Divine Redeemer Lutheran School is a church I attend. Teachers say “hi, Amanda. How are you doing?”  Andy, who is the youth director at the church goes further. He truly connects with me. I have gone on three mission trips and he pushes me out of my comfort zone. As much as I hated it at the time, I appreciated it later. There are many stories that I will stick with me forever.
I never thought I would get into a raft going down rapids knowing I could fall out at any second.  After the first rapids we went down, we learned we actually had to paddle when the guide told us. Once we got the hang of things and the nerves were out, the course was basically over. We have gone once every mission trip: three total. And they have gotten more and more fun, with views that are unforgettable.
I am not the most out-going person, especially when I am put into a group of teenagers who I don't know. Going to North Carolina, New York and Colorado, I have been put into those situations. Andy has a niece, Brylee, who he brought along on the first mission trip. We were like wifi and an iPhone with an instant connection that we had. After meeting her that first day we talked everyday like we were life time best friends.
One project that we were doing was painting some rooms in a lady's house. We moved the furniture out and we rolled the rollers in the paint. None of us had truly painted a whole room before. We thought we had to do the ceiling -- to quickly find out we were wrong. Someone felt something being dripped on their head. Then another drip like rain started to fall as the paint kept dripping.
With funny memories like these over the past trips, the projects have truly opened my eyes and taught me to not take much for granted. Without Andy, I would've never had the opportunity to learn to raise money, do fundraisers, sit it a van with other high schoolers for hours that felt like days, pray in front of a group, and let me be who I am without all the stress in the classroom.
Andy is an outstanding youth director he is also a husband and father. He is a person who is like a dad that is always willing to help. Andy may not be a “teacher” who teaches in front of a class in a classroom everyday, but to me he is the most important teacher. He doesn't look at me differently for what my grades are. He shares life lessons that mean much more than a math equation or how to find a mass of an object. He taught me to be who I truly am.