Hey Everyone!

I hope your week is going well. The pace is really starting to pick up here at Hope with Thanksgiving break just around the corner. These past couple of days have been a blur. The temperature has also dropped some but not enough to keep me from running outside. Yesterday when I went running I discovered some new trails I had never been on before and there was some really pretty scenery. It was nice to be out in nature and admire God’s beautiful creation.

As a perspective student, you all have a lot on your plate also. There are not a lot of weeks before Christmas and making a decision as to where to go to school will sneak up on you quickly. I remember last year at this time I was freaking out about my college decision. However, do not let deciding on a college overwhelm you. Yes, it is a big decision, but do not panic if you do not know where you want to go yet. I did not make my final decision to go to Hope until May 1^st.  I am very happy I chose to come to Hope. I think the best part of the college is the people who are here. Also, I love Holland, and it is a great college town. I enjoy being able to walk to a local coffee shop right after class. Not to mention, I love the lake!

Here are some pictures from my run in Holland…

Have a great day!

Hello!

This past weekend I was in Louisville, Kentucky along with 40 other Hope students. We attended the Global Health Missions Conference. The conference was absolutely amazing! We were able to hear a variety of speakers and learn about their different experiences serving in different places all around the world. It was also a great opportunity to get to know other people from Hope who share common interests as me. We left early Thursday morning for Kentucky and attended the conference until Saturday afternoon. We stayed at family’s house that attends the church where the conference was located. The conference took place at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, and is the 8^th largest church in America! It was great to be able to experience seeing a church that big. The conference was so good, and I really learned a lot through listening to the different speakers. The family who we stayed with was so kind and welcoming. They allowed all 40 of us to stay in their very nice large house. Each evening when we came back from the conference they had food waiting for us. They definitely displayed some great southern hospitality.

I definitely want to attend the conference again next year. I am really grateful that Hope offers this opportunity for students.

Have a great week!

Welcome Banner!

Lunch Break

Hey there everyone!

Last weekend was not only Nykerk but, but it was also family weekend. My parents drove up for the weekend and I really enjoyed spending time with them. My parents really like Holland. They are so glad that I decided to come to Hope. On Saturday morning they attended the president’s breakfast and said it was just great. They enjoyed meeting other parents.

Throughout the weekend, my parents and I were able to eat at a couple of local places down town. On Sunday, they had a family church service in the chapel. After chapel, we went out to eat then shopped the day away. 

As a first year student, I am definitely learning to be more appreciative of my parents. It is nice to be in college and be independent, but I still sometimes miss my parents not being with me. However, college is so much fun and keeps me busy, so I don’t have a lot of time to stop and think about missing my family and friends. However, when I do get to see my family and friends; I love it! 

The people here at Hope are so friendly and welcoming it’s like its own family and community. 

Enjoy your week and spend some time with your family =]

****CoLLeeN****

My family!

My parents and I

Hey there!

Last weekend was family weekend, but more importantly it was Nykerk. Nykerk was absolutely amazing!!!! It has been my favorite thing about Hope so far. Nykerk is a competition between freshmen and sophomores (even and odd year). And this year even year won! The competition has three parts to it. 1. A song with motions and props 2. A play 3. An oration. Panels of judges judge theses three categories.

This year the class of 2014 had the largest amount of song girls in the history of Nykerek, which is 76 years! A total of 140 girls stood cramped on the bleachers at the Civic Center. The Civic Center was completely packed with people.

Nykerk definitely brings people together and allows for a lot of good comradely. I was in song and absolutely loved my song coaches. They were hilarious and made our two hour practices a lot of fun. Also, in Nykerk, the girls are moraled by their morale boys. It is a great opportunity to get to know other people. The props in the song were also a lot of fun. The even year song was “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” and the odd year song was a melody from the “Wizard of Oz”. Both even and odd year did a great job. I will definitely being doing Nykerk again next year. If you want a fun way to be involved on Hope’s campus then Nykerk is the way to go. I cannot even describe how much fun it was.

1-4 Song Girls!

Civic Center

Hello Everyone!

I hope all of your weeks are going well. I have crazy busy this week. I just want to fill you all in on the great Halloween weekend that occurred. First of all on Friday evening I helped serve a meal for needy people in the Holland community with my roommate’s first year seminar class. It was a lot of fun. We dished out delicious bowls of chili and wore our Halloween costumes. Also on Friday evening’s Nykerk practice everyone wore their Halloween costumes and it was a lot of fun. I also went to a waffle/pancake house on Friday evening and ate some delicious waffles and pancakes made in one of the cottages on campus.

On Saturday evening, I went to a Halloween dance that was in MAAS auditorium, and it was a lot of fun to see everyone dressed up in their crazy costumes. After the dance, my friends and I pretty much just pigged out on candy for the rest of the night. I absolutely love Halloween. It is one of my favorite holidays.

On Sunday, I went to church, worked on homework, went on a run, and did some laundry. It wasn’t the most exciting day, but there was nice weather for Halloween and it was a great relaxing day.

I will upload some pictures later on this week from Halloween weekend. I am currently having some technological difficulties.

Enjoy your week!

***Colleen***

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all have had a great week! I have been very busy this week with Nykerk, schoolwork, and other extra curricular activities. On Thursday night I had a fun dinner with my Bible Study group. A junior and senior lead it. There are six of us in the group and we went to the senior’s house for some chili and excellent deserts. I really enjoy my Bible Study group and I am glad I have been able to get close with the people in my group and meet some upper classmen.

On Thursday evening, I also attended my weekly Spanish drill, which is teaching ESL for free to people in the Holland community. ESL is a lot of fun and I am able to work on my Spanish while teaching others English. We normally have about six ESL students and six Spanish 4 students pair up with an ESL student. Three seniors at Hope teach the class. The ESL students from the community really enjoy the class. We watch different clips in English and often read current English articles. ESL is a great experience for both the ESL students and the Spanish 4 students. I am glad I have been able to participate in the class and look forward to attending my Thursday night class.

Have a fun HALLOWEEN weekend!!!

Thurday evening ESL class

This past weekend was also homecoming weekend. The campus was full of returning alumni. The atmosphere was great! On Saturday morning there was a homecoming 5k. I did not participate in this only because I really wanted to sleep in =]  Saturday afternoon there was a homecoming tailgate picnic. Despite the rain, many students, faculty, and alumni came and enjoyed some good food. The picnic was followed by the homecoming football game and in the evening there was a homecoming ball at the Haworth Inn. Some of my girl friends and I got dressed up for dinner and then went to the dance.

The dance was fun and had some snacks and refreshments along with a photo booth. However, I think the best part of the evening was getting ready for the dance. The guys probably do not feel the same way, but the girls like to do each other’s hair and paint nails ect. It was a great weekend all around. I really enjoyed my first college homecoming experience. I cannot wait till next year.

Here are some of our pictures from the evening…

Friday evening was very fun and exciting! A hoedown was taking place at a nearby farm and they had….

• Hay back rides
• Line dancing
• Country music
• Hot apple cider
• Smores
• Bonfire
• Hay maze
• Snack
• Barn animals

The hoedown was so much fun. I went with a group of friends from my dorm. It was a perfect fall night! The stars in the sky looked so beautiful. I learned some new line dance moves, (I still am really bad at it) but it was a lot of fun.

It probably was one of my most favorite events at Hope so far. They had a bus dropping people off to and from the farm. Everyone was having a blast. My personal favorite part was the hay back ride. I also enjoyed petting all of the farm animals. I have not been around any animals in awhile so it was nice to be at a barn. Another added bonus to the evening was making smores at the bonfire. I love smores so it was fun to make as many as I wanted with my friends. It was a just a good night all around. I am glad the student activities committee at Hope sponsors fun events like the hoedown.

Have a great week!

***Colleen***

Voorhees group before the Hoedown

One of the many sheep 

Now that school is back in session I am getting back into the swing of things. It feels good to get back into my routine at Hope. My classes are going pretty well. This week has been kind of crazy with midterms and tests but no worries because tomorrow is Friday! I am definitely looking forward to the homecoming activities planned this weekend.

Since I have been trying to get back into my routine I have been running again. Holland is my favorite place to run. I drove to the beach and ran along the water. I also ran on some trails in the woods. I loved seeing the beautiful fall trees surrounding me. Sometimes I will run with a friend, and other times I will go by myself to get some time to release stress. I am glad I never get tired of the scenery in Holland. It is absolutely gorgeous!

I looked up reasons to run on google, and thought I would share with you all why it is so good to run and why I love it so much.

1. Running is the most efficient path to cardiovascular fitness.

2. Running is great for your heart.

3. Running is inexpensive and simple to learn.

4. Running is the best method of stress reduction around.

5. Running is accessible to everyone.

6. Running is an excellent component of any weight-control program

7. Running is a flexible method of training.

8. Running makes you feel good.

9. Running offers a unique opportunity for recreational runners to mix with world-class athletes.

10. Running is for families and individuals of all ages.

Pictures from my runs in Holland

I’ll just come out and say it, FALL BREAK = FABULOUS

It was so nice to be able to come home to friends and family. I left school on Friday at about 12:30 and got home at 8:30. It was a rather long trip but being home felt so great! During my fall break I visited my high school and was able to reconnect with people from my school. My friend and I drove to Illinois College to pick up another friend so we could all hang out. I am so glad we have been able to stay in contact with people from high school even though we are all spread out. While at college we have been keeping in contact by skype and texting. 

Even while I was home I still missed my friends from college so I was sure to keep in contact with them. I cannot wait to hear about everyone’s fall break. It was definitely nice to take time and relax and rewind. 

Here are some of the things I really enjoyed about being home:

• My bed!
• Home cooked meals
• My home church
• Visiting my high school
• Hanging out with friends from high school
• Spending time with my family
• Driving
• Running on Springfield’s bike trail

Although I had a super great break, I am excited to head back to school. I have a busy week ahead of me, and I cannot wait to get back in the groove of things. It is super weird not having somebody in the room at night, I actually miss it. I have enjoyed being home, but college is so much fun and keeps me busy. I’ll be back for Thanksgiving, so in the mean time I’ll keep you all posted about what is going on at Hope.

Have a great week!

Here are some pictures from my fall break