Another Home Calls...

And so goes another exciting week here at Link Year. Last week’s T.G.I.F. we got to go see The Hobbit 2: The Desolation of Smaug! It’s an awesome movie, as any would have to be with that many goblins getting their heads cut off so cleanly. No spoilers here, mainly because I feel asleep for maybe 15 minutes and was confused ever after. Still really good, though! Jefferson Bethke and his wife came to speak to us, in quite an impromptu fashion, then went with us to see the movie, so that was cool. I slacked all week and rushed through my precepts this weekend, which was super stressful. Sunday evening our small group had dinner at Adam Martin’s house, watched Man of Steel, and had sleepover! It was pretty cool, especially since the hammocks didn’t have hot water in the showers for some reason. But Monday was a normal day, with the exception of going to Adam’s and having another sleepover, this time including free haircuts. I tried a Mohawk, but didn’t like it a ton. When we finally decided to move out of Adam’s house, the timing was perfect, because there was hot water again! Since the Institute left a week earlier than us, we got to use their classroom, which is on campus and is kinda sweet. The speaker for the week was a house church pastor named Bret Jenson. He’s really cool. Though he spoke on some great things, mainly focused on fighting a spiritual war in the physical realm, I was mostly impressed at his involvement in our community here at Link Year. He came to breakfast (which most of the students don’t even attend), lunch and dinner with us all three days he was here. He was at the Fort and led a great Q&A, full of discussion including all the attendees. He and his partner-in-ministry even came and talked amongst us during the breaks in class. I’m not at all surprised he’s come every year to speak to the Link Year students, he’s great. Donyes needs to continue to invite him every year. Tomorrow is the last day before we take almost a month away to be with family over Christmas. I love Link Year, but I’m absolutely ready to be home for a while. So I’ll be reading Mere Christianity and writing an 8-page paper over it while I’m home- in L.A. Fun. Until next time!

P.S. If you get the title reference, you're cool. ;)

So Many Feelings About This One!!!

So, in case you didn’t know, this is a very special week! It’s called Link Year Gives Back, and is essentially a week of missions in the Branson Area. It is so exciting to be exposed to so many ministries that are so close to where we live!  To be completely honest, we have so much free time I could’ve found out about some of these and just volunteered, but I now know about them! After a fun weekend (I think) that I seriously don’t remember at all, came Monday. Monday was a very normal Monday, with the basic Monday schedule. With the exception that I didn’t go to elective because I went to the airport with my small group leader, Adam Martin. Tuesday, however, was a completely different story. On Tuesday…..I got an extra hour of sleep!!! It was great, really. After the hour came and went, we got up and headed to the Ala Moana to discuss the plans for the day. Because of weather, we went into the community and shoveled driveways and walkways. I went to Brian Wang’s neighborhood and we even got to invite a girl to the Fort! Later on in the day, we went to a home for the elderly. We just sat and talked with them for a while, got to know them, and even sang Christmas carols! It was definitely a good time. On Wednesday, there was no extra hour of sleep, much to my disappointment, but we went to the classroom to be greeted by the Mayor of Branson! She spoke to all of us for a while, encouraged us, and asked a few questions about who we are and what we plan to do in life. She’s kind of a cool person. Afterwards, we went to a Boys And Girls Club. There were donuts and delicious hot chocolate waiting for us there, and it was great. The guy running the place talked to us about the impact we were gonna have on the kids without even seeing them, when they see the work we’ve done there. He also told a really inspiring story about a kid who have all the right ingredients for a troubled teen, one who would possibly end up in a serious prison, and how Christ molded him into the person he was meant to be through his engagement and involvement in the Club. After hearing all this, we ready to do some hard work and have fun doing it. I joined the group that would be doing dirty, outside work. Our first task was to move a greenhouse without taking it apart. Easier done than it seems, actually. We really just lifted it up and moved it over a fence. After that we got to take apart the platforms it was on and burn the wood, so a really good day. There was also some really good snow on the ground, so we had a few snowball fights. I love it here, just saying. I tended the fire for a while and talked with a fellow link, Derek. I left before lunch there to be interviewed about Urban Entry. I’m confident about most of my answers, but I also feel like some of them were delivered rather less good than they could’ve been. We were then given the assignment to go out into community on our own and perform a random act of kindness, or RAK. I got food because I missed lunch, but then went with Vito and Emily to the Walmart. I ended helping an old lady load her groceries into her car, including a 50 lb. bag of dog food. Then I went to work at Hollister for a few hours, also knocking of a day of Advent. The time passed very slowly, and I was so tired, but I did talk a bit to a coworker I hadn’t met yet and I really want to get to know him more and I really hope to be able to show him Christ’s love and make an impact on his life. I’m so excited for this!!! I’m encouraged to go to work now! But back on topic, Thursday, we went to ministry called Jesus Was Homeless and bagged meals for the housed homeless of Branson. The term housed homeless is used to describe people living permanently in hotels because apartments are too expensive on their salaries, so they can only afford the weekly rates of about $200 in the hotels. These people work on the strip, and so the added lure of the hotels is their proximity to the places the people work. Many of the hotels don’t have kitchen areas and so the families live on fast food and microwaveables. It was fun there, all the volunteers are great people.  Josh Ong’s mom was also there, so that was cool. Once that was done, we went back the classroom to watch the video projects over one of the seven pillars we should’ve been working on for two months. No one did, they were all done this past weekend. A lot of them were so funny, others really deep and insightful, but they were all done really well and were amazing. Most of us were free to go after that, but a few students got to out and hand out the food bags we had made earlier and hand them out. I was amongst those lucky few. It was great seeing the happiness in the kids eyes, the gratefulness in the adults, and the joyful serving hearts of the volunteers. I really did love doing, and I got to see Robin, someone I usually only see on Monday nights, so that was cool too. It was great, but we got back just before this blog was due, and I always write about the entire week so I’m turning this in late. But only eight minutes late, thankfully! Also, in Word this post is three pages long. That may make it the longest post so far. This week was great, in case you can’t tell. Until next time peeps!

I've Really Missed This Place

It has been so long since I’ve written a blog post!! I think the past few weeks have had some of the deepest meaning to me of the entire year. Urban entry taught humility, love and to have a teachable heart through all of life. Thanksgiving break taught me how easy it could be to fall into temptation without the Link Year Bubble, and the impact I have on others, particularly those younger than me. And how much I’m gonna miss Link Year in May. I think it would be the best graduation gift ever if Donyes told us Link Year was officially expanded into a two-year program. So I got back on Saturday to start working at Hollister, what a joy that was, and the island was dead. I hung out the entire next day with my buddies Link Vito and Link Hannah Grace, so fun. Until my life happened and everything went awkward. But whatever. Everyone else got back on Monday, to great fanfare, and we all met up in the chapel to do advent calendars! On these calendars we have nice things to do for other people for each day leading up to Christmas. If you’re on mine, you’ll know in a few days! Tuesday was our Monday and we had accountability and small groups. Wednesday we had Brian Wang as our speaker for the week (Wednesday and Thursday) and he taught on the three things we should understand as we follow Christ. First, we need to deny ourselves. Basically, this means we should put others before ourselves. Second, we need to be completely dedicated to following Him. I can’t say that any more clearly than I just did… Third, we need to willingly be obedient to His commands when He gives them. No questions asked, just as Abraham did when he was told to sacrifice his son, Isaac. And thus is the rundown of my week. Until next time peeps!

Side note: It snowed today!! After class though, so we didn’t have a snow day, it only messes with our TGIF.