I need to spend a moment braggin' on my God tonight.
I have seen the hands of God reaching down to the University of Dubuque in real and amazing ways over the past few weeks, and I have no choice but to praise. I have seen students' lives changing. I have seen programs evolving and improving. I have seen gaps closing between departments and individuals. Incredible feats, indeed.
Over the past few weeks, I've had the pleasure of participating in the new Summer Bridge Program for students that do not meet our admission requirements but may show some academic promise. Typically, these students have below a 17 ACT score. Nearly one-third of our freshman class has come in this year under this program. I assisted with the out-of-class experiences, and in a few short days, I developed a theory of why this program is successful: relationships and resources. Through a combination of class and resource experiences and social and community-building experiences, we're preparing students for college success. There's no proof that this program will actually be completely successful, but you can already see and feel the changes that God has placed in some of these students' lives as He aligns their lives with their defined purpose. I am thrilled and completely excited to see what God has in store for these students, because for some of them, it will be great things.
I have also been blessed with a few new relationships through this program and it's director, Marta. She is an inspirational woman that reminds me why I'm here - to change people's lives with God's love. I hope to learn much from her, and I thank God for bringing her into my life.
And then there's New Student Orientation. This four-day program has become nothing short of miraculous for some. This program, which is, in essence, completely left to me to plan and implement, is one of the biggest responsibilities I have throughout the year. This is the one chance we as a University community have to acclimate students to campus, provide them with lasting connections and a sense of community, and provide easily accessible resources to them before they need them. Terrifying. But it is also a chance to grow and encourage thirty student leaders to become life changers and moral, upright, courageous leaders. And this, for me, is where the real miracle lies.
I have watched God move in the hearts of more than one student leader over the past few weeks and months in ways that I can't explain. Students have changed majors, shifted career paths, had changes of heart, and have stood up for their beliefs and values with conviction. They have impacted new and impressionable students positively. They're preparing for their purpose in life, whether or not they know that's what they are doing. They are preparing for a mission that is so much bigger than themselves. And that's God. God did that.
I have welled up with pride in these students on more than one occasion, not for the work that my hands have done in their lives, because my hands and works have nothing to do with it, but because of what the Almighty God has done working through me and my work. What a blessing and a joy to be doing the work of God every day, changing lives has He orchestrates.
And although this road has not been the easiest or safest or surest route, it has been the road designated just for me. Although it has been hard, it's been good, oh so good. How can I ever give thanks to God enough for the wonders of His never ending love? And how will I ever stop bragging about my wonderful God?
