What a great summer! In August we graduated 25 students, and two weeks ago we welcomed 27 students, 18 first-years and 9 second-years. It’s always enjoyable to get to know a new group, and to help them become familiar with the ins and outs of our program. Every year, when I walk through the schedule, expectations, and due dates for various projects and program requirements, I watch the incoming class grow more and more overwhelmed. It’s a feeling familiar to anyone who has gone through some kind of college program. We call it “the fog—” a mix of confusion, panic, and uncertainty about whether or not the assigned tasks can actually be completed. I love watching the students wrestle with it, because I know where they have to turn in order to deal with those pressures—to the same God they came to this program to pursue, who upholds us in all our confusion and weakness. As the fall wears on, I enjoy seeing the students emerge from the fog stronger, happier, and more confident in God, not in spite of the trial our schedule presents to them, but because of it.
This fall, pray that our students would approach their training and their studies with joy, and would receive everything the Lord has for them in our program.