Hi friends,
Well, as strange as it seems, the school year is over and I'm writing this update from the good ol USA.
As I consider what to include in this final blog post of the year, I feel at a loss for words. The first thing that comes immediately to mind is how proud I am of my seniors and how much I'm going to miss them...but I think I'd better just start with some June highlights and go from there:
1. Senior Tributes
As I mentioned in my previous update, it's an annual tradition for the juniors (aided and abetted by the sophomores and freshmen) to put together a "Senior Tribute Day." This looks different in each dorm--for some, it is an all day affair, where each underclassman student has a chance to affirm and say kind things about their senior dorm brothers or sisters. At Palmgarten, we hold an evening dinner party and make special tribute videos. This year the theme was "Party in the Clouds." The girls worked tirelessly putting together decorations, planning and helping prepare the meal, and filming the tribute video. It was a really fun evening, culminating with a cotton candy machine, bubble blowing, and a bonfire. I probably mentioned last year that senior tributes are always a bit bittersweet. It's our time to honor the seniors and make fun memories with them, but it of course also marks the beginning of goodbyes. And I'll tell you what--Palmgarten graduated some AWESOME young women this year, and the dorm will not be the same without them.
2. Graduation
I don't really know what to write about graduation. The days leading up to it were a whirlwind of girls packing and cleaning and weighing bags and re-packing, not to mention visits from alumni and parents, and saying goodbye to departing friends. It's the kind of week that you're looking at on Monday thinking, "Well there's no way THIS is all going to get done." And then Saturday arrives and somehow it all happens. I'm pretty proud of my girls, actually. All the cleaning and packing went off without a hitch. (well, except the part where we sent our seniors off after graduation without their passports, but that's my fault. And we got all their passports to them before anyone had to fly home, so no harm done. :) )
But anyway, by the time graduation arrived Saturday morning, we were all pretty wiped. Which probably only added to the emotion of it all. :) But we all cheered for each of our Palm seniors as they crossed the stage, and the courtyard after the ceremony was a sea of teary hugs and emotional goodbyes. It's an odd sensation, saying goodbye to girls that I've lived with and loved for two years and knowing that they're going to be living and working and studying all across the world...wondering if and when I'll see them again. I guess these sorts of goodbyes are something you get used to, living in such an international place, but it's not something that ever feels good.
But whether or not I see them all again, here's what I know: my seniors are some of the smartest, most perceptive, most talented, most creative, most ambitious, most people-loving girls that I've ever gotten to know. And they're going to do really awesome things. And I'm really proud of them.
So anyway. One question that I got to ask several of my seniors these last few months is, "What have you learned this year, and how are you different from when the year started?"
And so it only seems appropriate that I answer that question myself, and share a couple of those lessons with you.
Probably the biggest lesson I've learned is grace. Just lots of grace.
Grace for myself: I screw up a lot in this job. I say the wrong thing, I forget something important (like a birthday or a project or making sure the seniors have their passports), and sometimes I just have a really bad attitude. But good news! "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." And Christ has offered grace and mercy to cover my failures. So I've been learning to accept and live in that grace, rather than beating myself up.
Grace for my co-workers: People are messy, even from a distance. And living with and working alongside people is even messier. There are times when we miscommunicate, when we disagree, and when we hurt each other. But just as Christ has offered me grace, so he asks me to offer that same grace to the people around me. I have a funny feeling that this will be a lifelong lesson: offering grace to others when it doesn't seem the natural response. But little by little, God is chiseling away at my pride and enabling me to respond as he would: with grace.
Grace for my girls: Palm girls, if you're reading this, I'm sure this will surprise you, so prepare to be shocked: Sometimes, you screw up, too. There are times this year when you made me crazy. While of course you are absolute angels most of the time, every now and again, you didn't follow through with something I asked, or you responded in a way that was less than mature. But here's the thing about that: I love you. That's my job. The job that Jesus gave me (or rather, gives all of us) is to "love one another as [He has] loved [us]." So my job is to love my girls with the gracious, forgiving love of Jesus. And so when someone disobeys or overreacts or lashes out at me, Christ is teaching me (and probably will be teaching me forever) to respond like he does: with grace.
Well, once again, thank you for reading this. I'm so grateful for the friendship, the support, and the prayers that you have offered during my past two years at BFA. And I'm really looking forward to what God is going to do with my third year. You're all invited to join me on that journey! (I'll keep updating this blog.)
Until then, have a great summer!
Amanda
Well, as strange as it seems, the school year is over and I'm writing this update from the good ol USA.
As I consider what to include in this final blog post of the year, I feel at a loss for words. The first thing that comes immediately to mind is how proud I am of my seniors and how much I'm going to miss them...but I think I'd better just start with some June highlights and go from there:
1. Senior Tributes
As I mentioned in my previous update, it's an annual tradition for the juniors (aided and abetted by the sophomores and freshmen) to put together a "Senior Tribute Day." This looks different in each dorm--for some, it is an all day affair, where each underclassman student has a chance to affirm and say kind things about their senior dorm brothers or sisters. At Palmgarten, we hold an evening dinner party and make special tribute videos. This year the theme was "Party in the Clouds." The girls worked tirelessly putting together decorations, planning and helping prepare the meal, and filming the tribute video. It was a really fun evening, culminating with a cotton candy machine, bubble blowing, and a bonfire. I probably mentioned last year that senior tributes are always a bit bittersweet. It's our time to honor the seniors and make fun memories with them, but it of course also marks the beginning of goodbyes. And I'll tell you what--Palmgarten graduated some AWESOME young women this year, and the dorm will not be the same without them.2. Graduation
But anyway, by the time graduation arrived Saturday morning, we were all pretty wiped. Which probably only added to the emotion of it all. :) But we all cheered for each of our Palm seniors as they crossed the stage, and the courtyard after the ceremony was a sea of teary hugs and emotional goodbyes. It's an odd sensation, saying goodbye to girls that I've lived with and loved for two years and knowing that they're going to be living and working and studying all across the world...wondering if and when I'll see them again. I guess these sorts of goodbyes are something you get used to, living in such an international place, but it's not something that ever feels good.But whether or not I see them all again, here's what I know: my seniors are some of the smartest, most perceptive, most talented, most creative, most ambitious, most people-loving girls that I've ever gotten to know. And they're going to do really awesome things. And I'm really proud of them.So anyway. One question that I got to ask several of my seniors these last few months is, "What have you learned this year, and how are you different from when the year started?"
And so it only seems appropriate that I answer that question myself, and share a couple of those lessons with you.
Probably the biggest lesson I've learned is grace. Just lots of grace.
Grace for myself: I screw up a lot in this job. I say the wrong thing, I forget something important (like a birthday or a project or making sure the seniors have their passports), and sometimes I just have a really bad attitude. But good news! "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." And Christ has offered grace and mercy to cover my failures. So I've been learning to accept and live in that grace, rather than beating myself up.
Grace for my co-workers: People are messy, even from a distance. And living with and working alongside people is even messier. There are times when we miscommunicate, when we disagree, and when we hurt each other. But just as Christ has offered me grace, so he asks me to offer that same grace to the people around me. I have a funny feeling that this will be a lifelong lesson: offering grace to others when it doesn't seem the natural response. But little by little, God is chiseling away at my pride and enabling me to respond as he would: with grace.
Grace for my girls: Palm girls, if you're reading this, I'm sure this will surprise you, so prepare to be shocked: Sometimes, you screw up, too. There are times this year when you made me crazy. While of course you are absolute angels most of the time, every now and again, you didn't follow through with something I asked, or you responded in a way that was less than mature. But here's the thing about that: I love you. That's my job. The job that Jesus gave me (or rather, gives all of us) is to "love one another as [He has] loved [us]." So my job is to love my girls with the gracious, forgiving love of Jesus. And so when someone disobeys or overreacts or lashes out at me, Christ is teaching me (and probably will be teaching me forever) to respond like he does: with grace.
Well, once again, thank you for reading this. I'm so grateful for the friendship, the support, and the prayers that you have offered during my past two years at BFA. And I'm really looking forward to what God is going to do with my third year. You're all invited to join me on that journey! (I'll keep updating this blog.)
Until then, have a great summer!
Amanda
Comments
Post a Comment