How We Grow Together

This month’s newsletter is a bit late, but I have a good reason. I just returned from co-leading a Seattle University student trip to Guatemala — an annual tradition I look forward to every year.

In ten days, we covered a lot: historic streets in Guatemala City, the ruins of Iximché, villages around Lake Atitlán, and time in Antigua. The schedule was full, but what stays with me isn’t the checklist. It’s the people.

These trips often change participants in ways they don’t expect.

One told me he wouldn’t have traveled to a place like Guatemala on his own. What made it possible was the structure, support, and guidance built into the trip. With that foundation, he stepped outside his comfort zone. By the end, he was exploring, driving conversations, and taking every chance to practice Spanish.

What struck me is how often growth shows up in that way. It doesn’t usually happen when everything feels easy or familiar. It happens when there’s enough structure to feel safe, and enough support to take a step beyond what’s comfortable.

Maybe that’s the question for all of us:

Where do you need more support so you can stretch?

And where can you provide the structure that helps someone else do the same?