#LIKE AT LEAST GIVE HOM SOMETHING THAT FITS FOR GODS SAKE

[mileymint]

Send them to the NETHER

(Png and original screenshot from Murder Drones)

Edit: read tags bc I rambled

Minecraft movie trailer dropped this thing looks awful my skin itches just looking at these things

[jess-oh]

MAST Letters: P. Josh

Dear P. Josh, Hey Joshua! Hehe, that seems weird to call you. I'll settle for Joshwa instead. Hey Joshwa! Your first two years serving as the college pastor haven't been easy in the least. Even for a well seasoned pastor that's been doing ministry for years and years, I'm sure it would've been incredibly difficult for them to navigate all that's happened as well. But the fact that you kept serving Movement so faithfully even after so much has happened is a testament unto itself. I know you've shared previously how Angela and James Hom used to undermine a lot of what you did. I know it must've sucked when us downtowners used to just assume you would give us a ride home without taking into account your own willingness and the sacrifice it took on your part. It must've especially sucked having to deal with the whole Eunice fiasco. And I know you've shared how tough it was that so few people seemed to respect you and instead constantly questioned your actions and what you did. And at the end of the year when MAST was starting to form, we didn't have a great team. I know you just shared with me earlier this week that it was so discouraging to you that you were tempted to just scrap the idea altogether. And honestly, I was pretty nervous too. If I feel a divide between myself and everyone else now, I felt it 50x more then. And for all those things, I am sorry on our behalf. You had more than enough reason to scrap MAST, to step down, to leave Lakeview. But you didn't. And that made all the difference. Even this past year hasn't been a super smooth ride. We've definitely had our bumps along the way. Just from you introducing new opportunities for people to get involved through the form of Bible Studies, Prayer Meetings, and other events. Just thinking back to the beginning of the year, the structure of both FIT and G2G(lol) were so different than what they're like now! We used to study at Johnathan's apartment way more often and we also just used to share how we were doing in large groups during our prayer meetings. Small groups weren't perfect since we had so many people come and go and suddenly return and even just figuring out individual structures was tough. And, not to mention that a lot of people had their own issues to deal with either with each other or by themselves. You implemented a lot of new things into Movement this past year and honestly, I had no idea what to expect when you first wanted to incorporate these things in. I just knew I wanted to support you and encourage you to try. And look at how well it turned out! When Grace, Sharon, David, and I first came as freshmen, most of us didn't stay because we didn't feel a sense of community or belongingness. Grace felt well cared for by Yaeji and Cecilia but David, Sharon, and I dipped. But we all came back and got more active and involved. All three of us are on MAST now! But y'know why? Because we feel a sense of community now. We feel like we belong here and like we have people to whom we can trust and rely upon at Lakeview. And it's because you helped to cultivate that environment. Honestly, I was super bitter and burnt out at the end of the 2017-18 school year. I didn't respect you at all and in fact, resented you to some extent. But getting to know you on a deeper level through our MAST meetings, late night car rides home, events, studying together at Norris, and our weekly meet ups with Amanda has revealed to me how much you've actually been struggling behind the scenes but more than that, how much you love Movement and the community. There's a reason you've poured out so much onto us. There's a reason so many people want you as a mentor figure. Because we know how much you love the community and how much you've done for us. And yes, maybe you could've done more. Maybe you could've challenged the MAST members to be more involved. Maybe you could've encouraged more people to come out to our weekly Bible Studies and Prayer Meetings. Maybe some other Pastor would've done a "better" job. But. honestly, this has all been according to God's will. For you to push us this much. For you to encourage the community that much. If you pushed us too hard, we might've just turned away. If you encouraged the community too much, people might've felt too much pressure and decided to leave. We don't know exactly why the year has played out like it did but it did. Yes, you could have done more as the pastor. But instead of focusing on what more you could've done or what mistakes you made, think about what you did well and give thanks to God for allowing the ministry to grow as much as it did. You have a tendency to only see what's right in front of you and feel discouraged by the things right then and there. But God doesn't work by blessing us every moment. He has a much greater plan and in order to best understand it, we must take a step back and see the patterns and how He has been moving. I think entering MAST, all 6 of us were nervous in some different way. Mostly because none of us knew what to expect or how the year would play out. And we all had the opportunity to step down or leave at different points. But none of us did. Because of you. When I was on the fence on whether or not I should rejoin MAST, I was seriously leaning towards stepping down. I wanted my heart to be in the right place and felt a lack of accountability from the new MAST members. I wanted to be strong with them as a "veteran" and stand as a strong pillar that people could rely on to do what is right and what is according to Christ. And I wasn't confident that I could. I was worried that I would just keep serving for the sake of serving instead of because I cared and wanted to love like Christ. It had become an obligation, a job, something I just had to do. And in wanting the best for the community, I thought it'd be better if I just stepped down. But I didn't. Y'know why? Because I valued being guided and mentored by you so much more. I saw the good in it. I saw even then how much I had already grown and how much more I wanted to grow and be challenged to do better under you. P. Josh, Movement was a hot mess my freshman year. And it wasn't great the next year either. But it has been progressively getting better. It hasn't been perfect, but I can say with confidence that it is becoming a place where all people feel welcomed and accepted by the community. It is becoming a place that is striving to be more Christlike. My hope is that it will become a place where everyone feels like this is their family—people they love, trust, and know will challenge them to do better. Thank you for serving Movement so faithfully these past couple years and I'm excited to see how much more it will grow next year. Love you 3000Jess Oh