Day 5

Special visitors!

 

      It is 11:43 pm and we are just about to leave the chapel. We arrived at 8:00 am and have worked non-stop. I can't express how amazing the attendance and participation of Jeff Brownlow and Spencer Wilcox has been for the students. I am so thankful for their willingness to serve the people that they have learned to love since the days of their missions. Thus, the first week of class has come to a great conclusion! We still have a whole week left, and will go out to visit many of the different businesses of the students, but the students have already had life-changing experiences and they have begun seeing great results from their new perspectives. The students are pumped, excited, and incredibly filled with hope! They are invigorated and their self confidence have helped them raise over $1,100 USD in cash in one week—and it all came from 9 rocks and a willingness to make a change in habits, beliefs, and traditions! On Monday of next week, each of you will receive a financial report (created by Lars Hamilton, who has been absolutely productive) along with a detailed explanation of the Rock Project; this will help each of you better understand how these students have begun to correlate everything they are learning with their rock activity.


      We started the morning with a presentation from Jesus Gonzales. He was the man who received 3 hours of one-on-one instruction from Jeff.  Then we had an outstanding presentation regarding systems and logistics by Rebecca. She joined us via SKYPE and the students sat and marveled at her excellent Spanish. One of Rebecca's gifts is taking a complex system and delivering it to the students in a simple, yet relevant, manner.


All of the students were able to apply the power point to their own life/business. They were appreciative of Rebecca's time, especially since these past few days have been a struggle with the pregnancy. Thank you Rebecca, we love you so much, and I know that the students were richly blessed because of your willingness to serve, today.


      Lars Hamilton gave an exceptional lecture and class activity on “Differentiation”. This picture helped elaborate his point and the students walked away from the activity completely excited. They realized just how crucial this Rule of Thumb really is and they brainstormed ways that they could put it into practice. Lars has really been outstanding during this process. His talents and love for the people qualify him, and the Lord has blessed him with a great ability to teach. The students adore Lars and they respect him immensely.


      Matt Gunn has also been a great help for me this week. He works with the groups, participates, adds great insights and has a deep appreciation for the people. He is incredibly humble and definitely brings a needed personality to the group. I hope he is learning from the curriculum as much as the students and I are learning from him. He is such a great guy and he has so many insights. His love for the people is evident each day.


      Spencer Wilcox is a working machine. His innovations, thoughts, ideas, and concerns force me to think more about how efficient we are being. I am so thankful that he can assess the situation and find creative ways to enhance the learning of each student. The students seek Spencer and want to hear his wisdom. They are definitely inspired by Spencer's confidence and desire to help them.


The team for this week has been incredible. I am thankful that each of these men has come to serve the people they love. I am grateful for each of you donors, supporters, and participants and for your great examples. Each day we create more and more momentum and the students are taking full advantage of each minute. They are eager to learn. They want to grow. They know that they have to improve and they are willing to do so. The attitudes of the students only increase the synergy of the class! What an awesome adventure!


(Celebrating Matt’s Birthday)