Reflections of the Student Formerly Known as a Freshman

First and foremost, I'm out of the dorms! That's the best news I've gotten since I was admitted to UGA. Though this is a happy moment, I am a little sad to be done with it. While I no longer have to put up with people loudly tromping through the hallway at all hours of the morning, I can no longer be one of those people. My days of running around Payne Hall in an all-out Lysol-spray war are over. Really, it's hard to imagine another place where such an act is allowable. And, at least over the summer, I'll miss my late night (ok, it was actually early morning) philsolphy conversations at my favorite coffee shop (the great thing about discussing ontology at three in the morning is that the coffee keeps you just awake enough to speak, so everything you say makes sense in some way).

Time has no meaning in college, except in philosophy and physics classes, and even then, it's debatable. As I said at the end of last semester, it feels like I haven't been here but a week, but at the same time, it seems like my friends have been my friends since childhood. Though the lectures seem to drag on forever, the free time flies by. Some of the friends I've made have already moved on (I hope Krista's enjoying the Peace Corps and that Amy likes working of Coca-Cola). Others are finishing up their time (Brian and Beth! Don't leave us!!!!) Still others are going to have to put up with me a little while longer (Kelly and Becca, Jason and Mike, and of course, my fellow Fres...erm...Sophmore group, and Jon (w00t for Philosophy and coffee!)).

While I can not and will not share everything I've learned in class (wait...I actually learned stuff in class???), most people have said, and now I can't help but agree, that classes are really not even half of what college is all about. Learning is no longer confined to the lecture hall.

Now, to all my pre-college readers (I actually have readers?), some advice:

• Get to know your roommate. I regret how little time I spent talking to Alex.
• It only takes a small question to spark a great conversation. Everything from God to grass is up for discussion. Enjoy this openness. And as I said, your education is not all about class.
  
• Community is essential. You're just a number to the university itself, but to your friends, you are more than can be expressed in words.
  
• Class may be optional. So is bathing. Nobody will notice skipping either occasionally, but do not make a habit out of it.
• Get a laptop. From taking notes in class to writing a paper outside on a nice day, it is well worth the investment.
• Dell hates you. So does Microsoft. Get used to it.
• Textbooks are horrible monetary investments. Therefore, use them in class. Otherwise, what's the point?
• YouTube is fun, but dangerous. Before you know it, it'll be 3 am and you'll have a test in five hours.
• Extracurricular events are great. Concerts, recitals, lectures, and conferences - again, learning is no longer limited to class.
• It saves nearly an hour of sleep to shower at night and go to bed in your shorts. This way, you just roll out of bed, grab a (clean?) t-shirt, sandals, and a granola bar and head to class.
• Sleep in on Saturday mornings. Nobody else is awake anyways.

I now have thirty-five credit hours under my belt, with thirteen more this summer. Life comes quickly and won't let up. This is why college is so important. Classes and maybe a job...to my fellow students, I remind us that we'll never be this free again. Let's make the most of it.

Rock on.

What Does Easter Mean to You?

A question presented to my crash group yesterday: What does Easter mean?

The obvious answer is, "Well, Christ was resurrected."
Ok. That's cool. Why is that important? It means that through him, we have victory over death and sin. But we're still going to die. All you're saying is that when we do die, we get to come back. So what does the Resurrection mean for us today? What application does it have in the present? And taking this as far as my group did, it ends up asking, "Why are you a Christian?"

What's scary is that while thinking about this, I couldn't come up with an answer. I mean, in Christ we are given grace and hope and a relationship with God. But many people aren't interested in that. They can just put off worrying about the future (most do it anyways) and not worry about God at all. Come on, that's something for philosophy professors to do, not average students.

So what is the practical application of the Resurrection? Hope - it can easily be replaced by apathy. A relationship with God - God only makes people feel guilty. Salvation - that's not until after I die; I don't have to think about that for a while.

I am, of course, playing devil's advocate. Like most things pertaining to faith, the meaning of the Resurrection is personal. Extremely personal. But something that every person should think about.

Rock on.

Eye of the Storm, Part II

I'm back from my second trip to clean up after Hurricane Katrina. CCF took a group of about fifty people for Spring Break. I'll be making a third trip over Easter weekend for Eggs in the Easy. The trip went very well. There were few injuries (one stepped-on nail, one spider bite, several sinus problems, and two ruptured eardrums, both of which were mine). I hope to have some pictures to post, but I took a film camera down, so I need to get the roles developed. Without any further ado, here's my journal from the week.
____________________
Tuesday: I think we are in a harder hit area this time. Sheds have been flipped off of their foundations, tress pulled up by the roots, and planes flung like children's toys. Yesterday, we spent several hours cleaning up yards untouched since the storm. In one yard, the grass had completely grown over and covered the sidewalk. It was essentially a carpet from one side of the sidewalk to the other. The grass was at least a foot high, with fiberglass, mold, and other random stuff in it. [Looking back, cutting it down was a great idea because it gets rid of the insect problem, but we didn't wear masks, which was the start of the sinus problems for a lot of people.]
While we are in a harder hit area, there is some good news: We have traveled through some of the same areas we were in last time and there is less debris. Today, we cleaned up after an Irish/Italian heritage pride parade and while this seems contrary to the reason for the trip, I view it as a sign that the festive culture of New Orleans is returning. Don't get me wrong, there is still at least five years worth of cleanup to be done and some houses still haven't been touched, but like the Christmas ligts last time, this serves as a glimmer of hope in a dark time.

Wednesday: Today showed me what this trip was about. We spent the afternoon handing out fliers in an impoverished section of the city for a grocery giveaway. Within sight of the Superdome, there is block after block of housing, in poor condition before Katrina, now worse, noting more than four walls and a roof housing entire families. We would pass houses we thought were uninhabitable only to have occupants emerge and ask us what we were handing out. Homeless men came up to us, living in what I consider the slums, to tell us how bad things still were in the lower 9th Ward, only a few miles away.
Despite the poor conditions, people were still smiling. Residents were happy to see us and talk to us. The owner of a local grocery store was so happy to receive the news we brought that the offered to hand out fliers to her customers and let us put up some posters on her building.
I'll admit that I was scared at first. This area is worse than the worst parts of Atlanta, the city of my nightmares. But I was shocked at how friendly the people were and, after an hour, was quite comfortable.
During the morning, we saw some of the mansions of New Orleans, only to be shown the projects in the afternoon. It shocking to think that as uninhabitable as the houses we saw are, that these houses would be considered blessings for the citizens of the slums of third-world countries.
Tonight, the freshmen and the interns got together and had our weekly Bible study. While it was quite untraditional, we sat around in the compound's warehouse and discussed how God was moving us this week. I'm so blessed to have such a group of friends.

Thursday: Today will be a good day. During our morning devotional time, I read Psalm 69. It is incredible how much of it realtes to the storm and the cleanup. We leave in a few minutes to gut hoses and I am so excited about how great things will go that I am literally trembling.
[Post-Work] Today was only a half day, but we still finished nearly an entire house. While we were going to divide up and do two houses at once, the second house was off of it's foundation and from the center of the living room to the external wall, a distance of three feet, the floor dropped a foot and a half. The leaders decided that the structure, sitting on cinder blocks, was not safe to work in.
After the three hours of work, we headed downtown to the French Quarter. The buildings (untouched by flooding), food, and music were amazing. But the stores were like a Mardi Gras version of Gatlinburg. They sold nothing but voodoo dolls, raunchy shirts, and beads. And then Bourbon Street. Bars, strip clubs, and even shops offering "favors" with graphic pictures as advertisements. Most of the advertising methods I thought to be illegal. It was almost as if the city's economic council was made up of frat boys, and I mean that in the worst possible sense. I don't understand how a city known for its great culture can host America's festival in praise of drunkeness and fornication. New Orleans is among the most beautiful cities in the South, but wallows in filth. This being said, the love of Christ is present in the great work being done by the Church in the area and I can only hope that the city will restore itself to its former beauty and go beyond it.

Saturday: We spent Friday working on three different houses and the group I was with got to pray with the owner of our site. It's amazing that after one week of hard labor and poor leadership on the part of CrossRoads missions [for any leaders thinking of a missions trip to the area, I would encourage you to not go through CrossRoads as the leaders are some of the most condescending and uptight people you will ever meet], the group stayed up-beat and energetic.
Today, we are on our trip home and most people have zonked out. This trip has brought us (being about half of all of CCF) together more than anything else could ever do.
____________________

I sit here in my dorm at my computer, enjoying the air conditioning and even the dorm building itself. I hope that I do not fall back into my old complacency. It is so easy to complain about dorm life, but I have spent hours walking around the ghetto and cleaning out mold. I have not been forced to flee the wrath of nature and still have all of my belongings.

Please, pray for the people of New Orleans, the people trying to clean up, and those who were on the trip that we may never forget what we saw and how the Holy Spirit changed us.

Rock on.

Post Script: To read about the first trip, made the weekend before Thanksgiving 2006, see Eye of the Storm.

Photo Courtesy of Jackie Bangma.

On the Road to New Orleans

Spring Break is upon us and so I shall be departing for New Orleans tomorrow morning at 8:30 (but because of the stupid time change, it will feel like 7:30, which to a college student is like 5:30).

This is my second trip down there with CCF. Last time, we were gutting houses and this time, we have no clue where in the city we're going, what we'll be doing, or even what type of building we'll be staying in. Please pray for safe trave and work and that the group will grow closer together.

I will not be posting for a little over a week and hope to have some great reflections for you when I get back.

Shalom,
Drew

Life of a Freshman

What can be said about being a feshman at the University of Georgia? I imagine that all 5,000 of us have our own versions of how this year went. What can be said about being a freshman at CCF? Probably a lot. I know that my fellow freshman never cease to amaze me with how talented, inciteful, creative, excited, and caring they can be. During a recent brainstorming session, I was astounded by some of the ideas put forth. We were even trusted with the planning and execution of the CCF Superbowl party.

One of the things that we (the freshman) hear quite often is how great this year's group is. While I cannot objectively compare us to freshman of years past, I can testify that any success that the class of 2010 has had or will ever have is due to our interns (random shout out to Becca to keep her attention), staff (even that funny, short South Affrican that we call Fledge), and those older than us. To any who stumble upon this, thank you for your love and time.

Shalom,
Drew

Come Together

Galatians 6:1-10

In the fifth chapter, Paul tells us to do good. He follows that train of thought into chapter six. He states that we should do good to all, but especially fellow believers. His suggestion for doing this is accountability.

When I was younger and more immature, I thought that having a set accountability "partner" was among the dumbest things ever. My reasoning was focused around the facts that a) telling someone about your sins doesn't make you stop and b) you could always just lie. However, as I grew older and ever so slightly more mature, I began to see that as you grow in Christ, you also grow closer to other Christians, both changes making you unwilling to lie. While talking about sinning doesn't mean you'll stop (if only, if only), discussing where you're stumbling and how your fellow believers can help you make a massive difference (and extra prayer never hurt either).

One of the best ministries that CCF has going for it is what they call "Crash Groups", or accountability groups of two or three other people close to your age. Not only are they great for accountability, but they also help you grow in Christ and closer to other Christians. Hey, lookie how that turned out.

Rock on.

Post Script: And yes, I am listening to the Beatles as I type this. I'm on an old (and oh so good) music kick.

One Semester Looking Back

Finals are done. Life is now easier. But another sixteen hours looms just on the other side of the winter break. I stand at a point where, assuming it only takes me four years to get through my BA, I am 1/8 of the way through college. Now is a good time to look back.

It seems like just last week that I boarded a plane in Kansas City heading for orientation. And it seems like just yesterday that I headed to Christian Campus Fellowship (CCF, but more on that later). The semester has really flown by. But at the same time, it seems as if the friends I've made have been my friends since birth (I certainly pray that they will remain friends until death).

I started this year not knowing what was going on, and as such, went through three main stages. First came the excitement of being out on my own. Nights up until three, waking up only minutes before class. Enjoying the all-you-can-eat meal plan (four or five times a day). After deciding against ROTC in January, I singed up, intending on seeking a scholarship again. And I very quickly settled into the Wesley Foundation, the largest campus ministry with some 500 members. As it turns out, though, UGA is something of a party school. Short of drinking, there isn't much to do. And finding a group of friends out of 500 people is harder than it seems. ROTC was a disappointment, as UGA ROTC may be the best demonstration of the opposite of good leadership. So here comes the second stage, where I seriously considered transferring to a smaller school. Then, my heroic sister decided to introduce me to some friends she had at CCF here (yea for having a big sister within 60 miles). After attending three events with the sub-100 group, I very quickly found a group of friends (almost instantly with the other 11 freshman, and by the weekend with the rest). Enter phase three, which can only be known as awesomasity-rocious. I'm now quite happy at UGA, even without frat parties, and have never been closer to a group of friends. I would estimate that well over half of my free time is spent at CCF or with other CCFers.

And now, for the all-important lessons learned:
-You can skip class, but you shouldn't.
-Same with eating five meals a day.
-And staying up until three in the morning.
-Your dorm room is small. Even one sock on the floor makes it look and feel like a pig pen.
-All-nighters should only be pulled when absolutely necessary. Because by the end, a light bulb will make you laugh. And the fact that a light bulb just made you laugh...will make you laugh.
-Facebook is addictive.
-You used to be smart. When you get to college, you won't be anymore.
-Seeing spots means you need sleep. Or more caffeine.
-Dorms are scary places. It is best just not to ask questions of the drunk guy in the hallway.
-Exception to the previous rule: If he's passed out or puking, make sure he's alright.
-Your mini-fridge might explode on you.
-Coffee is good. Conversation is good. Conversations at coffee shops are great. They are even greater when it's after midnight.
-Finals are evil. Midterms are less evil, but only slightly so.

And I just got back from my last late night coffee shop run of the semester. I'm going to go try to sleep off the nine caffeine drinks I've had since seven this evening.

Rock on.

Eye of the Storm

The following words and pictures were written and taken during my trip to the New Orleans area to clean up after Hurricane Katrina. It has been over a year since the storm hit and the area faces at least another four years before it is completely restored (thanks to the work of various organizations, this is down from the fifteen year estimate originally given).

11/18/2006 - It's a little after one in the morning, central time, and I'm in New Orleans. We're camping in an old elementary school. Driving through, signs of storm damage are obvious. On approach to the school, the Hoovervilles of trailors are set up and fenced off. Houses sit in ruin, and several have trailosrs set up in the front yard. The school itself is fenced off, the fence crowned with barbed wire. The bottom floor of the school has been gutted and the top floor shows the spartan conditions that the students had been learning in pre-Katrina. Our beds are box springs and mattresses on the floor, but it still gives us a roof over our heads. Just arriving here has made me feel so blessed.

That Evening - The day is done and the results are in. After all was said and done, we had cleaned up three buildings. We woke up at 6:30 and were working by nine. The first house had remained almost untouched since Katrina. Mold ran rampant. There was still food in the pantry and water in the washing machine. A black goo had formed in the fridge. Our first task was to remove everything from the house, including the food, carpet, and floor boards. Everything. Then came the walls. By the time we were done, only the ceiling and frame were left in tact and there was a debris pile over six fee high outside. After lunch, we moved on to our secound house. Our objective this time was to remove the ceiling from an already-gutted house. Along with the rotted remains of the fiberglass insulation. Part of the house still had water in it. This water had come to resemble the ooze from the fridge. Our third building was a two-story duplex. The watermark was four feet from the floor. On the secound story. The lower level had been gutted, but the upper rooms still had the belongings of one's life left behind.

I'm sitting in the gym at the old schoo now, though, honestly, it looks more like a military instilation than a school. But in spite of all the horrible surrondings, there are glimmers of hope. Several of the homes are decorated for Christmas.


The title of this post comes from a Blindside song and is in recognition of the fact that while the city is now calm, there is a long way to go before the disaster can be considered over.

Rock on.

College Randomness

College...is random. So very random. Very very random. And now I'll tell you why.

Yesterday, I spent three hours at CCF washing cars. And then went home, showered, came back for evening activities, and spent another six hours there. Doing things like making brownies. And discussing biblical family structures. And carrying people around on my shoulders. Now I'm sitting in the CCF house typing this.

Today, I went to my Geology class and we had a pop quiz. However, the teacher told us we could get our answers through "a collective effort". She told us we had five minutes, then stared at us. Laughing, she said in her Argentinian accent, "Why aren't you going?" After four minutes of us yelling across the room of about eighty students, one girl stood up and shouted all five answers. The entire class ended up getting an 80%.

Anyways...college. It's random.
Yea.

Shalom