My, look at all those entries, that have been here since I last posted!!;) Well, today is the offical day of buying and selling, according to CNN Feb 13, 2001, on average Americans spend more than 1.6 billion dollars on V-day...wow! I'd like that money to pay off all my college tution, as well as a couple friends, plus get a new car, airplane, help out a couple countries with there debts, you know, the usual. But because V-day is looked at because of this thing called "love" I suppose I could maybe, Mayyyy be see it as a little more than making money, though i think V day should be everyday and they should cut the money marketing stuff, but that's just me~~~~~Anywho, what I would like to say is that anyone who reads this site, now or in the future shouldn't worry about not being loved~~~you guys/gals mean sooo much to me and I care about all of you. I'm still not sure exactly what love is perhaps Katherine Ann Porter is right when she says Love must be learned, and learned again and again; there is no end to it, and Henrey Finck said "Love is such a tissue of paradoxes, and exists in such endless variety of forms and shades that you may say alomost anything about it that you please, and it is likely to be correct" NO Matter What love really is, or if I'll ever figure it out completely, what I felt for you guys, the kind of love that reaches down from heaven and brushes your cheek and makes the world just a little (or alot) better is something I"ll probley never lose or forget, so if you ever wonder if someone loves you, yeah I do, in whatever way I know how.~~~More about me... I have around 4 papers to write for tomm, I'm on the speech and debate team, and this weekend we're going to ST. Louis for state, and overall just keeping busy, >>>looking back over my post, I'm begining to realize this ciating thing that I hate so much, is actually becoming 2nd nature, watch out Missiouri ..Merci is getting good a forensics!!! Well, I better stop writing, I still have a lot of stuff to do yet<<<< I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!
TAke CAre of yourselves, and may God watch over and Bless you in EVERYTHING you do!!!
Love ALWAYS,
Merci M. Decker
posted by Merci Decker 2/14/2001 09:10:33 PM

12.31.2000

Well, here I am 7:31pm New Year's eve! Not much planned for this evening, and while at first I was a little disappointed that my friends have all gone out of town to celebrate the new year with their family, a semi-(my little sister has some friends over)quiet night at home it will be a nice break from all the excitement I've had this year! I hope the next year will bring more adventures (good and bad) for all of us and always led by God!
Take Care and God Bless!!!!
Love,
Merci M. Decker

posted by Merci Decker 12/31/2000 05:23:41 PM

12.29.2000

Dear All-

Well, I just got back to San Diego after three months in North and South Carolina. You may remember that I was joining Americorps, and join I did. I am based out of Charleston, South Carolina, along with Becca from GA. My team's first project was in Durham, North Carolina, working with Habitat for Humanity. We were there for six weeks, then back to Charleston for wrap-up before break. I am growing, to say the least. I have found a lot more confidence that I didn't know I had, and I KNOW it is a blessing from God to get me through this challenging year. Living and working with the same ten people for 10 months is fun, yet it is quite often hard. But I am doing better than ever, and keeping to all of my crazy antics, as Jessica McAleer can attest- she saw the video of the Americorps talent show. But anyway, I hope that lots of people can look at this page every now and then and remember the crazy, busy, intense week that was GA, and hopefully look back fondly.

Love in Christ,
Nathan
posted by Nathan Luedtke 12/29/2000 11:02:44 AM

11.13.2000

*sigh*

i know how it goes merci. life gets busy, and one forgets about this and that. another reason (i feel like i mention this every time i blog) there isn't many posts here is because even though there were 150 YADs, only about 40 know (or have known and forgotton already) about this place. that's sad, i know....but there is no way for me to get all of them together. i only ever got the emails that people collected on their own at GA. i wasn't smart enough to not trust the guy who took everyone's name and email down on the last day when he said he'll send them out in a few weeks.

so. we take what we can get, and we cherish it as a gift from God. hearing about your lives and how God works in them is amazing. quantity is nothing without quality. quality is everything all alone.

on a more personal note, please pray for me these next coming week. i have quite the laundry list of homework and presentations and whatnot that is all coming to a head this, and the next, week. i need the strength and the perserverence to get these assignments done, or i think i may be done in. so far things have not looked too good. but i'm confident in my ability, and in the Lord's presence with me. amen!

don't forget to IM me--i'm on almost 24/7! tedLseasy

in Him,
carson
posted by uncle bob 11/13/2000 11:26:05 PM

11.3.2000

Hey-yo, it's me. I have a forensics competition tommorrow here at Northwest, and I am just checking the blog and it occured to me that I was the last one to write in it, and how it is amazing that there's more than 150 YADs and ya'd think there would be at least one blog a day, but I do understand, because I get busy, and I know that there's always email too. Anywoo just sharing my thought about our blog.
I miss you!!! Love ya!!!!!
~MMD~
posted by Merci Decker 11/3/2000 05:00:52 PM

10.26.2000

Hey -yo!
I got to really thinking today about the GA and how everything just clicked there. It wasn't that everything was perfect, but even in the inperfections of certain times, it all worked together. Somehow or other anything I was good at was put to use. I guess the thing that really struck me was that that's really never happened before or since. It's said in the Bible that God has given us certain talents, and we should use them. When I saw this I don't mean to be conceited, but I feel there are alot of things I'm good at and that it varies soo much they won't all be put to use, so I don't know exactly which one to use. However, when I was at the GA everything was used. I'm not just talking about the whole process of the Assembly, that was only part of it. It was also my spiritual conection with God (if that makes sense, umm you know how everyone has a special relationship with God? Well, it felt like that relationship was really being "used?"), and then there were the other bonds I formed with you guys and everyone else, and "sigh" it just all worked. It was like I found what I needed to do in life, but then the week ended. I guess right now I could find something career wise that fit the same way. I know I'm only a freshman and I have the rest of my life to figure out what I'm going to do, but it was like, for that week, I "understood life?" (If that makes sense). I guess the biggest thing I really want to thank you guys on is the fact, that no matter what happend, anytime I needed to talk to someone you were always there for me. Yes, I had that here at NWMSU and at home, but at the GA it was different, their was always someone there, who recognized I needed to talk, and even if you didn't have a deep conversation with me you were still there and I never had to go crying to someone, because you were there with me through it all, and I can't explain how that made everything work, but it did, and I love you, and I miss you, and I wish you were here, and Thank you soo much for making the GA what it was.
~As for life right now, I guess I'm just trying to roll with any of the punches being thrown at me (come to think of it I actually did get punched and it left me with a black eye,but that's only because I was play fighting with one of my friends, and forgot to duck,) and see any bad times through and recognize the good ones as well. There are people here that care about how I am and schools working out pretty good.
TAke CARE and God Bless!!!!!!!!!
I love you!!!!!!
~~Merci M. Decker
posted by Merci Decker 10/26/2000 03:40:37 PM

10.21.2000

Whaddup Whaddup Whaddup

Howsit going kids? I've finally been clued in, heheheheh
in case you didn't realize, this is Joel..the guy with curly mop o hair!!

Sorry in advance to anyone who wrote me and i didn't reply, i didn't check my email much, and really didn't read anything i got this summer..so,....yea....i'm really sorry about that
i'm MUCH better about email now, usually i am very good about email, so you can get ahold of me at vanzantn@hanover.edu or else originalrudeboi@hotmail.com the hotmail account might go someday, so its probably better to use the hanover.edu one....i'm also on aolim, my name is SKAFreakT, i'm on icq my uin# is 2295417 if snail mail is your thing, its Joel Van Zanten 517 Ball Dr. Unit 778 Hanover, IN 47243, and yea...get ahold of me, i'll probably blog this thing pretty regularly, provided other people do..heheh....
as for whats going on
I"m a sophmore at Hanover College, its in southern indiana about an hour north of lousiville, i'm majoring in Psychology and Philosophy, with a possible Theology minor if i have the time/room...so yea..i'm an overachiever..heh....lately i've been bored out of mind, writing papers and doing reserach, always tons of fun.....i'm still solo in life, but that MIGHT change sooner or later, or else i'll just be alone for the rest of me life..heheh
my taekwondo is going well, i'm really stoked about testing in a month or so, ummm, yea...i'm trying to get intoshape..cuz i'm a scrawny lil kid....thats uhhh, yea..i dunno...i've been grooving to some awesome tunes lately..some Toots & Maytals (the cd i was dancing too on the floor every day), oh oh oh, i am doing one thing thats important...i'm finally finishng up material for my 'zine...(homemade magazine) that i'm FINALLY(i've been planning this thing for a couple years) going to put out....i'll make sure i get some copies out there to you kids too dont' worry, but i need a name for it........its looking like it might be "Runaway Train" after a soul asylum song...or else SnotHappy......i'm nto sure...any ideas? yea..ideas are helpful...heh
anyway, i don't know what to write, so yea..i love you all! goodbye and God Bless
-joel van zanten
posted by Joel Van Zanten 10/21/2000 05:32:54 PM