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Working in the Accounting Department

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Author: Kaleb Johnson | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23

Estimated reading time: 4 min.

Accounting is a complex sector of business operations. Here is a look at the students who work there for their work/study position.

The Living Education program aims to provide students with valuable work experience and also assist the Church in doing God’s Work. Part of doing God’s Work involves accounting, which is very complex in modern times. Thus, having students work part-time is a great benefit to the Accounting Department, and it also gives students valuable experience that is in high-demand in the working world. This year, Kezia Ciesielka and Rachel Price are working in the Accounting Department!

Kezia Ciesielka is an Accounting Clerk and processes invoices and reimbursements.

Kezia is a Student Leader in her second year at Living Education. She works both as an Accounting Clerk and as a Resident Assistant, but this article focuses on her work in the Accounting Department. Due to her class schedule, she works 30 hours a week—the typical first year student only works 20 hours a week. She is considering studying accounting and is using this opportunity to experience the field, learning the ins and outs of businesses and accounting systems and using software like Great Plains and Kwiktag. 

Kezia’s Main Roles in the Accounting Department

  • Processing invoices 
  • Ensuring expenditures come from correct accounts
  • Reviewing reimbursement requests
  • Classifying expenses

Most fun part of the job? “Getting to sit down, with a good bit of things to go through, when you’re not super-stressed out because it needs to be done super-quick, with your cup of tea, and make sure everything is in the right spot. It is very satisfying because everything goes where it belongs.” 

Most challenging part of the job? “When we are coming up on a deadline and you think, There is no way I can do this all, and it all has to be done exactly correctly, because if I mess up, this is money we’re talking about; I can’t mess up. But then I just tell myself, I can only do what I can do.”

Rachel Price works as an Archivist, primarily creating digital copies of legal documents. 

Rachel Price is a first year student who works almost entirely in the Accounting Department, though she does assist in the Mail Processing Department when they are busy. In Accounting, she is currently  working on a multi-year project that involves taking old paper documents and scanning them and organizing them so they can be readily accessed. She works primarily in her office with Scanly—that’s what she named the scanner—and Patrick, who once was a possum but now is only a possum hide (she got him for the Renaissance fair; it’s a whole thing). 

Rachel Price’s Main Roles in the Accounting Department

  • Scanning documents 
  • Sorting paper documents
  • Organizing digital copies
  • Cleaning the count room 

Most fun part of the job? “Cleaning the count room! It’s nice because you get up and move around, polish that table, and make it shiny.”

Most challenging part of the job? “Not shutting your brain off, because you are scanning and that’s a very mundane activity, but you really can’t just shut off your brain while you’re doing it, because you are naming these files, and if you name it wrong, it’ll be really hard to find; that’ll just bring issues in the future if it’s ever needed.”

Final Details Before We Wrap Up

In going through all these departments, I find it remarkable how the Church integrates a fluctuating number of students every year so fluidly. No one is sitting around; no one is unused. Every department has basic work that able-bodied and minded students are able to accomplish, freeing up the more experienced employees to work on longer-term improvement projects. The Accounting Department typifies this exquisitely. Here there are two students, collectively working 50 man-hours a week, who enable the Accounting Department to improve its archival system and handle invoices quicker, and the students get valuable work-experience at the same time. The work/study system is quite remarkable! 

We posted a similar article highlighting the students who work in the following departments: Mail Processing, Maintenance, and Living Education. Check those out if you are interested in learning more!

Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.

More Reasons We Pray

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This excerpt highlights key elements answering “why pray?” from Mr. Richard Ames’ article, “Prayer: Our Lifeline to God”.

Course Spotlight from Tools for Christian Growth: Prayer
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Working in the Mail Processing Department

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Author: Kaleb Johnson | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23

Estimated reading time: 3 min.

Here’s a look at the students who work in the Mail Processing Department for the Living Education work/study program. 

The Mail Processing Department (MPD) forms a critical part of the Work. MPD sends out booklets, semi-annual letters, Bible Study Course lessons, and Tomorrow’s World magazines to thousands of people worldwide. The department ensures that everyone receives their literature in a timely manner and reduces cost wherever possible to help God’s Work be efficient and effective. This year, two students work in the MPD: Dawn Rude and Jontavius Mincey.

Jontavius Mincey works as a Mail Clerk Assistant, assisting the Mail Processing Department to meet their daily goals. 

Jon’s tasks include stuffing envelopes by hand, operating a mail-inserter machine, and delivering mail to employees in the office. Recently, the MPD worked tirelessly on the project of sending out as many semi-annual letters themselves as possible to defray costs. While he had experience in similar events already, Jon has learned some unique skills, like how to operate a mail-inserter, which apparently involves a lot of unjamming. 

Jontavius’ Main Roles in the Mail Processing Department:

  • Insert certain mail by hand
  • Organize pallets of outgoing mail
  • Operate Mail-Inserter
  • Sort and deliver incoming mail
  • Assist with loading/unloading deliveries

Most fun part of the job? “Probably being around Mr. Bonjour (the MPD director). He makes everything a lot more funny and enjoyable to be around.”

Most challenging part of the job? “If you make a mistake with the mail, you have to go back and redo them all. That is a lot of extra-work and irritating.”

Dawn Rude works as a Mail Assistant in the Mail Processing Department, helping to perform labor-intensive tasks. 

Dawn also works at stuffing envelopes and packaging literature. At the beginning of the year, she worked two days a week doing landscaping at the dorms. However, the MPD decided they could use her all five days a week to help out. She takes care of many labor-intensive tasks like wrapping books and sorting literature requests, which allows the department to run smoothly. She briefly operated the mail-inserter but “didn’t like the fact that it jammed so much.” 

Dawn Rude’s Main Roles in the Mail Processing Department:

  • Insert certain mail by hand
  • Sort literature requests 
  • Burn DVDs for delivery
  • Assist with the labeling machine

Most fun part of the job? “Oh, definitely getting to talk to people during work. Sometimes, you’ll just be sitting there, stuffing envelopes with booklets or DVDs with someone next to you, and we’ll just have some pretty crazy conversations. It’s nice.”

Most challenging part of the job? “Probably staying focused when you don’t have anyone to talk to or headphones to listen to something. It can be a little repetitive and that can get to you.” 

Opportunities in the Mail Processing Department

The Mail Processing Department defrays costs of sending literature by handling as much of the printing, inserting, and labeling process as they can. This department operates just like a high-functioning business: it is about getting results in a cost-effective and fast way. Students get experience working in a fast-paced environment, operating machinery, meeting deadlines, and just manual labor like inserting envelopes. All of this experience can directly translate into countless warehouse and production-related jobs. More importantly, the Mail Processing Department saves the Church money by handling much of the necessary printing and mailing. There is, essentially, an endless amount of work they could do, and every bit of it would be valuable. The more students help and contribute, the more God’s Work can do!

We have done two other work/study related Student Life posts before. One is about working in the Maintenance Department. The other is about working in the Living Education department. Check them out if you are interested!

Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.

A Future Blowing of Trumpets

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The most awesome series of events in human history will be ushered in by the blast of angelic trumpets. Check out an excerpt from our Bible Study Course to learn more!

Course Spotlight from Feast Days: The Feast of Trumpets
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We Are Called to Be a Blessing

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Author: Kaleb Johnson | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23

Estimated reading time: 4 min.

In his forum presentation, Mr. Laybeh gave the Living Education students a glimpse into the new developments in the Work in Thailand.

First, he gave a little background about himself to the students. He was born in Myanmar but forced to flee at a young age and spent much of his childhood in Thailand. Later on, he moved to the UK and worked there for over a decade. But God had a plan for him, and that plan involved him returning to Thailand once again–this time to serve God’s Work by preaching the Gospel and feeding the flock in Southeast Asia.

Preaching the Gospel

As Mr. Laybeh explained, the work began to register the Living Church of God  in Thailand as a nonprofit organization back in 2016. It wasn’t until 2018 that the Church received a Foundation Registration Certificate, and Mr. Laybeh was able to return to Thailand in the beginning of 2019 and spearhead the work there. Now, there are 36 booklets and 22 Children’s Bible Lessons translated into Thai, and the Facebook advertising efforts in Thailand have generated 1,383 subscribers. In 2021, they began to process literature requests for Thai-based subscribers, and now have sent over 1,881 pieces of literature!

Feeding the Flock

Mr. Laybeh also gave an update on the congregations in Thailand and Myanmar. There are two congregations in Thailand, as well as two main congregations and scattered brethren in four locations in Myanmar. Unfortunately, the congregations in Myanmar cannot be visited at present, because of the ongoing crisis in that country. On a brighter note, Mr. Laybeh reported that they have baptized four people since 2019, and will hopefully baptize more when Myanmar reopens its borders.

Current Situation in Myanmar

Mr. Laybeh explained the current crisis in Myanmar, which impacts the 80 brethren we have in that country. Hyperinflation and rising costs of living are threatening to drive the whole nation into poverty. Refugees continue to flee from Myanmar to Thailand, and many people live in fear daily. The brethren in northern Myanmar cannot connect to live-streamed services every week, but fortunately, those in the south can. Recently, the “Friendship Bridge” between Thailand and Myanmar over the Myawaddy River at the town of Maesot did reopen, but “there is no definitive indication of when the Military Junta will fully open the country.” Mr. Laybeh pointed out that problems like this will only persist until the Kingdom of God is established on the earth; we should all be praying and hoping that day comes soon.

LCG Thailand Foundation Education Project

There is reason to be excited about the work in Southeast Asia. Mr. Laybeh introduced the LCG Thailand Foundation Education Project, a project that reminds us that we are called to be a blessing to the world. Since 2018, the project has taught English at local schools, beginning with an online English class. In 2019, the Education Project began to provide education supplies to various schools in rural areas.

Also in 2019, the Foundation began organizing an in-person teaching effort with the Maeku Municipality School, assisting the Thai teachers in an English class. A pilot program was done in late 2019 with two ladies from Australia. In 2020, Mr. Weston visited the Maeku School and explored the idea of having Living Education students assist the project. COVID interfered with this at the time, but as of 2023, the idea is being reintroduced!

Community Development Project

Mr. Laybeh pointed out that, as members of God’s Church,  we are “called to be a blessing,” and this includes serving and helping in the community. He went through the Foundation’s community development efforts. They help local communities with youth and family issues, warning against drug use and other matters that come up. In addition, the foundation works with the Tak Provincial Administrative Organization to help rural communities in times of emergencies and with basic necessities. They even work with the Social Development and Human Security Office in that province, assisting with emergency relief and Corporate Social Responsibility projects. Mr. Laybeh also highlighted the gardening project, which aims to give experience to locals in tending a garden. This small project points to the Kingdom of God, when all of Earth will return to a more agrarian life.

He finally concluded that we are not called into the Church by mere chance or coincidence—we are called for a reason, and that is to be a blessing by striving to do our parts in serving and giving hope to a dying world. As long as we are devoted to our calling, stay on course, and do not give up, we will eventually become a great asset to God to be used in accomplishing His Work on this earth.

The Living Education students also heard a forum from Mr. Rajan Moses—a pastor in Malaysia—encouraging us to look at all brethren around the world as family. Read about that forum here: God is a Family!

Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.

Come Fly with Me (JAARS Tour)

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Author: Kaleb Johnson | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23

Estimated reading time: 4 min.

Recently, the Living Education students and faculty toured the JAARS center and the Alphabet Museum in Waxhaw, North Carolina. 

The Jungle Aviation and Radio Services organization was founded in 1948 to support Bible translation efforts in underdeveloped and difficult-to-reach parts of the world. The organization provides air, water, and land transportation support for translators as well as technology support, providing laptops, software, and energy sources (like batteries and solar panels). In 1961, the Belk family (yes, that Belk) gave JAARS 572 acres in Waxhaw, on which the organization established a training and support center. Today, this center has 68 buildings, one public-use runway, three grass runways, and over 500 volunteers and employees. 

Since JAARS is connected with expert translators, the JAARS campus features an award-winning Alphabet Museum, which covers the development and diversity of languages all around the world in a thorough and easy-to-understand way. 

The JAARS Campus Tour

Our tour began with a video explaining the essentials of JAARS—I put this information in the introduction—along with stories from our tour guide, who herself worked as a translator for 30 years in the Philippines and was supported by JAARS. 

We then walked to a building with boats and motorcycles inside. Our guide explained how JAARS provides translators and missionaries with motorcycle-driving courses—critical for many developing countries where cars are rare—and teaches how to maintain them, too. JAARS also provides water transport to translators working in regions where the only way in and out is by boat, and they make sure to keep it safe with water-safety kits that contain life-jackets, transponders, and other emergency equipment. 

We walked from the boat building to the hangar. Since its founding, our tour guide explained, JAARS has worked with airplanes. Air travel is the best way to get people and supplies into many hard-to-reach places, like the mountains and jungle hills in New Guinea—Yet this is not your typical flying. These locations often don’t have paved runways or mechanics to service your airplane. As a result, the JAARS center trains pilots to land on short grass strips and how to maintain their own planes. In addition to training, this hangar has a machine shop that can make custom parts for repairs or special missions. 

The Alphabet Museum 

Changing pace a bit, we went over to the Alphabet Museum for another guided tour. The building seems small, but it is filled with incredible information. Our tour went through the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and the Mesopotamian cuneiform, the assumed ancestors of all western alphabets.Then we moved into the Greek, Latin, and Hebrew alphabets, learning a multitude of facts about each. For example, some Greek texts are written in a form called boustrophedon. One would read from left to right, then the line below it would be written in right to left, and it would continue like this with each alternating line switching direction. I am glad that method of writing never got popular. 

The Museum delved into the Cyrillic Alphabet (Привет), and explored complicated languages like Chinese and Japanese, which are unique because they are completely unconnected to phonetic sounds! Our tour also explored the Korean language, which was meticulously developed and is considered easy to learn and “modern.” 

The Museum also has exhibits on the fascinating development of alphabets for Native American tribes. Some alphabets were created by outsiders for tribes to be able to write, and others were developed by Native Americans themselves, such as the Cherokee syllabary invented by Sequoyah.

Overall, the tour was fascinating. We learned that even today, there are languages with no written alphabet! People are working to develop alphabets so the Bible can be translated into every native tongue. 

Takeaways

The Living Education students left the JAARS campus with a lot, and not all of it came from the gift shop. We got to see the inner-workings of a great operation and see how the Bible is being made available to people around the whole world! 

Not too long ago, the Living Education students went on an exciting snow trip! Read about it here: Student Life: Snow Weekend: Peaceful and Action-Packed.

Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.

The New Testament Canon

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To understand where the General Epistles fit into the New Testament Canon, it is helpful to review charts. Click below to find a helpful one!

Course Spotlight From The General Epistles: (Part 1) The Letters of James and Peter
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Stand Up to the Woke Agenda

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Author: Kaleb Johnson | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23

Estimated reading time: 5 min.

Mr. Weston implored the Living Education students to develop the courage to stand up against the agendas of this world and follow God. 

Mr. Weston began with a famous quote from Earnest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. The passage involves a conversation between two people. One asks, “How’d you go bankrupt?” 

The other responds, “Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.” Mr. Weston pointed out that many younger adults, like the students in Living Education, have grown up in the “suddenly” part of our nation’s moral decline. The world was gradually moving toward moral bankruptcy, but now it’s in freefall. Mr. Weston warned that morals today are not just in decline; they are under attack. It is not enough to be a generally good person. It is going to take courage to hold godly values.

Why Is Courage Necessary?

Courage is critical for true Christians today, Mr. Weston explained, because this country’s institutions are rapidly falling to radical leftism. All human politics is flawed, but modern leftism leaves no room for disagreement. Thus, a true Christian is destined for a collision with this movement. 

Mr. Weston briefly mentioned the root of modern radical leftism, which is the Frankfurt School of social theory and critical philosophy. This ideology claims liberty and freedom but really just seeks to remove any trace of biblical values. The new values are rooted in Marxism, with no space for compromise or debate. Already, people go to a type of corporate gulag for retraining if they disagree with critical theories. Ironically, Mr. Weston pointed out, many communist armies in the past have labeled themselves as liberators and liberation forces, but Paul warns us to examine those who propose liberty but bring nothing but captivity. 

“While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.”

2 Peter 2:19 NKJV

Mr. Weston warned that the social engineers today want to remove the fetters of biblical restraint, the commandments and laws of God. He turned to Psalm 2, which is a prophecy of the end time, and highlighted the second and third verses. 

“The kings of the earth set themselves,

And the rulers take counsel together,

Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,

“Let us break Their bonds in pieces

And cast away Their cords from us.”

Psalm 2:2-3 NKJV

Society today is moving away from the Ten Commandments and the Laws of God, labeling them oppressive.”

Mr. Weston emphatically stated, “It takes courage to stand up to the woke agenda bullies.” They are pushing abortion, LGBT ideals, and even euthanization on anyone and everyone today, and we must stand up for God and for truth. But standing up for God’s truth, Mr. Weston explained, puts a target on our backs. He quoted Isaiah to demonstrate. 

“Justice is turned back,

And righteousness stands afar off;

For truth is fallen in the street,

And equity cannot enter.

So truth fails,

And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.”

Isaiah 59:14-15 NKJV

We are making ourselves prey for radicals today simply by obeying God. That takes courage.

Two Ways to Have Moral Courage

“How and when is moral courage needed?” Mr. Weston asked. He gave two critical keys. 

1) Fear God. Mr. Weston used the story of the Egyptian midwives to demonstrate. These women feared God more than Pharoah and had the courage to defy the order to kill newborn babies. We must fear God more than any professor, boss, or figure in our lives, and that will give us courage to follow Him. Having a true fear of God is not bad. Rather, “[the] Fear of God is a liberating emotion, freeing one from a disabling fear of evil, powerful people,” Mr. Weston declared, quoting Dennis Prager. 

2) Live by Values. When our decisions are guided by godly values like the Ten Commandments, Mr. Weston emphasized, we see right from wrong much more clearly. If we allow money, greed, or lust to influence our path, we may end up compromising on God’s ideals. Mr. Weston pointed to the example of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the account of the fiery furnace in Daniel 3. These men did not justify bowing down to an idol. They did not say, Well, it’s not real anyway. I’ll just worship God in my heart and only do this outwardly. Rather, they lived by their values, willing to be thrown into a fiery furnace before compromising. 

Fear God, Not the Bullies

Mr. Weston admonished the students to learn to fear God in a real, genuine way and to practice making decisions based on values. God expects us to be examples and lights in the world, which means we cannot be afraid to be noticed, and that takes courage in our society today. We should not be reckless and pursue conflicts, but when the time comes, we will have to stand up for God’s truth and give the right answer. Mr. Weston concluded with a simple instruction: “Fear God over the bullies.”
Mr. Kearns also addressed the dangers of political movements in New Zealand and around the world in his forum: The Battle for the Planet.

Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.

Read Good Books!

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Author: Nathan Kroon | Student Leader, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23

Estimated Reading Time: 4 min.

Mr. Gerald E. Weston began this forum by presenting the students of Living Education with a question: “How accurate is the statement ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’?”

He explained that, in reality, a picture is limited in scope and in size, and is therefore limited in what it is able to teach you. It does not tell you what went before and after, or what is outside of its limits. This was a revelation he learned from Neil Postman’s, Amusing Ourselves to Death. Another lesson from that book is how we define intelligence in different generations. An intellectual was once defined as someone who could both read and write, but today “we are living in an age of trivial pursuit.” Now people are considered smart for knowing little things about seemingly nothing. Ken Jennings, who is famous for holding the record of 74 consecutive wins on Jeopardy!, may know a lot of little facts, but people who only rely on these facts may be led astray by having a lack of context behind them. For instance, we know that people will often call us “uneducated” in our religious practices, because we are seemingly “out of step” with the practices of the rest of the world; however, we practice them anyway, because we know that they are found in God’s word. Mr. Weston instructed the students to therefore read good books in order to build on their knowledge, and learn to think about and analyze what is happening around them.

Fiction and Nonfiction

There are a number of good books in the world, and we need to know which ones will be the most beneficial reads. Certain fiction can even be edifying for us. For example Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, shows us a future where artificial birthing replaces human parents, which speaks to how nuclear families are more and more being done away with now. Animal Farm, by George Orwell, shows the reader the effects of widespread socialism around the world, which seems to be happening among the youth of today’s world. Some fiction, of course, may not be good for us. Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger, is often praised for its “genuine” main character and portrayal of very “human” behavior, and has long been read by adolescents in school, even though it promotes the use of a number of foul words. Our nation’s education systems also teach many exaggerations in their history classes, such as the role that Sacagawea played in the Lewis and Clark expedition and when World War II really began (it wasn’t with Pearl Harbor!). But some history books can show us the reality of our world’s history, and are highly educational.

A Look Into Our World

Social books can point out trends in the “androgynous culture” that is being promoted today, and why people are the way they are. They can be somewhat edifying, even when they may be actively promoting the wrong ideas. For example, After the Ball, by Madsen and Kirk, promotes homosexuality, but also clearly shows us how activists have come to successfully promote it as acceptable ever since the 1990s. Even though it actively encourages homosexuality, it also acknowledges the pitfalls found within same-sex relationships and understands that heterosexual marriages are more stable. If we read these kinds of books, we must, of course, realize the way that the authors contradict both themselves and the teachings of God. Books that speak on our society can tell us about all the damages that have been done to society since the popularization of the false ideas of dating, sex, and gender.

Reading good books will broaden our horizons and can teach us about the world we currently live in, as well as the one that we may come to live in. It gives us more credibility in our personal knowledge, and teaches us how to better think and analyze. Mr. Weston concluded by telling the students to give themselves a minimum of fifteen minutes of reading a day, and to develop it into a habit. Reading is enriching and greatly profitable!

Nathan Kroon is a Student Leader at Living Education. He originally hails from Washington State and is a 4th generation Christian. Currently, he works at Headquarters as a Video Editor and is the Lead Landscaper at the LivingEd dorms. His hobbies include playing guitar, listening to music, drawing, and watching movies.

Snow Weekend: Peaceful and Action-Packed

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Author: Kaleb Johnson | Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2022-23

Estimated reading time: 4 min.

The students headed to the hills of North Carolina for a serene Sabbath as well as an exciting new experience!

Halfway through a semester, what is the best kind of weekend? Maybe some relaxing days in a peaceful place with lots of walking trails and views, along with cozy nights in a cabin. Or maybe you think the best weekend is an action-packed adventure, exploring new territory and making timeless memories. Why not both? The Living Education students did both on their recent Snow Trip weekend!

Inspiring Landscapes, a Cozy Cabin, and Tantalizing Trails

Midday Friday, the caravan of Living Education students and faculty left for Newland, North Carolina, and within a few short hours, they arrived at their caravanserai: a cozy house that I call a cabin because that seems more fitting to me. The cabin has two stories, each with a kitchen and living area. The basement contains six bunk beds in a large room, while the upstairs has three rooms with two bunk beds in each. All in all, the cabin has beds for 24 people. Quite Impressive! But that is not the best part. 

The cabin commands an excellent view, overlooking rolling hills right next door. These hills are covered in small, evergreen trees, and with paths that make terraces all along the hillside. It is a fascinating landscape. 

The students made excellent use of the paths that crisscrossed the hillside. They walked all over it, taking in the wonderful sites and enjoying the fresh, cool air. It was an amazing escape from the routine days that can begin to blend together.

A Serene Sabbath

As the sun set and the Sabbath settled in, the students piled into the dining room and enjoyed a dinner fit for kings, with a blazing fire and cheery conversation keeping everyone warm, even as the outside grew chilly as the evening wore on. The students then gathered by the fireplace. Mr. McNair gave them a unique challenge: find a Bible story and read it aloud. They needed to bring it alive, capturing the passion and personality of the story. The students took up the challenge. There was some shouting, and I am pretty sure there was some singing at one point. There were funny stories and serious passages. Sometimes the students rolled on the floor in laughter, and other times they felt their hair raise at the power and meaning of a passage.

The morning was calm and relaxed. The breakfast was continental style, allowing everyone to get up at their own time and eat. The students got the chance to lead  songs during the services and the sermon and sermonette were given in person by faculty there. Saturday evening featured a fun game involving guessing the meaning of an obscure dictionary word, which is where the word caravanserai that I used at the beginning came from. Also, apparently a lot of people think the word triskaidekaphobia is a fear of Triscuits . . . or maybe that was just us. The evening also consisted of some unique board games and very aggressive foosball playing, of which I was a part. It was a great time for the students to relax together and even try some new games they may have never played before.

The Adventure Part

As promised, there was also adventure. On Sunday morning, the caravan—by which I mean the Dodge Grand Caravan—rode off once more, heading to the neighboring Beech mountain. Traversing the winding mountain roads with tremendous views of the wooded valleys below, the group arrived at Beech Mountain, a town in the Blue Ridge Mountains. In this picturesque mountain village is a ski slope and resort, but the Living Ed Students were not there to ski. They were there to go snow tubing. 

Most of the students had never been snow tubing before, but that didn’t slow anyone down. The snow tubing frequently consisted of competitions, trying unique body positions in the tube, and inventing new (and a little bit cringey) dances on the magic carpet that carried the students back to the top. After a day and a half of relaxing, all the students were ready to compete with each other and fully experience their day’s adventure.

Why Not Both?

The best weekends are relaxing ones. Or are they the exciting ones? Well, I think they are the ones with a healthy combination of relaxation and adventure. The Living Education students had what I consider the best kind of weekend. Now that everyone is recharged and armed with fantastic new memories, it is time to get back to learning, working, and making the most of every day.

Not too long ago, the Living Education students had another exciting adventure that took them back in times to the 1920s! Well, maybe not literally. Read about the 1920s themed dance the Living Education students hosted: It’s the Roaring ’20s Again!

Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.