SBM November

10 HOLIDAY ROAD TRIPS & G I F T I N G C H E AT S H E E T

29 LEARNING AGAIN STUDENT'S JOURNEY REDISCOVERING JOY

22

LOTTIE'S LEFTOVERS

WHERE DO THEY GO?

THE

SWINGING B R I DG E THE PULSE MAGAZINE

NOVEMBER

16 h o m e f o r t h e

holidays

how do you home?

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THE

SWINGING B R I DG E VOLU M E 9 8

EDITION 3

STUDENT DIRECTOR MIKAELA MUMMERT

NOV 2017

ASST. STUDENT DIRECTOR GABBY KURTZ

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF BECKY KIMMEL

ART DIRECTOR GRACE DEMMER

ONLINE EDITOR ALYSSA BURD

STUDENT LIFE EDITOR

DESIGN ASSISTANTS LIZZY COLE

STEPHANIE BRICKER

CARLY KRAIHANZEL CULTURE EDITOR TARA KLEINMANNS

SPORTS & REC EDITOR WILLIE HOPE

JACQUE SAUDER

AUDIO & VISUAL MANAGER AUSTEN BOWER WEB MANAGER KELLY WEBBER

AUDIO & VISUAL ASSISTANTS BUSINESS MANAGER DAN HUSMANN

MARISA HARRIS & PAUL SMITH

DESIGN MANAGER, CLARION KERRI DENTON

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER KAITLYN WOLF

OOPS!

BYLINE CORRECTION FOR OUR PRINT PUBLICATION:

LEARNING AGAIN:

ONE MESSIAH STUDENT'S JOURNEY REDISCOVERING LIFE'S SIMPLE JOYS

By Lilly Kashishian

LETTER from the EDITOR

I

t’s almost Thanksgiving, and the most wonderful time of the year is upon us. Our classes are starting to wrap up and we’re setting our sights on winter break. I absolutely love this time of the year… some would call me a Christmas fanatic. I actually dressed up as a Christmas Tree for halloween last year (consult my Instagram for proof.)

The Christmas music, and the Hallmark movies where some unexpected couple always seems to fall in love somewhere in the vicinity of an immaculately decorated Christmas tree, and every store decorated with red and gold glitter...this is what I live for.

But despite all of that, I just love what the holiday season seems to do to people. In Frank Sinatra’s popular song ‘The Christmas Waltz’ he sings, “it’s that time of year, when the world falls in love..”

And I really think that’s true.

People are jollier, and cheerier, more generous and really just warmer around the holiday season. I look forward to my family Christmas traditions every year and when December 26 rolls around, I’m already counting down the days until next Christmas. But, as much as I have come to expect the norms of my family Christmases, some people don’t have that same sense of predictability. For a lot of people, a traditional Christmas is not always a guarantee.

These are the thoughts that inspired this issue’s cover story, ‘How do you home?’ After talking with multiple students whose holidays today don’t exactly mirror those they had as a kid, I left inspired by them. And I hope you are too. These students don’t let unpredictable or unideal circumstances interfere with the way they celebrate... and remember the real meaning of Christmas.

I love to showcase stories of bravery and uniqueness of students on our campus, and I have gotten great feedback from you guys about these kinds of stories. Thank you for picking up a magazine and actually reading it. And even more, thank you for taking the time to reach out to all of us at The Pulse about what you like and what you want to see. Please, don’t stop!

As I look to the end of this semester, I’m filled with excitement, but also a bit of apprehension as I realize my next first day of class will be my last. I see the “real world” on the horizon, and I’m moving closer and closer to it everyday. For those fellow seniors out there, here’s to our last semester of college – let’s make it count!

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, a joyous holiday season, and a very Merry Christmas - no matter what that might look like for you.

Becky Kimmel Editor-In-Chief THE SWINGING BRIDGE

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TABLE

OF

STUDENT LIFE

CULTURE

6

CAMPUS CLOSET & 2 MINUTE DEVO

₂0

DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS

SPORTS & REC

SENIOR ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

TO BEAR ARMS OR TO LINK ARMS?

KAITLYN HOFF

ARTIST’S CORNER

LOTTIE'S LEFTOVERS

SNOW SPORTS

HOLIDAY ROAD TRIPS & GIFTING CHEAT SHEET

CELEBRATING HOPE IN THE MIDST OF WAR

LEARNING AGAIN

MEGAN HEVERLY

1₂

GETTING TO KNOW MCCFR

13

HANNAH'S STORY

TRAVEL ABROAD GIVES "HOME" A NEW MEANING

16

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS HOW DO YOU HOME?

4

CONTENTS

NOVEMBER 2017

WHERE DO THEY GO?

WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED OCTOBER

SKI AND RIDE CLUB

ONE MESSIAH STUDENT'S JOURNEY REDISCOVERING LIFE'S SIMPLE JOYS

BY STEPHANIE BRICKER DEC

DEC

DEC

DEC

DEC

DEC

DEC

DEC

DEC

01 02 03

SAB CHRISTMAS DANCE Reception & Artist Talk, Rosalyn Richards: 4:155:30 p.m. in Climenhaga’s Aughinbaugh Gallery, SAB’s Christmas Dance in the Student Union "LOGAN LUCKY" LOST FILM Lost Film: Logan Lucky in Parmer Cinema CHRISTMAS CONCERT Messiah Christmas Concert: 7:00-9:00 p.m. in Parmer Hall (tickets required)

04

CONCERT United Voices of Praise Concert – 7:00-8:00 p.m. in Parmer Hall

05 06 07 08

Sport your ugliest Christmas sweater to class

09

"DUNKIRK" LOST FILM & CONCERTS Recital Hall: Guitar Ensemble Concert: 1:00-2:30 p.m. One College Ave Concert: 4-5:00 p.m.

Parmer Cinema: Lost Film: Dunkirk

10 11 12 13 14 15

Create a “Christmas Jams” playlist on Spotify Watch the holiday episodes of your favorite TV show!

CHRISTMAS SHOWCASE & CONCERT Tim Warfield’s All-star Jazzy Christmas Concert: 8:00-10:00 p.m. (tickets required), SAB’s Christmas Showcase: 7:00 p.m. in the Student Union

18 19 20 21

Do all your last minute gift shopping – only a week until Christmas!

22

Take a drive through a nearby neighborhood to see all the unique Christmas light displays

Take a break from finals and watch a Hallmark movie CONCERT Chamber Ensembles Concert in Recital Hall

Have a Christmas-themed game night with your friends from home Assemble a gingerbread house fit for royalty!

Celebrate the first day of winter by picking up a peppermint mocha from your local Starbucks

23

Visit a live nativity and remember the best Christmas gift ever given

24

Channel your childhood days and bake a batch of cookies for Santa, or just eat them yourself

25

MERRY CHRISTMAS Savor the Christmas feels by relaxing with friends and family and eating a delicious holiday meal

26

Relax and recover from the long day and month of holiday festivities

27

Take the time to write thank you notes for the people that took the time to give you a gift this year

Buy a box of candy canes to share

Design a cute way to countdown to Christmas

1

CLIMATE CONVERSATIONS Climate Conversations: Politics in Frey 110

28

CONCERT Susquehanna Chorale Holiday Concert – 8:00-10:00 p.m. in Parmer Hall (tickets required)

29

16

Assemble a poinsettia bouquet for some holiday dorm decor

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17

Reunite with your friends and find a holiday recipe on Pinterest to make!

31

Create a memories jar for 2018 to write down all the good things that happen in the next year Play through that Christmas playlist one more time before archiving it until next year Prepare for the new year by reminiscing 2017’s memories and setting your 2018 goals Watch the ball drop and ring in 2018

THINGS TO DO IN

D E C E M B E R

THE SWINGING BRIDGE

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STUDENT LIFE

BY GABRIELLE KURTZ

F “CHESTNUTS ROASTING ON AN OPEN FIRE, JACK FROST NIPPING AT YOUR NOSE.” The holidays are officially upon us, so three cheers for good food, crackling fires and the possibility of some flurries. With all the festivities just around the corner, it’s important to know how to dress for the occasion. To me, winter clothing allows us to play more with layering and accessorizing. Here are my favorite looks for any winter occasion.

acing the cold and looking good while doing it can be a challenge. Senior Satchel Johnsen successfully layers a thermal shirt under a corduroy button-up with a vest to top it off in order to combat the seasonal winds. An outfit like this does not require a jacket, which can often hide a fly outfit. Put on your favorite pair of khakis with the essential L.L. Bean boots, and you have got yourself a look that says prep meets lumberjack.

“I like this outfit because there is a touch of that quintessential Northeastern winter style that comes out of the rugged look of a henley shirt and classic bean boots. It’s perfect for studying in the library or splitting wood for the bonfire,” says Johnsen.

Sometimes simple is best. Wearing a cream chunky turtleneck, we have Becky Kimmel, a senior. “I love the cozyness of putting on my favorite sweater.

There’s not a better feeling,” said Kimmel.

What goes better with your favorite sweater than the classic brown Chelsea boot. These booties provide great support, protect your feet from any weather and go well with almost any outfit.

Blen Asres keeps it classy and cool with a black, long jacket to keep her warm during the cooler days. Underneath the jacket, she wears a white blouse to contrast the darker jacket, with a pair of ripped jeans.

Again, the brown Chelsea boot remains a staple shoe during the winter months. To top it off, the tan scarf spices things up while providing warmth.

Scarves transform plain winter attire into something vibrant and fun.

Chambray shirts and black jeans are Tim Sarac’s favorites when it comes to dressing for every day. Nothing tells you it’s Christmas time better than a watch!

To keep the warm weather vibes alive, he puts on the white canvas sneaker. Going to class, heading out for a holiday dinner with friends or going to the mall for holiday shopping, these looks will have you looking fashionable and seasonable.

So whether you’re heading to Grandma’s for Thanksgiving dinner or going to do some Christmas shopping, dressing for winter can be fun and comfy.

SACHEL JOHNSEN & BECKY KIMMEL

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NOVEMBER 2017

STUDENT LIFE

2DEVO MINUTE

BY MADDIE CONLEY

RELIGION. It’s a word we typically steer away from when describing our faith. It conjures ideas of rigid traditions and rituals. God seems more like a distant being than a close friend. In fact, Jesus ridiculed the Pharisees and priests for being religious instead of righteous.

BLEN ASRES

James writes a revolutionary book in the Bible that speaks to this idea of religion by flipping its meaning on its head.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27) Yes, all you need to do as a Christian is believe in God. Works don’t get you into heaven. But what is your faith without works? True faith combines the two.

I don’t think James really liked the word religion either, or at least what it meant previously. He says, show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. If you can recite John 3:16, but don’t feed the homeless, where is your faith? If you know every word of the songs at Powerhouse, but don’t show your roommate grace when their alarm goes off at 5 a.m., where is your faith? If you’re best buds with Don Opitz, but you don’t share the gospel with those who have never heard the name of Jesus, where is your faith?

James issues a wake-up call to our stiff religion and says, “hey, you’re not getting off that easy.”

SO, IF YOU MUST BE RELIGIOUS, BE RELIGIOUSLY SELFLESS. TIM SARAC

THE SWINGING BRIDGE

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STUDENT LIFE

MEGAN HEVERLY

ARTIST’S CORNER

UNTITLED | 2017, PAINTING

SELF-PORTRAIT

“CONTEMPLATION IN VIRTUE OF INTRICACY” “I struggle with anxiety and so that comes with panic attacks and that comes with a lot of other things, so I wanted to visually demonstrate that. Which now I don’t think for me is what I wanted to pursue, but essentially it was a depiction of me in my anxiety. The meticulous rendering still helps with anxiety and that’s what I was exploring, but it was more a work for me— more than something I wanted to continue pursuing.”

"CONTEMPLATION IN VIRTUE OF INTRICACY" | 2016, SELF-PORTRAIT, PAINTING, 22" X 29"

WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO?

“I

’m just looking for the intricacies in these things and recognizing that they originate from God and it’s a really important process for me. I think it’s a great meditative space.

I mean I’m spending hours looking at the same square inch and I really begin to know the objects more and I really just want to give them the attention that they deserve. So essentially I’m in the pursuit of beauty, but not beauty in the obvious sense . . . I’m looking for beauty in areas where you might not necessarily notice them and so I’m finding bones in which they’re kind of a record of a life and you can recognize their beauty just by holding them, but it’s not until you really, really spend time with them that you notice how intricate they are.

By painting them I’m placing significance on them. These things are worth my time not only to look at, but I’ll spend hours trying to do them justice . . . Essentially what I’m doing to these objects is redemptive for them. It’s essentially an illustration of what Christ did for us. Whether or not the viewer knows that is a different question but I think I can’t ignore that it’s informed by that. I don’t think I would’ve made the same connections if I wasn’t a Christian and at a Christian school and that wasn’t a part of my daily life.”

"1 IN 5" | 2017, GROUP ASSIGNMENT, INSTALLATION ON SEXUAL ASSAULT (open for view in Climenhaga)

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NOVEMBER 2017

STUDENT LIFE

"ARTIFACT" | 2017, PAINTING, 4' X 5'

THE SWINGING BRIDGE

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STUDENT LIFE

W

BY BECKY KIMMEL

ith Christmas right around the corner, it {tis} the season to experience all the festive fun that Central PA has to offer.

Here you will find a list of some of the best places and events near campus to get yourself in the holiday spirit.

LANCASTER, PA Located in the charming city of Lancaster, the National Christmas Center is 20,000 sq. feet of life-sized Christmas exhibits for all ages. With 15 main galleries, the Christmas museum celebrates the magic, memories, history and traditions of Christmas. Featured on the Travel Channel as a part of their Most Christmasy Places in America special, the National Christmas Center is a hidden gem. You can tour through the museum learning about Christmas traditions around the world, walk through a replicated 1950’s Woolworth 5&10 store, travel through the history of the Nativity and much more! After 19 years of operation, the National Christmas Center is closing its doors after this Christmas season, so be sure to experience this truly magical spot while you still can!

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NOVEMBER 2017

KENNETT SQUARE, PA Opening November 23, A Longwood Christmas offers a spectacular indoor and outdoor festive Christmas display.

Longwood Gardens is located just outside of Philadelphia, containing hundreds of acres of beautiful gardens and greenhouses. At Christmastime the gardens transform into a winter wonderland with this year’s theme paying homage to the splendor of France’s Versailles gardens and estate. Stroll through 50+ sparklingly decorated Christmas trees, outdoor colorful fountains dancing to holiday tunes and half a million twinkling lights, while listening to carolers “herald the season with song!”

STUDENT LIFE

BY SHARLENE OONG

W BETHLEHEM, PA Termed “the Christmas City,” Bethlehem, PA lives up to its name by turning the entire town into a christmas extravaganza every holiday season. Featuring a Christkindlmarkt brimming with hundreds of vendors, some selling even traditional German Christmas decor, a trip to Bethlehem is worth the two hour drive. Every storefront is decorated and every hall is decked to welcome in the Christmas season. When you spot the ever-lit moravian star perched atop the town, you’ll know you’ve arrived.

ith the holidays coming up, gift-giving can be a struggle, especially when you’re shopping for family, friends, significant others, roommates—the list goes on. We want to take some of that stress off your shoulders, so here’s a short list to get you started on some gift ideas!

1. Gifts for the Family When it comes to family, sometimes a thoughtful necessity makes the perfect gift. Kavin Dhana Raja, a senior biology major, stays on the look-out for gadgets to give his dad that he cannot get back home in Malaysia. Last year, “I sent him this fast charger that we can’t get in Malaysia,” he says.

Some other creative must-haves include: Yellow Bird Activated Charcoal Soap Bar ($9.99 from TheYellowBird.co), Alink Inside Out Umbrella ($20 on Amazon), Ultra Thin Rechargeable Power Bank ($5 from Five Below)

2. Gifts for your Partner in Crime Trendy gifts can be a great option when buying for your friends. Alexandra Chandon, a senior English major, tries to buy gifts based on what her friend is obsessed with at the moment. “For my best friend, I got a cat necklace. She loves cats and will wear it all the time,” says Chandon.

Here are some other gifts that are trending right now: Finish This Book by Keri Smith ($10 on Amazon), Fidget Cube ($19.95 at TheFidgetCube.co), Stranger Things Christmas Lights Mug ($8.59 on Amazon).

BALTIMORE, MD

3. Gifts for that Special Someone

Just a short drive down Rt. 15 and you will arrive at Baltimore’s beautiful inner harbor, but it may not look the same as previous times you have been there. Beginning Thanksgiving Eve, inner harbor will be transformed into a Christmas Village boasting holiday vendors, galleries and authentic German food and drink, underneath thousands of twinkling lights. The village is the perfect place to get a taste of a traditional German Christmas, less than two hours from campus! If you are looking for a fun Saturday activity or a unique gift for a friend, this is the perfect place!

Everyone loves a good surprise, especially one that tastes delicious. Elizabeth Martin, a senior business administration major, decided to make Oreo peanut butter brownies for her boyfriend as a gift one year. “I enlisted the help of another friend and made them down in her apartment and then brought them up when they were done and surprised him,” she said.

If you don’t have time to bake it yourself, here are some local shops where you can buy yummy gifts: Pennsylvania Bakery, Psycho Cupcakes or Sweet Confections Cakes.

THE SWINGING BRIDGE

11

STUDENT LIFE WHAT IS ONE THING YOU KORTNEI CONFER: We are a student affiliate WANT STUDENTS TO KNOW council of the National Council on Fami- ABOUT THAT PROJECT?

{

BY JESSICA HENRY

GETTING TO KNOW

MCCFR

WHAT DOES MCCFR DO?

ly Relations. We focus on service, professional development, and social networking. We try to get the HDFS department involved with the campus. We try to do a lot with the community through our service projects. We also help fund trips to professional conferences for students.

We get people out meeting each other and practicing professional skills for the social networking piece.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SERVICE PROJECTS THE CLUB ORGANIZES?

}

MESSIAH COLLEGE COUNCIL O N FA M I LY R E L AT I O N S

WE TALKED TO THE CURRENT PRESIDENT OF MCCFR, JUNIOR HDFS MAJOR KORTNEI CONFER, TO GET THE SCOOP.

Last year we did a small knitting project where we made caps and blankets for the Capital Area Pregnancy Center. We also packed boxes for Operation Christmas Child, which is through Samaritan’s Purse.

We did a letter-writing project last year around Christmas time where we provide supplies and encourage students to write letters to family members and friends to remind people how much they appreciate them. We are doing it around Thanksgiving this year as time to tell people you’re thankful for them.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROJECT?

Probably Operation Christmas Child because it requires more of an effort on our part. Shipping the boxes does cost a bit of money, so when we collect donations, we encourage students and faculty to donate a few dollars to help with this cost. The whole semester sort of [leads] to that event.

Our events are open to the entire campus, not just MCCFR officers or HDFS students. We encourage anyone to donate and also to come help us pack the boxes. We want to get the whole campus involved in our projects!

WHAT IS THE CLUB WORKING ON RIGHT NOW? Right now we are working towards our big professional conference next month, National Council on Family Relations annual conference in Orlando. We are working on the logistics for that. We are also getting ready for the letter-writing project and Operation Christmas Child, since they are coming up soon.

HOW DID YOU PERSONALLY GET INVOLVED WITH MCCFR? When I was a first-year student, there was an opening for the secretary position in the spring, so I applied and was elected into that position. In my sophomore year, I took the position of the social media director, and this year I was elected president.

WHAT IMPACT DO YOU HOPE MCCFR HAS ON OUR CAMPUS? My hope is that we can get the student body more involved in service throughout the semester by giving students opportunities to do small projects. I also hope that students will be more aware of and acknowledge family as a value. For example, with our letter-writing event, I hope students will see how meaningful it can be to reach out to a friend or family member to let them know you are thinking of them and thankful for them.

To learn more about the MCCFR club and get updates, visit their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Messiah.MCCFR/

12

NOVEMBER 2017

STUDENT LIFE

Hannah’s

story TRAVEL ABROAD GIVES ‘HOME’ A NEW MEANING

PATAGONIA, CHILE | 2016, APPROACHING GLACIER GREY

THE SWINGING BRIDGE

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STUDENT LIFE

W

BACKPACKING IN TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK, PATAGONIA, CHILE | 2016, STUDY ABROAD

BY ALYSSA BURD & HANNAH SNAVELY

hat comes to mind when you think of “home”?

Maybe you envision your family, your dorm room on campus, or the state where you were born and raised. A variety of different meanings can be attached to such a simple word, but for senior music and Spanish double major Hannah Snavely, traveling abroad has given ‘home’ an entirely new meaning. This is Hannah’s story.

“I didn’t really travel a lot growing up. My parents never traveled, but my older sister traveled a lot and that’s what kicked off traveling for my twin and I. The first trip I went on with Messiah was with the Collaboratory bridge team to Panama. I would say I felt very much at home in the town we were in because it was a very small community and everyone was very welcoming. The culture in Latin America for the most part is much more outgoing, welcoming, and hospitable.

14

NOVEMBER 2017

But returning home… the gist of this part of the journey of my life was this: I went to Panama for two weeks, came back for a week for staff training at a camp I work at over the summer, then I went to Puerto Rico for three weeks, and then the day I was flying home, my grandpa died. It was emotional high and then low—just constant. Through that, I struggled a lot with not wanting to be at college—I wanted to be somewhere and be abroad, exploring and helping people when I was just sitting in classes.

I went back to Panama the following the summer, and I think that was really good for me because it was in the same village I visited before. It was good to see that things didn’t change, that they still remembered me and I still had a home there. Then I studied abroad in Chile.

I think what shapes ‘home’ is the people around it and your identity that’s connected with ‘home’. When I was abroad in Chile, I wasn’t speaking English—speaking in Spanish makes you feel like you’re a different person saying these made-up words that are forced because you have to be able to communicate with someone. I didn’t have my church family, which is a big part of my identity back home. I had Mes-

siah friends, but I didn’t know them, so I had to make new friends. There were a lot of non-Christians who just wanted to party and get high all the time, so I didn’t hang out with them and I felt like I didn’t have a safe place. I think that’s a big part of ‘home’ too, is having ‘that place’ to go to when you are bored, when you’re upset, when you’re excited and want to tell someone. I would say my safe space became a music practice room. Which is pathetic, because I always want to get out of the practice rooms in the High Center. But when I was sitting at a piano, I was just like, ‘let me have my home.

Part of the study abroad experience is constructing a new home, a new life for yourself, and creating a new identity. It’s beautiful because you can make yourself who you want to be, or you can be who you were before, but in a new place. I was fortunate to find a church in Chile. Just having a place with familiar worship music, even though it was in Spanish, and reading the Bible, that for me is a big part of my identity. I also played in an orchestra while I was there, so I think a big secret for studying abroad is finding things you enjoy and doing those things in that country. Then you can make friends and build a home out of that.

STUDENT LIFE

MENDOZA, ARGENTINA | 2016, STUDY ABROAD

ATACAMA DESERT, CHILE | 2016, STUDY ABROAD

MONTE ALBÁN, OAXACA, MEXICO | 2017 COLLABORATORY TRIP

MUSIC AND SPANSIH DOUBLE MAJOR, HANNAH SNAVELY | WITH BASSOON | PHOTO BY HUNTER GRISSINGER

I believe that home is a construction based on the spaces we occupy, the people surrounding us and the groups with whom we associate ourselves with. We can go anywhere in this world, and even if the transition is difficult, Jesus constantly reminds us that at the core, He forms our identity. If we are rooted in Christ, we are always home.”

THE SWINGING BRIDGE

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STUDENT LIFE

O F R E T M HE O H

olidays H HOW DO YOU HOME?

BY B EC K Y K I MME L

E

AC H Y E A R , when the radio stations start playing Christmas tunes and the stores start decorating with lights and tinsel, when that sudden chill in the air causes us to grab our scarves and our classes are coming to a close for the semester, we know that the holiday season has arrived. Full of shopping and parties and good tidings to all, we look forward to this festive time of year. One of the oldest and most popular Christmas songs tells us ‘there’s no place like home for the holidays..” and for many of us, that’s true.

We pack up our suitcases and head home for winter break, anticipating that cozy sight of our Christmas tree twinkling and candles glowing in the windows, our favorite home-cooked meals, our familiar and cozy rooms and our family all around us. But for some students, the holidays look a little bit different. Maybe they aren't eating their mom’s famous mashed potatoes for Christmas dinner, or maybe a loved one is missing from around the dinner table. Some students, from all over the world, have had to redefine just what ‘home for the holidays’ means for them…

RAAD KHAN — BANGLADESH (LEFT) “For me, I only try to go home over the summer because the other breaks are just not long enough to be spending at home. Tickets are already expensive and traveling takes 2 days. I'd rather go home for the summer, even when the weather is scorching hot, rather than the cool and comfortable winter break, because it means I get to spend more time with friends and family. What I always miss is my family as I am really close to my parents. But friends, the different scene of hang outs there and especially the food is definitely what I miss apart from that.”

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NOVEMBER 2017

STUDENT LIFE

MIRIAM THURBER — LAS VEGAS, N E VA DA ( R I G H T ) “Living so far away makes everything a little trickier - there's never any solid guarantee that I'll have somewhere to go or even a specific date that I'll get to see my family again. But it makes college a little more interesting and allows me to experience the holiday traditions of other families as well. But no matter where I am, my family always does an amazing job of loving me. Even if I can't be with them, I'll get a card or a package in the mail. For Easter one year, my mom packed a basket of goodies so that I wouldn't be the only one without a gift from The Bunny.”

C A I T LY N F O N G — M A L AY S I A “I’ve spent my last two winter breaks with my aunt’s family in Minnesota. The change of scene is always a welcome breath of fresh air at the end of a semester, especially because I get to spend time with my sweet two year old cousin. I’ve gotten to experience the full “American Christmas” experience with my uncle’s side of the family and I have really appreciated their hospitality. This winter, I will finally be going home.

I cannot wait to see my immediate family again as it has been more than a year since I’ve seen them and I miss them A LOT.”

K E Z A N Z I S A B I R A — R WA N DA “I’m from Rwanda, but have family in D.C. who I stay with during the holidays. I miss the chaos of a huge family coming together to celebrate. It’s nice to have family a few hours away, but since it’s just us, the celebration mood is not the same. But at home, all my cousins, aunts, uncles, second cousins, we all come together! It’s very chaotic but it’s also very fun, and [ideally] I wouldn’t want to spend my holidays any other way.”

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STUDENT LIFE

J O S H L AW Y E R - M A RY L A N D (LEFT) “I lost my dad in a car accident about ten years ago and the Christmas season, while it’s a time of celebration, is also a reminder of what my family doesn’t have. It’s always sad waking up on Christmas morning and knowing that my dad isn’t going to be there to celebrate the day with us, or when we sit down to eat Christmas dinner, there is always going to be an empty seat at our kitchen table. However, my family knows that my dad wouldn’t want us to spend the day feeling upset, so therefore we always try to make the most out of Christmas while at the same time, we try to keep as many of the Christmas traditions that we started with my dad as possible.”

J U N M E Y WA N G — M A L AY S I A “While a family Christmas with familiar faces, foods, quirks, and traditions might be the consistent standard for many, my Christmases away from home have been extremely fluid. I've spent the holidays in a different place, with different people every year: rural upper Michigan with a family friend, New Orleans with a cousin and his own family, a December road trip around the Mid- and Northwest with my best friend, where having lost all sense of time due to the long drives on seemingly endless highways, we ended up spending Christmas Eve dazedly eating burgers off the Dollar Menu at an obscure McDonald's on the outskirts of Seattle. There's something profound about being home for Christmas, but maybe we're meant to make home wherever we go.”

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STUDENT LIFE

G LO R I A I G I H OZO — R WA N DA (RIGHT) “At home, Christmas celebration is largely done in both a spiritual and communal way.

We don't have extravagant lights all over the place, and there is no such thing as gifts under the tree. When I was growing up, my family would visit people at a hospital that have no family, and celebrate Christmas with them. It's been three years since I last celebrated Christmas with my family.

Since coming to college, I mostly travel and explore different places during Christmas break. My first Christmas alone, I explored Canada and spent Christmas with some of my friends who study in Canada. Tickets home are really expensive, and so it would be unrealistic to go home for three weeks or less. I like the flexibility of not knowing what each Christmas holds and how adventurous it is for me to explore places that I have never been to before. I do miss celebrating Christmas at home in a large setting where I feel love, care, and a sense of belonging, but if there is one thing I miss the most, it's the food, dances, and singing that characterize each celebration.”

"When I was growing up, my family would visit people at a hospital that have

no family, and celebrate Christmas with them.”

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CULTURE

T L U C DIFFI ERSATIONS CONV R ARMS A E B O T ARMS OR LINK

BY BECKY KIMMEL

K

ate Simcox, professor and co-chair of the Communication department, found herself among the 59 families facing devastating loss the morning after what many are calling the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.

CIVILIAN GUN OWNERSHIP FOR EVERY 100 PEOPLE THERE ARE:

89 GUNS IN THE USA

Robin and Bill Wolf left their two children behind to celebrate their 20th anniversary at the country music festival in Las Vegas.

“Bill (the cousin of Simcox’s partner, Matthew) was shot and killed instantly. He died in Robin’s arms,” Simcox said. “The kind of shock and disbelief that something like this causes to a family, . . . . Anytime something happens that makes you feel like things are not as they should be, it creates that kind of global sense of fear.”

The days following left our country in a state of deep sadness and disbelief, but it also sparked another heated – and some say, unproductive – debate between the political right and left about gun control.

30 GUNS IN GERMANY

4 GUNS IN INDIA

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“I don’t think our current Presidential administration has done a good job of fostering any sort of productive conversation about this issue because of its polarized nature, but also because they see the gun lobby as very closely tied to their political interests at this point,” says Devin Manzullo-Thomas, lecturer in the Humanities, who teaches courses in both church history and peace and conflict studies.

Supporters of protecting gun rights cite the Second Amendment in their arguments and feel everyone has the right to bear arms – something the Founding Fathers did indeed include in our country’s framework.

Sheryl Delozier, state representative for the district that includes Messiah College, is a supporter of the rights that the Second Amendment endow, but also sees the severity of this issue.

“This argument is one that’s based in constitutionality. It’s at the heart of government and there is emotion tied to it. Obviously we don’t want to see people getting hurt, but at what point do you let people have the freedom to be what our Constitution established for them? We can’t penalize law-abiding citizens over one person who did something wrong,” Delozier says.

But many also wonder, if the Founding Fathers could have predicted what our country would look like today, would they still have written that Amendment in the same way?

“I think when we say, ‘This is what the Founding Fathers wanted when they wrote the Second Amendment,’ it is often done with no concept of the complexities of history and no sense of the fact that things change over time,” Manzullo-Thomas says.

He reminds us that in the moment the Constitution was being crafted, America had just come out of a war; Britain was still the enemy and there was a very profound sense of American insecurity.

“I do think we need to be a little less quick to pivot to the Second Amendment and say ‘we obviously know what this means,’ when we’re not thinking about context,” Manzullo-Thomas says.

CULTURE Paul Rego, associate professor of Politics, does appreciate the rights of individuals to ‘bear and keep arms,’ but doesn’t think of any constitutional right as being absolute.

Stricter regulations, more laws and specific policies may have helped, but maybe what we really need to do is evaluate how we, and our country as a whole, react to dissention.

“If the government can regulate limits to free speech or our Fourth Amendment right to search and seizure, why shouldn’t there be limits to our second amendment rights as well?” Rego asks.

“We live in a society in which violence is a part of our everyday language . . . I often feel that there’s a difference between what we think we’re teaching our children, and what we, as a society, condone. I don’t want to teach my children that violence is the way to solve their problems. We need to ask ourselves what we as a society want to be,” Rego says.

He challenges those who defend the NRA without question to ask themselves whether they take such an uncompromising view of any other provision of the Constitution.

But, like the old saying goes, hindsight is 20/20. It is easy to talk now about what needs to be done, but many question whether policy would have helped at all in this situation?

“Oftentimes, as a coping mechanism, we look to laws that are in place to make us feel better, safer. But, there were laws in place here. There was security at this event. And it failed,” says Simcox.

“Laws alone don’t solve the problem. And that’s not to say we shouldn’t have laws, but there’s an oversimplification, which I think comes with the whole emotional basis of the way the argument tends to go,” says Robin Lauermann, associate dean of General Education and professor of Politics.

Simcox suggests using dialogue in order to learn – a more invitational approach.

“Communication has the ability to build bridges and just as easily tear them down,” Simcox says. “No one changes because they hear someone spout off an extreme perspective. But I think there’s a difference between having views on important matters and being an obnoxious zellate.”

Manzullo-Thomas says, “I don’t think that we’ll see an end to the divisiveness of this issue if we can’t have an informed conversation that doesn’t immediately descend into name-calling.”

Delozier stresses, “We cannot govern from the far left, or the far right. There has to be consensus. You always learn something from listening to those that you may not

agree with. You learn from their passion and their thought process. Even if you don’t agree, having that conversation is important.”

As students, we have a unique opportunity to change the rhetoric around this difficult conversation for the years to come, and the responsibility to be well informed as we do.

Lauermann reveres the importance of having an awareness of what we read, what we share on social media and how we allow ourselves to be swayed.

As much as we focus on the weapon doing the destruction, we also need to be sure we’re not ignoring the person behind it.

Rego points out that most people are going to use guns in a law-abiding way, and for many of those who don’t, mental health can be the root of the problem.

“Clearly, these people have issues that aren’t being met,” Rego says. “Maybe we can’t agree to gun control, but then ultimately, this should lead to us having a deeper conversation as to what we can do to help provide better for the emotional needs of more Americans.”

Lauermann concludes, “To the extent that we care for our fellow human beings, we need to find a way [to talk about this issue] that balances respect for whatever the founders intended with the Second Amendment, with the simple value of human life.”

15 MINUTES WITH

JON MEACHAM

H

i sto r i a n, j o u r n a li s t and award-winning author, Jon Meacham, stopped by campus earlier this month to give his lecture on leadership. I got the chance to sit down and talk with him, not only about this issue, but our political climate as a whole – and how it contributes to our inability to have difficult conversations.

“We are experiencing a crisis of trust in this country,” Meacham says, remarking on how we are finding ourselves at a most unconventional time in history. “19 percent of people say they trust the government to do the right thing.”

When we look at issues like gun control, if so few people trust the system, then how can the system be expected to solve any of these issues?

“Freedom of speech does not extend to yelling ‘FIRE’ in a crowded theater,” Meacham says, stating his wariness of people taking such an absolutist view on the Second Amendment, but also warns against the partisanship surrounding this issue.

“We are seeing people making an absolutist argument in a context in which [opposers] aren’t as far left as where people on the right want them to be.” Meacham says.

Meacham warns that if we don’t listen, then there’s no way we can reason with anyone.

“We are seeing the [other] person rise and immediately closing our ears,” he says.

But he believes that as college students, we shouldn’t waste the opportunity we have to “cultivate an independent habit of the mind.”

He urged me to not give up hope – that our Democratic “system was made for these kinds of stress-tests.”

He reminds me that we are always working towards “a more perfect union.” And quoting E.B. White concludes, “democracy is the suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time. It is an idea which hasn’t been disproved yet, a song the words of which have not gone bad.”

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CULTURE

ottie’s

BY CELICA COOK

eftovers Where Do They Go? OUR VERY OWN LOTTIE NELSON DINING HALL

partnered with the Sustainability Office to implement a new food recovery program here at Messiah.

Pounds of leftover food from Lottie are now going to Bethesda Mission, a church shelter that has been shining the light of Christ on Harrisburg’s downtown community for over 100 years.

Every Friday, a team of students from the sustainability office collects the frozen Lottie leftovers, and loads them onto a van to be taken to Bethesda Mission. The donations contribute to feeding the hundreds of people who come to the mission seeking out help and a hot meal.

Hannah Fogle is a Junior Human Development and Family Science major whose ideas were instrumental in creating the program.

“I ended up taking the sustainability class last year, and that wasn’t even something that was on my radar. It filled a gen-ed, and it fit into my schedule, so I was like, ok I’ll just take it. It was really interesting, and I was pleasantly surprised. At the end of the semester, we had to do a ‘great innovations’ pitch for something to

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make Messiah’s campus more sustainable.

The whole semester I was [concerned] because I [thought] campus was already so sustainable. What could I possibly do to improve it?”

Fogle says.

Fogle has worked at the dining hall since freshman year, typically working at dinnertime, where she says the most food goes to waste. She was heartbroken watching it all go in the trash and eventually thought, “[maybe] we can do something about that.”

Fogle talked things over with Sustainability Director, Brandon Hoover, who suggested looking into the Food Recovery Network. This network is a student movement that was established in 2011 by students at the University in Maryland. They were passionate about inspiring college campuses across the U.S. to reduce food waste on their campuses by donating it to people in need.

In total, the program has recovered and donated over 2 million pounds of food from college campuses since 2011, and thanks to the hard work of the Sustainability Office and Dining Services, Messiah College gets to add to those numbers.

CULTURE

STUDENT VOLUNTEERS AT BETHESDA | HALEY KLINGER, AL CIERVO (FOOD SERVICES COORDINATOR), BRANDI TILLMAN, JESSICA CONLEY, KAMRYN SCHETTIG

Once she researched, Fogle put together a pitch for her class, which wound up being heard by some interested Sustainability representatives.

Among the representatives were Hoover and Lori Chance, Sustainability Program Coordinator, who encouraged Fogle to pursue the concept of food recovery.

“A lot of food pantries won’t take [our leftovers] because they are already prepared; they only want non-perishables. So I looked through those who would and found three community partners. Once I was actually looking to implement the program, I talked to Bethesda first because I know Messiah has a lot of ties with them,” Fogle says.

Though the project is a new development on campus, beginning only in August of 2017, Messiah College has already donated 774.8 pounds of food to Bethesda this semester.

Deb King, Bethesda’s Volunteer Coordinator, comments, “We depend on food from the community to help us with meals.

The more we get donated the less we have to buy. We feed a lot of people here everyday, so it really does help us a lot to get those donations.”

PACKAGED FOOD FOR BETHESDA LOTTIE NELSON FREEZER

“ THOSE W HO DON ’ T WOR K [AT LOTTIE] A R E SOMEW H AT R EMOV ED FROM PH YSICA LLY DUMPING FOOD. I THIN K PEOPLE N EED TO BE AWA R E TH AT THIS IS H A PPEN ING, BU T A LSO TH AT W E ’R E WOR K ING TO DO SOMETHING A BOU T IT,” FOGLE SAYS. Madeline Troyer, Messiah’s Sustainability Waste Coordinator, says, “Our overall goal is to have all our food waste being composted or donated. As students, we are able to help cut down on the food waste by eating what we take on our plates. The Food Recovery Network is our first real attempt at using the leftover food for a good cause.

This has been a success and hopefully it will lead to more food being recovered in the future.”

Whether it be volunteering for a program like the Food Recovery Network, or just making an effort to put recyclable and compostable materials into the proper buckets around campus, good stewardship is an important aspect of our campus community.

Troyer says, “We can know that we are serving others with the usable leftover food we have rather than just having it go to the trash. We can feel good knowing that we are using our leftover food for a good cause.”

Sustainability has become a growing force on Messiah’s campus, and its efforts extend far beyond Grantham Community Garden.

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e p o H S

Celebrating

CULTURE

in the Midst of War.

yria was once the fourth safest country in the world. But that was before the war. Over the past few years, the media has associated Syria strictly with conflict, causing us to forget so many other defining characteristics of a country where people are still people.

The news we hear in America, about this war in Syria, isn’t always the whole story. Media has characterized this conflict as a ‘civil war,’ though it is primarily a conflict driven by outside terrorist forces. With reasons varying from obtaining Syria’s natural resources, to the goal of spreading radical Islam among a country with a fairly tolerant president, the safety of the country and its people has been significantly compromised over the last eight years.

However, in spite of hardship, the people of Syria are able to remain strong and hopeful through cultural

BY SHARLENE OONG

celebrations. Celebrations have become a lens through which stories can be told of what is keeping the hope in Syria alive, despite conflict and a reputation soiled by political turmoil.

Karine Moussa, a Syrian-American student here at Messiah, takes pride and comfort in the ways Syrians have increased the need for celebration, instead of being discouraged by the current events. Amplified celebrations reflect a spirit of cultural pride and strength among the Syrian people.

“SYRIANS ACTUALLY OVER-CELEBRATE. THAT’S HOW WE ARE. WE DON’T LOSE HOPE,” MOUSSA STATES. A few of the extensive celebrations include Palm Sunday, Christmas, Mother’s Day, Teacher’s Day, Ramadan and Iftar and Hajj.

“On Palm Sunday, the streets are singing with festivals and bands,” says Moussa. “People wave palm branches to celebrate Jesus’ entrance to Jerusalem.”

Additionally, the Christmas Santa Parade is considered “a celebration on steroids,” according to Moussa. In 2007, Syria ran for Guinness World Record of the most walking Santa Clauses in the street. The country also placed first for 3rd Tallest Christmas tree, which is lit every year by the president and his wife.

The celebration of family perseveres in Syria, despite unrest. One of the most prominent cultural traditions happens on Mother’s Day when Syrian mothers cook for their children.

PALM SUNDAY CELEBRATION 24

NOVEMBER 2017

“In Syria, they take it as the mother’s joy to do things for her [children],” Moussa says.

In a very matriarchal culture, Mother’s Day is held in extreme importance. As a result of this matriarchal culture, a complementary Father’s Day is not present in Syria.

The high reverence of mothers in Arabic culture remains a strong backbone of the country, and stems from a question once posed to Muhammad and detailed in the Hadith (a collection of sayings of the prophet). When asked who one should love the most, Muhammad answered that he should love the mother the most. Familial and motherly love remind the people of Syria why they believe and value what they do; it provides stability in a chaotic time.

RECYCLED MURAL

Celebrations like Ramadan and Iftar, which date far back in history, also continue to hold a place as cultural pillars among Syrians today. Ramadan is one of the most wellknown traditions as it features a month of fasting in the 9th month of the Islamic calendar dedicated to remembering Muhammad’s first revelation of the Quran.

At the end of the month, Muslims gather for Iftar, a three day feast featuring a variety of cultural foods like grape leaves (Wa’rah Anab), stuffed Zucchini (Koosa), lamb, and Baklava.

“I know my faith has been tested. We would have prayer meetings and the next day hear about a bomb. What do you do? The people there, they take it and say ‘we are going to trust God even more’,” Moussa says.

The roots of celebration go deep in Syria. Currently they remain unthreatened by the war and conflict that ravage the country, and provide a consistent reminder of the ways that Syrians still have hope in one another, their country and their cultural traditions.

In the face of war and political disruption, Syrians boost hope and morale by exuberantly celebrating these festivals and traditions that comprise significant parts of their identities. They also take action in other creative ways.

In 2014, Syria achieved the Guinness World Record for the largest mural made out of recycled material. The material for the mural was largely taken from rubble resulting from an ISIS attack in Damascus.

Moaffak Makhoul, the lead artist of the mural, explained the purpose of the artwork as bringing “a smile to the people, joy to the children, and [showing] people that the Syrian people love life, love beauty, and love creativity.” “[Many Syrians} said, we did not do this to make a political statement. We did this because we want people to know that we love life. We are hopeful and we are strong,” Moussa says.

In the midst of war, faith can be a difficult concept. Hope can be difficult to conjure. Hearing about current events becomes more and more disheartening. However, when it comes to the war in Syria, Moussa and other Syrians take refuge in the comfort of family and a country that chooses to celebrate traditions lavishly.

PREPARE FOR MINISTRY IN THE WAY OF JESUS Students at Pittsburgh Seminary prepare for ministry in the way of Jesus. Together we welcome neighbors. We share meals, differences, and experiences. We expand our minds. And we are challenged and enriched as we explore the broad range of beliefs we bring to the table. Join us!

• •

Master of Divinity (church planting, urban ministry) Master of Divinity joint degrees (law, social work, public policy)

PTS on Campus Oct. 25!

Stop by the Graduate Fair and visit Anthony Rivera from Admissions.

1-800-451-4194 www.pts.edu/Messiah

O C TO B E R

CULTURE

WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED LAST MONTH

BY MEGAN HESS

26

“ITALIAN RESTAURANT” SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, ON YOUTUBE

“THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS RIDES AGAIN”, NETFLIX

This chuckle-worthy sketch about a marketing bait-and-switch gone wrong got overshadowed by the on-the-nose timeliness of “Levi’s Woke” from the same episode. It’s an easy miss (the humor is subtler) but its surprise ending makes it worthwhile. Ryan Gosling brings back the oblivious tough-guy character he debuted in “Santa Baby,” a sketch from his last SNL appearance with Cecily Strong in the Vanessa Bayer role as his significant other, and Mikey Day as the beleaguered host.

Gosling is not often thought of as a comic actor, but “Italian Restaurant” is a great example of his funny side.

Despite some initial trepidation over the whole idea of the reboot, it’s a pleasantly surprising nostalgia kick (although seeing the characters with iPads is a little jarring). Other networks considering a reboot of classic shows should look at “The Magic School Bus Rides Again” as a case study regarding the way it simultaneously targets not only its new kid audience, but also older fans of the original series. Despite the new elements, like Lin-Manuel Miranda’s jazzy take on the iconic theme, it still feels very much the same. It’s more of an update than a reboot. All those who liked (or loved) the Magic School Bus series (books, TV, or both) should take a ride for old time’s sake. It’s the same bus, just with a new driver.

“I HATE EVERYONE BUT YOU” GABY DUNN AND ALLISON RASKIN Best friends, former BuzzFeed video stars and creators of the web series “Just Between Us,” teamed up to write their debut novel, a story of two teen girls during their first year at college.

Snappy and fun, other reviewers have compared it to Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl. Raskin and Dunn are known for their ability to let humor coexist with serious topics—something definitely present in I Hate Everyone But You. If unwinding with a YA novel is one of your favorite pastimes, add I Hate Everyone But You to your pre (or post) finals reading list.

NOVEMBER 2017

“HANG ON ME” ST. VINCENT The jazzy, syrupy (in tempo, not tone) opening track for MASSEDUCTION, “Hang on Me” contributes to the newest album’s slow build. It eases the listener in slowly, preparing them for disco powerhouses like “Los Ageless” or the catchy, needling social commentary of “Pills.” It might not be the most exciting song on the album, but it has a reverent beauty, constructed through pleading vocals and notes of church bells. All those who liked “New York,” a previously released single from the album, will also appreciate this track.

KAITLYN HOFF

CULTURE SPORTS & REC

SENIOR AT H L E T E S P OT L I G H T

BY LILLY KASHISHIAN

Buy in, sell out.

Those four words describe the one piece of advice senior women’s basketball captain Kaitlyn Hoff would give to a student athlete.

“It took me two years to really buy in and sell out to what the basketball program is about,” says Hoff. “My first two years here, I was for lack of a better term, a headcase, because I focused way too much on myself and messing up. In a way that’s very selfish but it wasn’t because ‘Oh, I want to score points, I want to do better,’ it was because I felt like I wasn’t helping the team.”

“Over the years Kaitlyn has developed into a person that sees the bigger picture in life while still keeping her intensity and desire for excellence,” says women’s basketball head coach Mike Miller. “Kaitlyn cares deeply about the program, the history of the program and her teammates.”

Hoff began playing basketball when she was seven years old and decided her junior year of high school to pursue the sport at the collegiate level. After she was recruited by Messiah at a tournament, Hoff decided to commit to the program and school.

“Our coaching staff really wants to invest in our whole person and they tell us that when they recruit us,” Hoff says. “They say ‘We don’t care about you just as basketball players, we care about you as people' and really want to develop you spiritually and get you ready for the real world when you leave.”

“This is the smallest team I’ve been a part of since I’ve been here, but our team chemistry is really good on and off the court,” Hoff says.

In order to achieve great team chemistry, Hoff and her two fellow captains, Jen Fairbanks and Hannah Brown, came up with goals in the spring.

“As captains we sat down off the court and decided we want to be vulnerable and be there for our teammates and I think that is our biggest goal,” says Hoff.

Basketball is not all about the physical game. Hoff finds that spiritual life correlates with the game of basketball. Almost every week during the season, the captains run devotionals with the team.

“I think that in spiritual life and in basketball, there’s going to be bumps,” says Hoff.

“Like in basketball you don’t give up when you’re in a rut, and in your spiritual life you don’t give up. You talk to people, you continue to pray and worship Christ.”

As Hoff reflects with her last season approaching, she says she will miss the competition and her teammates the most.

“Every person talks about their senior season like ‘Oh, it’s the best!' says Hoff. “You can definitely be biased, but I’m being totally honest, this is the best team I’ve been a part of.”

What makes the upcoming season unique for Hoff and her teammates is that there are only 12 women rostered with no freshmen on the team.

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CULTURE SPORTS & REC

SPORTS SNOW SKI & RIDE CLUB

BY WILLIE HOPE, III

MESSIAH'S SKI AND RIDE CLUB TRIP | KILLINGTON, VERMONT | PHOTOS BY ETHAN JACOBY

NE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS OF SKIING IS BEING ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE ON THE MOUNTAIN; IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL AND PEACEFUL, THIS SHOWS ME HOW THANKFUL I AM FOR EVERYTHING THE LORD HAS GIVEN ME”, says Patrick

Amadon, vice president of the Ski and Ride Club here at Messiah.

As the trees become bare and temperatures drop, all activities shift inside. Basketball, swimming and wrestling are the main sports on tap at Messiah, but what about getting down in the snow this winter season?

“Ski and Ride Club is Messiah’s club for skiers and boarders of all kinds and skill levels,” says Adamon. “We love spending our time in God’s great, white, outdoors. We love to grow in the sport of skiing and snowboarding, getting better in our technique, skill and confidence.”

The club takes trips to local ski resorts, including Roundtop Mountain Resort, the closest one to Messiah.

“The Ski and Ride club is the best because every time you go to Roundtop with the squad, you know there’s at least a 60

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percent chance that someone’s just going to send it, every time,” exclaims Austin Kratz, president of the club.

“I love Roundtop Mountain. While it isn’t the biggest or most challenging mountain, it is a great place for me as a Messiah student to ski,” says Adamon. “I am able to get to the mountain in minutes and have a great afternoon with people I love.”

Other local ski and snow sports places include Liberty Mountain Resort in Fairfield, and Avalanche Xpress in York. Not only does the club travel locally, but also up and

down the east coast. The club is taking a trip over J-Term to Killington Mountain in Vermont for two days full of all things ski and board.

“Ski and Ride club is easy to get involved in, you just have to ski or snowboard or want to learn how to do one of the two,” says Adamon. “We are here to help you facilitate your love for the sport. We do this through helping students pay for ski passes and leading ski trips both locally and across the east coast.”

Skiing is just as much a love for the sport as it is a love of the outdoors, for many students.

“More than anything, skiing is a way I can enjoy and thank God for his beautiful creation and this life he has given me. I love the mornings when I can get up and go out into the cold clear day recognizing just how perfectly our world is put together thanks to His craftsmanship,” Amadon says.

So whether you’re looking for the exhilaration of skiing down the slopes, the thrill of learning how to snowboard or just that crisp winter air in your lungs, the Ski and Ride Club has the perfect opportunities for you.

CULTURE SPORTS & REC

Learning Again

BY LILLY KASHISHIAN

One Messiah Student’s Journey Rediscovering Life’s Simple Joys THE SWINGING BRIDGE

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CULTURE SPORTS & REC

“NEVER GIVE UP HOPE BECAUSE WHEN YOU PRAY AND BELIEVE, MIRACLES CAN HAPPEN,” says Ben Sawczuk, the first year manager for the men’s basketball team.

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W

hen Ben Sawczuk was just eight years old, he and his family vacationed to Bethany Beach in Delaware. On August 15, 2007, Sawczuk’s life changed forever.

“I was biking home from the beach and got hit by a car,” says Sawczuk. “Then I was medevaced to Johns Hopkins Hospital where I was in a coma for 32 days.”

While in a coma, it would be Sawczuk’s choice to wake up, if at all.

“All my parents could do is sit, pray and wait because the doctors said ‘We can’t do anything else, it’s up to him to wake up now” says Sawczuk. “Later that day, my parents got a phone call that I was awake.”

As a result of the accident, Sawczuk suffered damage to his frontal lobe, but most affected was his balance, coordination, memory, attention span and cognition.

Through intensive therapy at Kennedy Krieger Hospital, it took him about four months to relearn simple tasks such as breathing on his own, chewing, swallowing, walking and not mumbling when he spoke.

After more therapy and attending the school that was provided by Kennedy Krieger Hospital, the therapist, teachers and doctors cleared Sawczuk to go back to his public school at home.

“All my friends were happy to see me,” says Sawczuk.

“It meant the world to me because I knew they were by my side and were with me the whole time. I’m still close to most of them.”

Heading back into the school environment was difficult at times for Sawczuk when he was not able to participate in gym class due to his injuries.

“It was tough to watch all my friends be able to do things in gym class,” says Sawczuk. “They helped me through it and said I’d be back soon. Through therapy I started to gain more muscle and eventually I was able to get back in.”

After 6th grade, Sawczuk transferred to the Lab School of Washington, a private school for individuals with learning disabilities.

Sawczuk began playing for a community basketball recreation league in 8th grade. He tried out for the varsity basketball team his freshman year in high school, but did not make it. Rather than risk another brain injury, Sawczuk became the manager of the varsity team for four years.

CULTURE SPORTS & REC One of the programs the Lab School offered was an internship program. Sawczuk’s internship was with the men’s basketball program at American University.

“I would do their mail outs to all of their recruits,” says Sawczuk. “It really helped them with their recruiting process, which for a college basketball team is really important.”

In 11th grade, Sawczuk applied to Messiah but did not get in at first.

“I had a bunch of letters sent in on my behalf and had to retake the ACT,” says Sawczuk. “I think the letter the men’s basketball team at American University wrote for me was the deciding factor in me getting accepted here. Something I’ve realized is how many lives I’ve touched in the process and how many friends I’ve made.”

“I received an email from one of the assistant coaches at American who knew that Ben was going to be applying to Messiah College,” says Rick Van Pelt, men’s basketball head coach here at Messiah. “He told me a little about his story as well, so I connected with Ben’s family on the visit and spent some time with them. I encouraged him that if he did end up at Messiah, we would really want to make him a part of our team.” ”My first reaction after hearing his story was ‘That’s interesting that he went through that,’” says Josh Darville, a sophomore forward on the men’s basketball team. “It doesn’t even seem like anything happened because he doesn’t want to be defined by anything. He wants to be like anybody else.”

Now a manager for the men’s basketball team, Sawczuk is helping out at practices by making the sure the team stays on schedule.

“As we go, he’ll become more involved,” says Van Pelt.

“I’m hoping that he’ll keep our official book during the games, so he can travel with us to all of our games.”

It’s easy to take the simple things for granted, like being able to breathe on our own. Sometimes things really do happen for a reason; a reason we may not understand but we might be able to figure it out someday.

“I think if I didn’t get into my accident I wouldn’t have gone to the school that I did because you have to have a documented disability in order to go to the Lab,” says Sawczuk. “I probably would’ve gone to public school and none of this would have ever happened.”

BOTTOM PHOTO: BEN SAWCZUK (RIGHT) AND JOSH DARVILLE (LEFT)

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