Dear Summer of ‘24,
The person who walked that stretch of sidewalk spread between The Wyrtzen Center parking lot and the Huskies Health and Athletics Center at the beginning of Opening Weekend would not believe the year ahead or the change they would see in themselves when it came to a close. As I spent many afternoons sitting at that trusty Dell desktop in the middle of the Marketing Office, I sought to put a year of events and memories into words, hoping they might be able to describe even a sliver of the unique season we had the opportunity to experience together. Looking back, I see this year was one of high mountaintops but also of deep ravines. That seems to be the way of life, doesn’t it? Our lives often have a crazy cycle of ups and downs as we are whisked through stages of surprising unknowns, slow waiting periods, and anticipated adventures. However, I truly believe it is these twists and turns we find ourselves navigating along the way that foster the most potential for growth. It is the hard moments—the times when we are discouraged beyond what we think we can handle but then manage to reach that one last inch we need to pull ourselves back up again, that are the
most beautiful. It is those moments which characterize the reality of striving with endurance, of persisting with resilience. Throughout a year of intense academics, ministry, and service, we were regularly reminded of the theme our year was branded with— RESILIENCE. In the heart of 1 Corinthians 15:57-58, we were encouraged to see the victory we have already won through Jesus Christ. It is with the knowledge of this victory that we can find the strength to be “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord [our] labor is not in vain.” We know how the story ends; we have already read the last chapter. All that is left for us to do is trust in the same God who created each of us so intricately that he knows the number of hairs on our heads and loves us more than we could begin to comprehend. Whether in classes, ministries, chapels, or service assignments, we saw a year filled to the brim with worship as our student body thirsted to learn more about and grow closer to the Lord. I saw Him working through this eagerness as the gospel was taken from places as close as our very own campus, to the streets of New York City, all the way to countries like Romania and Uganda. Together we hosted high-
181
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker