I’ll Make a Man Out of You – Disney

Hah, you who are Freedies should have known I’d use this song.

You who are not, Freedies have a tendency to sporadically burst into song, usually Disney or Journey. This is one of the more popular songs and one in which is fun to sing when you have a decent sized group of people to sing it with. ^_^
Besides that, when I stop to think about it, this song fits pretty well with the topic.

Now, to the heart of the matter.
This is the second post today. Yayness. I was going to add this to the last post, but I realized that Freedies deserve their own space. Freedies are naturally a distinct group of people.

I think what I’ve come to realize is, most Freedies are students at Freed, but not all students at Freed are Freedies.

There is something special about this group of individuals. Something that sets them apart.
Certainly, Freedies know how to have fun. They’ll be the ones making the late night trips to Waffle House, having epic battles in the Wal-Mart toy sections, and asking for curfew extensions to make a last minute run to Wal-Mart for a fishbowl. Carnivals, Slip-n-Slides, Disney movie nights, Boog Busting, Makin’ Music, retreats, banquets, club cheers, intramurals, not to mention the million and one times the lion has been painted, just married pranks, and the suchlike are not uncommon on and around campus.

Even so, Freedies have a serious side too. They are devoted to helping people grow spiritually, academically, physically, and socially. They are dedicated to helping those around them as well as improving themselves in these areas. Freedies strive for a purpose greater than themselves. In dire times, they rise to the challenge, even without being asked. They go on mission trips (stateside and abroad), raise money, raise awareness, and donate both resources and time to disaster relief projects. They give of themselves freely in order to serve God and their fellow man.

I got the chance to work with a group of Freedies yesterday. We helped clean out trees from out and around a destroyed house. Two severely bent trees were the only things supporting what was left of it. The chaos was incredible.




Driving down the road, one could see a few perfectly untouched houses, but then come across what can only be assumed was a house because of all the debris. One part of town, perfectly fine, the other part of town, demolished. It wasn’t just a straight line of destruction either. The town we were working in had hills and valleys, which apparently created multiple vortexes (at least, I think that’s what the biochem major of the group said… something along those lines anyway). There was one place where a whole hillside where the trees were stripped, broken, or missing, yet in the midst of it stood an entirely whole house. With the house we were working on, one would move a log, a piece of roof, some branches, and decapitated doll to find a box of unbroken china. One tree that was moved had a shingle embedded in it. Of course, this is all coming from someone whose only experience with tornadoes came from watching Wizard of Oz for most of her life… but still, that’s got to be impressive by anyone’s standards. When they’re talking winds beyond 250 MPH, you know it’s bad. Even so, there are places that have had it far worse. The death toll increases and there are still many people unaccounted for. Jobs, homes, and lives have been lost.

We rise to the challenge. Ready, willing, and able to serve.

I was only there one day, but that message rang loud and clear. Now that I think back, there were many times that this message was presented directly to me and around me. I regret being too caught up in my own life to see the message sooner. I was so caught up with what I was supposed to be doing, that I failed to just relax, leave it in God’s hands, and do what I do best: do my best and serve others.

Freedies made me proud yesterday. I didn’t know all of them that well (the ones I did know were only familiar through Makin’ Music), but it didn’t matter. We were all there with the same goal: to help people in need.



Yesterday morning, I was waiting for a call. It was a call from a mother telling me she was on her way to pick me up and take me to the work site. I was impatient. I was excited. I was ready. I wanted more than anything to get over there as soon as possible so I could do as much good as I possibly could. All that was running through my mind was Isaiah’s response to God’s call, “Here am I; send me” (Isa. 5:8). Why aren’t we all that excited about God’s call? He has called every one of us: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Why aren’t we all as eager and willing as we should be?
In the end, I don’t think we did as much as we would have liked, despite doing a lot. We all came back looking nasty, feeling worn, and smelling like smoke, but we did all we could do for that area. It will take time for a broken place to heal.

~ Strength and Honor ~

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye

It never fails, I always think of “Remember the Titans” when I hear this song. Which of course reminds me of my family.
I’m going home. It feels good to just to say it, even if it is only to myself every now and then.

It seems that it’s only when things slow down that they start to sink in. I was at a friend’s high school shindig on Friday night (I left Freed that morning) and I realized that I was subconsciously expecting to see Freedies. I guess in order to make up for that, my mind started playing FHU club cheers on repeat. I’m still adjusting to being away from Freed, apparently. It’s hard to believe I’ve been here a whole school year. My freshman year has passed fairly well. I made new friends, made some mistakes, learned life lessons, won a few victories, and lost a few battles along the way. And this was all compacted into one school year. Inconceivable!

Same issues, altered perspectives and updates: It’s still rock and roll to me.

What’s the matter with the clothes I’m wearing?
I’m fairly certain my style has changed a little since being in the states. I still pretty much wear jeans and t-shirt weekdays and a dress or skirt on Sundays, but now that’s not all my wardrobe consists of. Even I’m shocked.

What’s the matter with the car I’m driving?
I got to go driving twice in the past week. It hasn’t been too hard getting rides to places, it has been a little inconvenient when you can’t find a ride and you have to ask someone new. That’s probably just me though. *shrugs* I still miss my family’s van. Nothing can compare to that two ton mass of metal and power. I may yet figure out a way to get to my baby without too much hassle, assuming the gas prices ever take a nosedive over the next couple years.

Don’t waste your money on a new set of speakers. You get more mileage from a cheap pair of sneakers.
Last point confirmed.

What’s the matter with the crowd I’m seeing?
I have friends. I have a lot of friends. I have friends all over the world. It’s both astounding and encouraging to think about when you’re in a new place. Somewhere between last semester and this semester, I’ve become more social. I don’t know what the deal is, but apparently it’s a good thing… dependent on the crowd, of course.

Should I try to be a straight A student? If you are then you think too much.
There are certain areas that I want to be perfect. Grades are one of them. Whereas last semester I had good grades and almost no social life… I got the social life part this semester. You can guess what that led to, academically speaking. Ah well, let’s assume I’m going to be working harder next semester, because I plan on it. Along that line, I’m hoping for an actual job as well, so we’ll see how that goes.

Until the Lord comes, the world keeps spinning. People are still people. Situations don’t change. People don’t change. How you deal with them changes.

~ Always Hope ~