Goodbye, Seniors!

Hello, friends!

About this time every year, we say goodbye to our seniors. Some may hang around for another semester or two, some may get a job in the area, some may be from here and continue to be in CoMO, but for many, this is the time where they begin to say goodbye to the community that they’ve called home for the past 4 years. As always, I will miss each of them and am so glad for the impact that they each had on ACF.

Chelsea and Vickie: This year we say goodbye to 3 of the most faithful non-Christian students that ACF have ever had. Each of them was invaluable to ACF and we wouldn’t be who we were without them. Chelsea and Vickie showed such servant-heartedness by always being willing to help cook dinner with us (or sometimes even for us!). It was such a blessing to have them be a part of our community. Ladies, from the bottom of my heart, know that you were well loved by the fellowship and we are so glad that you joined us.

Seth: Seth was our third of the faithful non-Christians. It seems like every year we have one non-Asian guy who just can’t seem to get enough of us. =0). This year it was Seth. No matter what, you could count on Seth to be there, trying to figure out what we were eating for dinner and talking about Mzzou sports with me during musical worship. There were times when I wondered why Seth kept coming since he never really seemed involved. Then it dawned on me: it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that Seth felt welcomed enough to keep coming and we were blessed by his being with us. Seth, thanks for showing up every week and M-I-Z…

Mia and Bryce: The old saying is “better late than never” and Bryce and Mia exemplify that perfectly. The first 3 years they were at Mizzou, we knew of them but we didn’t really know them. It wasn’t until this year that both of them decided to make ACF their thing and honestly, I don’t know where we would be without them. They brought years of Mizzou experience to a young Core team and a great sense of fun to the group. You could always count on both of them to come through in the clutch with rides, snacks, or whatever else needed to be done. As someone who is going to be the father of bi-racial children, it was so great to see Bryce and Mia (both bi-racial themselves) feel completely at home in Asian American community and even lead others. Bryce and Mia, you are both an inspiration to me and thank you for being a part of the team this year.

Melody: Every year, there’s always one student who becomes the de facto leader of the group. This year, it was Melody. When Melody transferred here a few years ago, I knew it then and it’s only been proven right over the years. Melody’s love of ideas, family, and Myers-Briggs personality tests made her the perfect student leader for this group of students. We needed someone who had ideas and someone who would always put the family first. Melody nailed it on both counts. Melody, thank you for sticking with us, even when things seemed out of control. You were our glue.

Willin: Willin showed up as a freshman international student with some English skills and no knowledge of Jesus. 4 years later, she has turned into our most consistent leader, unrelenting in her heart for social justice and her belief that God wants to reconcile the entire world to herself. Willin has always been willing to try new things and help where she can. Of this group of Seniors, I can say that she is the one whom I have known the longest and like the others, she never ceases to amaze me. Willin, thank you for making ACF your home away from home. Thank you for not just finding Jesus here but pursing him and making helping make ACF “a community that shares Christ’s love with every Asian and Asian American on campus.”

Best of luck to you, Class of 2015! Wherever you find yourselves, remember that Jesus loves you and you’ll always have a home at ACF.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam