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The Journeys Track

A Vanguard Gap Year Story

By HoneyRock Center for Leadership Development

December 12^th, 2022

Part III

This story is part three of a four-part series. This four-part story series focuses on Vanguard Gap Year and the three Tracks (Equestrian, Journeys, and Adventure Programming) that Vanguard students participate in during their year at HoneyRock. Follow along as we continue to release the remaining two parts, each focusing on one of the three Vanguard Tracks.

PART I: WHY WE WORK? | READ NOW

PART II: The Equestrian Track | Read now

Because at the end of the day, it’s not about ourselves.

What is Journeys Track?

A central component of the Vanguard gap year is work: students work 8:30am-5:00pm, Tuesday through Thursday, breaking for midday prayer at 12:00pm and lunch at 12:15pm. That said, HoneyRock’s approach to work is unique: while many use work and toil interchangeably, HoneyRock views work as a set of responsibilities and opportunities which are ultimately a blessing and invitation from God. While this approach to work is prevalent throughout each of the Vanguard Tracks, Journeys provides a direct emphasis on it. Cole Nelson, the Vanguard Program Coordinator who works with the Journeys Track, described the track as “hands on—very practical, skilled work”, noting that, while this could be said of all the tracks, it is particularly true of Journeys: after all, it is far more probable that Vanguards will need the skills to prepare a meal or repair a building later in their lives than to manage a herd of horses. So while there is equal value and significance in each Track, Journeys specifically focuses on helping Vanguards practice thoughtful selflessness by teaching practical skills though challenging jobs; ultimately, Journeys is about learning to work well.

Caleb Ledbetter (Vanguard '23) contemplating how to compose a photograph.

Vanguards working in operations help pour concrete.

A Vanguard preparing a sheet tray in the kitchen.

Susanna Wensel, Ru Sheng Hiestand, and Joseph Thar (Vanguards '23) cutting vegetables in the kitchen.

A Vanguard working in the Elsen Operations Complex.

Olivia Sanchez Moreno and Caleb Ledbetter (Vanguards '23) take photos.

A Vanguard working in operations using a chainsaw.

Vanguards working in operations assemble a broom ball court.

Vanguards working in operations assemble the frame of a building.

Practicing Selflessness

In Journeys, the effort and results of the work done often goes unseen: Owen, a Vanguard in the Journeys Track, remarked “we put in this effort, even though we often don’t receive the direct benefits of it ourselves. Because at the end of the day, it’s not about ourselves. It’s about helping somebody else with some aspect of their life, even if it’s very small. We’re making HoneyRock the best place it can be.” To his point, Cole affirmed “You’re not really here to put on a show. You’re not here to get praise. The Journeys Track is about learning what we were designed to do from the beginning, which is work, and changing our view of work from being a curse to being a blessing.”

During their gap year, Vanguards in the Journeys Track have the opportunity to work two rotations in several different Vocational Areas, including kitchen, operations, and media. Their time in each vocational area is about eleven weeks—the length of which, Cole explained, is designed to help Vanguards “live out the progression of agency; it allows for longer-term discipleship and deeper growth within the Track”.

Vanguards in the kitchen recieve instructions from Matt Frears (Food Service Supervisor & Sous Chef).

Progression of Agency

For instance: Owen was helping with the construction of a building. Initially, he was observing, learning the process, but as the day progressed, he was able to assist in its construction more and more. Through experiences like this, he is equipped to accomplish various tasks competently and independently. “It’s like discipleship, you’re an apprentice to someone; you watch them do it first, and then you follow in their footsteps.” Ava, another Vanguard in the Journeys Track, remarked, “they actually let you work on things, not just teach you how to do it. We can use these things we’re learning to bless others in the future.” An excellent example of this is the work done by Vanguards in operations.

OPERATIONS

Owen described operations by saying, “I work with a task force of people to fulfill a need in the greater community. George (HoneyRock’s facilities Manager) said ‘we mend things we didn’t break; we clean up messes we didn’t make, and we create things that we will never use’.” This sums up operations well; sometimes it means using leaf blowers, and other times it means learning to operate a log-splitter. In tasks like this, Owen notices depth and purpose, “As you stack wood, you can see all the piles around it, how much hard work other people have put in before you. Walking into buildings where you see wood which you cut, you think, ‘Hey! These people can enjoy warmth and community because of a little thing that I was able to do’.”

Joseph Huseby and Owen Nordstrom (Vanguards '23) splitting wood.

When asked what kind of person thrives in operations, Ava replied, “Anyone who likes hands-on work, working outside, and who is willing to learn and listen.” Owen added, “Folks that are willing to take a bit more risk and initiative than they’re accustomed to, who have a good selfless attitude, and are able to have fun in the work they’re doing.” By choosing to engage and work hard, Vanguards working in operations are able gain unique skills and mature tremendously.

Vanguards working in operations assemble a structure.

Joseph Kruse (Vanguard '23), Josiah Masvero (Fellow '23), and Ryan Tsai (Vanguard '23) building a van shelter at the Elsen Operations Complex.

Vanguards working in operations learn how to pour concrete.

Vanguards maintaining HoneyRock's trails.

“I’ve grown a lot”, Owen reflected, “and I have more tools, which I know how to use, and I’m better at seeking help and collaborating to get the job done. Each workday, we all meet at the operations Center, get the gear we need, and pile it in the back of the of the old Ford pickups that we use. Then, as a squad, we’re on a mission with the tools to accomplish our tasks together.”

Vanguards working in operations check that a gate is level.

KITCHEN

Vanguards in the Journeys Track also have the opportunity to serve in the kitchen, preparing lunch and dinner for HoneyRock students and staff. Ru, a Vanguard working in the kitchen, remarked, “the crew is pretty fun to work with. Thomas (Food Service Manager & Head Chef) and Matt (Food Service Supervisor & Sous Chef) are patient with you, and help you when you’re struggling or doing something incorrectly.”

The process of prepping everything, serving people, and seeing the fruits of our labor is really rewarding.

A standard day in the kitchen consists of an overview of the day’s plan, doing the dishes from breakfast, and making lunch. After breaking for lunch, the kitchen team has a short bible study or skills lesson, and then begins dinner preparations. This is the typical cadence of every day, which makes work in the kitchen relatively rhythmic (as opposed to operations, where every day is different).

Tetiana Levchuk (Fellow '23) making a cake in the bakery.

Walker Lucas (Vanguard '23) working in the kitchen.

Ru Sheng Hiestand and Joseph Thar (Vanguards '23) preparing dinner in the Kitchen.

Tetiana Levchuk (Fellow '23) instructing Joseph Thar (Vanguard '23) as he dices an onion.

Ru Sheng Hiestand (Vanguard '23) making bolognese sauce.

However, this doesn’t mean the kitchen is mundane—Ru reflected, “I think one of my favorite parts is the camaraderie, how sometimes we goof around and sing songs”. Additionally, there is plenty of variety to be found in the type of food being served. One week the kitchen put on a mini German Fest, serving distinctly German cuisine for lunch, culminating in a bratwurst barbecue on Chrouser lawn. “That was fun,” Ru commented, “the process of prepping everything, serving people, and seeing the fruits of our labor was rewarding”. Some of the skills Vanguards working in the kitchen get to develop, in addition to a foundation in food service, are efficiency, team work, good communication, and attention to detail. According to Ru, “people who can take instructions well and be a willing learner” will thrive in the kitchen!

Walker Lucas (Vanguard '23) introducing a bratwurst meal.

Vanguards in the Kitchen cleaning up from lunch on Chrouser Lawn.

Joseph Thar, Ru Sheng Hiestand, and Walker Lucas (Vanguards '23) cooking lunch on Chrouser Lawn.

MEDIA

Another vocational area Vanguards in the Journeys Track have the opportunity to work in is media. Working in media includes taking and editing pictures, writing articles like this, and helping develop designs for the Beehive (the camp store). Vanguards working in media learn basic photography principles like shutter speed, exposure, photo composition, as well as how to edit pictures with Adobe Lightroom.

When you understand what makes a good photograph, and then you take one, you appreciate photography much more thoroughly.

Rachael Dickerson (Vanguard '22) posing for a photo Voyageur Point, a HoneyRock campsite.

Olivia Sanchez Moreno (Vanguard '23) taking a photograph.

Caleb and Olivia (Vanguards '23) taking pictures at the Equestrian Center's saddling corral.

Caleb Ledbetter (Vanguard '23) shooting photographs.

Miika Forsyth (Vanguard '22) taking a photograph in a canoe.

Olivia Sanchez Moreno (Vanguard '23) takes pictures at the archery range.

Caleb Ledbetter, a Vanguard working in media, explained, “the ubiquity of cameras in our phones has saturated our lives with pictures. And while this isn’t necessarily bad, I think that camera-phones are far more often devices than tools, the difference being that a tool requires practice and skill to use, while a device makes a process effortless. As such, taking pictures with a phone camera, which is typically a device, renders photography more impulse than art. But when you understand what makes a good photograph, and then you take one, you appreciate photography much more thoroughly.”

Caleb mentioned that his schedule looks different depending on the day, but the bulk of his job is shooting and editing pictures. “Definitely a lot of detail work”, he remarked, “and there is a lot to learn about and apply. But it’s very doable, if you manage your time well and get enough sleep.” He also noted the bigger purpose of his job...

“I’m taking pictures, and every picture is a moment. But a collection of moments becomes a memory, then an experience. Capturing an experience—that’s heady stuff, you know? And in doing this, I can help others remember their experiences well. Because we’re always moving, physically and figuratively, and it’s easy to move out of a moment—and an experience—without a second glance. But pictures give us those second glances, which allow us to appreciate experiences even far after the fact, and to remember and reflect upon them deeply. Some experiences are difficult to repeat, still more are impossible...wouldn’t it be a shame if they were finished and forgotten?”

Caleb Ledbetter (Vanguard '23) gazes into the distance, pondering the purpose of media.

The Journeys Track is about learning what we were designed to do from the beginning, which is work, and changing our view of work from being a curse to being a blessing.

In Summary...

Of the many words which could be used to describe the Vanguard Journeys Track, “easy” is not one of them. Neither are “effortless” or “glamorous”. Cole explained that, in Journeys, “You’re really learning about the art of working as a human, and there’s nothing in that which is about you … it’s a Track that really forces you to think, ‘why is this important?’ and ‘what are the motivations behind my work?’”

Caleb Ledbetter (Vanguard '23) takes pictures of fall scenery.

Susanna Wensel (Vanguard '23) cuts up carrots in the kitchen.

Walker Lucas (Vanguard '23) works in the kitchen's dish room.

Tetiana Levchuk (Fellow '23) preparing cake dough in the bakery.

Joseph Thar, Susanna Wensel, and Ru Sheng Hiestand (Vanguards '23) prepare dinner in the Kitchen.

An Fellow and Vanguard build a broomball court.

The Journeys Track is a set of remarkable and gratifying opportunities to learn and work in unique contexts. It is a journey paved with effort and marked with proficiency, which equips Vanguards with practical skills and selfless perspectives to help them flourish in the rest of their lives.

Joseph Kruse and Ryan Tsai (Vanguards '23) sing a song with Josiah Masvero (Fellow '23).

Up Next: Part IV The Adventure Programming Track

Keep an eye out for part four of our four-part story series on the Vanguard Tracks and how HoneyRock facilitates vocational discernment through work and community.