Very Productive Week!

This week has been quite a fun one. Link Year is a fantastic place and I learn so much each week. First off, last Friday, we went rock wall climbing! Don’t worry, it was in an indoor gym. I found out I’m not the worst climber in the world, but my forearms don’t much endurance. I made it up the easy and medium difficulty walls without much problem, but by the time I thought I was ready to try the harder walls, my arms were cramping and I couldn’t even do a full pull-up. I even waited another hour to try and get rested up and go for it again, but I still couldn’t do it, I was exhausted. It was fun though, and the Chik-fil-a definitely helped heal my sore arms. I had a productive weekend and accomplished all my goals for the week, so that was fun. Right now, I feel like I’m rambling slightly more than usual. I may be a bit out of practice with this blog thing. Over the week, we’ve had different speakers from the staff of the  Kanakuk Institute, the older people who we share a campus with. Joey Tisdale talked to us mostly about college and how to be lights wherever we go, no matter what we choose to do. Chad Hampsh acme on Wednesday, but I forgot my journal in my room, so no notes were taken that day. I remember playing an altered version of the morality game where we were asked to split based on whether or not we loved Jesus with our whole hearts, felt confident about sharing the Gospel, and believed wholeheartedly that Jesus is who He said He is. We also discussed the validity of the Bible and relationship/dating stuff. Dating is, to me, a pointless tradition that only encourages premarital sex, but he made some valid restrictions to actual dating that could work, I guess. One of the lesser-known things that make Link Year such a fantastic program is the thinking it makes you do on your own. My view of dating was formed here, but not because of anything a speaker said to us in class. I came to my conclusion after discussing with protégés and reflecting on my life and experiences. Anyway, back to the week. Today we had Keith Chancey, the president of the Kanakuk Institute, and he walked us through Paul’s journey after becoming a follower of Christ. I once tried reading through the book of Acts, but couldn’t get very far. I may try again soon, the talk was interesting. If you wanted more updates on the week, I’ve been working out a bit harder than before, have enjoyed the warm weather days and sat by the dock on a few occasions, and have made sure to build community and hang out with people daily, rather than sit on my computer or read in my room all day. I’ve got a masquerade ball starting now, that I’ve gotta leave and get ready for. In case you missed it, I’m in the place a semi-formal party is starting dressed in basketball shorts. I now have to leave the party, get ready for it, and come back. Later, party people!

Hello There Lads and Lassies!

Hey there strangers! SO much has happened in the past month! I’ve gone to Ireland and had a blast over there, hung out with my dad and brother, and came back and had a blast with my Linky friends. Ireland was fantastic, I built friendships on stellar levels while gazing out at that beautiful countryside every day. Just writing that and remembering how amazing the trip was makes me miss it terribly. I am so incredibly blessed to be able say I was in those places with those uber amazing people. We saw the place the R.M.S. Titanic was built. It was actually three separate places. Dangerously deep places. We also saw Tollymore Forest. Probably the second most fun day there. I was with Heather, Selby, Caroline, and Victoria. We climbed trees, told scary stories in the denser areas, and even jumped rivers. It was so awesome. On the last day we were there we got to climb a mountain! It started out in an insanely beautiful forest, full of streams and rocks and junk. I didn’t stop a ton to pay attention to it because we had been told we weren’t going to make it to the top because of time and I was determined. Later, once we passed the wooded area of the mountain we saw a sort of valley between the two peaks. It was pretty much what you’d expect to see when in an Irish valley. There were even sheep grazing near us! I filled my water bottle with the surprisingly clear stream water as we neared the top. The last leg got really steep and was really tiring. We ended up not making it to the top, a fact that disappointed me immensely. So that was Ireland highlights. Besides the amazing friends. Did I mention them? They’re pretty amazing. I also got pretty into poetry over there and wrote about ten poems, some for others and some for the poetry nights. Being back at Link Year has been a whole experience in itself. Having everyone back in the same place has certainly been nothing less than incredible. I’ve also enjoyed the speaker this week. His name is Joshua Straub, and he’s definitely in my top three of this year. I unfortunately don’t have my journal with at the moment, and this is due very soon, so I can’t share his wisdom with you guys. Maybe next time! Later!

MAN WEEK!!!! ROAR!!!

This has been a great week. I’ll start with TGIF, where we learned a few MMA and self-defense moves from an ex cage fighter. I’m no black belt or anything, but let’s just say you don’t wanna mess with me. Those few hours taught me a lot about tearing people’s hands open, breaking arms in several places with one quick jerk, and the number one rule of defense against random strangers. It’s groin shots. We were literally told that that is the first place to go. Then the eyes and throat. But groin first. Yeah. It was still fun getting to fight the other guys and not get in trouble though. The weekend came and went, and thus man week came into existence. This week has been dedicated to helping us Link Year guys become men the way the Bible says we should be. All of our classes have been separate from the girls’ this week, allowing the opportunity to talk about otherwise awkward subjects like the purity all Christian men should have, pornography and the complete revulsion we should feel toward it, or even the way should be viewing and looking at (or refusing to do so) our ladies and women all around us. We also got an extra hour of sleep all week. So all that stuff. Joe White’s house was awesome, too. We had a slam dunk competition on his trampoline, and then we got a lesson from Joe White himself on the weight that pornography and lust on our souls, hearts, and minds. Definitely the best talk of the week. I have been procrastinating doing this blog all day, so I have to cut it short so it’s not late. Peace homies!

Tough week... Also What Is Wrong With Me??

It’s definitely been a while. Hey peoples!! In case you can’t tell, I’m kinda stuck on what to say here. It’s been way too long. Christmas was awesome, I got to spend a ton of time with my family. They’re awesome peeps. It was amazing just sitting and hanging with my brothers. I absolutely loved it. So much so, in fact, that I didn’t want to come back to Link Year and all the work, growth, and learning involved. Once I got here, though, I was super pumped for everyone to get back. It was great seeing everyone after being away for so long. This very first week back has been tough, but sooo beneficial. On Monday, we had a normal day minus bible study. In small group time, we went and saw a plane that had landed in the wrong airport, and got an interview because one of our students was on the flight. We then went back to Adam Martin’s house to watch the news and see if we made it. The guy who was on the plane did make the cut, but none of the rest of us did. We talked about our breaks and since I played a bunch of video games, that was a heavy topic for the day. The talk was convicting and even though I wanted to argue against everything that was said, I did realize the validity of the points being made. The rest of this week so far has been great as well. Our guest speaker was Ted Cunningham, the lead pastor at Woodland Hills, a church here in Branson. He spoke on marriage relationships and what they looks like, from how our relationships with our parents will be, to how to tell your kids about sex. He is great at what he does, and did very well with what he came to do at Link Year. I feel like what he had to say was received very well, especially because it’s second semester and we can date now. Another topic was distancing ourselves from being under our parents’ authority, especially because of this relatively new idea we call adolescence. This idea is barely a hundred years old, and brought with it a huge slew of problems. Many people fail to ever actually grow up and become independent because of this extended childhood. Couple this with overbearing parents, and we have a generation of lazy, unemployed adults completely dependent on their parents. Definitely a good speaker, and I can say I loved and agreed almost completely with just about everything he said. There’s a reason Donyes keeps bringing him back. Until next week, my faithful readers (or lack thereof)!

P.S. Looking at my previous entry, I don't even understand the reference in the title... I have no idea what kinda junk I was talking about...

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.