Friday, March 28, 2014

Brotherly Love: Life in the Male Dorms

Thank you to Micah T. Muma for writing today's blog.

The days in the dorms are fun.  Most days, I would say life in the male dorms is great, but at any given time we could have arguments or quarrels. If I said we don’t argue or get annoyed with one another, I’d be lying. Guys will be guys. It’s the best excuse guys can use in any situation.


Some of the guys play the Wii or watch TV, and some of us guys have our favorite TV shows on, such as WWE or A.G.E.N.T.S. of Shield. 

And then others will watch movies. 

Right now most of us guys are looking forward to spring and summer; we’ve all been hibernating far too long! Fresh green grass and a soccer ball, or a game of kickball, would feel great right about now.

As for me, I’m so ready for spring break – passing the football and just hanging outside with everyone as the sun glazes above us and gives us 80 degree weather instead of 28 or 42 degree weather. But sooner or, more likely, later, we’ll get summer and far warmer weather.



For all the days we have as first-year students in the male dorms, we have great times and end each day quite well. But then again, who said guys are perfect with each other, especially when we’re going to be in the dorm area and see our friends for two more years?

We are getting to know each other quite well. We have our ups and downs, but we always try to do our best by not fighting or starting arguments. We always do try our best to be great brothers-in-Christ to each other, and for one another.  




Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Teacher Tuesday: Soles for Jesus




Thank you to Mrs. Cyr, Instructor for Ambassadors, for writing today's blog.

Every spring, second-year students take Ambassadors class.  In Ambassadors, students learn what it means to be an ambassador for Christ.  Our definition of an Ambassador is “a follower of Christ who stands between God and the world to communicate the Gospel message.”  Our key verse is 2 Corinthians 5:20 – “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ’s behalf:  Be reconciled to God.”  God commands us to be His messengers to the world – both to our immediate world (friends, coworkers, family) and to the whole wide world.  He commands us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, our salvation and hope.
 
This year, we partnered with Soles for Jesus, an organization located in Milwaukee, WI.  
  

Soles for Jesus started after Diane Studer, the founder, took a trip to Africa in 2009.  During her trip to Africa, she noticed how few people actually had shoes.  Not having shoes results in disease and sickness, but also prevents people from getting jobs or going to school.  During a prayer time with a local pastor, God gave her the vision of partnering with local pastors by distributing new and used shoes to those who need it as a tool to communicate God’s message of hope.  When Diane returned to the US, she shared her burden and the mission God had called her to do with her church and other believers.  From that, Soles for Jesus was born.  Soles for Jesus’ mission statement is: “Soles for Jesus exists to share the love of Christ by distributing shoes to the under-served in sub-Saharan Africa.”  A warehouse was found and now Soles for Jesus receives donations from all over the country.  Since 2010, Soles for Jesus shipped 130,000 shoes to Mozambique, Liberia, Burundi, Swaziland, Lesotho, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia.  Not only is Soles for Jesus meeting the physical needs of people, but they are also working with local believers and pastors to communicate the Good News of Jesus, meeting their greatest need of all. 

Last night, second-year students got a chance to participate in a small way in the global work of God. We donated 100 pairs of shoes and $86 to cover shipping costs. Then we volunteered in the Soles for Jesus warehouse from 6-8 PM, sorting, organizing, lacing, fitting shoes with insoles, and packing shoes to be sent to Africa.   






We packed over 8 boxes (that’s about 150 pairs of shoes)!  That’s 150 people that will hear the Good News of Jesus Christ, some maybe for the first time! 

Student thoughts about the night:  

Nikki – “I would do it again.  I like to help people; serving is not one of my gifts, but I love to help people.  It’s helping people and you’re able to share the Gospel.  I liked to do the laces because I was focused!  I barely talked at all, which is unusual for me!  I did like 14 pairs of laces.”  



Kathryn – “I liked it because I got to pick out the shoelaces to match the shoes.  I’d do it again.  I had a really good time. I like to offer my time to help those in need because they need a lot more than we do.”


Wade – “I pretty much liked the whole getting together part.  I liked gathering the shoes with the right sizes and getting shoes ready to be shipped off to Africa because there are kids there that do not have shoes and they need the shoes so they can put them on their feet and go to and from school.  It really led me.  I will consider doing it again.” 


David – “I liked that we went down there, we fixed the shoes and we packed them up.  We are caring about one another and making sure that they are provided for like we are provided for.”


Philip – “I did this because it’s an honor to go to help those in need.” 


Sarah – “It was an awesome experience.  I looked to see what the shoe sizes were, and I would mark it on the bottom of the shoe.  If the pair didn’t match, we’d put them in the repurpose bin.  Once we were done working on them, we’d pass them on to the next people where they would put soles in them and then give them to the next person who would put them in boxes to be shipped.”

 
Israel – “We put the shoes in the boxes by size of shoes.  We put them in the correct size.  We organized shoes into the correct match.  It was really good for helping put shoes in box.”  



Audrey – “It was a great experience because I love to volunteer and I think it should be kept on there for next year’s second years.”

Anthony – “It was interesting, fun, and I had a fun time putting shoes and separating them with my friend, Ryan.  We did it for God to help other people.” 



Mrs. K – “I thought the people we worked with were great – they answered questions and explained the reason/need to collect and send shoes.  They worked alongside of us and really seemed to enjoy our students.  It was a unique opportunity to supply for a tangible need.  It was different than other service projects we’ve done in the past and allowed us to work on a number of skills at the same time – diligence, attitude, team work, flexibility, servanthood, etc…”

Miss Houk – "It was a great experience for us.  The staff was very helpful and kind.  The students I worked with were diligent and focused.  We were responsible for putting shoelaces on shoes.  We were all about productivity in my group and had a mantra – 'Every shoe is a Gospel opportunity.' As we were leaving, the staff thanked us again for our work.  Audrey responded that she loved the opportunity.  They thanked her for giving up of her time, and she said that there is nothing else she’d rather be doing.” 



Mr. Cyr - "I always enjoy seeing Shepherds students serving and having fun. It was great to be able to do something very tangible for the kingdom and know that God is providing for both material and spiritual needs through our service."
 




I am so thankful for the people at Soles for Jesus, especially Stephanie Strang, who made this event happen.  Thanks for allowing us to be a part of God’s global mission! 


 
If you’d like to learn more about Soles for Jesus, please visit their website at www.solesforjesus.org  


Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Looking Forward to Monday



Thank you to Micah Thomas Muma, a first-year student, for writing today's blog.

Growing up with a family big on computers and a father who sold software for computers for a very long time, I’d say I fell in love with technology early in life. All the technology in the world is amazing, and a computer is one of my favorites.

Mr. Andrus teaches computer class on Monday.  Most people would be down on a Monday because it’s just the end of the weekend and they’re tired, but when I know it’s Monday and Mr. Andrus is teaching us, I’m ready for Monday. 

Right now, we are learning how to make a computer piece by piece. It’s not that bad at all, but we all have a little trouble. We have to make a PowerPoint of the computers we want, and then we have to email our parents and try to explain why that computer is great. I’m thinking if I told my parents why it was a great computer, they’d say “What’s wrong with your computer?” 

Well, at the moment, nothing’s wrong with my computer and hopefully never will be wrong again. All that I’m saying is, out of all the projects we are doing and have done, all the projects are great and fun, but at the same time, Mr. Andrus is training us to be professionals in the near future of our lives. 

I didn’t know some things, such as PowerPoints and how computers work, quite as well as I do now. And the short cuts to a computer… can you believe you have short cuts for a computer?  Well, I’m happy to say to all who might be scared to take that test - it’s not that hard, and you will learn quickly. 

The other huge part of Computer Skills is typing without looking down at your keyboard. It took me some time, and it did for some of my friends here at Shepherds College as well. But then you practice, and you type so many words in your computer, and you look at yourself and ask, “How did I just do that?!”
 
I’ll tell you how! 

“With great practice makes perfection!”
 
I wouldn’t say perfection always comes right away, but I’d say it’s better than not trying at all. 


 
Thanks, Mr. Andrus, for teaching us here at Shepherds College. I sincerely appreciate every Monday. 

Mr. John Andrus

Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.