Moondance has operated a Mystery Trip for two years to an undisclosed location. Right now, we should take a note from our Mystery Trip.

 

The Mystery Trip is incredible. Students and leaders have no clue where they’re headed and, yet, they go. Students pick this trip, parents fill out the forms, leaders prepare for airport day, and the Moondance community sits in unceratinty until departure day.

 

What a day that is! Students arrive at the airport and the leaders reveal the trip location. Seventeen and eighteen year-olds release yelps of joy, hugging one another as they imagine the next few weeks of adventure unfolding just beyond the airport doors. The excitement sets in. Their uncertainty dissipates. The stomachs full of butterflies slowly settle as they begin their journey through Slovenia or Patagonia. The mystery of the adventure starts to pay off. 

 

But, really, the uncertainty lingers. Both students and leaders don’t fully know what to expect as they hop in a van headed for their first hotel. Students may realize it’s snowing in Patagonia, or maybe they finally locate Slovenia on a map. But, every day after the grand location reveal, our brave Mystery Trip goers must choose this adventure amid questions and lingering uncertainty.

 

We are in a time plagued by uncertainty. We are adjusting, adapting, and anticipating completely new situations with every new day. We have the option to choose the adventure that sits in front of us, even though it may not be Patagonia. If we were to live like we were going on the Mystery Trip, we would be okay with our uncertainty, because we knew that great things waited for us beyond those airport doors. 

 

If we were to live like we were going on the Mystery Trip, we might find ourselves resting in uncertainty rather than fighting it. We might find ourselves appreciating change rather than bucking against it. We might find ourselves on a beach somewhere, even if it’s only in our imagination.

 

That’s the thing about the Mystery Trip; it inspires imagination born out of anticipation and hope. An anticipation of challenge and growth. A hope that another life-changing experience is right around the corner, regardless of where your plane touches down.

 

As we prepare for our collective “Mystery Trip,” we can confront uncertainty, anticipate growth, and hope that another life-changing experience is right around the corner. Wherever and whenever that may be.

 

– Moondance HQ