A Student's Perspective: Caleb

-
When interacting with supporters back home, I often find myself saying, "I wish you could meet my guys!" So, I would like you to meet a good friend of mine. Caleb is a junior, and this is his first year at BFA and at Sonne. His brother was previously a student here as well. Caleb is a fun, intelligent guy, and so I asked him to introduce himself to you in his own words. 


“As a First year student here at BFA I had a lot of expectations. I came here, knowing that my brother had a great experience here and I wanted to have that same experience. What I found when I got here was nothing like what I expected. Yeah, there were a few disappointments like missing home, but many things far surpassed my hopes of what BFA would be like.

Living in a dorm is definitely hard at times, but it is also one of the best parts about being here. There is a great brotherhood and family feeling in the dorm and we are definitely closer than what I had expected we would be. The guys are all friends and the staff are here for us whenever we need them.

I also came here, being a sports lover, but not really knowing what I could do. I don’t play basketball or soccer which are pretty much the main options here at BFA. I found my sport on the wrestling mat and loved it! The bond in the dorm is carried over onto the sports teams and I definitely felt closer to the guys on my team than I ever had on any team before.

I think that is what makes BFA so great. We have the opportunities to make relationships with so many people, from different backgrounds, countries, and experiences. Almost none of us grew up together, and yet we make closer relationships than most people do in high school with the people they have grown up with.

Although it is often difficult living with 18 other teenage guys: it is usually noisy, there is little privacy and, of course, there are times when not everyone gets along greatly, we find a way to make it through and to love it. I often describe living in a dorm to my friends away from BFA who don’t understand it at all as this: It’s like living with 18 of your best friends all the time.

I am thankful to God for placing me in a place where I can grow socially, educationally, and spiritually…all at once."


Caleb at Christmas Banquet


PS: I apologize if the text in this post looks a little odd. I'm trying to figure out exactly what's going on! -L

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remembering Easter Week

-
Image
    It’s been a while! This summer marks three years of living life and seeking normal in the United States. I haven’t figured it out. But I have realized that writing helps, so I’m going to do more of that. Putting my thoughts here sometimes feels like I’m writing to a void, but if you’re a human and you’re reading this, I'm grateful. I'm just looking for a place for my thoughts to belong. I’m working on a new title, too, so stay tuned.      Easter week holds a wide range of emotions for me and at the close of Holy Week, they're feeling a little more pronounced. I have happy memories of childhood celebrations with my grandmother and immediate family. Chocolate and celebrations of Christ’s resurrection are closely associated in my core memories, which can’t be a bad thing. In adulthood, learning how to celebrate with new traditions has been a difficult process. When I approach this week, though, several key memories from the recent past are on my mind. Near...
Read more

Commissioning

-
It's funny to discover how God has directed our paths even when we didn't realize He was doing it. My pastor had scheduled a Commissioning Service for me during tonight's evening service on Wednesday, and we were thankful God had directed him this way when we found out I was leaving on Monday! Tonight's service was a huge blessing. A former missionary, and great student of the Word, gave the challenge to me out of Micah 6:8. This was very special because God had begun to use that verse in my life during the time at Csehy this summer. Now it's meaning is intensified for me.   " He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8  The first two commands pertain to dealing with mankind, and the last to my relationship with God. If God is first in a person's life, everything else will fall into place. This is my prayer as I enter this new phase in m...
Read more

I really hope He knows what He's doing

-
A few days ago, I learned a lesson that I’d love to share with you. Our dorm dad, Marty, was working on a student’s ipod. The ipod was sitting in about a thousand pieces on the table in the living room, and Marty was hovering over it working away. Charlie, the owner of the ipod, was also hovering nearby. In fact, he sat next to Marty for nearly an hour, watching with great intent and concern on his face. At one point, I happened to catch Charlie’s eye. He gave me this incredibly serious look that said “I really, really hope that he knows what he’s doing!” From Charlie’s vantage point, Marty was picking apart his beloved ipod, and at times it definitely looked like it was beyond repair.  I walked away a minute later, and I realized that I’m really glad that I can’t always see just how God is working in my life. If I could sit and watch, like Charlie was doing, I know that I would experience a lot more anxiety. I would probably have the “I really, really hope that He knows what He’s ...
Read more