Thursday, May 29, 2014

Class of 2014

This past weekend, another class of seniors walked across the stage and received their diplomas from Cornell.  We had a great group of seniors this year and of course they will be greatly missed.  Nick Biebel will be sticking around as an intern next fall and Robin Ying will be here for grad school.  Other than that, the students are headed all over the place!


At our last weekly meeting we had 13 of our grads share a few minutes worth of parting wisdom.  Over the next few days, I'll include some quotes from each student. 

Joana Choe talked openly about the difficulties she encountered throughout college related to finances, family, academics and future career.  She was involved as a leader and connected to our ministry through all 4 years at Cornell. I personally appreciated the great insights that she shared about how hard it can be to lean on God when struggles last a lot longer than you would ever imagine they would!  

"Don’t let the bad situations and people who hurt you shape your view of God. Don’t allow you’re your heart harden towards God because of it.  Be aware of when this is happening, because it happens slowly and without you realizing it.
Remember why you first decided to give your life to God.  Remember his goodness and how he has worked in your life.  And if you feel that you have become distant to God, he is waiting for you, and you can come before his throne, confident of his grace and love towards you.  Persevere, pray, endure, and love.  Trust in the Lord, and hold fast to his promises."  



Hanny Chrysolite has a real missionary heart. We were hoping that she could go and serve with Cru overseas next year, but it didn't work out because she isn't an American citizen at this point. Bummer. She had some excellent encouragement to share. "Praying with someone else regularly. I can’t stress enough how praying with my roommate twice a week has been really a huge blessing and a highlight of my time at Cornell. To have someone praying for me regularly and checking up on me serves as a reminder that I am not alone in my spiritual journey."



Wednesday, May 21, 2014

My First Wedding!

This past weekend, I got to officiate the wedding of my very good friends, Larry and Van-Kim.


This is the first wedding that I've ever officiated!  (Although I'm not ordained by a church, the laws in certain states allow campus ministers like us to "solemnize")  This is the first of three weddings that I  will be a part of this summer!  It's gonna be good!  

I've written about my friend Larry on numerous occasions even on this blog.  I regard him a brother and a friend in every way.  Some suggest that I am actually somewhat responsible for Larry and Van-Kim's relationship as it was me who recommended that Larry consider asking her out!  I gladly accept any credit for any part I may have played in bringing such a wonderful couple together! 

I don't have any good pics of the ceremony yet!  But here's someones instagram of the rehearsal!

And here is a cool pic from their engagement party a few months ago. 



Tuesday, May 13, 2014

The World in Wildwood

The main reason that we love the Wildwood Summer Project is because there are so many people from so many places in the world.  Cornell is certainly a place with students from around the Globe, but during June, July and August, Wildwood, NJ is the hot spot for college students from other countries. Morey's Piers - a collection of beach front amusement park attractions and restaurants is largely responsible for the legacy of foreign summer migration.  Supposedly inspired by both the Great Commission and Walt Disney, Morey's sends recruiters to job fairs at foreign universities throughout the year highlighting the employment opportunities and amassing their workforce.  

It's not uncommon when you're walking down the street to see postcards advertising "Bulgarian Parties" or other country specific gatherings.  

In 2011, more than 7,000 came from abroad to the Garden State through Summer Work Travel program and worked a myriad of service industry jobs.  

Below are a couple of links.  The first is "testimonials" page on Morey's Piers website.  You can hear some of the exchange students talking about their experience and get a real feel for where the students are coming from  The second is an article from NJ.com
http://www.moreyspiers.com/work/testimonials/
and
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/for_international_students_wor.html