Go for Broke

I’ve been praying a lot.

But before that happened, I went on an adventure tonight. I hung out with friends, ate some food, went to a business meeting, saw love take shape in a bunch of different ways, and felt the cold weather we thought was gone for good creep back into our community.

And after all of that, I have this picture in my mind that really won’t go away, and because of that, I’d like to share it.

The picture I have is a room of funhouse mirrors (the ones that change your figure to make you look shorter or taller than you actually are).

I remember being a little kid and laughing when I walked into a room of mirrors that distorted the way I looked. Then I remember being a middle-schooler and feeling self-conscious. Being a teenager and thinking it was stupid altogether.

Being 20 and rethinking everything.

I’m tracking back to my roots and realizing something important: It’s hard to talk about being broken when we’re broken. That’s why it’s hard to talk about depression, why it’s hard to respond, “I’m having a bad day,” it’s why we can’t find the words to say at funerals.

Brokenness manifests itself in a lot of different ways. And it’s best disguise is the lie telling us that we’re not broken. It’s best disguise happens when we push it away.

In essence, brokenness is a mirror that distorts our perception. Sometimes we act like a kid, and we think it’s funny. Sometimes we’re middle school kids and we feel self-conscious. But most often, we never really leave our teenage phase of thinking that it’s stupid all together. Most often, we push it away.

I encountered a situation tonight that reminded me of the person I was at this time last year, and I’m convicted with joy to say that I am not the person I used to be.

There was a lie that I lived – one I had lived in for a long time – that whispered, “Hide your pain.” This translated into a lot of different phrases. “No one cares.” “You’re a burden.” “You’re not worth it.” Phrases I think that too many of us are telling our voices on a much too regular basis.

I got so good at this lie that I put up a front to try to hide the mess underneath.

But the lie started seeping through. I was short with people who were close to me, becoming frustrated with situations that brought up reminders of the past. Not only was I living with a broken past, but I was also breaking apart my present, which was crumbling my future. My heart was a mess.

I thought I was fine.

Then, this semester, something happened that I cannot explain.

By grace alone, God captured my full attention, and when He captured my full attention, He captured my entire heart. And He started fixing it even though my head told me it wasn’t broken. He started by tearing down walls and building up hope. Placing keys into locks and chains that I told myself I deserved. Replacing lies that were a part of my identity with truths that resounded with grace. He went all in – changing me, shaping me to become the person He knew that I could be. I began experiencing freedom, and now, I live in grace.

All of the messes I had been storing in my heart – bitterness, anguish, hatred, annoyance, frustration, guilt, regret, shame – replaced with love, kindness, goodness, gentleness, patience, joy, peace, self-control. I’m not perfect, I’m still a mess. But it’s a different kind of mess.

water, waves, broken, beautiful
Set free the locks that are holding you steadfast to the things that make you miserable.

This is the change that happened: I can talk about it. I can talk about being broken because God has redeemed it. He’s healed it. He’s fixed everything. I can tell you about situations from my past because I know they have no hold upon my present and no say in what my future will hold. We’re good at believing the phrase, “You’ll never change.” But the power of Jesus proves otherwise. He’s done a work in my heart that’s changed everything. And I know it’s nowhere near being completed.

If you want to be free, be free.

Let’s continue the conversation. Follow me on Twitter @hopesophie17– tweet at me, tell me what God is up to in your own life. (: Questions or comments? Post below or send me an email at sophie.guetzko@hope.edu.

My Summer Plans!

Welp, I may be writing this one a little early with still having a week of school and then finals, but it is clear to see where my mind has already gone: SUMMMMMEERRR!

Walt Disney Animation Studios animated GIF

This is a summer that I am very excited for. My last summer was one where it seemed like all the  Facebook albums of other people who went to Hope were titled along the lines of “BEST SUMMER EVER!” My title wasn’t anything close to that. BUT, I really feel like this summer is likely to be the best one yet!

summer animated GIF Ya want to know why? I get to stay in Holland at Hope all summer long! What is even better, is that I will be at the school I love, yet not having any homework or classes (my dream).

This summer is one where I will be employed by the Events and Conferences Office as an ECC, or an Events and Conferences Coordinator. What that means is that all the conferences that go through Hope College, whether that is a wedding or a summer camp, are going to be regulated and organized by myself, 4 other students, and my bosses. This job is described as being constantly busy and very high stress, but to me, that sounds exciting, as that is the life I like to live (especially when homework is not involved).

Along with the work of the job, I am also provided with Hope housing and meal plan! Thus, I will be living in a Hope Cottage with 2 other guys that are ECCs and next to a cottage that houses the 2 other girl ECCs. These people that I get to live in community with are great people and I couldn’t be more ecstatic to get to spend my summer with them. Also, since I will be at Hope in the Summer, that means that I get to experience a Holland summer: Tulip Time, warm temperatures, Lake Michigan, the beach, and so much more greatness.

All in all, I couldn’t be more excited for this summer. I may not be home much due to the work (but when I do go home it will be for family weddings, which I love), but I am excited to do the work I will be doing, the community I will be with, and the place I will be at. I really do believe that this will be the best summer yet. With that said, I still have two weeks here at school before I start the job, so let’s GO!

Lessons from Intro to World Religions

This semester, I am in a class called Intro to World Religions. It is a required class for my major, and it’s pretty far outside the area of my previous experience and study. I did not know very much about a lot of religions before taking this class, but I have learned a lot of lessons from studying the people, cultures, and lifestyles of India, China, Japan, and the Middle East.

Yesterday, I worked on a project (my “reaction paper”) to wrap up the class. This “paper” has pretty broad parameters, and I actually ended up making a slideshow instead of writing a paper. The photos I took for the slideshow are of a torii, which is a part of Shintoism, a religion based in Japan. Basically, wherever kami, broadly stated as the “spark of reality” in everything living, dead, and inanimate, is sensed, a torii is to be built. A torii also marks the entrance to a Shinto shrine. So essentially, a torii marks locations where the presence of kami has been recognized. I took photos of some places where I imagine a Shinto person might build a torii (I built this makeshift torii myself, too! Don’t mind the ridiculous amount of nails I used…). Here are some of the photos I took for my slideshow.

Tunnel Park Waves Wood Forest Steps

This project really got me thinking not only about Shintoism or about other religions of the world, but about my own Christian faith as well. I wrote a little explanation paper for my professor so he would know why I chose to do this project instead of writing the full paper. Here is an excerpt:

As I was doing this, all I could think about was this question: “What if this was a cross?” What if, every time I felt the presence of God or recognized him in the beauty of creation or saw him moving in one way or another in my life, I physically built a cross? What if I started taking the time to commemorate God’s presence in a tangible way every time I experienced it? This seems radical and impractical, but I really do not believe that I am called to be either typical or practical as a Christian. I am called to take up my cross and follow Jesus, and this project with a Shinto torii has gotten me thinking about what it really means to take up my cross in a concrete way.

This project (and the class as a whole) really made me think about my own faith and how I am living it out. I am thankful for the types of classes that I have had the opportunity to take at Hope. Many of them, such as this one, have changed my life and my perspective on so many things.

Thanks for reading! Keep up with me on Twitter (@hopekathryn17), Instagram (@kathrynekrieger), or send me an email at kathryn.krieger@hope.edu!

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.'”

– Matthew 16:24

What My Burrito Bowl Tells Me About My Life

You betcha. You read the title right. Everyone’s burrito bowl (or burrito, or quesadilla) truly explains their personality. Each little ingredient in your delicious Mexican food reveals a little part of you, it’s not rocket science. Before I tell you what my burrito bowl tells me about my personality, we should warm up. For you who Vine, you’ll understand. For those who love Chipotle, you’ll understand. If you’ve never seen this video clip before, you will understand once its done.

So, like that little boy, Chipotle is my life. Despite that the nearest Chipotle is in Grandville (only a 20-minute drive!) it’s so worth visiting. I mean, I could get into that Chipotle vs. Qdoba war, but it really comes down to your preference. Let me tell you that although I love Chipotle, I also thoroughly enjoy Qdoba. Plus, there are more Qdoba spots around the area so it is more accessible. But, Chipotle for life.

White Lime & Cilantro Rice

This is my foundation in my burrito bowl, but rice in general is a foundation in my life being that it is a staple. Being Filipino and all, I eat rice with every meal (practically). In addition, it represents me as a human, it is my backbone. I always know that this will be a constant both in my burrito bowl and life. Not to mention that it is so tasty. If you don’t have this in your bowl, you’re missing out.

Pinto Beans

Beans, beans, the magical fruit. The more you eat, the more you toot. This layer goes on top of my foundation. So, it’s like the floor above the basement in a house. What does this mean? My pinto beans are another level up to my rice. It is the very platform that I need to maintain an adequate burrito bowl and life. My pinto beans represent my values and other ideas and thoughts are firm and somewhat resistant to change. They can be alternated with black beans from time to time, but that rarely happens.

Chicken

So Chipotle chicken is really good. I want to be able to make chicken like that. But what my chicken represents in my life are my passions. I have a passion for Chipotle, dance, academics – nursing in particular, traveling, and so much more. Each little piece of chicken could easily represent a passion. Not only does it represents my passions, but it also represents my drive to pursue my passions seeing as it is a protein source (thanks Nate!).

Pico de Gallo Salsa

Otherwise known as mild salsa, this is my next layer to my life. It represents my adventurous side. It’s not too spicy that I take life-threatening risks, but it’s not bland to the point that I’m mundane. Pico really shows my various adventurous sides. From time to time, I take a bite of my food and get a good piece of red onion – that would represent my wildest adventures like going to Europe twice in one year! This layer is also constant in my life.

Sour Cream

Yeah, some people are not a fan of this, but it’s good and I only eat it when I go to Chipotle. This represents my adaptable side. Because sour cream is not a solid, it’s not constant and can take many forms. It’s important to remember that life will throw crazy things at you (cheese), so you’ll need to be prepared to expect the unexpected and be able to adapt to the issue. By doing so, you’ll decrease your stress and you will produce a good outcome.

Cheese

As I mentioned above, cheese is what life throws at you. It can be a long problem (long shreds of cheese) or it can be a short problem (short shreds of cheese). It can taste good, or it can taste bad. It can be scattered throughout your ball, it so it represent many things going on at once. But because it’s on top of my sour cream, I can adapt to it. My sour cream almost absorbs the cheese and I end up going with the flow.

Lettuce

The very last layer of my burrito bowl, but an important one. They represent my friendships and connections. Unfortunately friendships comes and go, and this would represented by the lettuce on the outside perimeter of my burrito bowl. Once I put that fork in there, some lettuce pieces fall out. On the other hand, the lettuce that stands tall in my plethora of food represents my best friends. They don’t fall off, especially when I mix my food!

My layers of Chipotle all working together!
My layers of Chipotle all working together!

So you have all of these layers of food, then you mix it. Eating it with out mixing it is a crime. When you mix it, it represents that each layer works with each other to make me who I am. Writing this blog was actually more difficult than I thought it was going to be. Some of my friends say I have a problem (because I’m at Chipotle once a week), but I just enjoy it so much. And connecting it to my life was even harder, but I think I successfully did this. I hope you enjoyed it folks! I hope you can find meaning in the little things in life because that makes life so much better. If you haven’t already, make sure to read my other blogs, follow me on Twitter, and on Instagram!

Hope in Spring

*beepbeep* *beepbeep*…

Emerging from dreamland you reach out to shut off your alarm. The room is already flooded with the promising, warm rays of sunshine hinting at a beautiful day ahead.

Walking to class is no longer a battle with the bitter cold but a welcome stroll with old friends – sunshine and blue skies have returned. The new battle is finding the mental strength to focus in class while the Pine Grove fills with happy students in soaring spirits basking in the presence of the sun they have  been deprived of for too long. Long boards are once again rolling through campus, clicking along the sidewalk alerting pedestrians to hang to one side as they roll on by.

As classes end for the day the lawn can be seen covered with people on blankets, homework spread out before them, and friends by their sides. Groups cluster around intense games of spike ball, taunting each other and laughing freely. Hammocks are strung between trees, one, two, sometimes three levels high. Friends chat as they relax and leave all the cares of the day on the ground below them for a little while.

Darkness falls around 8:30 at night as the sun is hanging out longer. Even then, sitting in your room, you can hear the *ding* of frisbees hitting the pole by DeWitt ringing through the open window time and again as Frolf games carry on despite the darkness.

As new life is springing from the ground and flowers are blooming, splashing their bright colors onto the landscape, a revitalized energy is rising on campus and a joyful spirit is recoloring this beautiful community after a long winter – spring has come to Hope College.

Chillin in the Piine Grove with my friend, Ashley
All the people were out in the Pine Grove
Daffodils are blooming all over campus!
The beautiful, sunny, green Pine Grove that beckons students with its warmth and fun.

Thanks for reading & enjoy the lovely weather this weekend!

~Erin
You can follow me on Twitter (@HopeErin18) and Instagram (@e_delaney333) for some more thoughts and pictures about life at Hope through my eyes.

Last Spring Fling in a Week

The countdown to the end of the school year has officially started! For the seniors out there, it means the final days of college. I know I have friends who are excited to be moving on, but more often than not, most people are scared either because they don’t have jobs lined up or they fear losing touch with friends. For me, I’m excited and ready to start a new chapter in my life and challenge myself once again. With that being said, I feel like I need to appreciate these final two weeks with my friends and classmates. One of the main highlights of the year is an event called Spring Fling. For those of you who are unaware of what this is, it’s an event put on by SAC each year (the Friday before finals) in the Pine Grove.

Each year there is typically a surprise event that wasn’t there the year prior. For instance, last year had a zipline, which a lot of people had a blast with! Let me give you a brief overview of Spring Fling. First of all, it starts at 3 PM, but people usually start lining up an hour beforehand in the Pine Grove to sign in and also get a gift (usually a shirt or sun glasses) and people proceed to take part in various activities. Such activities include a mechanical bull ride, caricature drawing, bounce house games and competitions, and other games people brings themselves such as Frisbee or ziplining. The previous years there has been a live band playing as well as dessert carts containing ice cream and other yummy treats. Around dinnertime, people on a meal plan use their ID to get a plate and a huge picnic is put on in the Pine Grove.

If you ask nearly any student here at Hope, they’ll probably say this is one of their favorite activities to attend during the year. Whether it’s because of the event itself or the idea that classes are over and summer is approaching, that’s up for you to decide. I know I just simply enjoy being outside, hanging out with friends and trying to enjoy myself before everybody is swarmed with commitments for studying for their finals. The activities are so much fun and a good way to de-stress which is why I’m excited for it this year (actually only a week away!)

I hope you are able to attend if you go to Hope or this will be something to help persuade you to come to Hope in the future if you’re a prospective student! Anyway, best of luck finishing these last few weeks out strong!!!

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Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @hopeleslie15.

Chi-City is the Best City

Happy (almost) weekend Hope College! Are you ready for the last two weeks until summer break?! So crazy!

Last weekend, to kick off the beginning of the end of the semester, SAC put on a Chicago museum trip. It included tickets to the Field Museum AND Shedd Aquarium for only $20, and for what my friends and I got out of it, it was a pretty great deal.

Let me tell you about our fantastic day…

We left campus at about 8am and got to our first destination, Shedd Aquarium, around 10 AM Chicago time. Let me tell you, I could spend hours and hours in there. There are so many beautiful animals that are unpredictable and interesting… it’s unreal.

These were taken in Shedd!
This little fella is a Beluga Whale we saw. He was extremely active and fun to watch!

After spending more than two hours exploring Shedd, we had time to grab some lunch in the city and explore a little bit. We got lunch at an amazing Italian indoor market called Eataly. It was quite the hike from the museum district, but SO worth it. There was every type of yummy Italian food you could think of and was as authentic as you could get. I have Italian in my family line, so it was cool to think of them when wandering around. Pictures don’t do it justice.

This was all the different kinds of fresh bread Eataly was selling! I love bread, so naturally I had to take a picture of it.
Doing like the Italians do and eating our food standing up!
PIZZA

After our lunch stop, we got to explore Michigan Avenue (the shopping district), obviously stopping in Crate and Barrel, Anthropology, and the Nike store because… well, girls have to do that if they have extra time.

By this time we were pretty tired, but we still had the Field Museum to get back to! Museums are just great in the first place, but the Field Museum had some interesting exhibits going on at the time we went such as: the ancient art of Haitian Vodou, and a Viking exhibit.

IMG_3277

Sleep came easy that night. I was exhausted! But it was so worth it. Chicago is a beautiful city, and spending the weekend with friends was the cherry on top of it all. SAC puts on a multitude of trips and fun activities for students at a cheap price, so be sure to keep a lookout for other fun things like this trip in the future.

Enjoy your weekend and the warm weather that’s coming, everyone!

Until next time!

Obviously we had to stop at The Bean in Millennium Park…it’s a must for tourists.
The weather was perfect! Not too hot, not too cold, and just sunny enough for a great skyline pic.

Celebration of Research

Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought that Hope College would have research opportunities for Accounting majors, but then again, that’s the beauty of Hope. One of my accounting professors contacted me last spring asking if I would have a desire to apply for a Frost Research Grant to study the Affordable Health Care Act and its impact on our tax system. My professor knew that I had an interest in going to law school, and that having research experience would separate me from my peers. Several weeks later, after applying for funding, we learned that we had received the grant, and that our summer would be filled with court cases, survey design, Human Subjects Review Board, and abstract writing.

Working as an undergraduate research assistant was a great experience. I found it challenging and rewarding all at the same time. It was challenging to learn about survey design and how to correctly ask questions. Even after analyzing my survey results, I can’t say that I perfectly asked my questions. But at the end of the day, it’s such a cool thing to say that I’ve designed my own research project.

Fast forward a year to last Friday, when I participated in the Celebration of Undergraduate Research. All Hope College students who either have research grants or have completed research for class present their projects. It was so exciting to see so many of my fellow classmates and friends presenting their hard work. And who can know – maybe in twenty years one of those people will be famous for some great discovery, which started at Hope!

If you have more questions about participating in undergraduate research please don’t hesitate to email me at chelsea.barfield@hope.edu. I’m so thankful for the opportunity that Hope gave me to learn about an issue that is so important in today’s political arena (and business world). Not only did I learn academic knowledge, but I also learned the importance of being an informed and engaged citizen – both of which are important!

Celebration of Research
Celebration of Research
Research Poster
Research Poster

DORM options for MEN

Hey future Men of Hope College,
Some of you have been asking about the dorm/residential hall options that Hope has and what they are like. Due to that, I want to write to tell you about the different “feel” of each of the dorms. This is important because you will be filling out housing in May and have the option to request specific dorms. I am going to the list the dorms from most rowdy (can be loud) to least rowdy (usually quiet).
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DURFEE HALL: This is the only all-guys dorm on campus. It houses both sophomores and freshmen. It is known for being a little more rowdy than most of the other dorms, but in a good way; it has a very social atmosphere (which can get loud). It has really close community, to the point where doors are always opened and unlocked, there is a Durfee table where the “Men of Durf” sit during meal times, a row in Chapel were the “Men of Durf” sit, and a lot of funny and rowdy traditions that happen.
KOLLEN HALL: This is the biggest dorm on campus. It is co-ed by guys living on the East side and girls living on the West side of the building. This dorm houses both freshmen and sophomores. This dorm has a good social setting in the lobbies and in the hallways/rooms (sometimes can get loud). This dorm houses a lot of the student athletes on campus.
PHELPS HALL: This dorm is co-ed with the boys on the second floor and the girls on the third floor. This residential hall houses both freshman and sophomores. It is also connected to the dining hall, thus people never have to leave their hall depending on the day (nice for those cold winter Saturdays). This dorm is known for being really social and having a close knit community, so much that they are called “Phelps Fam.”
WYCKOFF HALL: This dorm is co-ed with girls on the first floor and guys on the second and third floor. This dorm is social, yet isn’t really connected with being loud or rowdy; it is more contained than the other dorms. Someone explained it to me once as having the ability to be social, yet also having the option of being peacefully alone in your room. It also has good community as the residents are often known as the “Wolf Pack.”
VOORHEES HALL: This residential hall is one that has a very “homey” feel to it due to the way the building was constructed. It is co-ed with the first and bottom floor housing girls and the third floor housing boys. This dorm is a little more quiet, yet can still be labeled as being social.
COOK HALL: This residential hall is newest dorm on campus and thus has features that other older dorms don’t have (such as air conditioning). Due to that, not many freshmen live in Cook; it is a predominately sophomore occupied dorm. This dorm is more closed off, yet has a really nice space.
SCOTT HALL: This hall houses all the Phelps Scholars, so if you didn’t apply and get accepted to that program, then you probably wouldn’t live there.

LICHTY: This hall houses all the members of the STEM program, so if you didn’t apply and get accepted, then you wouldn’t live there.
Whether you want a quiet dorm just to do homework or a loud social dorm or anything in between, Hope has you covered! Also, just to clarify with the housing request, you aren’t guaranteed to get what you request, but it can help in the deciding process!
If you have anymore questions about specifics with dorm (or anything), email me at john.hawkins@hope.edu!

For more about me, follow me on twitter @hopejohnluke17 or on Instagram at johnlukehawkins.

Hammocking and Longboarding are Life

Hey Everyone,

I have a little advice for you all. Probably one of the best investments you can make for college is to get a hammock. One of the best things about Hope College is the outdoor life that you can have. Hammocks come into play on those nice sunny days where you just want to relax, but you don’t want to sit inside. It is a great way to just hang out with friends and do homework as well.

Literally I have gone hammocking 3 days in a row. It is also a great way to get some rest. Hey if you are hungry you can even have pizza delivered right to your hammock. Just find a near by building, order it to that building, and put that you are hammocking outside of the building in the delivery instructions and they will drop it off you to.

FullSizeRenderAnother purchase I would advise is to get a longboard. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just enough to ride and get from place to place with friends. It is just a great way of transportation and after a long day of class there is nothing better than going on a long longboard ride with some friends to wind down.

Hopefully you all having a great last couple months of high school!

Thanks for reading!

Jesse Heerdt