I think he chose a great topic that many college students can relate with. It is so easy to get caught up by the expectations of people, and forget that each thing that we do must ultimately be an act of service and worship to God. At Hope, there are so many clubs and activities to get involved with, and at times it can be easy to become overwhelmed. Sam gave us a great reminder to be attentive to where God is calling us so that we can serve him best. It truly is overwhelming that God chooses to use me as part of his great and awesome plan! I always enjoy listening to the senior witnesses, and it was great to hear Sam, a good friend of mine, share part of his testimony. Now, I am off to Spring Fling, a celebration of the last day of class! Enjoy the rest of your Friday! :]

-CoLLeeN

Sam Tzou speaking at the last chapel

I’m writing this blog while sipping my favorite latté from JP’s, the coffee shop located downtown right next to campus. It has been raining all day so it is nice to escape the weather and sit inside a cozy coffee shop with some friends. I really enjoy studying in coffee shops because the atmosphere is welcoming, tranquil, and studious. I needed to come here today to catch up on homework from the weekend.

My parents came to visit me this weekend, and I loved spending time with them. On Friday they took Matthias and I out to dinner at 84 East, located downtown. We ate a great meal together and after we ate Matthias and I headed to Evergreen Commons, a senior living facility in Holland, to enjoy Moonlight Serenade. Moonlight Serenade is a dance put on by Volunteer Services, and it is a dance for Hope students and the elderly people living at Evergreens Commons to attend. This event is one of my most favorite events of the year to attend. We dance to oldies music, and they have someone on stage teach us line dances.

Amy, Jenna, and Grace performing at the talent show

After the dance, we headed to the talent show at Hope. This was Hope’s first ever talent show, and the acts were amazing! I could not believe how talented all the acts were. My parents really enjoyed the show and wished they could have seen more acts. I hope that Hope continues with the talent show in the future. The first-place winner received free books from the bookstore for the next semester. After the talent show, I ended the night with playing some euchre with friends and enjoying a late night Taco Bell run.

On Saturday morning my parents took Ali, Steph, and I out to eat at DeBoer’s, my all-time favorite place to eat in Holland. We enjoyed some great food and enjoyed each other’s company. Later in the day I took my parents to Biggby and was able to catch up with them and talk about future plans. I really love my parents and value their insight and advice.

After Biggby, Steph, Matthias, and I played soccer with my dog and ran around with him. I always miss my dog and love spending time with him. My parents offered to take my house out for dinner on Saturday night, so we ate out and then went to Captain Sundae afterward for dessert.

On Sunday morning I went to church with my parents and ate our last meal together at Alpinerose for their Sunday brunch buffet. The food was incredible and I was stuffed for the rest of the day! In the afternoon my parents attended the Mortar Board induction ceremony and then headed home. It was great to spend time with my parents and enjoy their company. I had an awesome weekend with them and can’t wait to see them again at the end of the semester.

Have a great week!

My housemates at Captain Sundae

I hope your weeks are going well. As the school year is beginning to wind down with only four more weeks left of classes, I thought I would write about some things I have enjoyed about being a junior. I remember in high school that junior year was definitely my least favorite and hardest year because of my difficult classes and the ACT. However, I have found my junior year at Hope quite enjoyable and here are some of my reasons:

1. Living in a cottage has been a total blast with 7 of my closest friends.
2. Knowing more people on campus.
3. Finally knowing my major and taking more courses that concentrate on my major. This has also allowed me to become closer with my professors because I have taken multiple classes with them and frequently stop by their offices.
4. Many juniors study abroad.
5. More dining options. Juniors can eat in Phelps, Cook, or use their meal plan at the Kletz.
6. Not everyone is asking you what you plan do do after graduation… YET.
7. You have closer relationships with friends because you have been able to get to know them better. 
8. Register for classes early. No more worrying of your classes being filled, because you get to pick yours first.
9. Hosting dinner parties and game/movie nights in your cottage.
10. Normally you have figured out which extracurricular activities you are going to devote your time.
11. Nursing students are able to do clinicals as juniors and apply what they have learned from the classroom. 

Junior year may or may not be coming up for you, but just know that somewhere down the road that it is a great stage of life. I feel established in where I belong at Hope and am excited for the journey that still lies ahead.

Have a great week!

Some of my housemates cooking pancakes for guests to enjoy.

Yesterday morning I woke up without an alarm and slowly made my way out of bed. When I walked down to the den everybody was already enjoying some breakfast. My mom brought me some coffee, and we all chatted awhile together. A little later I made some blueberry pancakes for everyone. I love to make blueberry pancakes and enjoy eating them with my family at the kitchen table. In the afternoon, Matthias and I did some shopping together. Later, I met up with my friend from high school and we ran 6 miles on the bike trail. I absolutely love running on the Springfield bike trail. It is so beautiful to look at the trees, Lake Springfield, bridges, and golf course while running. The time always flies by when I run there, and it was great to catch up with Courtney again.

On Friday evening we went out to dinner with my family and then ate at a frozen yogurt place for dessert. We arrived to church just in time for the Good Friday service. I really enjoyed the service and it was nice to see familiar families at church. I love coming home and seeing family and friends. My parents have been awesome and have made me feel at home.  

Hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Beautiful Springfield sky

My dog Nestle =]

When our group wasn't busy working on a project or busy painting, there were definitely plenty of kids around who wanted to play. We played a lot of soccer! Our typical day consisted of waking up bright and early and leaving for the job site at 8 AM. We did various work jobs and played with the kids as well. For lunch some of the cooks at one of the community centers would cook us a delicious lunch, and then we would continue on with our work until about 6 PM. After work, we would head to the other Amigo's en Cristo's community center and have dinner together. We also used this time to reflect on our day, sing songs in English and Spanish, and hear a testimony of someone working with Amigos en Cristo. All of the people had incredible testimonies and it was great to hear about how God is working in Juarez.

Once we finished up at the community center we would come back to the mission training center where we slept every night. However before we could shower and get ready for bed, the Hope students normally played some soccer in the streets with the neighborhood kids. We would start out with just a couple of children and then more and more would come to check out the fun. We would laugh and run around and have a good time with everyone. Even though there was a language barrier for some of the people on the trip we still had a good time. 

I am already excited to go back next year with another group form Hope. God is working in so many lives there! Every time when I come back to my nice warm, safe, clean house where I have a warm bed, clean running water, electricity, and so much more it always reminds me to be thankful. God has truly blessed me, and he has always blessed the people living in poverty in Juarez, Mexico just in a different way. God can work in any environment  I am thankful for such an incredible trip with so many great people. I look forward to hear about the progress in Juarez at the community centers and orphanages. 

Matthias and I with some of the kids

Getting ready to work

Nailing down the boards

Our group with the walls up!

Representing Hope College all the way in Juarez, Mexico

Our group in front of the finished classroom 

Today I interviewed my friend Ali about her experiences living in the dorm. I thought Ali's answers would be helpful for some of you who may living in the dorm next fall.

What is your favorite part about living in the dorms?

I live in Gilmore and love it because of the community. I enjoy living in such close proximity to a lot of different people. I lived here last year as a freshman too, so it was nice to have a community of sophomores as well as freshmen.

What are some fun activities that you do with your dorm?

Last night we had a hopping pool party at the Dow! We’ve also gone ice skating and roller blading. We had a dorm Christmas party, and in the fall we picked apples at Crane’s.

What’s your favorite thing about having a roommate?

I LOVE my roommate! It’s great coming home to such an awesome friend! We talk about our days, we have deep discussions, and it’s just really great to know that I have a friend all the time. She’s the best!

What’s it like sharing a community bathroom?

I really like it. I never have to clean it, which is great! There’s always music playing, and I actually have a lot of great discussions in there. The bathroom is a great place to meet people that you wouldn’t encounter otherwise. Also at night my friends and I get to brush our teeth all together and talk about our days and bond, which is a highlight of my day.

Are you able to study a lot in the dorm?

Not always in my room, which can be a blessing and a curse. It’s great because people are always coming in and out, which is super fun but doesn’t always make for a good study environment. But when I do want to do some serious studying, I just walk down to the basement and there I can go to the study room where I can study as much as I want without being disturbed.

What’s your best piece of advice for living in the dorm your freshman year?

I have two, actually. My first piece of advice is to get to know your neighbors! A great way to get to know your neighbors is to leave your door open, so that people can just pop in and say hello. My second piece of advice is to talk to your roommate. Living with another person can be a big adjustment, so it’s important that you and your roommate can be honest and open with one another.

What are you most excited about for living in a cottage next year?

I am so excited to live with all my close friends in one place! I am also really excited to have a kitchen and start cooking for myself, even though I can’t really make anything real. Really, I’m excited for a new experience!

I hope you all found some of Ali's insight helpful. I met Ali last year because we were neighbors and became really good friends within her first week on campus.

Ali and her roommate Steph 

Ali & Steph's room in Gilmore (it's normally cleaner)

Hope you're week is going well. This week has been going full-blast with one activity after the next. Another intramural season has ended. I played women's indoor soccer, co-ed inner tube water polo, and co-ed volleyball. All of my teams went pretty far in the playoffs, except for soccer where I had a concussion at out first playoff game. Last night our volleyball team lost in the championship game. It was an intense game, we played 3 games and the other team won 15-13. Our team was really bummed, but we had a ton of fun playing together.

Intramurals have been a great way for me to get to know more people. Plus, I really enjoy playing on a team. This school year I won two championships: one in tennis and the other in flag football. Every time you win a championship everyone on your team gets an intramural championship t-shirt. Since t-shirts are what you win in the finals, the championship games are always pretty heated.

Here are 5 Reasons to Join a College Intramural Sports Team

1. Intramurals are an amazing stress reliever.

2. They provide great exercise.

3. They're a great way to meet people.

4. There can be leadership opportunities.

5. It’s one of the best ways to have fun.

I hope this post inspired you to join an intramural team at Hope. I really enjoy playing with friends and meeting new people. Plus they are the perfect study break. I definitely recommend checking out Hope's intramural website so you can see all of the fun sports Hope has to offer.

Have a fun weekend!

Our co-ed flag football team

Co-ed tennis team

Hope your week is going well. It’s midterm time at Hope College so the library is full of students studying today. I just finished with my piano midterm today and really enjoyed playing some new music. I memorized “Amazing Grace” and cannot get it stuck out of my head, but I think that is a good song to have playing in my head.

This weekend I attended the Songs Against Slavery Benefit Concert at Hope. Three bands performed from Hope and a speaker from the Manasseh Project shared about human sex trafficking happening in West Michigan. Hope students organized the event to create awareness for human sex trafficking, and to raise money for organizations that are trying to end it.

The mission of Songs Against Slavery is to awaken hearts to the injustice of sex trafficking through benefit concerts. SAS empowers, equips, and offers resources to help others run concerts as a way to fundraise and walk along side established non-profits who are fighting sex trafficking. We provide promotional tools, products, speakers, musical artists, and mentors as reliable options to help further one’s concert. The partners, who run the concerts, book the venue, provide one musical act (opening or headliner), and decide which non-profit fighting sex trafficking the money will go too. All partners and concert details have to be approved by SAS to ensure the concert’s success. SAS will keep 20% of all proceeds for administrative costs in order to run more concerts-this way, more awareness can be spread. Ultimately, the heart behind SAS is to shine Christ’s light and put an end to sex trafficking, because He said so. (Isaiah 58: 6-12)

Songs Against Slavery gave some of the proceeds of their concert to the Manasseh Project. It was incredible to see how people are using their talents to help raise awareness for their passion. Grace attends Hope, and is the co-founder of Songs Against Slavery. She is passionate about helping victims in the United States and uses her own music to reach out to people.

Speaker from the Manasseh Project 

I encourage you to check out these organizations’ websites to learn more about human sex trafficking happening in the United States. Attending the concert at Hope gave students a chance to hear what is occurring so close to us. Last week Hope College had trafficking awareness week. Every day Hope sponsored a different event (speakers, films, presentations) for people on campus and in the community to learn about the human trafficking occurring around the world.  I enjoyed attending some of the events and would strongly recommend it for people to attend next year!

Have a great week,

Colleen

Alex, Grace, and Jared performing at the concert 

Our house supporting Song Against Slavery T-shirts 

The view from our hotel

In light of my last blog about the snow, I thought I would write about the sunshine. I hope you had a wonderful week! We only had a three-day school week because of Winter Break. On Friday my friend Grace and I decided to travel down to Florida to get away for the break. Last year we vacationed in Marco Island, FL, but this we ventured to St. Pete, FL, and we could not have asked for nicer weather. It was upper 70’s/low 80’s and sunny every day. The beach was absolutely beautiful with its white sand and gorgeous sunsets. During the day Grace and I laid out by the pool, which also overlooked the beach. We read some books and soaked up some wonderful Vitamin D. We also ran along the beach everyday which was incredible. I loved listening to the waves crash and watching my feet indent the sand as I strode along the shore. During the sunset we sat on beach chairs on the sand while reading our Bible and journaling. The break came at the perfect time, and it was great to take time to reflect and think.

After the sun would set we ventured out to try different restaurant every night. The food was incredible and the restaurant environments were a lot of fun. After we ate dinner, we made our way back into the hotel’s hot tub and met some interesting people.

Overall, I had an incredible winter break. I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to be in Florida with Grace. I am already looking forward to our trip next year!

Florida 2013

I hope you all are enjoying your weeks, and if you're from Michigan, I hope you are enjoying the snow. I'm from Springfield, IL, so I am definitely not used to all of this snow. I also never remember anyone ever telling me that Holland got so much snow. I had never even heard of "Lake Effect" snow. My first winter at Hope was a definitely a surprise to me, because I had never seen so much snow in my life.

Here are some fun things I like to do in the snow:

The Pine Grove covered in snow

1. sledding
2. make a snowman
3. ski
4. snowboard
5. make snow angels
6. make an igloo or snow fort
7. snow ball fights
8. iceskating
9. eat snow
10. cross country ski
11. make snow ice cream
12. drink hot chocolate
13. lick icicles

Even though winter isn't my favorite holiday, I have definitely found fun activities I enjoy. Plus, the more I'm around the snow the more I like it, or at least that is what I tell myself...  Plus Boyne Mountain and Crystal Mountain are not too far from Hope, so going on a quick ski trip is always a fun option. 

Hope's campus with snow

Steph and I at XO

I hope your week is going well. This past weekend Hope's Student Activities Committee put on event called Winter Fantasia. It took place at the Amway Grand Plaza hotel in Grand Rapids. The hotel was absolutely beautiful. There was a ballroom for dancing, food set up in the lobby, a photo booth for fun pictures, and delectable drinks stationed through out the ballroom. I went to dinner at XO with some of my friends before the dance. I kind of felt like I was going to prom, but it was a lot more relaxed. Everyone looked so nice all dressed up. My friend Katie did my hair and I wore my prom dress from senior year. 

I really enjoyed my time at Winter Fantasia dancing with my friends was a total blast, plus we rode up and down the elevators for a while and did some exploring in the hotel. One of my highlights was getting our picture with President Bultman and his wife. They are some of the sweetest people! They even crammed into the photo booth with some students. Hope is truly blessed to have such loving people guide our college.

PIcture with President Bultman and his wife

I'm so glad the Student Activities Committee hosted such a wonderful event. It definitely ranks in my top 5 favorite memories at Hope. I really would like to go again next year, and I cannot believe I missed out on it the past two years. If you come to Hope, you'll definitely need to make sure you check out this awesome event!

Have a great week,

Colleen

Matthias and I 

This past weekend my boyfriend and I celebrated our one-year anniversary. I met him at Hope at church one Sunday. We soon quickly became good friends and things just seemed to fall into place. He used to be so awkward and nervous around me. Anytime I need a good laugh I just think about our first encounters, because he was so nervous! However we have grown leaps and bounds since then. He is my best friend and challenges me to embrace my opportunities at Hope. He has encouraged me to get involved on campus and grow in my faith. I hope we have more memories to come in the future.

Have an awesome weekend! 

Some of our fun memories together

Notice the golf cake I made for our One Year :)

I'm almost through my second week of classes and feel like this semester is already flying. My classes are awesome, and my professors are a lot of fun. One thing I really enjoy back at Hope is Chapel. Hope's Chapel services are always packed with people that welcome an inviting and loving community.

I learn so much from attending the Chapel services which occur every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:30-10:50. There are no classes scheduled at this time so that everyone has the opportunity to attend. The Gathering occurs every Sunday night at 8 PM. Hope creates an environment where students can grow spiritually. Below is a quote from Hope's Dean of the Chapel, who I enjoy listening preach. 

Hope College Dimnent Chapel 

Hope does an awesome job of bringing in a variety of different speakers for students to learn from. In the spring semester four senior students are chosen to give their own senior witness talk in chapel. I really have enjoyed listening to their talks and am looking forward to the senior witness speakers this spring. 

Hope you enjoy the rest of your week!

Wow 2013, new year, new beginnings… I am so blessed to be back at Hope. I enjoyed my time at home with family friends. It is always hard to come back to school and get into the swing of things. I already feel a little behind and slightly overwhelmed with my homework load, but I really enjoy all of my classes so far, so I'm looking forward to a new semester. 

Here are some of the highlights from my break. My friends from high school, Abby and Lindsey, have always done a Christmas photo shoot together. This was our 10th year of the Christmas shoot. It is crazy to me that we have been friends for so long and we have carried on this festive tradition for so long now. 

Outfit #1 black dresses with Santa hats

We always take a picture in the sauna

Classic Christmas Sweaters

The finished stuffed shells

Also during break I played a lot of games with my family and friends. Our family hosted dinner parties and prepared a ton of food. My dad and I spent some quality time together while cooking. My family eats Italian food for the holidays so my dad and I prepared some stuffed shells. 

My mom loved my cousin's new dog

After Christmas we traveled to Michigan to visit my dad's side of the family. We only see them once a year, so I really treasure the time while we are there. It was my great uncle's 80th birthday while we were there so there we even more cousins than usual. We spent a lot of quality time together and played tons of games.

My break ended with my family picking up my boyfriend in Holland. Then we all drove back to Illinois together and he spent the last final days of break with me. We had so much fun together

Break was absolutely incredible! I am thankful for the time spent with family and friends, but I'm looking forward to another great semester at Hope!

We love to take Christmas pictures together

On Saturday afternoon we all went to a local coffee shop to study and get some homework done. The coffee shop was adorable, and I actually accomplished quite a bit of homework. in the evening we all went iceskating together at an outdoor iceskating rink which was a lot of fun. We ate dinner at a nice Italian restaurant and talked for hours together. After dinner we went back to their house and had a time for prayer and worship, and this was definitely my favorite part of the trip. I love the community at Hope and the amazing friends I have made here. We do an awesome job of caring and supporting each other. The friends I have made in college have truly impacted my life. 

Monique, Amy, Grace, and Colleen

On Sunday morning as we packed up our bags to head back to Hope, and i could not help but be thankful for the incredible opportunity to spend time with such amazing friends. It truly was a college memory that I will never forget.

My room mate Amy and I with my new "Amy Pin" that I took from her house :]

When I returned Sunday afternoon, Matthias and I helped out at our youth group formal Christmas dinner. We really enjoyed talking with the students and celebrating the holiday together. Last weekend was one of my favorite weekends at Hope and definitely a weekend I will never forget.

Matthias and I ready for the youth group formal Christmas party 

Some of the girls at Steak 'N Shake

Then, on Wednesday night, five of the girls in my house went out to dinner at an excellent Italian restaurant on 7th Street called Serafina's Italian Bar and Grille. We couldn't eat too much at dinner because we were planning to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings later that night with a large group of people.

Some of my housemates at dinner

Of course, when a mass email is sent out to celebrate multiple birthdays at B-dubs, a flock of people show. Our group took up so much space and B-dubs, but it was a lot of fun to walk around and talk with a bunch of different people. I think there was at least 50 people from Hope who attended the birthday celebration. 

The group at B-dubs

After B-dubs my roommate and I stayed up till 3 AM talking. I love living with her and enjoy our late night talks. I think it's those late night talks that I will remember the most about college. The friendships I have made are incredible, and I am extremely grateful!

My roommate and I on her 21st :)

Our group in Chicago at night

I hope all is well and you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'd like to share with you about my trip with the youth group I help lead at Third Reformed Church. The trip took place in Chicago with 12 students and 5 leaders. We left on Friday and stayed with Jesus People USA. Our experience was very unique and a lot was learned through this service learning trip. If you'd like to learn more about Jesus People USA check out their website.  

Sorting clothes in the free store

The community there was definitely unique, and it was cool to see a completely different way of living. Our group toured where they lived and helped out at their soup kitchen and free clothing store. The leader from Jesus People USA challenged us not to sit with our friends at meals, but rather sit with people from the community or those who live in the shelter. I enjoyed talking to people and hearing about their lives. 

Our youth group also bonded together. It was my first time going on a trip with them, and I really enjoyed getting to know them! I am so blessed I have this opportunity to hang out with them. I'm hoping as the year goes on we continue to get closer and hang out together.

Us in front of the bean!

Hope you have a blessed week!

Colleen

On Thursday and Friday I attended a conference called Marketplace Revolution. The conference was held at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, IL.

The conference was incredible, and I learned so much in such a short amount of time. I attended different workshops and had a lot of time to reflect on the workshops. My favorite workshop was called The Entrepreneurial Calling. We watched short films produced by Poverty Cure. I loved the films so much that I bought the entire DVD collection, which contained six 25-minute long DVDs. I hope to show the DVDs at Hope and have discussions after each session. I already asked one of my professors about showing them at Hope, and she is so excited!

I have learned so much about poverty this semester and how to help to poor without hurting. In my microeconomics class we have read several articles about development in poverty-stricken communities. I hope to use all of the knowledge I am gaining now in the future. After college I hope to spend some time in a different country doing mission work.

I feel so incredibly blessed to be at Hope and in an environment where people care about people outside of their communities. I am looking forward to continue to learn about how to help the poor and develop dependent communities. 

Below is a clip from Poverty Cure:

PovertyCure is an international network of organizations and individuals seeking to ground our common battle against global poverty in a proper understanding of the human person and society, and to encourage solutions that foster opportunity and unleash the entrepreneurial spirit that already fills the developing world.

People enjoy dinner at the banquet

I am so glad I was able to attend such an incredible event and see how God is moving in the ministry. Approximately 270 people attended tonight, but we will not know the total amount raised until tomorrow. However there was an anonymous donation to match the first $31,000 raised! Praise the Lord! Last year during spring break I took a group of Hope students to Juarez, and we are planning on going again this year! I am going to talk about the mission and organization of Amigos en Cristo ministry so you can hear how God is working in the lives of people in Mexico.

The mission of Amigos en Cristo is to join with individuals and organizations in Mexico to encourage, serve, and equip fellow brothers and sisters in Christ (Galatians 6:10, Ephesians 2:10). Several pastors and community leaders told Amigos en Cristo that the number one need in the community was to offer an after school or day care program for children. Too many of the children stay in their homes alone while their parents work away from home.

Amigos en Cristo started two community center programs in the fall of 2010. They now serve over 100 children through the school year and 80 students for the summer camp. The program allows for students to engage in a Bible lesson, eat a meal, participate in games, and use the playground equipment and computers. The community centers also host other events such as GED education during the day time, Bible studies, training for youth and pastors, parenting and life skill training classes (wood work, sewing, hair, cooking). The Amigos en Cristo ministry also hosts short-term mission trips for groups in the United States to visit the organization and serve alongside the people in Mexico.

Amigos en Cristo focuses its mission on long-term development. They nurture this type of development by equipping and training the people in Mexico. All of the programs through Amigos en Cristo are based on Christian principles. They host staff training every week where a devotional is shared and teachers and volunteers are challenged with their faith. The organization also believes in investing into the younger generation. Every Friday, a youth group occurs at the community center lead by the youth. Once a month the youth meet for training and mission work for five hours, and they also participate in conferences and mission trips around Mexico.

Question and Answer time about Amigos En Cristo Ministry 

Along with investing in the youth, Amigos en Cristo desires to build up and develop responsible parents. They fulfill their desire by offering parenting classes for the parents of the children who attend the after school program. The parenting classes are scripture based, and the field director teaches the classes along with his wife. A unique component about Amigos en Cristo is that a local person fulfills the role of a field director and runs the day-to-day operations; it’s not a person from the United States trying to convince them to do it our way. To have long lasting positive change in the existing infrastructure, Amigos en Cristo believes it must come from within.

Along with encouraging development, Amigos en Cristo helps individuals recognize that God blesses them with gifts and resources regardless of their poverty stricken status. They help empower people to utilize their own resources. A staff member teaches a life skill class on gardening. He grows the plants from seeds and then shows the people how to plant, so they can learn how to grow their own gardens and food. The two community centers have two large gardens that provide vegetables for the students who attend the after school program, and the left over food is distributed to members in the community. They also teach how to make purses, belts, and jewelry, from chip bags, candy wrappers, and pull tabs from soda cans. The people are very creative and even create furniture items from plastic two liter pop bottles and duct tape. Amigos en Cristo offers a wood working class on how to build wooden chairs and tables from scrap wooden pallets. Nothing is considered waste to them but rather valuable material.

I really enjoyed this assignment and wrote about my dad’s non-profit organization called Amigos en Cristo. I think it is awesome that in my microeconomics class we not only discuss the textbook, but we also talk about issues occurring in the real world dealing with economics. We have had many class discussions about helping the poor without hurting. I think Hope does an awesome job of living out their mission statement. 

Both inside and outside the classroom professors challenge students to think globally. This semester I am in two political science classes and my eyes have been opened to the events occurring in the world. I have also learned about living in a global society and how economic development plays an important role in helping the poor through my management and microeconomics course. All of my classes touch on a variety of issues occurring in the world and challenge me to think critically about these issues.

I am thankful to be learning new material this year and having a better grasp about current events in the world. My professor really care that I learn to have a global perspective on issues occurring all over in the world.

Girls from the orphanage that partners with Amigos en Cristo

Hanging out with Maria from the orphanage