-^-for posterity-^-

i really should write something here.

i'm in akron pa for mcc orientation. they keep us very busy and the rest of the time is spent getting to know people that are just like you in many different ways. we're all brought here because of similar reasons.

we begin our day with devotions. that involves a lot of reflecting and thinking and feeling about what god means. passages and poems and prayres are all incorporated and the lady that leads it is very flexible. she is very inclusive and does not hold to any rigid definition of who or what god is. we have a fairly diverse definition of what god is among the group. i got into a discussion with some guy and he kept talking about the blood of christ, the suffering of chirst, the death, the suffering, the blood, the suffering and the blood. i find myself at quite a different place. i find myself working through a myriad of problems and understanding what god means to me in a number of different ways. initially, i learned, or rather, came to realize that the ways in which we all perceive god are very different. i have learned that this group of people, while they are similar, feel god in many different ways. in the end, devotions is much more rewarding that previously expected.

we then have someone speak. yesterday it was people speaking about the structure of mcc. it felt like i was really getting involved with an organization that has had much history and is well organized and not too centralized. the phrase mennonite central committee should be rephrased to mennonite decentralized committee. but then you would have to change all of the shirts and pot-holders. today we heard from mrs. amstutz (spelled horribly i believe). she talked about non-violent protest. she talked about peopel being non-violent warriors and fighting with non-violence. it's not about being passive but it's about activly engaging injustice and pushing it. violence says that we will make you suffer more than us and you will therefore cry "uncle" and we will have won. that is the basis of war. non-violent action is saying that we can suffer more than you and that your violent ways are not effective/affective at all.

the food is great. haha.

my roommate is a guy named lenny who is from cleveland. there goes dad's theory of it being the meat canner guy. (by the way, the meat canner drivers are a strange breed) lenny is going back to work with a community center of some sort. he's a really good guy. the way that mcc has their buildings set up is also incredible. the showers are just like a barn. there's no barrier between the shower and the bathroom floor. there is just a drain in the floor and a squeegee with which to move all of the water. the bathroom door is large and it slides back and forth suspended above the ground like a sliding barn door.

i'm doing well and will have a hard time leaving orientation. i'm meeting people that i really resonate with. most of us are very very very similar adn we are also getting to know each other very quickly. i'm very excited.