Hey everyone,
I've been home for a little over a week now so I figured it would be a good time to do the final post. Everything as far as travel went very smoothly, and I arrived back to Greensboro, NC about 10pm EST(nice to be back in 1 time-zone with everyone). Mom and Dad were there waiting for me and we headed home, getting back about midnight.
The first couple of days home were basically just catching up on rest, mail, sleep, and just getting everything in order. I got to hang out with alot of people back home which was great, and was able to just sit around with nothing to do(which by the way, gets old fast).
The first weekend back we headed to Newport News to visit Peanut, Richard, Ronda, Ray, PJ, and kids. It was great to see everyone there and I was even able to take home the victory in the classic Bowman/Toll family poker game. It's always relaxing in NN...a little slower paced than San Diego, but having the Olympics on was a nice retreat.
Since we've been back from NN, I've really been doing alot of nothing, which I feel is all I could want, with school being right around the corner. I'll be moving in on Tuesday and then classes start the following Monday. I'm really looking forward to doing the STA(Student Teaching Assistant) for the Residential Leadership Community and feel like it'll be a great way to connect with some freshmen. I'll also be leading a Bible Study through Cru, which is one of the main skills I hoped to improve on this summer, and I'd say it was successful. I got alot of practice leading studies and alot of leadership training in San Diego and now I feel much more prepared to lead the freshman study this fall. I'm a little wary about who I will co-lead with(Cru wants all freshman study leaders to co-lead), because I did not request anyone to lead with, so I guess I'll be put with a random person, but I'm sure it will end up alright in the end. I'll be living with John again, and our suitemates are all people from our hall last year, which should be alot of fun.
The thing I'm most excited for this year is just having the freshman class below us. I remember how exciting it was to get a call from an older student asking to hang out or go get lunch and it's exciting to have that power now only by being older. I'm looking forward to getting to know alot of the younger guys and hopefully draw in some more people into the Cru movement for the future years.
After having a week or so to reflect on the project, I'm still not sure what the long-lasting changes will be for me. I'm much more looking forward to being back in school to see how things go, but I am still very excited and anxious to be able to take all that I've learned in San Diego and take it to Blacksburg. I feel like I couldn't have spent my summer in a more valuable way, and am seriously considering the possibility of going back next summer for the student-staff portion of the project.
It has been alot of fun for me to do this blog, and I hope you have all enjoyed it as well. As I say many times, I'd love to hear from you all if you would like to talk more specifically about project or just stay in touch, feel free. I look forward to seeing everyone that I haven't seen and wish you all the best in the next days to come.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Last Day in San Diego!
I've been slacking on posts in the last week or so, but everything has been wrapping up and it's been hard to find much time. I write this from the Olive Cafe because it's the only place to sit down anywhere near our housing!
A few days ago we packed up all our clothes and got them ready as if we were leaving that night, which, with me being a very routine-oriented person, sort of stressed me out a little. I've learned this summer that I don't need much space to live comfortably, but I do need enough, otherwise I'm driven nuts. I think back to the first day of project when I stepped foot in the Santa Clara motel, having no coat hangers, no trash can, no laundry hamper, and no where to put my clothes, and on that first day I made a trip to Target - I couldn't live without some kind of organization and feeling of a schedule/routine.
Yesterday we packed up the entire project. We took down the bunks, cleaned out the refrigerators, cleaned the bathrooms, kitchens, walls, threw out all the trash, loaded a few U-hauls and took them to the self-storage units where they are kept for the rest of the year until next summer. I got the job of loading and unloading the trucks at the self-storage and packing the units, which was alot of lifting, but ended up not being too bad. We started at 7 in the morning with all the packing up and by 5 we were done. It was weird coming back to the Santa Clara with literally nothing in the rooms...we even took the tables and chairs from in front of the girls' condos which is a common hangout spot for everyone.
Last night was our project farewell banquet. We had a catered meal with pasta and salads, some worship music, a preview of the project DVD, and a special song that some guys had written for the talent show a few weeks back. I enjoyed seeing it this time since I was out of town for the show the first time around.
Today is basically a free day...everyone is packed, no more work needs to be done, so thankfully we can just relax and enjoy each other's company. I think it's a great idea to start the packing so early so we can have this free time now, although there is a down-side of sleeping on the floor for these last 2 nights. I don't think I'll be getting much sleep tonight, but my philosophy on it has been, I'm not going to look back on project and wish I had slept more, so I'm going to try to make the best of the last day here.
My flight leaves tomorrow at 11:30ish and I'll arrive to Greensboro around 10:00pm EST, so it will be a long, but hopefully relaxing day.
I'll probably do another update once I get home just with some summary and wrap-up to the blog, but this has been a great way for me to remember the events of the summer as well as keep in touch with all of you, so I hope you've all enjoyed it as much as I have.
A few days ago we packed up all our clothes and got them ready as if we were leaving that night, which, with me being a very routine-oriented person, sort of stressed me out a little. I've learned this summer that I don't need much space to live comfortably, but I do need enough, otherwise I'm driven nuts. I think back to the first day of project when I stepped foot in the Santa Clara motel, having no coat hangers, no trash can, no laundry hamper, and no where to put my clothes, and on that first day I made a trip to Target - I couldn't live without some kind of organization and feeling of a schedule/routine.
Yesterday we packed up the entire project. We took down the bunks, cleaned out the refrigerators, cleaned the bathrooms, kitchens, walls, threw out all the trash, loaded a few U-hauls and took them to the self-storage units where they are kept for the rest of the year until next summer. I got the job of loading and unloading the trucks at the self-storage and packing the units, which was alot of lifting, but ended up not being too bad. We started at 7 in the morning with all the packing up and by 5 we were done. It was weird coming back to the Santa Clara with literally nothing in the rooms...we even took the tables and chairs from in front of the girls' condos which is a common hangout spot for everyone.
Last night was our project farewell banquet. We had a catered meal with pasta and salads, some worship music, a preview of the project DVD, and a special song that some guys had written for the talent show a few weeks back. I enjoyed seeing it this time since I was out of town for the show the first time around.
Today is basically a free day...everyone is packed, no more work needs to be done, so thankfully we can just relax and enjoy each other's company. I think it's a great idea to start the packing so early so we can have this free time now, although there is a down-side of sleeping on the floor for these last 2 nights. I don't think I'll be getting much sleep tonight, but my philosophy on it has been, I'm not going to look back on project and wish I had slept more, so I'm going to try to make the best of the last day here.
My flight leaves tomorrow at 11:30ish and I'll arrive to Greensboro around 10:00pm EST, so it will be a long, but hopefully relaxing day.
I'll probably do another update once I get home just with some summary and wrap-up to the blog, but this has been a great way for me to remember the events of the summer as well as keep in touch with all of you, so I hope you've all enjoyed it as much as I have.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Less than 2 weeks!
It's crazy that I make this post with only 11 days left in this summer adventure. It doesn't seem like I've been here anything like 8 weeks...more like 2 or 3. This morning we took Matthew(a guy from St. Louis that I've gotten very close to) to the airport to leave for the summer. He knew coming in that he'd be leaving early...it's for a family vacation to Panama City Beach but it should be alot of fun. He's excited to get home, but it's also sad to leave, especially to be the first to leave. We're all starting to adopt an idea that leaving is going to bittersweet....we're all excited to get home and start back on our campuses but also it's going to be hard to leave the amazing weather, the incredible community, and Shamu, obviously.
The last week or so has been pretty unusual. Helen and Glenn made their San Diego Summer Project debut which was very eventful. We went all over the place the first day they were here, up to Mt. Soledad(a mountain that has a beautiful 360 degree view of the entire San Diego area), La Jolla and the beach that has a bunch of wild seals living on it, lunch a little French Bistro which was delicious, Torrey Pines Golf Resort(the site of the U.S. Open), dinner at a German restaurant, then over to the Sunset Cliffs, although we missed the sunset by a few minutes. The next day we went to SeaWorld and got to see all of the day shows except the Cirque de la Mer, which was alot of fun. It was a pretty hot day so I was glad I was there as a guest and not there sweating like crazy. I got alot of pictures of the fellow vendors which was really fun.
Thursday evening a group of us went to the midnight showing of the new Batman movie with I really liked alot. It was pretty long and made for a late night out, but it was completely worth it to be exhausted at work the next day.
On Friday night was Friday Night Live where I spoke on Romans 8. A couple complications came up that day including the portable sound system running out of battery and not being able to locate the charger, so we were without a system on the beach. Everything still worked out alright though and I really enjoyed having the opportunity to be able to share with the group.
I worked on Saturday, Sunday was pretty normal with church, meetings, and time to plan for the weekly Bible Study, and Monday was also fairly normal, going to campus. Sunday night we had a date auction in order to try to raise money for the support debt that still exists for project, which is much larger than in previous years. My growth group decided that it would be fun to utilize the hotel suite that Mom and Dad had been upgraded to for free, so our date consisted of making the girls group dinner at the Bahia Hotel, then going out on the boat cruise that leaves from the hotel and drives around the bay area. We came back and had some dessert and then just hung out for awhile. The date we purchased was a trip to the local lazer tag, which was an absolute blast. I hadn't been since middle school but I absolutely love it, so it was alot of fun to get back into something like that.
Tuesday the parents were back in town(they left on Friday to go north to visit Mom's cousins). We met up with the Dooley's from WRCOB in Old Town who were here visiting some relatives. We had lunch at a really good Mexican restaurant and explored some of the area of authentic Mexican shops and handmade things. That night we did the date for the girls and everything worked out really well.
Yesterday was our So Cal Fun Day, in which we have planned events and it's just a day to hang out and have a great time. We started out in Coronado where we relaxed on the beach for most of the afternoon. Next we headed to Little Italy for dinner which was incredible. After that we headed to Balboa Park for a catered dessert of different specialty cakes which were delicious as well. Overall it was a great day with lots of fun and just time to enjoy each other's company.
Tomorrow we plan to go to the San Diego Zoo, which is apparently pretty world famous, so I'm really excited about that.
Not much else coming up that I know of, but I'm sure every day will be packed from here on out. I realize this was alot longer than I originally anticipated but it had been awhile since a post. I hope everything is going great with all of you!
11 days to go!
The last week or so has been pretty unusual. Helen and Glenn made their San Diego Summer Project debut which was very eventful. We went all over the place the first day they were here, up to Mt. Soledad(a mountain that has a beautiful 360 degree view of the entire San Diego area), La Jolla and the beach that has a bunch of wild seals living on it, lunch a little French Bistro which was delicious, Torrey Pines Golf Resort(the site of the U.S. Open), dinner at a German restaurant, then over to the Sunset Cliffs, although we missed the sunset by a few minutes. The next day we went to SeaWorld and got to see all of the day shows except the Cirque de la Mer, which was alot of fun. It was a pretty hot day so I was glad I was there as a guest and not there sweating like crazy. I got alot of pictures of the fellow vendors which was really fun.
Thursday evening a group of us went to the midnight showing of the new Batman movie with I really liked alot. It was pretty long and made for a late night out, but it was completely worth it to be exhausted at work the next day.
On Friday night was Friday Night Live where I spoke on Romans 8. A couple complications came up that day including the portable sound system running out of battery and not being able to locate the charger, so we were without a system on the beach. Everything still worked out alright though and I really enjoyed having the opportunity to be able to share with the group.
I worked on Saturday, Sunday was pretty normal with church, meetings, and time to plan for the weekly Bible Study, and Monday was also fairly normal, going to campus. Sunday night we had a date auction in order to try to raise money for the support debt that still exists for project, which is much larger than in previous years. My growth group decided that it would be fun to utilize the hotel suite that Mom and Dad had been upgraded to for free, so our date consisted of making the girls group dinner at the Bahia Hotel, then going out on the boat cruise that leaves from the hotel and drives around the bay area. We came back and had some dessert and then just hung out for awhile. The date we purchased was a trip to the local lazer tag, which was an absolute blast. I hadn't been since middle school but I absolutely love it, so it was alot of fun to get back into something like that.
Tuesday the parents were back in town(they left on Friday to go north to visit Mom's cousins). We met up with the Dooley's from WRCOB in Old Town who were here visiting some relatives. We had lunch at a really good Mexican restaurant and explored some of the area of authentic Mexican shops and handmade things. That night we did the date for the girls and everything worked out really well.
Yesterday was our So Cal Fun Day, in which we have planned events and it's just a day to hang out and have a great time. We started out in Coronado where we relaxed on the beach for most of the afternoon. Next we headed to Little Italy for dinner which was incredible. After that we headed to Balboa Park for a catered dessert of different specialty cakes which were delicious as well. Overall it was a great day with lots of fun and just time to enjoy each other's company.
Tomorrow we plan to go to the San Diego Zoo, which is apparently pretty world famous, so I'm really excited about that.
Not much else coming up that I know of, but I'm sure every day will be packed from here on out. I realize this was alot longer than I originally anticipated but it had been awhile since a post. I hope everything is going great with all of you!
11 days to go!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Hanging out!
Hey everyone! This last week has been pretty uneventful. I've worked quite a bit, and just done some hanging out. Last night I had the night off and got the chance to go to another Padres baseball game....it was pretty incredible...they were playing the Braves and Maddux was pitching for the Padres, so it was sweet to see that. The whole game was a the 10 year anniversary celebration of 1998 Padres team that went to the World Series, so there were fireworks afterwards that were amazing. They had them coordinated with music and everything, so it was an awesome show. Today I went to church(which I haven't talked much about before - it's called Clairement Emmanuel Baptist Church) which was pretty cool because the pastor's sermon was on Romans 8, the topic of the message that I'm going to deliver at FNL this week. I realize as I'm writing this that I haven't talked about alot of the stuff that is pretty regular.
First with the church - it's pretty casual - some people come in jeans and just normal clothes. They have an awesome praise band that plays before the service, then a time of prayer, then the sermon, and it's over. The whole thing is about an hour or so in length but it seems much quicker since everything seems to have a pretty important part in the service. The pastor is probably in his 50s and seems to be really knowledgeable about the Bible and makes all of his messages very life-applicable. One of the best parts is the Starbucks coffee and homemade treats that we get each Sunday...sometimes it's cookies, sometimes pastries, sometimes muffins - always homemade.
The next big thing is FNL - which stands for Friday Night Live. It's basically like our regular weekly meeting that we have back at Tech. There is music, prayer, sometimes a game or ice breaker, and then a message is delivered. When the staff left, they chose different people to speak at all the FNLs for the rest of the year, like Joe(the project director), and a few other guys. I was selected to speak this week and assigned to speak on Romans 8...I'm really excited about that. I've just started to plan my talk and I've got lots of ideas, so I'm pumped to see where it goes. Last week we had FNL on the beach(instead of in the rec center which is kind of out of the way) and it attracted alot of people, so it's exciting to have the opportunity to possibly minister to random people walking by. Also, one of the main goals of the FNL team(it's one of the ministry teams), is to have just as many other non-project people(co-workers, people we meet on campus, people from the beach, etc.) as we do project people by the end of the summer, and we've seen increasing numbers so far this year...it's been awesome.
Other than these big events coming up, not much else is happening...other than the debut of Helen and Glenn Bowman to San Diego Summer Project - that's right, Mom and Dad will be in San Diego visiting for a few days. It should be alot of fun...I'm excited to take them to SeaWorld and whatever else we decide to do...it should also be nice to check out some of the nicer restaurants that are a little out of my standard price range.
After church this morning we all headed over to Belmont park just down the street for the employee party in the park. Basically we all invited our co-workers and people we had met to this big cook out at the park and we had alot of games and things going on...free food...lots of stuff. It was alot of fun and some of the workers from SeaWorld showed up so hopefully that will help us build better relationships with them as the summer goes on.
Well, it's getting pretty late and I'm ready for bed so I'm going to hit the sack for tonight. Have a good one!
First with the church - it's pretty casual - some people come in jeans and just normal clothes. They have an awesome praise band that plays before the service, then a time of prayer, then the sermon, and it's over. The whole thing is about an hour or so in length but it seems much quicker since everything seems to have a pretty important part in the service. The pastor is probably in his 50s and seems to be really knowledgeable about the Bible and makes all of his messages very life-applicable. One of the best parts is the Starbucks coffee and homemade treats that we get each Sunday...sometimes it's cookies, sometimes pastries, sometimes muffins - always homemade.
The next big thing is FNL - which stands for Friday Night Live. It's basically like our regular weekly meeting that we have back at Tech. There is music, prayer, sometimes a game or ice breaker, and then a message is delivered. When the staff left, they chose different people to speak at all the FNLs for the rest of the year, like Joe(the project director), and a few other guys. I was selected to speak this week and assigned to speak on Romans 8...I'm really excited about that. I've just started to plan my talk and I've got lots of ideas, so I'm pumped to see where it goes. Last week we had FNL on the beach(instead of in the rec center which is kind of out of the way) and it attracted alot of people, so it's exciting to have the opportunity to possibly minister to random people walking by. Also, one of the main goals of the FNL team(it's one of the ministry teams), is to have just as many other non-project people(co-workers, people we meet on campus, people from the beach, etc.) as we do project people by the end of the summer, and we've seen increasing numbers so far this year...it's been awesome.
Other than these big events coming up, not much else is happening...other than the debut of Helen and Glenn Bowman to San Diego Summer Project - that's right, Mom and Dad will be in San Diego visiting for a few days. It should be alot of fun...I'm excited to take them to SeaWorld and whatever else we decide to do...it should also be nice to check out some of the nicer restaurants that are a little out of my standard price range.
After church this morning we all headed over to Belmont park just down the street for the employee party in the park. Basically we all invited our co-workers and people we had met to this big cook out at the park and we had alot of games and things going on...free food...lots of stuff. It was alot of fun and some of the workers from SeaWorld showed up so hopefully that will help us build better relationships with them as the summer goes on.
Well, it's getting pretty late and I'm ready for bed so I'm going to hit the sack for tonight. Have a good one!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Some days off!!
Well this is a pretty casual post just about what's been going on lately. I'll going to be trying to update more often now because I find that I easily forget alot of important things that happen since so many more things happen before I have a chance to post.
Really that's it for now...figured I should update with a free day so you can get a feel for all of what project looks like. I'm trying to work on the issue with not allowing comments, but I can't make any promises.
Hope everything is fantastic!
I ended up getting off of work for today(Wednesday) so I got to hang out with the guys and have a MUCH needed day off!! First, I got up and went to breakfast with Joe(the guy from my Growth Group and the project director), Colin(another one of the project directors), and Travus(from University of Florida, leading the Movement Launching team). I've really started to grow close to these guys and it's been awesome just to extend more than Joe and Chris(the Growth Group guys). After that we decided to go surfing, which I was a little apprehensive toward, but it ended up being amazing. One of the rental shops close by gives us free rentals cause he's a cool Christian guy so we got wet suits and boards and hit the water. It didn't seen as cold as normal with the wet suit on and I actually stood up a few times! We didn't ride any of the huge waves but I was pretty happy with myself for it being my first time! After that we played some tennis(we had played last week and I hadn't been very good, but this time I felt a lot more confident in my shots and felt some of the old moves coming back). Next we made some dinner which was homemade pizza on garlic and herb crust, and angel hair pasta with ragu sauce. For the rest of the night we just hung out and played some cards and chatted. I also have tomorrow off(I know, crazy to have 2 days in a row!!), and I think we're going to go surfing again.
Really that's it for now...figured I should update with a free day so you can get a feel for all of what project looks like. I'm trying to work on the issue with not allowing comments, but I can't make any promises.
Hope everything is fantastic!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Finally some free time!
I feel like I say this every time, but it's been a long time since the last update and I apologize.
Coming back from the beach into project with the new leadership in place wasn't as hard of a transition as I anticipated it being. All of the new staff had been selected prior to me leaving for my trip, so I was confident that they would do a great job, I just wasn't sure how the transition period would go. When I arrived back to project I quickly realized that everything was going to be just normal. The new leaders are very respected members of the project, and I think everyone still understands that they will each have to do their part, title or no title.
The last week or so has been really busy, and I've been working alot. They allowed us to work night shifts on July 3rd and July 4th since it would be so busy, but luckily I was off on the 4th. A bunch of us went to Sea World to enjoy the shows and took alot of the non-Sea World employees with us since we have our free passes now. By the end of the night, we had seen all the day shows and night shows, and gone to almost all of the encounters. It was a great way for everyone to get to see SeaWorld that doesn't work there. At night, the fireworks were amazing and they were firing off from every angle. The SeaWorld fireworks were coordinated with music, so that was pretty awesome - but it still didn't compare to the fireworks that are fired off in ole Daleville, VA.
This next week I'll be working Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, so it'll be another busy one, but it's not too awful bad...it helps to make a little money. Also in this upcoming week we are doing something called "Killing the giants week" which involves conquering our fears in regards to sharing our faith and really pushing us to start spiritual conversations with co-workers and even friends back home through facebook, phone calls, or e-mails. I think it'll be a great chance to really grow in our faith and get some confidence to share once back at home at the end of the summer.
Other than that I'm just staying really busy with other things. We have the different weekly meetings and special events on weeknights that make for a long day after coming home from work. Everyone is in high spirits and I feel like unity hasn't been an issue at all. I'm really impressed at how everyone can get along without forming alot of cliques or exclusive groups. Overall, it's been a blast.
Coming back from the beach into project with the new leadership in place wasn't as hard of a transition as I anticipated it being. All of the new staff had been selected prior to me leaving for my trip, so I was confident that they would do a great job, I just wasn't sure how the transition period would go. When I arrived back to project I quickly realized that everything was going to be just normal. The new leaders are very respected members of the project, and I think everyone still understands that they will each have to do their part, title or no title.
The last week or so has been really busy, and I've been working alot. They allowed us to work night shifts on July 3rd and July 4th since it would be so busy, but luckily I was off on the 4th. A bunch of us went to Sea World to enjoy the shows and took alot of the non-Sea World employees with us since we have our free passes now. By the end of the night, we had seen all the day shows and night shows, and gone to almost all of the encounters. It was a great way for everyone to get to see SeaWorld that doesn't work there. At night, the fireworks were amazing and they were firing off from every angle. The SeaWorld fireworks were coordinated with music, so that was pretty awesome - but it still didn't compare to the fireworks that are fired off in ole Daleville, VA.
This next week I'll be working Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, so it'll be another busy one, but it's not too awful bad...it helps to make a little money. Also in this upcoming week we are doing something called "Killing the giants week" which involves conquering our fears in regards to sharing our faith and really pushing us to start spiritual conversations with co-workers and even friends back home through facebook, phone calls, or e-mails. I think it'll be a great chance to really grow in our faith and get some confidence to share once back at home at the end of the summer.
Other than that I'm just staying really busy with other things. We have the different weekly meetings and special events on weeknights that make for a long day after coming home from work. Everyone is in high spirits and I feel like unity hasn't been an issue at all. I'm really impressed at how everyone can get along without forming alot of cliques or exclusive groups. Overall, it's been a blast.
Friday, June 27, 2008
From the east coast!
Sorry for the long time since the last update....I've been very busy.
I write this message from the east coast, as I'm on vacation at Myrtle Beach with the family for the week, until Sunday. The normal trip is Sunday-Sunday, but I could only come for Tuesday-Sunday, which was more than most get for vacations, so I was very pleased.
Since the last post, alot has happened. The past Thursday and Friday we had our men's retreat, which normally takes place in Mexico on the beach, but due to a last second travel advisory that the United States placed against Tijuana due to some abductions and other violence we decided it was best not to try it out - Mom was very pleased when she heard. Instead, we went to a Christian camp about 40 miles in-land from San Diego, and I got to see how nice the weather on the coast really is. Just that short of a distance inland the temperatures were close to 100, still with low humidity, but it wasn't nearly as comfortable.
At the retreat, we had some meetings, free time, a delicious BBQ with ribs and sausages, and a very important ceremony at night. At the ceremony we were to agree to 6 commitments, if we chose to, which go along with the Authentic Manhood series that has been developed for college guys. The commitments are very serious and aren't easy to uphold, but I suppose that's the reason there is a ceremony instead of just acknowledging that one will follow them. The retreat was very uplifting and gave me a great perspective on what a Godly man, as well as father, looks like. The next few days back on the beach were still man-time filled because as we got back, the girls left for their retreat.
On Sunday, the guys decided to make dinner for the girls as they returned, and we purchased long stem red roses to give to each of them just as a show of our appreciation and respect for them. It was alot of fun to see their reactions to being called up individually to receive the roses with everyone cheering them on. Sunday was also when the leadership for the project was selected. Saturday is when the staff leave, so they choose the leaders early in order to allow a transition period to occur during this week and any big issues can be addressed. One of the guys from my Growth Group, Joe, was selected as the Project Director, and he is a very qualified choice. Two other girls were put on the main leadership team as well as someone to fill the "Operations Director" position which deals with the money. A guy and girl were also selected to lead each of the ministry teams(Prayer and World Vision, Friday Night Live, Evangelism, Training, Communications, Spiritual Health, Community Life). Every single staff member leaves on Saturday, so when I get back the project will be entirely student run. The main directors come back at the end of the summer to help with packing up, but the rest of the project is basically ours.
On Monday we had the staff farewell banquet, which was held at SeaWorld. It was a great time of music, food, and an opportunity for each Growth Group to say some words about their staff leader before they left. We gave Dan, our leader, a golf driver, glove, and some tees as a thank-you for everything he had done. Monday night I said bye to all the staff people, since they'll be gone when I get back, but I'm confident I'll see many of them in the future at reunions or just sometime when we cross paths.
Tuesday morning I left very early to fly out here to Myrtle Beach. It's been a great trip so far, with Mom, Dad, Ed, Aunt A, Uncle Dewey, and Nick, Sonja and Campbell visiting. I'll leave here Sunday morning to fly back to San Diego and will be there until August 4th. The food here in Myrtle is delicious as always.
That's about it for now - I'll try to make the next post sooner rather than later!
On Monday night we had the staff farewell banquet
I write this message from the east coast, as I'm on vacation at Myrtle Beach with the family for the week, until Sunday. The normal trip is Sunday-Sunday, but I could only come for Tuesday-Sunday, which was more than most get for vacations, so I was very pleased.
Since the last post, alot has happened. The past Thursday and Friday we had our men's retreat, which normally takes place in Mexico on the beach, but due to a last second travel advisory that the United States placed against Tijuana due to some abductions and other violence we decided it was best not to try it out - Mom was very pleased when she heard. Instead, we went to a Christian camp about 40 miles in-land from San Diego, and I got to see how nice the weather on the coast really is. Just that short of a distance inland the temperatures were close to 100, still with low humidity, but it wasn't nearly as comfortable.
At the retreat, we had some meetings, free time, a delicious BBQ with ribs and sausages, and a very important ceremony at night. At the ceremony we were to agree to 6 commitments, if we chose to, which go along with the Authentic Manhood series that has been developed for college guys. The commitments are very serious and aren't easy to uphold, but I suppose that's the reason there is a ceremony instead of just acknowledging that one will follow them. The retreat was very uplifting and gave me a great perspective on what a Godly man, as well as father, looks like. The next few days back on the beach were still man-time filled because as we got back, the girls left for their retreat.
On Sunday, the guys decided to make dinner for the girls as they returned, and we purchased long stem red roses to give to each of them just as a show of our appreciation and respect for them. It was alot of fun to see their reactions to being called up individually to receive the roses with everyone cheering them on. Sunday was also when the leadership for the project was selected. Saturday is when the staff leave, so they choose the leaders early in order to allow a transition period to occur during this week and any big issues can be addressed. One of the guys from my Growth Group, Joe, was selected as the Project Director, and he is a very qualified choice. Two other girls were put on the main leadership team as well as someone to fill the "Operations Director" position which deals with the money. A guy and girl were also selected to lead each of the ministry teams(Prayer and World Vision, Friday Night Live, Evangelism, Training, Communications, Spiritual Health, Community Life). Every single staff member leaves on Saturday, so when I get back the project will be entirely student run. The main directors come back at the end of the summer to help with packing up, but the rest of the project is basically ours.
On Monday we had the staff farewell banquet, which was held at SeaWorld. It was a great time of music, food, and an opportunity for each Growth Group to say some words about their staff leader before they left. We gave Dan, our leader, a golf driver, glove, and some tees as a thank-you for everything he had done. Monday night I said bye to all the staff people, since they'll be gone when I get back, but I'm confident I'll see many of them in the future at reunions or just sometime when we cross paths.
Tuesday morning I left very early to fly out here to Myrtle Beach. It's been a great trip so far, with Mom, Dad, Ed, Aunt A, Uncle Dewey, and Nick, Sonja and Campbell visiting. I'll leave here Sunday morning to fly back to San Diego and will be there until August 4th. The food here in Myrtle is delicious as always.
That's about it for now - I'll try to make the next post sooner rather than later!
On Monday night we had the staff farewell banquet
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
