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Wolves In The Woods

A theologian once said that we don’t visit the Grand Canyon to feel like “somebody.” We go because we have an innate desire to worship and be in awe. Yet, in 21st century America, we often find ourselves indoors affixed to our various forms of media, racing from one cerebral task to another with cluttered minds. As author Annie Dillard states so poignantly, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

The outdoors, in its grandeur and rawness, has much to offer in the way of self-reflection and character development. It tends to upend the balances we so comfortably construct.

So, how can we counteract this trending onslaught of media? GREG LISSON , director of Christian life, explains, “We want to push kids out in nature so that they can disconnect from the influences of culture and media.” Whether on a retreat, a mission trip, a hike with the Wesleyan Outdoors Club, or on senior trip, Wesleyan encourages students to pause from technology and embrace nature’s goodness.

Sometimes, those experiences as students plant seeds that impact lives beyond graduation. Let these alumni explain.

Solitude

The outdoors have a way of both building community and exposing a need for solitude. CHRISTINA MORAITIS ‘14 is an astrophysics Ph.D. candidate at the University of Central Florida. Her job lies with astrophysical instrumentation research. More specifically, she builds telescopes and instruments for space observations.

She has traveled to several unique corners of the world such as the Gran Telescopio Canarias in the Canary Islands. She visited last June to commission the largest, single-aperture, optical telescope in the world.

“Observing the night sky outdoors on late nights connects me with God’s creation in ways that I cannot fully describe,” Moraitis reflects. “It’s beyond the familiarity of a regular worship service or church sermon. To quietly sit in the presence of the Lord’s omnipotence underneath the vastness of space is an experience as peaceful as you can grasp.”

It sounds like she would agree with theologian Thomas Merton who once said, “Solitude is to be preserved, not as a luxury, but as a necessity…for survival in the life God has given you.”

STEVIE CRAWFORD ‘19 is a student at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, where he is working on a degree in business marketing with a minor in photography. He has operated a fine art landscape photography business part-time while in school.

“In nature, all of the world’s voices go away,” explains Crawford. “Jesus gave us an example to follow when He went to desolate places to spend time with the Father. I can recharge when I have a chance to put away my phone and other nagging distractions to spend time with the Father in His creation.” As Crawford references, Jesus found His strength in the wilderness where He could pray, fast, and gain clarity about His calling in the stillness.

Community

Yet, human beings were made for relationships, and the outdoors provides plenty of space for that as well. Campfires, canoes, and cliffs create precious moments for uninhibited conversation. JT EIGEL ’16 was a fly-fishing guide in Montana, Idaho, and North Carolina for six years. He shares that it is “the marriage between being outside and being with people that brings me authentic joy and exemplifies God’s earnest desire for us to enjoy fellowship in His creation. The vast majority of my closest relationships are built upon a mutual affinity for some type of outdoor recreation.”

Similarly, KATHERINE GRADDY ‘21 chose to spend her past summer in the Grand Teton National Park. She explains that it wasn’t until she moved to Georgia and began school at Wesleyan that she truly began to explore the outdoors.

She recalls, “It was the community at Wesleyan, the cross country teammates who became friends, and the teachers who became mentors, that shaped my love for the outdoors. The first hike I ever did was because of a recommendation from a new friend on the Wesleyan cross country team, and many more were due to suggestions from the Wesleyan Outdoors Club. A summer job at REI was the result of hours spent preparing for a Wesleyan backpacking trip.”

Graddy is currently studying at the University of Oxford, and she still uses the outdoors to build relationships. She lives just steps away from Addison’s Walk (the C.S. Lewis / Tolkien route), and she regularly strolls there with friends. “Back in Atlanta,” she shares, “I find hikes in the North Georgia mountains to be the best way to catch up with friends and family.”

Awe

The tremendous magnitude of mountain ranges and shorelines quickly diffuse trivialities and give us renewed humility and awe.

Moraitis shares, “When I’m outdoors under the night sky, I’ve learned time and time again how minutely small I am and how being alive on a perfect planet is an impossible gift. Spending so much time outdoors, studying the complicated intricacies of space and how the earth is in the perfect position to be habitable, makes you fully understand what a precious gift our planet is. It is our absolute, unequivocal duty to take care of it.”

Crawford has learned similar lessons from his time outdoors. “The outdoors have taught me humility,” he reflects. “The mountains especially have always made me feel so small and understand that our God is so much bigger than we are. The mountains can be dangerous, so I am humbled by how easy it is to get lost, how hard it is to transport myself through the mountains, and how quickly the weather can change. It reminds me of how dependent I am on the Lord.” When we are weak, He is strong.

“THE OUTDOORS HAVE TAUGHT ME HUMILITY. THE MOUNTAINS ESPECIALLY HAVE ALWAYS MADE ME FEEL SO SMALL AND UNDERSTAND THAT OUR GOD IS SO MUCH BIGGER THAN WE ARE.”

“PART OF THE GRANDEUR OF WILDERNESS IS THAT IT CARES SO LITTLE ABOUT THE THINGS THAT ABSORB US SO MUCH.”

BELDEN LANE, BACKPACKING WITH THE SAINTS

Simplicity

During the summer after his eighth grade year, Eigel fell in love with the outdoors. As he backpacked the Wind River Mountain Range, rafted the Salmon River, and fly fished the Snake River for trout, the simplicity grounded him.

“A month later,” he shares, “I returned home with a renewed perspective and a heightened sense of gratitude for God’s creation.” He took a break from the “world,” and he left the search for voices that will approve and affirm him. He returned renewed, refreshed, and revived.

Belden Lane, in Backpacking with the Saints, states, “Part of the grandeur of wilderness is that it cares so little about the things that absorb us so much.”

Eigel agrees. “Being in God’s natural creation,” he explains, “allows us to zoom out from our propensity to maintain a worldly, 21st century perspective. It is my well-founded opinion that if one catches enough trout, one may find that much of what people concern themselves with is truly not that concerning.”

In the same vein, Moraitis shares, “Being outside has a way of making life incredibly simple. A clear night out by a fire with a group of dear friends is all I need to feel full.”

Habits Shape Hearts

Often, we are not self-aware enough to realize we need community, solitude, a sense of awe, or a simplified perspective on life. David Foster Wallace, in his graduation address to Kenyon College said, “The most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see.”

But as these four alumni have demonstrated, their love for the outdoors has bred invaluable habits and experiences that have shaped them as individuals and put them in touch both internally and externally with the people and world around them.

22-23 alumni events recap

09.29.22-10.01.22 college roadshow college roadshow athletic circle of honor

No hurricane threat could dampen the homecoming enthusiasm as alumni cheered on the Wolves in the special edition Thursday Night Lights, and the classes of 2002, 2007, 2012, and 2017 celebrated milestone reunions on Saturday.

WCurrent faculty and staff traversed the southeast visiting UGA, Clemson, Auburn, KSU, Georgia Tech, Georgia State, and SCAD-Atlanta, to catch up with alumni.

01.06.23 fine arts circle of honor

Friday, September 22, 2023

• 5:30 p.m. Alumni Social at Anderby

• 7 p.m. Alumni Tailgate at Wesleyan alumni easter egg hunt

04.01.23

Alumni and their families “hopped” over to campus for the Alumni Easter Egg Hunt, a visit from the Easter bunny, and time to reconnect with classmates.

• 7:30 p.m. Kickoff

Saturday, September 23, 2023

• Milestone reunions for classes of 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018

To go ahead and register for 23-24 events, scan the QR code.

NATALIE HAMLIN FICKEN ‘18 married JON HUNT FICKEN ‘18

IN NORTH GEORGIA. BRIDESMAIDS INCLUDED ABBIE BLAUSER ’18 AND NEILLY FICKEN COPE ’14. BRYCE HAMLIN ’12 AND COLTON VILLA ’20 WERE GROOMSMEN. ALSO IN ATTENDANCE WERE PRESTON JONES ’20, ALVA JONES ’18, BROOKS LALLEY ’18, MADISON LLOYD WILKERSON ’18, AND LAUREN BELL ’18. CURRENT FACULTY MEAGAN BROOKER AND GREG LISSON ATTENDED THE WEDDING, AS WELL AS FORMER FACULTY MEMBER MEGAN LISSON. THE FICKENS RESIDE IN AUBURN, AL.

ALEXANDRA HARPOLE JOHST ‘15 married CAMERON JOHST

IN ATLANTA, GA. MARY CLAIRE HARPOLE ’18 SERVED AS MAID OF HONOR AND MARY ELIZABETH BURKE ’15 AS BRIDESMAID. JACK MILLS ’18 SERVED AS A GROOMSMAN. OTHER ALUMNI IN ATTENDANCE INCLUDED REN SCHMITT ’16, ANNA KATE JOHNSON ’18, SARAH MOON ’18, CAROLINE GROSS ’18, ELLIS SCHMITT ’18, ALEXA HOWELL ’18, LAUREL LEE CHATHAM ’18, AND SAM SCHMITT ’21. THE JOHSTS RESIDE IN ATLANTA, GA.

10 / 22 / 2022

AMANDA REEVES BELL ‘14 married NICK BELL

IN HILTON HEAD, SC. FORMER FACULTY MEMBER AMY REEVES IS THE MOTHER OF THE BRIDE, AND KIRSTIE REEVES ’08 WAS THE MAID OF HONOR. WOOD REEVES ’19 AND HANNAH HUFHAM ’19 ALSO ATTENDED, AND FACULTY MEMBER FRANKLIN PRIDGEN OFFICIATED. ALSO IN ATTENDANCE WERE FACULTY CHAD AND STEPHANIE MCDANIEL AND FORMER FACULTY MEMBER DANA HUGGINS. THE BELLS LIVE IN ATLANTA, GA.

AT THE HOTEL AT AVALON IN ALPHARETTA, GA. CODY SCOTT ’05 IS THE BRIDE’S BROTHER AND OFFICIATED THE WEDDING. THE GUSTHARTS LIVE IN ROSWELL, GA.

11

RAMEY

AT THE REID BARN IN CUMMING, GA. STAFF BRIAN AND CAREY MORGAN ARE THE PARENTS OF THE BRIDE. ALUMNI IN THE WEDDING PARTY INCLUDED MAID OF HONOR RACHEL MORGAN ’17, KENDALL RUNYON FULLER ’14, AND SARAH ROHDE MANSFIELD ’14. FACULTY AND STAFF IN ATTENDANCE INCLUDED ALEX BUFTON O’DONNELL ’06, EMILY ZAVITZ, CHRIS CLEVELAND, RAMONA BLANKENSHIP, BILLY COXHEAD, MARC KHEDOURI, MELANIE O’KELLEY, SHONDA DUKE, JOHN BRACEY, CATHY BINION, AND MEG AND JEFF FOSTER. BOARD MEMBERS LAND BRIDGERS AND ROB BINION ALSO ATTENDED. THE HENSLEYS LIVE IN WOODSTOCK, GA.

11 / 12 / 2022

ASHLEY MOODY BROADERICK ‘14 married RYAN BROADERICK

AT SWAN LAKE OVERLOOK IN DAWSONVILLE, GA. THE BROADERICKS LIVE IN DULUTH, GA.

11 / 12 / 2022

ELIZABETH CHRISTOPHER KEITH ‘12 married KANE KEITH

IN ATLANTA, GA. ALUMNI IN ATTENDANCE INCLUDED REBECCA CHRISTOPHER SULLIVAN ‘12, ALLISON CHRISTOPHER ‘04, ABBY DAWS STUBBINGTON ‘12, ANSLEY MAUGHON ROBERTSON ‘12, TAYLOR WESLEY ‘12, COURTNEY O’LEARY ADAMS ‘13, REBECCA CARPENTER KENNEDY ‘02, AND KENZIE STANFORD ‘11.

12 / 10 / 2022

MAGGIE SMITH MANSOUR ‘11 married LUKE MANSOUR

IN COLUMBUS, GA. BETSY SMITH FREEBURG ’08 WAS MATRON OF HONOR. THE WEDDING PARTY INCLUDED SALLY ROBERTSON ’11, FACULTY MEMBERS CAMERON ALEXANDER AND ABBY HOLMES, AND FORMER FACULTY MEMBER MEGAN LISSON. IN ATTENDANCE WERE JACK EIDSON ’11, ALEX EIDSON ’11, BOBBY CHAMBLESS ’11, RYAN BUCKLEY ’11, AUSTIN BUSCH ’11, FACULTY MEMBERS GREG LISSON, ROBERT HOLMES, BROOKS HANRAHAN, ELLEN AND CHRIS PAROLI, JENNIFER AND TED RUSSELL, KEN CONNOR, AND FORMER FACULTY MEMBER DANNY ALEXANDER. THE MANSOURS LIVE IN ATLANTA, GA.

12/ 31 / 2022

TYLER HARPER ‘16 married

MADDIE ROHRER HARPER

AT THE FOUNDRY AT PURITAN MILL IN ATLANTA, GA. CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD LAND BRIDGERS OFFICIATED. IN ATTENDANCE WERE RYAN HUGHES ’16, LAUREN ALEXANDER WEIR ’17, GRACE CHAPMAN CANFIELD ’17, ELISE HARPER ’19, AND ANSLEY HARPER ’19. THE HARPERS LIVE IN ATLANTA, GA.