Wow, wow, wow, how is it already October? Monday was our one-month anniversary of being together, and I just feel so blessed to have gotten so close to this beautiful and wonderful community already! I cannot wait for what this year has to offer! This Thursday, we had our Etiquette Night! All the ladies and gentlemen of our community got all dolled up and met for an amazing meal that our incredible Chef Amy prepared for us. For the night, girls and guys were paired up… I know what you’re thinking, trust me, we thought the same. How in the world would they allow us to pair off? Don’t worry, we were constantly within big groups, were seated at tables with another couple, and we were always under supervision. Throughout the meal, we had lessons on etiquette from our speaker this week, John Alvarado, and his wife Christine. They were so kind and gracious as we were fumbling trying to get the correct hold of our silverware and remembering to be a “lady” and a “gentleman”. We had a grand old time learning the proper way to cut our delicious petite fillets and scoop up our scrumptious soup. After our wonderful meal (and breathtaking dessert), we all headed onto the dance floor, and the night was swept away from there. We learned how to do the Cha-Cha, the Waltz, and some Swing dance! It was so much fun dancing with everyone. There was constant laughter, cheering, and confused looks, and I was all for it! We all had a wonderful time, and hopefully you can look at our pictures soon and see them come to life!
With so much love it’s not even funny,
-Bailey Wright
P.S. Hi fam bam, I love and miss you dearly!
What’s good blog readers? The last couple of days have been flying by. Down at main camp, all the girls have been working women’s retreats by serving food and setting up the dining hall for meals. Tuesday was girl’s night and all the girls went to Wagon Train and hung out in a pretty rad tree house (aka tree castle). We had snacks and set up lights; it was a real sweet time! On Thursday afternoons I help Amy out in the kitchens through something we call Sweeps. Every Joshua student helps out a department around Hume, and mine just so happens to be the Joshua kitchen! This week I helped make salads and set up the dining hall for Etiquette dinner. The dinner was a lot of fun and a super cool opportunity to learn how to set a very fancy dinner properly. Amy is an amazing cook and all of her food was incredible. This week has been a solid 10/10 for sure!
-Julia Hockstra
Let’s talk about Guy’s night!! Going down to main camp, the boys played volleyball against each other for the prize of a pack of Oreo cookies. We played hard and joyously cheered the other guys on. Ultimately, we learned that us boys aren’t the most coordinated for this sport. Despite the super tall net and small boundary lines, the games still proved to be a lot of fun and it was good to be altogether as a collective guy-group. In the end, team 1 prevailed against the others in a close match with much intensity. Afterwards, we piled into 2 vans and some of us cuddled because real men cuddle. Altogether, it was a really fun night and just good to be together as just us guys.
-Matt Wolff
God is Good all of the time; and all of the time God is Good. I believe that God has been teaching me to accept this message. Whether working in Sweeps or struggling with classwork, God is there in the challenges and loves me. Just in case you don’t know, Sweeps is what our volunteer work is called. My Sweep is working in the Ponderosa Kitchen for roughly three hours every Thursday. I usually end up either cutting strawberries or broccolini the whole time. It is a struggle going from classes on Thursday to lunch immediately and then to Sweeps, but God is teaching me to accept the work and to represent him in these moments. Our guest speaker this week was also challenging. His name is John Alvarado, and he challenged us in our understanding of dying to ourselves and spreading God’s message. He provided us with bible verses and practical advice about letting go of our wants and desires, in order to give it all to the glory of God. Through people like Jon, I am learning how to give God my unhealthy fears, and to trust that I will be fulfilled through Christ. Even if it is not in the way I want, I believe that God still provides for me. After all, God is Good all of the time; and all of the time God is Good.
-Noah Martin
