Reflections from our Students

Throughout the year, students will be writing short notes and reflections in learning journals for their courses. Here are a few snippets from a couple of their journals.

From Arissa:

“Tonight we all went to 541 Eatery for a fundraiser concert and everything kinda clicked together for me. Jon, Dave and Nina keep talking about community and living together, and there we all were, along with dozens of other Christians singing In Christ Alone. And it made sense why we would stay especially in our own community, helping with it, building stronger bonds than would be possible in mixing communities. I don’t know how much sense that makes, but it’s hard to have words to describe the feeling.”

From Seth:

“As I have been learning about my other ‘family members,’ it is starting to occur to me just how different each and every one of us is… I’ve realized that while we may all be so different, it’s crazy how similar we really are. The question about why we are here hit me very hard. Trying to imagine what God’s plan for us is, what he has in store for us now, and which direction he has in store for us in the future…

“This has been an amazing week, and I’ve been struck by the fact that everyone can treat each other like family (even the same day we met). In our third day here, the ways that I have felt our Lord move in me is astonishing. I’ve never felt anything quite this strong. While Autumn and Jamie were playing the piano, all I could think about is that this is so unreal it is almost a dream.”

From Matt:

“Learning to live in community with the other Act Five members has been such a blessing. Learning to lean into community has been a focus at Coldwater and even before the camping trip. All of us are beginning to open up about our struggles, share methods and motivations for our strengths, and show our willingness to help each other. We’ve been learning to give support to anyone wanting or needing it.

Right now, students are up at Camp Norland, getting ready with the Coldwater staff to head into the wilderness for 9 days of canoeing. They’ve been enjoying continuing to get to know each other as they engage in team-building activities, pack their bags, and prepare for the trip. One of the lessons being instilled in students for the next 9 days is with regards to paying attention: learning the skill of noticing all that is happening in and around them.