When I heard about Bear Breaks, I was instantly excited. What a cool way to spend Spring Break – with fellow students, getting to serve others in a community that was unfamiliar to me, and it was a bonus that the emphasis of the trip was on education, my major. I applied and found out I was accepted. Cue the anxiety. I realized what exactly I signed up for. A 7-hour road trip with five other people who are complete strangers to me, living with those six strangers for an entire week, and serving alongside them. Why on Earth did I sign up for that?

But something told me to take the risk anyway.

I won’t sugarcoat it… the 7-hour road trip on the way to Dallas that Sunday was extremely awkward. There were zero conversations outside of where to stop for lunch and Austin asking for a break 30 minutes in. We sat in silence most of the way. We all kind of did our own thing and kept quiet in our little van. When we arrived in Dallas, we had a few housekeeping things to get done, but once we were settled in our Airbnb, we decided to do a fire in the firepit in the backyard. We made hot dogs and roasted s’mores – this is when we learned that Austin is a professional s’mores maker. Conversations started picking up and I was hesitant to share things about myself with these strangers. What would they think? Would they find me annoying? Would anyone like me?

But something told me to take the risk anyway.

So, I joined the conversation and we got to know each other just a little bit. It was enough of a foundation to be comfortable serving alongside one another. The following day, we arrived at the Wesley Rankin Community Center where we were trained on our responsibilities for the week. The majority of the day was spent developing our lessons and activities for the spring break program we were leading and cleaning out/organizing a large supply closet for the Wesley Rankin staff.

Following our service time at the Wesley Rankin, we went back to the Airbnb, where we cooked dinner together, ate together, and cleaned up together. We concluded the night by having a movie night and decorating posters for our classrooms for the week. Once the movie was over, we played a game that was essentially just questions of getting to know one another. We learned that Vi was a published author, that Becca was TikTok famous, that Austin was pretty awkward in his younger ages, that Aubrey grew up on a farm,  and that Alex doesn’t have a green thumb.

The next day, we met the kids we would be hanging out with for the next few days during the spring break program. They were a blast, and I knew that it was going to be a fun few days ahead of us. I was scared to make connections with the kids because I knew we’d be gone soon and wouldn’t see them again.

But something told me to take the risk anyway.

We only spent three partial days with the kids from the Wesley Rankin Center, but wow, what an impact they made on all of us. They were incredible kids. They were intelligent, kind, considerate, and extremely welcoming of us. I was prepared to make an impact on them, but I was not prepared for just how big of an impression they would make on my heart.

Each night after serving at the Wesley Rankin Center, we’d have the same routine. We’d go home, cook dinner together, eat around the dinner table together, have reflective, intellectual conversations about our day, and clean up from dinner together. The evening usually concluded with card games that lasted way too late into the night for the time we had to be up the next day. I was nervous to really get to know and spend time with the other MSU students and our group leader.

But something told me to take the risk anyway.

The six of us really bonded over the span of the week. Serving alongside each other really allowed us to see each other’s hearts for serving and for helping when there is a need. I think we all shared the attribute of enjoying serving others, so this was something we all had in common and could bond over. Being able to have intellectual conversations about our days and how we could relate them back to education in the Springfield area was super cool. We were able to bounce ideas off of each other, discuss some of the pros and cons we had seen, and just share some of our thoughts about education. Doing dinner together and having game nights almost every night gave us the ability get to know each other outside of just our stance on education. We were able to have fun together and just enjoy being there. These were again, all things that scared me. I was worried about not fitting in with the group.

But something told me to take the risk anyway.

Within the time span of seven days, I realized that I had a lot in common with our group leader, Aubrey. Had I withdrawn and hung out in my room every night, I wouldn’t have realized this. I would’ve missed out on getting to know someone who is so incredibly kind and considerate. She had known me for less than 2 full weeks when she sent me a birthday present on my birthday. It was a gift that let me know that she really listened to me during the trip. We were able to connect well enough that she understood me and knew the gift that my heart needed. If I had chosen not to participate in the conversations due to fear or worries, I wouldn’t have developed friendships from this experience. I wouldn’t have experienced this trip to its full potential.

I say all of this to say, take the risk. Whether it’s a big life decision, considering reaching out to someone you want to be friends with, or even considering going on a Bear Breaks trip, take the risk. Trust me. It’s absolutely worth it. Taking the risk allows you to live a life that is so much fuller and more beautiful than you could have ever imagined. Take the risk.