By John Biggs 
Good heavens. It’s been a wonderful couple of weeks. This weekend I went to Addo Elephant Park near Port Elizabeth, and we must have seen over 100 elephants, along with bushpig, warthog, red hartebeest, and zebra. It was beautiful to see these animals in their natural environment. The bush is very thick here - such a diversity of plant and animal life. It was a great backdrop, to have these images in thought during the drive back to the farm the next day, as we talked about the current (and possible future) state of affairs in South Africa politically, socially, and economically. (more…)
by Pamela Cook
It was the first sunny, dry day in weeks, so I took the cordless phone out to the deck to settle into my Adirondacks chair and listen to my friend. She really needed to talk about a relationship problem she was having. Just as I sat down, a bee flew directly into the corner of my eye and stung me. I was startled, and the pain was excruciating. Right away, I turned my attention to God, expecting from past experience that the fear I felt welling up in me would dissolve under the influence of all-powerful Love.
by Matthew Cocks
Sometimes I think people are great. “What a great bloke he is” or “what a great girl” runs through my head. They’ve got wonderful qualities, and I just love seeing them express them so uniquely.
I few months ago I had been feeling this way about a few of my friends. I thought about what great people they were, and how lucky I was to have them in my life.
by Mark Swinney
Are you familiar with the story “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”? Our family has the Jim Carey movie version on DVD and we all crack up when we watch it together each December. It’s based on a book by Dr. Seuss. There’s also a Grinch cartoon that been broadcast pretty often over the years. Now there’s even a show on Broadway in New York.
by Kindahl Jackson
It is that time of year again for Christmas lights, pumpkin pies, and bringing out all of your winter coats. I love the holiday season! Every college student I know seems to have a calendar countdown to the day they’ll head home and relax for winter break.
As I’ve been looking forward to the approaching break, I’ve been thinking about what home really is. A lot of college students search for a home away from home. I know I did.
by Ginger Mack
Earlier this year I learned a bit more about what it means to be, “…grateful for the good already received.” I was in a new work environment far from home where I was the head counselor at a summer camp. I got there knowing only one other person.
Before I arrived at camp, I asked myself stuff like “Will the campers and counselors respect me? Will I have any friends?” But I had nothing to worry about, as I was heartily welcomed, had no problem finding my niche, and got the hang of things right away.
by Bobby Whitney
Hello guys.
India has really opened many doors for me. I am starting to have guitar lessons. I was a bit wary at first because the teacher kept on saying “betta, betta.” I thought he was pressuring me to do better. I later found out that “betta” is how Indians greet men! It means “brother.” I’m learning about good communication!
My school is also performing a play called “Bugsy Malone.” It is based on one of my all time favorite movies of the same name. I’ve got quite a big part and I am very excited.
by Lizzie Witney
Hi guys. Well I’ve started at my new school and I’m now having a great time so far. I have found some excellent friends who express loads of joy, peace, and love towards me and my other mates. I also get to eat loads of Indian curries at school, which I am slowly starting to like!
To be honest after the first few weeks at my new school, I was feeling quite low, I missed my old friends and my grades were going down. There were many topics I had not previously studied.
by Mark Swinney
When I was a little kid, I hardly ever stayed in the house in my spare time-I always was outside. I liked to play sports, build forts, and skateboard with my friends. But what I really liked best was exploring the desert where I lived. It was so much fun to walk around different parts of New Mexico-my home state-to see what I could find.
I’d look for animals a lot. I remember finding a hognose snake (it’s harmless). It pretended to be dead. I left it right where I found it and when I came back a few minutes later, it was gone. I also found a nest with little spotted quail eggs once. The eggs were so tiny and beautiful.
by Melissa Konetchy
A good friend and I just got back from a trip to another continent where we had the time of our lives. Now I realize that I’m not a wall-flower, no matter which country you stick me in. Things have really changed for me on that count, but more about that later.
We had just traveled to Athens on the 16 plus hour trip from the Pacific US Coast, and found ourselves immersed in a different language (literally, it was all Greek to me), culture, and climate. What wasn’t even slightly different, though, was the generosity and good-will that we experienced immediately upon arrival.
