Falcon Footnotes

Every year, Messiah has this fun tradition where we host a contest to choose which Messiah male is crowned “Mr. Messiah”. It’s such an exciting event! It’s hosted in the Union by Eyas (a club on campus that promotes school spirit!). There’s a talent contest, ’speeches’ and questioning of all the contestants, and even a ‘best dressed’ portion of the contest. Couple that with fun music and comical emcees, Mr. Messiah is a welcome break in the week–a wonderful time to hang out with friends and have a laugh or two! And of course, there’s always the crowning of the ever-popular Mr. Messiah title. I’m excited for the first contest tonight…we’ll see who is crowned this year!!

So, Spring Semester has begun, and with it all the responsibilities of a full semester and lots of events and activities to attend. As I settle in on my first week, I can’t help and look back at J-term, our 3 week course-intensive class that we take during the month of January. I had the privilege to host a student from the Netherlands, and I can honestly say that it was an amazing experience. I hosted Anneke, a student at a Dutch Christian University in the Netherlands. Although I don’t speak Dutch, she spoke English quite well, and I tried to pick up some Dutch phrases. We took her and other Dutch students to see the Hershey Bears Hockey game, introduced her to friends on campus and visited Washington D.C. together. It was great to talk about all the differences in her culture as compared to mine-it opened my mind a bit more to her culture and lifestyle. What was even greater, however, was to talk about all the things that we had in common. It’s amazing to think that even though our culture, language and countries differ so much, we can find a common ground on Messiah’s campus as Christian sisters in Christ. We connected in a real, intentional way, and I feel so blessed to have met her for those two weeks…I’m already planning a trip to the Netherlands to visit!

Something I love about Messiah is the people. I know that sounds cliche, but it is 100% true. It’s not just the challenging and engaging academics, the stellar athletics (like our Men and Female Soccer team’s National Championship win last weekend!) or the many clubs and organizations that students can participate in. Oh, no-it’s so much more than that! It’s the people here that really make the experience great. For example,I started working in the admissions office last year and it’s been a great experience-both professionally and relationally.rnEvery year right before Christmas Break, the staff take a day to bake and cook for all of the work-studies (like me) as a way to appreciate us. This is something that shows us student workers that they care about what we do and how we support them. It’s a step above and beyond what is required of them, but something that we as students have all come to look forward to and enjoy! I mean, who can say no to handmade chilis, dips, snacks and desserts like an oreo truffle (thanks Charissa!)?!rnIn summary, it’s the people here that make Messiah great, and the Work Study Appreciation Day that I’m participating in today just reminded me of how much I value the care and support I receive here:)

It’s hard to believe that in a mere week and a half, I’ll be done my 5th semester at Messiah College- only a few short semesters away from the “real world”! As the semester draws to a close, it’s always so easy for me to get caught up in stress about unfinished projects, upcoming finals and seeing all my good friends before the semester ends. Amid all the busyness and stress, I love the community that is so present on campus during this stressful time. I think it’s knowing that everyone is going through the same types of stress that bonds people together. It’s also the activities that are planned to give us a break from the frantic studying and multitude of papers that we’re writing. rnJust last night, I went to the SAB Messiah Family Christmas party, where there was a huge tree decorated in the union, as well as cookie and ornament decorating and the infamous Tacky Sweater Contest (which I entered but did not win because I was dressed as a Christmas tree, not in an ugly sweater!). Not only were the activities festive and fun, but the community of people that came made all the stress and worry melt away, if only for a few hours. I feel that sometimes good times spent with friends in celebrating a special event, such as Christmas, is the best medicine for the end of a crazy busy semester. It’s like I have another family here on campus, and I just love that…rn

In thinking about what to write for this blog entry, my mind automatically drifted to the work of the Collaboratory, a group that I’m involved in on campus. Maybe because it consumes most of my free time aside from classwork and studying, or maybe because I was thinking about what I need to do to prepare for next week’s meeting. But, probably, it’s because being involved in the Collaboratory’s MicroEconomic Development group has completely turned my world and my perceptions of the future upside down. I didn’t know anything about economics or micro-finance when I joined the group Spring of my Freshman year, but I got involved after learning from various sources of the good that micro-finance is doing around the world, ministering to the world’s poor and empowering people to better their lives through giving small loans out to build businesses. Micro-finance is the way of the future in terms of working with the world’s poor and moving them out of dependency, struggle and poverty. Through working with the group to start small, rural banks that promote savings and small loans in a sustainable way, I am learning ow I can make a difference for Christ in the world where so many have so little. I’ve been blessed with so much, and it’s great to see just one small way that I can begin to give back! It’s funny how God works…bringing opportunities into our lives when we least expect them!