Woah. Four weeks ago I blinked. And now... a month has gone by. Thrust from the position of cabin counselor at a camp at which I'd finally begun feeling comfortable and back into the world of college life. As I mentioned before, working at the camp that I did this summer literally changed me. Built up my faith. Strengthened me. Opened my eyes to the beauty of a human being. And much, much more.
The same day my camp job ended I left for California and spent a few days at my aunt and uncle's in Northern Cali. Got to meet my (relatively new) baby cousin. Absolutely adore her.
About mid-August I flew the rest of the way down to Southern California. Back to college. This time, however, I returned a few weeks early for Alpha (Orientation) Leader training. Little did I know how much it would impact my life. The first week of training involved a lot of miscellaneous stuff, including bonding and teamwork activities. As an Alpha Leader we are all put into groups known as AC groups. An AC, or Alpha Coordinator, is a sort of "Alpha Leader" for the Alpha Leader. The eleven of us in my AC group have grown to be considerably close. It'd be an understatement to say we're a family now.
The second week of training involved a week-long mission trip to the Bay. Unfortunately for the sake of secrecy and the impact of the program, I'm not allowed to say too much about it on here. It definitely had an impact on me though. To say it was life-changing barely does it justice. God revealed to me a lot of truths about myself. Some of those truths in particular, relating to my identity, finally reached my heart from my brain. To get something in your brain is one thing. To get it in your heart is something entirely different. For when you realize truth in your heart, you're literally changed from the inside out. It changes the way you view yourself, others, and the world around you. Needless to say I'm a different man now. If only I could fully convey the entirety of what God's done in my heart. It's absolutely incredible.
The third week of training focused on the logistical side of things. Unfortunately I missed a significant amount of it as I am also in the Men's Chorale here at my school for the second year in a row. With choir camp also happening that week, I had to bounce back and forth between choir and Alpha training. It was rough, but I made it through. Classes start tomorrow and I'm excited to be able to fully invest in choir as I wasn't really able to before.
Orientation was this past weekend and just concluded with day five. If only I could explain how exhausted I am. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually... I don't have much left. If given the choice though, I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. With today being day five, the busiest part of the Alpha program is over. The rest of the semester involves weekly Alpha group meetings, AC group meetings, and a weekly leadership class that the freshmen are required to take called Beginnings. I cannot explain how much I enjoy being with my Alpha group. Considering the fact that we've only been together for about five days, I have really good vibes about the semester to come. Needless to say they're a pretty solid group. We're Alpha Group 48--don't hate! (That's our group motto that I put on our sign; after all, I had to rhyme somehow!)
I am beyond excited for the semester to come. Excited for the Class of 2016. They've got so many good things coming for them; if only they knew. Though maybe it's a good thing they don't. It'll be that much greater when it happens.
I also forgot to mention that I got accepted to study abroad in South Africa next spring. After much paperwork, shots, and prayer, I'll be departing in January 2013 for a three-month period. Can't wait for that either!
God continues to prove His faithfulness to me. He provided me with a bike for a triathlon class I'm taking this fall, one week before the class was supposed to start. Talk about a close call--yet God still came through!
He is so good. BOOYAH!
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