What a great weekend here at Redeemer! The weather was beautiful and it was so nice and relaxing. Right now is the period of the semester when people really start to do papers and get their homework done, but on Sunday afternoon, not too many people were doing homework. It was a gorgeous afternoon, it was way to hard to stay inside and get things done.
The afternoon had some sweet events going on. The first was Kid's Club Day. All the kids from Kids Club on Tuesday and Thursday (separate groups) came to Redeemer for the afternoon. There were about 30 of them from down the mountain in Hamilton. They came here all on a bus and when they got here they headed to the rec centre for some games and for a hot dog lunch. After lunch they headed out to a couple dorms in smaller groups and did some Easter egg hunting! From there they headed to the gym to see a sweet presentation by a Mad Scientist. He taught them how to make slime (uh oh for us leaders) and showed them lots of cool things about science. Then they played games in the gym until it was time to go home, the afternoon lasted about 4 hours.
Another thing that happened Sunday afternoon was some pick up soccer behind Augustine Hall. It was a little muddy but that made it all the better. We had around 40 people come out to hang out and have fun. We played soccer and listened to some live music from some on campus musicians jamming outside in the sun. It was tons of fun! All over campus people were outside in shorts and t-shirts playing games, soaking up the sun, and hanging out.. what a good Sunday afternoon before a great Church in the Box that evening!
3.17.2009
3.12.2009
And the Year Winds Down.....
Well, the Redeemer banquet has come and gone (in fact, there are pictures all over facebook to prove it). I really enjoyed myself - it's always fun to get the community together for a delicious meal followed by some dancing and mingling. The banquet also gives the girls an excuse to dress up and buy a cute dress, so really it's just a win-win situation all around. The banquet hall was gorgeously decorated, and the annual dance off competition was, as to be expected, highly impressive. After watching two students perfect the art of swing dancing, I was quite inspired to learn some new moves myself - unfortunately my coordination is lacking in that department. We were also treated to some break dancing, which was also extremely impressive. It was so much fun to celebrate the hidden talent of Redeemer students.
For me, the banquet sort of marks the beginning of that "end of the year" feeling. Suddenly, exams don't seem like a foggy, far away idea - and those huge papers no longer loom distantly in the horizon. Yes, it is a little scary. However, I know that stressing about it won't help the situation either, so I'll try to remain positive. It's hard to imagine that as a third year student next year, I will no longer be living on campus. I am super excited to live in a house with some of my best friends in Ancaster- however, I will miss campus life a little bit. Truth be told, it has been quite fabulous. A few of the perks include: dorm dinners, communal, sitting outside in the sun with our neighbors, being able to stroll over to Williams whenever I feel like it and movie nights at Augustine Hall. Oh, I almost forgot, being able to take naps between classes is also an added bonus of dorm life - something that often helps me get through the day...hehe.
To end, I think I will list a few goals for next year: getting involved in the city of Hamilton, writing for the school newspaper, balancing homework with an on campus job and participating in class discussions. I guess I could strive to meet these goals right now, why wait for third year right?
Well, I guess that's all for now guys. Thanks for reading!
For me, the banquet sort of marks the beginning of that "end of the year" feeling. Suddenly, exams don't seem like a foggy, far away idea - and those huge papers no longer loom distantly in the horizon. Yes, it is a little scary. However, I know that stressing about it won't help the situation either, so I'll try to remain positive. It's hard to imagine that as a third year student next year, I will no longer be living on campus. I am super excited to live in a house with some of my best friends in Ancaster- however, I will miss campus life a little bit. Truth be told, it has been quite fabulous. A few of the perks include: dorm dinners, communal, sitting outside in the sun with our neighbors, being able to stroll over to Williams whenever I feel like it and movie nights at Augustine Hall. Oh, I almost forgot, being able to take naps between classes is also an added bonus of dorm life - something that often helps me get through the day...hehe.
To end, I think I will list a few goals for next year: getting involved in the city of Hamilton, writing for the school newspaper, balancing homework with an on campus job and participating in class discussions. I guess I could strive to meet these goals right now, why wait for third year right?
Well, I guess that's all for now guys. Thanks for reading!
3.03.2009
Guys Night
This past weekend was sweet! On Friday night I headed out to the theaters close to Redeemer with some guys and saw a movie, and then after that around 12am a brand new event started in the Rec Centre: Manfest.
I know the name sounds weird but the event was far from it. The purpose of it was to build community amongst the guys here on campus and to just have a lot of fun hanging out and playing all sorts of games. The night went like this, from about 12 -43o ish in the morning we hung out in the Rec Centre (a building Redeemer has for sweet events and hanging out) and had pizza and pop and snacks and played games. We had three on three soccer tournaments in the upstairs with a small ball so nothing would get broken, and 8 person Halo 3 games, mario kart, pool, board games, and music! It was a lot of fun just getting the chance to hang out with guys and play games and such. Definitely a memorable event and I will definitely be going again next year!
I know the name sounds weird but the event was far from it. The purpose of it was to build community amongst the guys here on campus and to just have a lot of fun hanging out and playing all sorts of games. The night went like this, from about 12 -43o ish in the morning we hung out in the Rec Centre (a building Redeemer has for sweet events and hanging out) and had pizza and pop and snacks and played games. We had three on three soccer tournaments in the upstairs with a small ball so nothing would get broken, and 8 person Halo 3 games, mario kart, pool, board games, and music! It was a lot of fun just getting the chance to hang out with guys and play games and such. Definitely a memorable event and I will definitely be going again next year!
2.12.2009
the first half of 2nd semester
Hello fellow Redeemer readers and students!
The Social Justice Conference was a worthwhile event too. I would highly recommend it! Some of the information was difficult to digest, and we all came back to the dorm with a lot to think about and mull over. The seminars addressed HUGE issues like poverty, slavery and the aids crisis. While it is easy to feel overwhelmed, helpless and guilty when we are presented with such difficult material, we must work hard to take what we've learned and apply it to our daily lives. It encouraged me to open my eyes and become more aware of the suffering that happens around me.
I find it hard to believe that it's February already! Second semester is just flying by. I wrote my last midterm today, and it feels really nice to know that I have a week ahead of me to just relax and catch up with family and friends. So, in light of that, it seems only fitting to take a moment and reflect on the highlights of the past two months. The start of the 2009 winter term was excellent. I found the Crossroads conference really interesting, and it left me with a lot of new ideas to chew on. I think it was a good way to set the wheels of my brain in motion. I am not a philosophy major, but I think it can be a really engaging subject. I was really impressed by the variety of speakers that Redeemer hosted. A personal highlight for me was Calvin Seerveld's lecture about art and its role in our culture. I can only hope to absorb some of his wisdom, and apply it to whatever creative assignments that might come my way.
The Social Justice Conference was a worthwhile event too. I would highly recommend it! Some of the information was difficult to digest, and we all came back to the dorm with a lot to think about and mull over. The seminars addressed HUGE issues like poverty, slavery and the aids crisis. While it is easy to feel overwhelmed, helpless and guilty when we are presented with such difficult material, we must work hard to take what we've learned and apply it to our daily lives. It encouraged me to open my eyes and become more aware of the suffering that happens around me.
February has proven to be a pretty exciting month too. Redeemer's Fiddler on the Roof was fantastic. Wow, what an amazing performance! the singing, the choreography, the acting -- all of it was splendid! I was completely blown away. Professor Loney is quite an actor and the rest of the cast was fabulous too.
All in all, it's been a busy but enjoyable few weeks. I hope everyone has a wonderful and rest-filled reading break!
zoom zoom
Tonight was a fun night. It was the last home volleyball game of the regular season and our men's team did very well and beat Humber in 4 sets - it was a pretty amazing game. I love Wednesday's in general though. Somehow I managed to get a really good schedule this semester, and all my regular classes are done by Wednesday afternoon. Tomorrow, I have my internship and then my reading break starts.
The last few weeks have been crazy, not just for me I think. January is always booked solid with events, conferences, and social activity and, if you are not mindful of it, mid-terms and other schoolwork sneaks up on you. Luckily things have been going quite well this semester nonetheless, and, even though I have had a very busy January, I really have been able to enjoy it.
Reading break should be a lot of fun. First, I get to visit some of my family and then most of next week will hopefully be spent snowboarding in Quebec! A bunch of my friends are heading to Mexico, Mississippi, or downtown Hamilton for mission trips and secretly that also sounds like a very great idea. But, I think I am not in a place to complain.
It is ridiculous how quickly this semester has gone, I can't believe it is the middle of the term. Before I know it I will be graduating...
The last few weeks have been crazy, not just for me I think. January is always booked solid with events, conferences, and social activity and, if you are not mindful of it, mid-terms and other schoolwork sneaks up on you. Luckily things have been going quite well this semester nonetheless, and, even though I have had a very busy January, I really have been able to enjoy it.
Reading break should be a lot of fun. First, I get to visit some of my family and then most of next week will hopefully be spent snowboarding in Quebec! A bunch of my friends are heading to Mexico, Mississippi, or downtown Hamilton for mission trips and secretly that also sounds like a very great idea. But, I think I am not in a place to complain.
It is ridiculous how quickly this semester has gone, I can't believe it is the middle of the term. Before I know it I will be graduating...
2.10.2009
Eventful Moments on Redeemer Campus
As we continue through our “new” semester, new activities keep popping up all around us. This week our school features the traditional “Angels and Mortals”. This is where anyone in the school, professors, staff members and students have a name or a mortal. During the week, you get to bless your mortal with cool things like letters, cards, candy, serenading or anything else you can think of.In return, you are blessed with the exact same things from your person (your angel).Once again, I am amazed at the school spirit and hope that this will be able to continue for many years to come.
As this week winds down and midterms start coming to a close; other exciting things are coming into arms reach. Reading break starts this Friday and with that comes the start of various mission trips to Hamilton, Mexico, and Mississippi. I am sure there are going to be a lot of exciting stories floating around campus in a couple weeks when everyone returns from their adventures.
As this week winds down and midterms start coming to a close; other exciting things are coming into arms reach. Reading break starts this Friday and with that comes the start of various mission trips to Hamilton, Mexico, and Mississippi. I am sure there are going to be a lot of exciting stories floating around campus in a couple weeks when everyone returns from their adventures.
2.05.2009
february comes already.
Everyone thinks that when they get to the new semester everything is going to be less chaotic; less homework to do and more time to hang out and see people after the Christmas break. You think you have all the time in the world, professors won't actually give you an assignment the first week, but then the second semester begins, reality hits, and chaos returns; all of a sudden you have assignment after assignment and time seems to disappear. Now it is February, midterms are starting and everyone seems to retreat to the library as some sort of shelter, anticipating the upcoming "reading" week that February brings.
But, let's face it, it's not always just homework and assignments, we do find different ways to entertain ourselves. Every Friday night, my friends and I make our way out to the hockey game to support the Redeemer Royals. Hardcore fans, such as ourselves, stop by Timmy H on the way and bring mountains of blankets to warm ourselves as we cheer on the team. (just so you know, they won 5-3 this past week...)
But, let's face it, it's not always just homework and assignments, we do find different ways to entertain ourselves. Every Friday night, my friends and I make our way out to the hockey game to support the Redeemer Royals. Hardcore fans, such as ourselves, stop by Timmy H on the way and bring mountains of blankets to warm ourselves as we cheer on the team. (just so you know, they won 5-3 this past week...)
Now, as this week seems to be ending, we look forward to the weekend as it will be filled with sleep, socializing, a little homework, and the most exciting part of the month and the weekend, in my opinion, Church in the Box.
2.02.2009
Winter Retreat
Wow! What a great weekend! This past weekend an event was put on by the SASC crew (a part of student senate involved in the spiritual lives of the students at Redeemer) called the Winter Retreat. The Winter Retreat is put on once a year and is one of two annual retreats put on by SASC. This year the Retreat was held at a camp in Guelph and about 80 students were there.
We left on Friday night around 5:30 in two buses and when we arrived and had all our stuff in our cabins we had the first worship session. A band from Redeemer called Alpha Praise played several songs and then we had a Redeemer Alumni named Steven speak to us about Community and about Paul's Epistles. He asked us to think about what we think Paul would write to Redeemer if he were writing a letter to Redeemer. It was sweet meeting with small groups and discussing that. After the talk and small groups and some more praise and worship we just played games until late in the morning. Friday night was definitely a sweet night.
Saturday morning came and we pulled ourselves out of bed to get some breakfast (there were some sweet muffins to look forward to but they decided to save them for Sunday but we didn't know that until we got to breakfast). After breakfast we had Praise and Worship time again and then another Redeemer Alumni talked to us. His talk was about Fears and Worries and not letting them getting in the way of our Relationship with God. He encouraged us to go to people and to open up with our fears and our worries and with things that we are struggling with. He also said to not ever think that we are all alone. There are always people there to help if we ask for it and God is ALWAYS there! After small groups we had lunch and then after lunch we played games in the snow all afternoon.
On Saturday night we had another session and this one was also done by a Redeemer Alumni and he talked about having faith in God, and to not doubt who he is. He also talked about maintaining excitement in our faith, to read the bible in the excited manner that Children always do, believing the stories that we read and being excited about how they happen. After that we had small groups and such again and then games until the wee hours of the morning .. just having tons of fun and lots of good conversation with others.
Sunday morning we had a different kind of session, there was no speaker but instead we split up into girls and guys and had our own separate discussions. As guys we talked about leadership and how we can be Christian leaders in many different situations, and also how we can promote leadership among our girl friends. All in all it was an amazing weekend! There is so much more than this!
We left on Friday night around 5:30 in two buses and when we arrived and had all our stuff in our cabins we had the first worship session. A band from Redeemer called Alpha Praise played several songs and then we had a Redeemer Alumni named Steven speak to us about Community and about Paul's Epistles. He asked us to think about what we think Paul would write to Redeemer if he were writing a letter to Redeemer. It was sweet meeting with small groups and discussing that. After the talk and small groups and some more praise and worship we just played games until late in the morning. Friday night was definitely a sweet night.
Saturday morning came and we pulled ourselves out of bed to get some breakfast (there were some sweet muffins to look forward to but they decided to save them for Sunday but we didn't know that until we got to breakfast). After breakfast we had Praise and Worship time again and then another Redeemer Alumni talked to us. His talk was about Fears and Worries and not letting them getting in the way of our Relationship with God. He encouraged us to go to people and to open up with our fears and our worries and with things that we are struggling with. He also said to not ever think that we are all alone. There are always people there to help if we ask for it and God is ALWAYS there! After small groups we had lunch and then after lunch we played games in the snow all afternoon.
On Saturday night we had another session and this one was also done by a Redeemer Alumni and he talked about having faith in God, and to not doubt who he is. He also talked about maintaining excitement in our faith, to read the bible in the excited manner that Children always do, believing the stories that we read and being excited about how they happen. After that we had small groups and such again and then games until the wee hours of the morning .. just having tons of fun and lots of good conversation with others.
Sunday morning we had a different kind of session, there was no speaker but instead we split up into girls and guys and had our own separate discussions. As guys we talked about leadership and how we can be Christian leaders in many different situations, and also how we can promote leadership among our girl friends. All in all it was an amazing weekend! There is so much more than this!
1.13.2009
Crossroads (not the movie with Britney Spears, but the conference)
Well, normally the start of second semester is a time to adjust, get ready to get back into the swing of things. Well, it seems like things were a bit different this semester, and somewhat surprisingly it is already the middle of the second week of school. One strange fact is that this is my last semester at Redeemer, it is weird knowing that these classes are the last ones I will be taking at Redeemer, yet it is neat how this time has almost come to a completion.
Outside of phenomenal classes (and I am not just saying that) this first week was marked by many lectures and opportunities to learn from really wise people. Redeemer had the privilege to host a conference called Living at the Crossroads. This conference, quite simply put, asked questions on how we as Christians are to live out our faith within our callings. Whether that is a student who is majoring in Psychology or a business man running their own business: what does God call us to do. Time and time again, one idea was kind of given as a reminder - the idea that Christ has something to say about all that we do. We can't ignore him within our work or study, in fact, we ought to work from a Christian viewpoint. The conference was really encouraging for me as it kind of encouraged me to think critically again about some of the things I have been studying, it was very refreshing.
Besides the conference, this weekend was also marked by a Church in the Box service, Mike Goheen, a former Redeemer prof., spoke and he really encouraged us as community to live out our faith to the fullest, not just when it is easy.
All in all the winter semester has come and is in full swing. Lots of snow! We went out for dinner as a dorm. This week starts a week of 24/7 prayer and so many events are still to come. January is always an exciting time to be at school.
Outside of phenomenal classes (and I am not just saying that) this first week was marked by many lectures and opportunities to learn from really wise people. Redeemer had the privilege to host a conference called Living at the Crossroads. This conference, quite simply put, asked questions on how we as Christians are to live out our faith within our callings. Whether that is a student who is majoring in Psychology or a business man running their own business: what does God call us to do. Time and time again, one idea was kind of given as a reminder - the idea that Christ has something to say about all that we do. We can't ignore him within our work or study, in fact, we ought to work from a Christian viewpoint. The conference was really encouraging for me as it kind of encouraged me to think critically again about some of the things I have been studying, it was very refreshing.
Besides the conference, this weekend was also marked by a Church in the Box service, Mike Goheen, a former Redeemer prof., spoke and he really encouraged us as community to live out our faith to the fullest, not just when it is easy.
All in all the winter semester has come and is in full swing. Lots of snow! We went out for dinner as a dorm. This week starts a week of 24/7 prayer and so many events are still to come. January is always an exciting time to be at school.
1.11.2009
Schools Back!
Wow! This first week back to school has been great so far! Second semester is off to a roaring start. Some things that I am up to this semester are: Varsity Indoor Soccer, Thursday night Soccer, Church in the Box prayer group, Kid's Club program on Tuesdays, snowboarding (in the orchard behind the school), and getting to know more people and getting to know friends even better!
I am really excited for what this semester will bring. Redeemer has a lot of stuff that you can get involved in. There are many extra-curricular activities that anyone can get involved in. Coming up there is a Volunteer Social where people can come and check out the programs that people from Redeemer are involved in here around the school and also in the Ancaster and Hamilton communities.
As for sports this semester there is still men and women's volleyball, men and women's basketball, and men and women's indoor soccer. There are also other non-varsity sports like the Thursday night soccer league that people from Redeemer can play in just for fun, and extramurals like badminton, where people can just play badminton and then go to tournaments to compete against other schools. And don't forget intramurals! Mattball is just finishing and I think that volleyball might be next!
There is definitely a lot of stuff to look forward to this semester at Redeemer, I hope that it's a lot of fun!
I am really excited for what this semester will bring. Redeemer has a lot of stuff that you can get involved in. There are many extra-curricular activities that anyone can get involved in. Coming up there is a Volunteer Social where people can come and check out the programs that people from Redeemer are involved in here around the school and also in the Ancaster and Hamilton communities.
As for sports this semester there is still men and women's volleyball, men and women's basketball, and men and women's indoor soccer. There are also other non-varsity sports like the Thursday night soccer league that people from Redeemer can play in just for fun, and extramurals like badminton, where people can just play badminton and then go to tournaments to compete against other schools. And don't forget intramurals! Mattball is just finishing and I think that volleyball might be next!
There is definitely a lot of stuff to look forward to this semester at Redeemer, I hope that it's a lot of fun!
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