Having been a member of Cornerstone from the beginning of my freshman year, I had heard a lot about Jubilee. The more involved with Cornerstone I became, the more I was intrigued by the concept of Jubilee. What was this conference that “transformed everything”? This past February, I had the opportunity to see for myself what Jubilee was all about.
Coming into Jubilee, the concept of academic faithfulness was a something I had heard before, but not something that I had really internalized. On Saturday morning, I went to a session called Learning for the Love of God. The speaker, Derek Melleby said something that blew my mind, “Academics are not a competition.” I had always viewed academics as a competition—I was competing against those around me, I was competing against myself, I even considered myself to be competing against the material itself. I had always resented on some degree when people would ask me for help. I wanted to have all of the right answers and keep the right answers to myself. For me, school work was a competition that I wanted to win. After Melleby’s talk, a few Cornerstone students shared their testimonies as relates to academics, which really cemented the idea that we should view academics not as a competition, not as a burden, but as an opportunity to glorify God.
On Sunday morning, David Kinnaman said some things in his talk about Restoration that really made me think as well. I’m the kind of person that holds grudges and is not usually the most loving person around. I had always seen this as more of a personality quirk than anything I really needed to work on. I just assumed that some people were more caring than others and that was all. However, Kinnaman said, “You love God as much as the person you love the least,” and “God loves the person you hate more than the people you love the very most.” These quotes struck me in two ways. First, God loves all of us more than we could ever possibly imagine. Second, feelings of hate and anger towards others hinders our relationship with God. I was challenged to look at the interactions I have with the people around me and look for ways to glorify God through my relationships with others.
Overall, Jubilee taught me that I should strive to see the world through God’s eyes. The conference opened my eyes to things that I need to work through while giving me practical examples of what it looks like to live a life that has been transformed by Christ. I now have an understanding of the Jubilee vision and I see that the gospel really does transform everything.
Spring Break Testimonies
Alexa Packard: When signing up for the Habitat for Humanity Spring Break trip, I was mainly looking for a different way to spend my spring break. I knew that I wanted to do some sort of service, but I didn’t expect to get so much out of the experience. I learned so much about myself, the people I was working alongside for five days, and just how good God is. I had hoped that I would be able to see the light of Christ through this experience, but I didn’t realize just how many ways He would impact this trip.
Upon arrival, the only structure at the worksite was the concrete foundation. The Habitat crew, including myself, built an entire house in just a week, which is amazing in itself. On top of that, I was pleasantly surprised to have had the opportunity to meet the owners of this new house. They were extraordinary people, with kind hearts, and I felt honored to be providing them with a home that they could build their family in. Working alongside me were some of the most compassionate, caring, and self-less people I could have ever hoped to work with. Going into this trip, I never expected to make so many new and wonderful friendships. The presence of Christ was evident in each and every one of my crew-mates and I am so grateful to have met them.
Aside from these new friendships, I got to experience the exceptional hospitality that the South is known for. Not only were we welcomed with open arms, the entire community of Marianna, FL showed us just how thankful they were to have us there. We were provided with host families and every meal (in abundance), and we were blessed or prayed over multiple times a day. This is something that will stick with me forever and I hope to provide such kindness in my own life. This experience was definitely one of the most eye-opening and humbling experiences, and I wouldn’t have wanted to spend my spring break any other way.
Devon Kroesche: When I first signed up for the Habitat trip, I thought of it just as something fun to do over spring break. I had no idea how much it would change my life. I met so many new friends and became really emotionally invested in a cause I had never really thought about before. I thought of the trip as a "one and done" kind of deal, but after this trip, I don't think I'll ever be able to stop volunteering for Habitat. Who would have thought that I would fall in love with using a hammer?!
My favorite part of the trip was getting to know the family we were building for as well as the community they were surrounded by. We were all divided up into host families, which was a new experience for all of us, but I think by the end we could all agree that it was an awesome idea. Not only did we get to know each other, but we also got to experience true southern hospitality. I loved this setup because we learned what it is like to receive this incredible generosity, which is not something you expect to learn while doing a service trip.
At the beginning of the trip, I didn't really know anyone that was going, aside from Andy of course. But the bonding experiences you have on the spring break Habitat trip cannot be replicated anywhere. It's like we are all working toward a common goal, learning new things and getting to know new people, and having a ton of fun in the process. By the end of the week, I felt like I had a second family. It sounds a little cliché, but I know that thanks to this trip, I have built (no pun intended) lifelong friendships that are unlike any other.
Financial Update
God has blessed us recently in the past few months by helping us reach our monthly goal. Now, we are asking for help on a unique way of giving. If you are interested in learning more, please click on the picture below.
Moore News
In other news, I will be mentoring a CCO Fellow (intern) next year by the name of John Abarca. He will be one of two Fellows joining Cornerstone next year (along with Meagan Nazario whom my colleague, Bobbi, will oversee). This will be a new, unique opportunity to help prepare someone for ministry, and I look forward to it.
In Christ
Andy Moore
