Update on Life

So I was chatting with Bryan on AIM today and realized how ridiculously long it's been since I've been in contact with any of y'all. So I thought I'd just write an update. Oh, but before all that, who else is super-excited for Greuller and Suzanna! MABROOK! I'm seriously considering going to Seattle in October...who's with me? (Well, some lucky ones of you are already there, but, of the rest of us, who's with me?)

Anyway, so, life update. The semester's almost over. This has definitely been the hardest semester of my time in college, and probably really the hardest few months of my life. I won't go into it in-depth, there's a lot of reasons: feeling disconnected from my old friends, not because they alienate me, but just because I've changed and they haven't, struggling to adjust to classes again, and feeling like I'm not really learning anything important, or relevant, and that all this work is really pointless, really feeling like Gordon isn't my community any more, and, as some of you know, going through a painful drawn-out break-up for the first month and a half or so of the semester with Tori, my girlfriend who I talked to a lot of you about. I've had some really bad spells of depression, and actually seriously thought about dropping out of school for a brief period of time.

But God has been good, and things have been getting much better in the past month or so. There have been a couple of really good friends who have been there for me, mostly friends who have done either study-abroad programs or lived overseas, and so know the feelings of alienation that I'm going through. And then there are Darcie and Amy, the two other MESP alums here, both of whom I'm in a campus ministry leadership team with, and both of whom are awesome.
Academically, I've decided to write my senior honors thesis next year on the Christian Zionist Lobby's effect on US policy towards Israel, possibly comparing some of their means of lobbying with political action taken by the Muslim Brotherhood and similar Islamic organizations. I'm excited about that, even though I know it's going to make me angry I think it's going to be fascinating. I'm also hoping to include a chapter on people like MCC and CPT who don't let eschatology override justice when it comes to Israel-Palestine.

On that too, I'm currently rolling the idea around of leading a "Justice Pilgrimage" trip from Gordon to Israel-Palestine next summer after I graduate. As of now, this is only a dream, but I feel like there would definitely be interest from students here, and since Gordon does a lot of summer trips, there would be the organizational framework to support organizing it. Anyway, mostly I think I just want to have a chance to sit at Abuuna Elias Chacour's feet again.

Umm, let's see, what else. Oh, on this summer, the State Department rejected me twice, once for an internship and once for a scholarship to study Arabic (Props to Phil for getting one...internship that is), as did all the NGOs in DC I applied to intern with...so I'm going to be working at my on-campus job over the summer. I was upset about that for awhile, but I'm actually kind of glad now. I feel like I have a lot of things I want to sort out, and so having a more relaxed summer will be much appreciated. I'm planning to do a lot of writing, as well as starting my research for my honors thesis. So if any of y'all are coming to the Boston area this summer, give me a call or an e-mail and we'll have a good time. I'm turning 21 a month from Thursday, too, so that will...ah...enhance our good time. Oh, that reminds me, too, you should all come to DC from the 3rd to the 6th of June for the Sojourners conference. I'm definitely going to be there, and the conference looks to be pretty amazing. Barack Obama will be there...come on, Barack Obama! And Jim Wallis, and Shane Claiborne, and all sorts of other cool people...and then I can actually have a drink with friends on my 21st birthday, instead of just buying a beer by myself. Seriously, it is going to be a great conference. Check out www.sojo.net for more info.

Ok, commercial over. I'm going to jump on the bandwagon started by Kirsten and say that there's someone out there I'm pretty much in love with...but she's graduating in two weeks and moving to Zambia to do educational development...so that's complicated. Good, because she's amazing, but complicated. If you want to know more, you're going to have to ask me directly.

So that's a little on the state of my life. I promise once this semester is over and my life slows down a little I will be much better about keeping in touch. I miss all of y'all a whole lot.
Peace,
Jon