UTC is a trip I will never forget. At first I was skeptical about going and did not think I had the free time to do it but the Lord works in wonderful ways. As soon as I got to the airport I knew it was going to be an amazing week. We got to CSU and immediately met so many people eager to grow in faith and worship the Lord. I encountered the Lord in so many amazing ways and truly was a blessing to be able to go and fundraise enough to pay for it.
Throughout the week and learning about the five principles, my faith looked so much different than the previous week. We were able to put the principles we learned into practice during "the labs" and also I found freedom in competing that I have not seen before in my life. I was able to play freely, not care about errors or trying to one up a teammate. I was playing for an audience of one. Moving into the special it was one of the harder workouts in my life and having a team of people I met 4 days before, it felt like we had known each other for years. We pushed and encouraged each other the whole time while remembering that God is with us, and God is good. I was able to finish Golgotha not by my strength but the strength the Lord provided me, and after that moment I truly was changed, mentally and spiritually.
Lastly, the people I met and the connections I created was truly like a glimpse of heaven. Everyone there was surrendering it all to Christ and worshipping 24/7. I did not want to leave. I grew so close to the IndyAIA crew, and also I am family with hundreds of other athletes across the nation. Countless people prayed for you each night, and we shared tears, laughter, fights, and so many other emotions with people we had just met but grew so close to. UTC is a trip I would recommend to anyone and it was one of the most impactful weeks of my life.
Austin Brandenburg | UTC Colorado 2026
