Looking like a group of walking celery stalks in our bright green T-shirts, my team conspicuously infiltrated the local grocery store, scanning each aisle for strangers. We had to act quickly, because time was running out…

No Campus Target training event would be complete without a scavenger hunt. So when our 17 new missionaries arrived for their weekend training, we split into teams and headed into town with a crazy list of things to accomplish in 90 minutes!

My team didn’t even hesitate! We asked strangers for their French fries, got marriage advice from a sweet elderly couple, ate an entire banana, skin and all (yes, even the little nub at the end!). We rolled down a hill, had a shopping cart race with a stranger, filmed a music video, gave a stranger a piggyback ride, got a kiss from a sweet little lady, and a couple dozen other crazy things.

I don’t normally like to draw undue attention to myself, or randomly interrupt people as they’re grocery shopping. But on this scavenger hunt I watched my team break out of their comfort zones and in turn, I saw complete strangers open up to them with surprising warmth. As one of my girls told me, “Well, if we’re going to be ministers of the Gospel, we have to be bold!” She’s right. And that’s why my team won the scavenger hunt! J But even better than that is imagining what they will accomplish this coming year in Asia: If they are that bold with strangers just to win a scavenger hunt, I can picture them boldly sharing their faith to win souls in Asia!