One Monstrous Summer

Last year I had the blessing of 104 days of summer vacation. I made the most out of every day, and made sure that each day was unique. With high expectations, I knew that this summer would be a Monstrous one.

Leading up to the summer one of the things I was most looking forward to was the amazing timing of the release of Monsters University.

 

I am a huge movie fan. Disney or not I always get excited for the summer blockbusters. While I was excited for Lone Ranger, Star Trek, Iron Man 3, and The Wolverine, Monsters University came at the perfect time. Monsters University invoked a reminder of just how much I loved Monsters, Inc when it came out in 2002. Monsters University also geared me up for the exciting life of living at a university. It's almost as if Pixar planned this movie just for me.

 

Later In June I was blessed once again to be able to attend Enter with my middle school youth group from Salem Alliance. This year Enter was at Corban University, which made our Salem crew the home team. Enter has always been an opportunity for me to build relationships with the kids I don't normally get to spend a lot of time with. Enter is our districts mission retreat. It is a chance for middle schoolers across the North West to "Enter" the mission field and learn to "Serve God by Serving Others". It was rainy and miserable weather wise for the first part of the retreat, and we even encountered a few Butt Ostriches. Enter was a great experience for the kids that came, and for me as a growing leader as well.

 

 

 



In July it was all about my 8th graders. After watching them grow from crazy 7th graders to crazy 8th graders it was almost time to pass them off to high school. We took the 8th graders on a special missions trip just for them to Seattle, Washington. For some of them it was their first trip to Seattle. On our first day we visited Bread of Life and served dinner for the homeless, as well as performing simple chores around the shelter. The next day we helped renovate a plant church. What would have taken the small church months to do we were able to do in hours. On the third day we went to World Relief to help shop and gather household items for refugees coming to the United States within the next few days. It was an amazing experience for me as a leader to step back and watch eager hearts do Gods work on this trip. Other highlights from the trip were Despicable Me 2, Playing Sardines, and of course the Space Needle.

 

 

 

 

Immediately after the 8th Grade Missions trip, we were joined by the Mariners/Wildwaves trip! I have always loved this trip, and it was the 7th one I had been on. We went to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, and saw ALL of the animals. We watched the Mariners beat the Cleveland Indians, and enjoyed an awesome day at Wildwaves. It was an amazing week in Seattle.

 

 

 

 

 



    

 

In August I went down to Redhawk Summer. It was a chance to meet with other students that would be at Simpson for the first time in the fall like me. We hung out a bunch on campus, and toured the city some too. It was an amazing experience that helped me prepare for being a Redhawk.

 

 

This summer I was blessed by God to have a wonderful job at Enchanted Forest. He allowed me to earn funds to pay for school, while having some left over to use for myself. Spook was by far my favorite job I did at the park. I was even able to step into a leadership role in the dreaded Parking Lot, but nothing God hadn't prepared me to handle. It was the perfect place for me to work this summer, and I am incredibly grateful for him providing me the opportunity to work at the little park on the hill.

 



 

Over the last few days many of my friends and family have said their goodbyes to me. I am truly humbled to see, and hear just how many lives I have left my mark on without even knowing. I even experienced my first surprise party. 

 

 

To those who said goodbye, Have you not learned anything from me? I never say goodbye, instead I say what Mickey Mouse says, "See Ya Real Soon."  



I Love Colored Pictures

Got my textbooks for Fall term in the mail today. This is the most textbooks I have ever had for a term, and there are still five more books to pickup at the school store when I arrive later this month. I am super excited to get started reading these books, especially since all of them relate to Christian studies classes.

 

My favorite textbooks are Jesus with Dirty Feet, a look at Christianity for the curious and skeptical. It sounds like a very interesting book, and is also the thinnest of my textbooks, which is great for a person who doesn't enjoy reading too much. I also like my Old Testament textbook, because it has the feel of a History textbook, and is also the only one of my books to have colored pictures. Some things are just that important!!!

We'll have to see if any of these opinions change in a few weeks when I actually start using them. It looks like I've got some reading to do.

 

 

All Roads Lead To Redding

Two weeks from today I will be at Simpson University. As I look forward to my future in California I can't help but look backwards at the road I have been traveling on. God has taken me literally across the United States on a journey to find Him, and understand what His plans are for my life. I want to share a little bit about the amazing journey I have been on, and am going to be on with you. I hope that this blog will be a place for me to share all of the amazing moments that God will allow me to be a part of. In order to do that we need to travel back in time to see where it all began. So power up the DeLorean to 1.21 gigawatts , and punch it to 88 mph, because our first destination is Louisville, Kentucky in the year 2010.

In July of 2010 my life was completely redefined. I attended the Life youth conference in Louisville, Kentucky with my high school group at Salem Alliance Church. Leading up to Life I was pretty far away from God in my relationship. When I arrived at Life the world I thought I new was shattered to pieces, and God immediately embraced me as I began to repair the damage in my life. It was really at Life where I discovered how faith was personal, and that God desired to have a intimate and personal connection with me in every step I make. Worship became one of my favorite things to do, and my calling in life became redefined.

I have always been a die hard Disney fan, and even to this day still dream about one day finding my way into the company I love. Prior to Life I had planned on working for Disney, but at Life I felt God tugging at my heart and encouraging me to place the Disney dreams on hold because He had something special in store for me, and that was Youth Ministry.

I rededicated my life to Christ, and was baptized in Kentucky. Since then the ones closest to me for the longest have noticed the changes God has made in my life. Life certainly hasn't been easy, but every day Christ gives me the strength I need. I graduated from West Salem High School in 2011, and because of my good grades in high school I earned a two year scholarship to Chemeketa Community College. What seemed like an unexciting opportunity quickly turned out to be one of the biggest blessings in my life. During those two years I was able to live at home, improve study skills, gain college experience, save money for college expenses, and continue to pursue God's calling of a future place as a youth pastor. I was finally able to volunteer as a leader in my church's middle school youth group, and God quickly confirmed in my heart that this is where I am suppose to be.

I felt like a degree in Youth Ministry was something I needed to obtain. I wanted to attend a school of the same denomination as the church I grew up in. Salem Alliance is a part of the CMA, or Christian and Missionary Alliance. There are only four CMA schools in America, and I narrowed down my choices to Crown College, Nyack College, and Simpson University. I promised God that I would follow Him wherever He lead me. I took classes that would transfer over to all of the school's Youth Ministry degrees while my family found ways to get me across the country for campus visitations before I made my decision.


   

Crown College in St. Bonifacius, Minnesota was the first stop. My family had an awesome vacation during the 2012 spring break to the Mid West. We hit many amazing places, and made tons of memories, but our main intent was to visit Crown College. Just outside of the Twin Cities, Crown has a rural feel to it. The school was a great place and I loved my visit. I easily could have seen myself living there, but the rural atmosphere of the campus helped me feel that at this point in my life, Crown was not the place for me. I would easily recommend Crown to anyone, it is an amazing school, and God is very present on that small campus up North in Minnesota.

The complete opposite of a rural feeling is urban, and God has always given me a heart for New York City. Nyack College in Nyack, New York is only thirty minutes North of New York City, and instantly I had a huge draw the school. In February of 2013 my Mom and I flew out to New York. Nyack is a spectacularly beautiful campus on  the hillside of the Hudson River, and during the cold month of February was a joy to be visiting. As much as I believed I was ready for a life in the Big Apple, the recourses I would have needed for everyday life were not present at that time. Life in New York would have to wait, this wasn't the place for me. I could recommend Nyack to anyone, the school is one of a kind, and God is very present at that school along the Hudson.

 

 

I always tell people that my first visit to Simpson University in Redding, California. Was because of an accidental bus breakdown on our high schools missions trip to Mexico. God gave us an incredible stay, and I was quickly exposed to the family atmosphere that is present at Simpson. I decided to return for an official campus visit in November of 2011. The visit was good, but it wasn't the confirmation from God that I needed to feel incredibly clear that Simpson was the place I was going to grow at the most. I pushed it aside, and focused on Crown and Nyack. Through events in my life and through the unfathomable work of God, Simpson crawled its way back into my life. I visited again and felt at home. When I concluded my cross country trip, I prayed for months. Ultimately God made His voice very clear. Simpson it was, and Simpson it will be. I am incredibly excited to be having a fresh new start at Simpson at the end of the month. I can't wait to grow in my relationship with God, and my relationships that I will make with friends that will last a lifetime. I am truly excited to move into my new home, and start living out my own California Adventure.