CONNECTION IN THE PRESENT

IN THE PRESENT

Connection’ takes up a lot of head space in my world. What does it look like to reconcile the disconnection of our present age? How much hope is there in reconnecting with each other, with God, with creation? Should we return to old ways of reconnecting or adapt our old ways to account for our current climate? I’m a person who always has a rotation of questions or concepts that I’m mulling over. Currently one of my go-to topics is author Victoria Loorz’s prompt: “Tell me about the land who raised you.” I’ve heard joyful retellings of ‘play’ facilitated by the outdoors, nostalgia for simpler times or a different culture, appreciation for the intimacy of a small backyard and the opportunity to know it well. I used that prompt at our North Island Leadership Training weekend in August as an icebreaker, and as we debriefed the conversations we had, we realised how much deeper it prompted us to go. We observed the power of conversation as we swapped partners, how people inform

'our own responses and how they evolve with each interaction. What a powerful thing to identify at the start of a weekend which requires connection and input. The outdoors inadvertently connected us to each other that morning, simply as the focus of our conversation. Imagine then, what happens when we’re actually outdoors? Mental health struggles are at the forefront, and, from what we know, anxiety is a bodily and mental fear of something in the future. There’s a rebuilding of confidence that is necessary for resilience. I—at least most of the time—delight in the future, but struggle to be present, but I’ve recently noticed just how present the outdoors allows me to be. What a gift to have the privilege of giving our young people as we explore what it means to reconnect. The ability to be present opens opportunity. Suddenly we have space to be attentive to God’s voice, and his ever-present movement around us.

NATALIE DUCHESNE

| SUNZ North Island Camps Facilitator

Natalie is passionate about young people and the way being in the outdoors encourages and grows their faith as they connect with God and with each other.