"Reach out and touch Faith."

I made wonderful time on Friday. leaving from work a bit early and arriving a bit after 8, I covered the 423.7 miles in 366 minutes. We left at 5:30 am to make the four hour jaunt north to DAA.

Talking to my mom the night before, I was feeling cynical about DAA's situation (They have less than forty students in attendance.) The previous Annual Fund goal of $300,000 (which alumni and constituents of the conference have met every year for a long time) is now $400,000. I said to my mother, "Are they going to have us raise $500,000 next year for 30 kids?" Why should a parent send their kid to DAA instead of another Adventist school? Should they spend $50,000 sending their kid to DAA or put that toward the $80,000 that Union now wants (or both)? So I was happy to go see my sister, but I wasn't as supportive of the institution any more.

My sister helped teach the Sabbath school lesson, which was good. Van Hurst, former president of the conference, current youth ministries director for the Mid-America Union and father of a senior girl, had the sermon. The sermon was based on the demoniac of Gadarene. He talked about how mutilation be it tattoos, premarital sex, drugs, suicide (the most severe form), or plain ol' cutting and burning is a crying out to be heard and loved. For some reason (he even questioned it himself) Van shared that the first mutilations take place on private parts, and that by the time you see cuts on arms "it has already gone much further."

Lunch was with my sister's friend's uncle who is the Boy's Dean Worrin Allsman. He has three brothers Orrin, Dorrin, and probably Lorrin. Refreshingly, they served roast beef. It was tasty.

For the main event, instead of the sponsors or students themselves reading a letter about their life and influences from academy as in previous years, they had the parents talk about the students. It was a nice change. Everyone should be so lucky to be viewed through their parents' eyes. I know I enjoyed seeing the twelve seniors through their parents' eyes. While I think going to academy is important to who each of those kids are, I don't think it is necessary. I think the habits and traits of children are formed long before they get to academy.

"The silence of a falling star lights up a purple sky."