Some of us organized this meeting of Stanford people who attended Impact2000 this Christmas. I don't know why it was so overwhelming for me to plan it, but i'm glad that we had it, despite minor unforseen complications. I guess i always forget how much of an encouragement it is to hear how God is working in people's lives. The meeting was less than an hour but i became teary eyed listening to people talk about their decisions to live out their committments to follow Jesus with boldness. For me that's always a recommittment i have to make. So many distractions try to compete with it, so i have to stop and look around and see if i'm going in a direction consistent with my beliefs.

So there's this other conference coming up. Similar concepts (train African Americans to be student evangelists), but i've been pondering whether or not i should go. I mean i've known that i was going to be in Atlanta this Christmas for over two years. And i'm sure the conference will be great and challenging and all, but am i supposed to be there?

F.W de Klerk is coming to visit Stanford on Monday. It appears to be a goodwill tour promotion of his autobiography. I am glad he's coming. i was extremely shocked that people in my dorm had no idea who he was, much less his policies and actions. de Klerk is the former prime minister of South Africa. He was a leader of the National Party and gave the order to free Nelson Mandela from prison. I'm not sure of all the details of his years of leadership, but he was responsible for officially bringing apartheid to an end. There is some question about whether or not that was done willingly or because at that point South Africa had become ungovernable. The country was in such a state of unrest and perpetual states of emergency that it had come to a standstill. In addition the country was under heavy boycotts from the international community. Anyways, he was asked to appear before the truth and reconciliation committee and apparently he claimed that he was not responsible or aware of the acts of violence (church bombings, shooting of students...)that happened during his term. In my mind his visit has served to bring African students on campus closer together, and allowed us a platform to raise awareness about issues on the continent, especially the horrific crimes waged in the name of an extremely unjust system. I'm looking forward to his talk, i think of it as a once in a lifetime opportunity. I'm not for or against him really, I just wouldn't mind a little honesty and contrition for the awful things that happened during the time he led South Africa. I know i'm not explaining who is or what he did really well. But if you care to know more you can check out this one page statement the students at Yale made when their University awarded him a Fellowship.

some folks and I just studied Romans 5:1-11. I love it when i get to this section of Romans. Simultaneously challenging and encouraging. i think it's verse 3 which says, "and not only so, but we glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulations worketh patience, and patience, experience and experience, hope and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost". The image of glory in tribulations is invigorating, cuz i always seem to have a tribulation of a sort. the outcome does not seem to matter, but the emotional upheaval that can be avoided in putting my confidence in God, never ceases to amaze me. One person said that it seems weird that we should rejoice in suffering because to her it seemed a little like masochism. so we discussed that a little, and i think Paul wasn't saying that suffer for its sake, but that in the midst of our sufferings we are able to rejoice because we know that it can be used to produce characteristics which we find desirable.