Childrens Academy

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Originally uploaded by Julian Bach

What a spectacular culmination to an intense week of action! The children's academy wrapped up with an early morning wake-up by the girls and their air horns around 5am. I was exhausted from the night before, which least to say was more than I ever expected to experience! This amazing and deeply spiritual conversation was immediately put aside when a friend here let it be known to us that there was something very important on her mind that she needed us to hear. It is funny how tumultuous times can bring people even closer and form immediate bonds between people that only a moment before appeared to be out of the picture.

The counselors at the children's academy were all about my age, and at first it was tough to get to know them, as I was given the role of teacher and did not have much time to spend with them. I was gradually able to get to know a few of them, and almost overnight I began to make strong connections with all of them. It is really nice when so many people have such nice things to say about oneself, and there was no shortage of compliments coming from the youth here, attesting to what a great person I am! Really, I have a hard time sometimes understanding why people love me so much! I am just a guy trying to live his life in a decent way and do good things while I am at it. This shower of love that I am experiencing has reinforced the idea in my head that we are all one big family that is meant to love and to support each other no matter what. I feel that I have brothers and sisters here in CA, a place where when I first arrived I knew no one.

What a wonderful feeling it is to be so comfortable with someone, so at ease that you feel you could talk about anything all night long with them. I met someone here who I admire so much that it hurts, and who I already care for so much that it scares me. It is going to be very hard to leave here, but I feel confidant that if I rely on God and trust that He has a plan that things will work out how they should. I will most definately miss this place and all the amazing memories here, but I am also very hopeful and excited for the future and am ready to get back to NC and start back working where I left off!

The only logical explanation of why I have been experiencing what I have is that when one immerses him/herself in the Word of God and lives his/her life according to the laws of God, he or she is rewarded in ways that were not expected! Truly, you could not give me any amount of money or sum of wealth or fame in exchange for the feeling of genuine love and friendship that is present in my life today. I feel deep spiritual connections with the people here, ones that I know will without a doubt last for a very long time.