I was not a Christian when I came into college and had just recently been saved when I first attended MTOP’s Spring Breakout my Freshman year. I was overwhelmed by my experience that week in so many different ways. I was overwhelmed by the good that MTOP was doing for their community, overwhelmed by the joy I had working with the MTOP staff, but mostly overwhelmed by all that the Lord showed me about myself, the people around me, and about Him. 

If there is anything significant we have learned as an organization in the last 30 years, it is that housing matters! This year Mountain T.O.P. is celebrating an important milestone: Adults In Ministry’s 30th Anniversary. AIM is important to the overall mission of MTOP because of its focus on eliminating substandard housing through Major Home Repair, a program that tackles large-scale, home improvement projects which address the health and safety of homes.

I will start by saying that Mountain Top has been a huge part of my life. It has shaped me into who I am today, and I will forever be grateful for that. I first came when I was twelve years old and in the seventh grade. I was coming with only about ten people, and they were much older than I was. All of the guys were at least in the tenth grade. That week was one of the best weeks of my entire life. I met people I still keep in touch with today, seven years later. I think that it is safe to say that week single-handedly changed my life forever because now I am on staff here at Mountain TOP and went every single year up until now.

It is hard to put into words all that my time on the Mountain has meant to me. I came as a camper for six years, and I was lucky enough to get to work on MountainT.O.P.’s Day Camp Summer Staff for two years- first as a Ministry Coordinator, then as a Manager for the program. I have formed lifelong friendships, gained professional skills, but most importantly, I have witnessed God moving in extraordinary ways. I read a book a few years ago in which the author writes about “thin places.”