I look around me and see the waves crashing on the shore. They're bigger than a lot of waves I have seen before; or maybe they just seem bigger because I'm in an unfamiliar place. Two flags mark off a 50-foot section of the shore, between which swimmers have to stay between (shark nets were in place not too far off the shore to keep sharks away). Because the oceans of South Africa, the Indian on the eastern shore and the Atlantic on the western shore, are home to the Great White Shark, swimmers have to be careful. Every few minutes the lifeguard blows his whistle for several minutes to get everyone back in between the flags. This section of shore is between two piers, one of which is closed and the other used by surfers. With surfboards in hand, they jump off the pier and head into the waves. Back on shore, although many are wearing traditional swimsuits, many are wearing normal articles of clothing.
The ocean is warm. It feels cool when I first get into it, but after a while it begins to feel too warm. With the ozone-free, South African sun beating down on me I'd almost rather be in waters as cold as the Pacific. But maybe not--playing in the ocean is a lot easier when the water is warmer. I look behind me and there are buildings everywhere. The beach is located in downtown Durban, an eastern port city in South Africa. I look around and take in the sun, the waves, the people, and everything else that surrounds me. I can't help but feel especially grateful for I do not deserve to be in a place like this. It's a wonder that God can bring someone so far in life. His power is endless and there is no limit to the things He can do. The beach reminds me of this.
Before we went to the beach we went to an indoor market, which was a sense overload. The smell of various spices filled the entire building. If you slow down even slightly as you walked through the market, merchants would be on you in an instant. "Would you like to try this on?" "This costs forty rand." "Where are you from?" Millions of questions are thrown at you. Being alone is out of the question; you're either with friends or merchants; or both.
The market we went to was the cheapest place to purchase souvenirs at in all of South Africa; what a buy! I won't say what I purchased for I don't want to ruin the surprise for those I got something for, but I got a lot for what I spent!
Today, February 2nd, marks four years since my dad passed away. And doing what I did today was the best thing I could have done. Being surrounded by 52 people who have shown so much love and support towards me as well as each other is a tremendous blessing. We did an activity last night called Cross the Line which told us a lot about each other. We want nothing but to support each other and seek God together--it truly is an amazing group! Needless to say today has been incredible and my cup has overflowed with joy and peace. God is too great to not be happy today! My dad is in Heaven and free from all pain and struggles; I could not be more grateful for it, considering that he is not on earth anymore. This is not to downplay grief or to say that it is not okay to be sad (because it is!) but rather to share how I have been feeling today. God's grace is more than enough.
We're venturing into our third week of classes next week, which means we are one-third of the way done with intensive classes (aside from our history class, which continues for a while longer).
I have felt a freedom here that is irrefutable; God has spoken some deep truths and as I said before our group has gotten tremendously closer over the last couple days. I am so grateful for them!
It is crazy to think that we are only two and a half weeks into our semester here--it feels like it has been over a month, at least! It is strange how quickly relationships happen here; we are also doing a lot every day so it makes one day seem like several. I like to say that college is like Narnia; time in college does not work the same as it does in the real world. Six months in the real world is like years in college. Or something like that.
And that concludes week two.
TIA
Showing posts with label study. Show all posts
Showing posts with label study. Show all posts
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
One hour. Literally crazy.
It's 1:45 a.m. as I write this. In a little over an hour I'll be meeting up with the rest of my team (I guess that's what they're called) to go to the airport. Shuttles will take us to LAX, we'll spend however long checking in and going through customs, and then our flight will leave at 7:30 a.m. We fly from Los Angeles to D.C., then to Johannesburg, South Africa with a stopover in Senegal (in West Africa). It's all so weird. So weird.
Today was unreal. We had orientation from 8:30 to 2:30, which was all-around strange. It got me excited for Africa but at the same time made me extremely anxious; it wasn't a bad anxious, just... anxious. That feeling of being in anticipation, of being in waiting. Our commissioning service was at 4:30, which was overwhelming but so good. Because I'm attending a university significantly far from home, my family couldn't make it to the service; having a myriad of college friends nearly made up for it though. You generally don't realize the love and support that you have until something like this happens. "You never know what you've got until it's gone" could not ring more true. My appreciation for APU and my friendships here has grown, and I can only hope that I've left some sort of impact in my short year and a half here so far. I'm grateful to have two more years after this. But for now... Africa. That's my focus.
Although I can somewhat pinpoint the ways in which I want to be changed, I have this feeling (and I've been told) that my expectations will be blown away; I'll be challenged in ways that I won't expect. I will grow in ways that I do not see coming. But for that I cannot wait.
There's nothing like the semi-awkward initial interactions you have with people. As I walked into the venue where our orientation was held and looked around at the 50 or so people that I will be spending the next four months of my life with, I said, "This is it." I've heard nothing but amazing things about the people I'm going with. To experience it for myself, though, is one of the many things I am excited for. To no longer simply hear about the people I'm going with but to experience it first-hand. I feel blessed already.
One hour and seven minutes. Definitely not getting sleep tonight. But that's okay. 26 hours on a plane will provide plenty of time to sleep. It's gonna be a crazy trip!
Well, here we go! Goodbye America, hello Africa.
Hello, Africa. Woah.
Today was unreal. We had orientation from 8:30 to 2:30, which was all-around strange. It got me excited for Africa but at the same time made me extremely anxious; it wasn't a bad anxious, just... anxious. That feeling of being in anticipation, of being in waiting. Our commissioning service was at 4:30, which was overwhelming but so good. Because I'm attending a university significantly far from home, my family couldn't make it to the service; having a myriad of college friends nearly made up for it though. You generally don't realize the love and support that you have until something like this happens. "You never know what you've got until it's gone" could not ring more true. My appreciation for APU and my friendships here has grown, and I can only hope that I've left some sort of impact in my short year and a half here so far. I'm grateful to have two more years after this. But for now... Africa. That's my focus.
Although I can somewhat pinpoint the ways in which I want to be changed, I have this feeling (and I've been told) that my expectations will be blown away; I'll be challenged in ways that I won't expect. I will grow in ways that I do not see coming. But for that I cannot wait.
There's nothing like the semi-awkward initial interactions you have with people. As I walked into the venue where our orientation was held and looked around at the 50 or so people that I will be spending the next four months of my life with, I said, "This is it." I've heard nothing but amazing things about the people I'm going with. To experience it for myself, though, is one of the many things I am excited for. To no longer simply hear about the people I'm going with but to experience it first-hand. I feel blessed already.
One hour and seven minutes. Definitely not getting sleep tonight. But that's okay. 26 hours on a plane will provide plenty of time to sleep. It's gonna be a crazy trip!
Well, here we go! Goodbye America, hello Africa.
Hello, Africa. Woah.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Six Days
Yup. I've got six days left in the States. Talk about weird. Talk about super weird.
I reached a state of limbo when everyone returned to APU and I was still at home in the Northwest. And then it got worse when classes started. Having APU go on without me; it was bizarre.
And then... it got even worse. I returned to APU yesterday and now things are really strange. Sleeping on a couch, needing my roommates to let me in to what was once my apartment, having no bedroom to go to, going to chapel without having to fill out a chapel card, having almost nothing to do while everyone else is busy... it's weird.
It's nice being home though. Christmas Break was good, but nothing beats being with friends and being back at the place in which you live. Even if I don't technically live here anymore. I've hardly been here for twenty-four hours yet I have had an amazing time. Catching up with friends, going on a run in the beautiful sunshine, relaxing... it's too great. I figure I'm going to need the rest before I leave, because once I leave, I won't be sleeping much until summer break. Life's about to get crazy!
I wish I had more to say but not much is happening these days. God is good.
Six days. HOLY MOLY.
I reached a state of limbo when everyone returned to APU and I was still at home in the Northwest. And then it got worse when classes started. Having APU go on without me; it was bizarre.
And then... it got even worse. I returned to APU yesterday and now things are really strange. Sleeping on a couch, needing my roommates to let me in to what was once my apartment, having no bedroom to go to, going to chapel without having to fill out a chapel card, having almost nothing to do while everyone else is busy... it's weird.
It's nice being home though. Christmas Break was good, but nothing beats being with friends and being back at the place in which you live. Even if I don't technically live here anymore. I've hardly been here for twenty-four hours yet I have had an amazing time. Catching up with friends, going on a run in the beautiful sunshine, relaxing... it's too great. I figure I'm going to need the rest before I leave, because once I leave, I won't be sleeping much until summer break. Life's about to get crazy!
I wish I had more to say but not much is happening these days. God is good.
Six days. HOLY MOLY.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
A Whirlwind of Change
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!
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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