Personal Narrative: Mountain Mission School
“Slow down, future leaders of America at play,” a sign engrained in my memory as a result of the numerous volunteer trips I took to Mountain Mission School. Mountain Mission School (MMS) is a Christian boarding school and home to many children, who come from devastating backgrounds and poverty. Receiving no government funding, Mountain Mission School located in Grundy, Virginia operates solely on private donations and generous charities from churches all over America. In addition to a school, MMS played a key role in my life. Not only was MMS my home but also my church starting from second grade up until I graduated high school.
After graduating MMS in 2008, I returned the service and sacrifice of MMS by coming back to volunteer with an alumni
based leadership group called Bridge. Bridge, the first of its kind, was established to provide a seemingless segway between adolescence and adulthood. Bridge served in many leadership capacities, such as worship services, information workshops, and one-on-one interactions between sheltered kids at MMS and established young professionals. Returning with Bridge and serving the children of MMS has been the greatest leadership role I have played thus far.
I made it my mission to visit twice a year to spend quality time with the children and the staff. I had the opportunity to build purposeful relationships and bridge the gap of the outside world and its difficulties to the protected and peaceful MMS world. During my scheduled visits, I spoke to the children of my many experiences from the good, the bad and the ugly, relating to life outside of MMS which included college life, work life, traveling, dating and so much more that many children weren’t exposed to while being enclosed at MMS. I was also able to support them in any way I could from listening to their cries, coordinating meaningful activities, braiding young girl’s hair, helping with homework and empowering them through encouragement. With the staff, I was able to encourage them and show them that I was proof of their hard work and dedication to helping the children of MMS.
A major challenge I faced during my visit would have to be finding the balance between being held on a pedestal and coming off as relatable. Many of the children, Bridge grew in contact with were the youth; primarily the middle school to high school age groups. As many can imagine, pubescence is quite a confusing time in any child’s life. A specific challenge I faced was with the rebellious children who were not receptive to anything I had to say. All I could do to fix this issue was to continually visit, year in and year out, to express to them that the purpose of my visit was to only be an aid considering, I too was once in their shoes and know exactly how they feel. In my frequent visits, my goal was to place a foundation of consistency between myself and the children; that way I could build a sense of trust and further the children’s confidence in me and the future they were able to achieve. Another challenge I faced was more personal. Knowing that the children looked up to me, I had to make sure I too was walking what I preached. Integrity is a huge character of any authentic leader and I wanted the young children to know that I try my best daily to be the best example I can be. Leadership is not an easy task or trait but a rewarding seed to plant in our children. The lesson I took away from this leadership experience is to never allow where you came from to predict where you’re headed. Being self-conscious and striving to lead is important, but the true sense of leadership is about having depth of character and intense compassion to fulfill a mission to further a cause. I have always strived to lead by example, while at the same time giving people freedom to make their own decisions. I have learned that creating a culture where meaningful leadership occurs promotes an environment for growth and progress.
After graduating MMS in 2008, I returned the service and sacrifice of MMS by coming back to volunteer with an alumni
based leadership group called Bridge. Bridge, the first of its kind, was established to provide a seemingless segway between adolescence and adulthood. Bridge served in many leadership capacities, such as worship services, information workshops, and one-on-one interactions between sheltered kids at MMS and established young professionals. Returning with Bridge and serving the children of MMS has been the greatest leadership role I have played thus far.
I made it my mission to visit twice a year to spend quality time with the children and the staff. I had the opportunity to build purposeful relationships and bridge the gap of the outside world and its difficulties to the protected and peaceful MMS world. During my scheduled visits, I spoke to the children of my many experiences from the good, the bad and the ugly, relating to life outside of MMS which included college life, work life, traveling, dating and so much more that many children weren’t exposed to while being enclosed at MMS. I was also able to support them in any way I could from listening to their cries, coordinating meaningful activities, braiding young girl’s hair, helping with homework and empowering them through encouragement. With the staff, I was able to encourage them and show them that I was proof of their hard work and dedication to helping the children of MMS.
A major challenge I faced during my visit would have to be finding the balance between being held on a pedestal and coming off as relatable. Many of the children, Bridge grew in contact with were the youth; primarily the middle school to high school age groups. As many can imagine, pubescence is quite a confusing time in any child’s life. A specific challenge I faced was with the rebellious children who were not receptive to anything I had to say. All I could do to fix this issue was to continually visit, year in and year out, to express to them that the purpose of my visit was to only be an aid considering, I too was once in their shoes and know exactly how they feel. In my frequent visits, my goal was to place a foundation of consistency between myself and the children; that way I could build a sense of trust and further the children’s confidence in me and the future they were able to achieve. Another challenge I faced was more personal. Knowing that the children looked up to me, I had to make sure I too was walking what I preached. Integrity is a huge character of any authentic leader and I wanted the young children to know that I try my best daily to be the best example I can be. Leadership is not an easy task or trait but a rewarding seed to plant in our children. The lesson I took away from this leadership experience is to never allow where you came from to predict where you’re headed. Being self-conscious and striving to lead is important, but the true sense of leadership is about having depth of character and intense compassion to fulfill a mission to further a cause. I have always strived to lead by example, while at the same time giving people freedom to make their own decisions. I have learned that creating a culture where meaningful leadership occurs promotes an environment for growth and progress.