My Story/college

My Story - Jesse White

Jesse White - Bus Core Leader
Minnesota State University Moorhead

I can still remember the first day I had ever heard of STLF. It was a warm autumn day at Minnesota State University Moorhead and there was a bit of commotion on the campus mall. Dragon Fest was in full swing and many of the campus organizations were recruiting their hearts out for more members. I had been looking for a few organizations to join and was very interested in finding one that I could benefit from. There were many to choose from but only one had the curly blond haired girl that went by the name of Holly. She was so enthusiastic about this trip called the Pay it Forward Tour and seemed like she wanted everyone to go. I have always been a fan of traveling and thought that it would be a great fit for me. Therefore, I decided that I would attend some meetings to get a little more informed about the organization.

The meetings were rarely structured and at times a little redundant, but when the leaders talked about this Pay it Forward Tour they lit up with excitement, so that November I signed up for the trip not fully knowing what to expect during my first spring break. The next semester came and soon it was the day the bus was to leave. I knew a few of the people on the bus from meetings  but there were many that I had never seem in my life.

The Tour was the turning point for me. I never saw much potential in the organization just from attending the meetings, but once I was on that bus with all those other students I realized where the leaders energy and enthusiasm came from. The tour fills people with feelings of accomplishment and ignites the flames of compassion at many levels. Everything that I enjoyed in my normal life was balled up into this nine-day trip and I loved it. A passion for the tour grew within me each day of the tour. Even through the “bad” times (Really had to go to the bathroom in Wyoming with no town in sight, Blizzard in Colorado, Rain in Texas) the passion grew. Seeing how many different situations the leaders of the bus worked through to keep the trip enjoyable for us was remarkable and I really wanted to bring that joy to others.

When I returned from my first PIF I knew that I needed to get more involved in the tour. The leaders had created that passion for the tour within me and I knew that I wanted to be someone that did the same for someone else. I helped lead MSUM’s: Leaders of the Lost Ark tour in 2009.

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