and His mission above comfort, reputation, and even their own sense of control. 

Students entered environments that were anything but insulated. Dorm hallways became mission fields. Break rooms turned into sacred spaces. Conversations over meals and late-night debriefs became opportunities for eternal impact. Living alongside other seasonal employees from different backgrounds, beliefs, and life stories was not incidental to the experience; it was central to it. 

The gospel was not something students studied from a distance, but something they carried into real relationships with real people. 

What stood out wasn’t just a willingness to share but a growing intentionality. This kind of intentionality requires more than courage in the moment. It requires preparation of the heart, attentiveness to others, and a willingness to listen before speaking. It means seeing people not as projects, but as image-bearers with stories worth knowing. 

This summer, students leaned into that posture. On average, each participant built meaningful relationships with five individuals who did not know Jesus. That word matters. These were not surface-level interactions, but relationships marked by trust, consistency, and genuine care. 

Out of those relationships flowed conversations about faith. On average, each student shared the gospel or their personal faith story nine times. Behind every number are real names, real faces, and real stories. These are moments of stepping out in faith and trusting God to work. These conversations reflected a growing confidence in the message of Christ and a deepening dependence on the Spirit. Students weren’t presenting polished scripts; they were sharing their own stories of transformation and pointing to a Savior who had met them personally. 

And then, by God’s grace, we saw fruit. Each participant, on average, witnessed two people place their faith in Christ. These moments remind us that while we labor faithfully, it is God who brings new life. We cannot manufacture conversion, but we can be present, obedient, and available. For the sake of the gospel, students positioned themselves where only God could move, and He did. 

It would be easy to focus solely on the numbers, but the deeper story is one of formation.  

Students left the summer not only having participated in gospel work but having been shaped by it. They learned that evangelism is not an event, but a lifestyle. They discovered that faith grows when it is given away. They experienced both the joy and the discomfort of initiating spiritual conversations, trusting that God is already at work in the hearts of others. 

In both locations, students encouraged one another, prayed for one another, and celebrated each step of obedience. The mission was not carried out individually, but collectively. There is something powerful about a community united around a common purpose, especially when that purpose extends beyond itself. 

This summer offered a glimpse of what happens when ordinary obedience meets God’s power. As these students return to their campuses and communities, they carry with them not just memories but also a new vision of what it means to live on mission. And the same gospel they shared this summer will continue to shape them and, by God’s grace, reach far beyond them.