Adios, Seniors!

Hello, friends!

Ok, so this is WAY late but I figure that today would be a good day for me to write about our Seniors.  They are now all graduated but that doesn't mean that I can't appreciate them, right?  =0). 

This year we had a really great class of Seniors.  Actually, at our Senior Sendoff, we had over 21 students who were either graduating or going back to their home countries, compared to the 4 we said goodbye to last year.  It was quite a sight to behold, all the students who will not be around next year. 

In all honesty, I didn't actually know a lot of the seniors.  Many of them only joined this year when I wasn't in town much so I didn't get to spend a ton of time with them.  Still, I wanted to take some space to write about a few of the Seniors who I got to spend time with and see grow over the past few years.  In no particular order:
 
Tony:  I remember when Tony came to Mizzou in the Spring of 2009.  What stuck out to me was his passion for his walk with Jesus and how much he loved and desired good community.  Over the years, through a few meals and plenty of talk about sports, I was able to see Tony's heart grow and see him grow as a leader in ACF.  Tony will be deploying this summer to Afghanistan.  He will definitely be in my prayers. 

David:  David was not only a great tenant this year as a resident of the Man Cave but he also has one of the sweetest male voices I've ever heard.  He was a part of the worship team these past 2 years and it has been a pleasure seeing him grow in his confidence and stage presence.  What I will always remember about David is how he had a quiet strength about him.  David didn't talk much but he always did good work. 

Tim:  What can I say about Tim Tan?  Without Tim, ACF wouldn't be where it is today in terms of international student ministry.  It was at Urbana09 that Tim decided to give his life to Jesus.  From there, God grew his heart in 2 areas: Social Justice and International Students.  Through his time in ACF, Tim pretty much planted our international student ministry.  We'd always had a few international students who came around and fewer who stayed but when Tim decided that he was going to intentionally spend time investing in international students is when we really saw things grow. 

Marjorie: Marjorie is always going have a special place in my heart because she was one of the first students I met at Mizzou's first new student outreach. We ate Subway at the old student center on campus.  We did a bible study in her freshman dorm.  She always had orchestra rehearsals on Wednesday nights but always felt like an ACFer and was always accepted as one. 

Jordan:  My first real conversation with Jordan was about girls, particularly about this one girl he liked back home in KC.  That relationship didn't end up working out but that gave Jordan more time for ACF, so I can't complain.  In the 4 years that I've known Jordan, I've seen him grow from a nominal Catholic who was looking for community to a leader in ACF who has invested his college career in caring for students.  I am excited that he will be hanging around for the next 2 years as an intern with InterVarsity. 

Rachel:  Rachel is a perfect example of "finishing strong" in a tangible way.  It actually took some time for Rachel to decide that she really wanted to commit to ACF but when she did, she did it with a bang.  Rachel and Jordan were the organizers of our kit build this semester and Rachel raised most of the money we needed.  It was a great finish to a great college career. 

Paula:  Paula is our worship leader.  There's no other way to put it.  What Paula did with the Worship Team is nothing short of amazing.  Her vision was to make us a fellowship that worships God authentically in more ways than just singing.  She started by making sure that everyone on her team know what authentic worship was, beyond playing chords and singing the right notes.  Along with having an absolutley AMAZING voice, she is also one of the most caring and considerate students I have ever met. 

So, there you have it.  This list doesn't include SooHong, Ganaa, Areum, and all the other students who left after this year but those folk were also who made ACF what it was this year.  To each and every one of you, thank you for being you and for making ACF, and more importantly, the Gospel, a part of your lives while at Mizzou.  You will be truly missed. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam