Packing Season

So I've got a couple days before I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again (always wanted to use that somewhere), and packing is the last thing on my mind. I'm in a position where I'm going to need to filter through my stuff, getting rid of the things I don't need and placing new stuff in; I did a little filtering before I came back to the States, but that was mostly paperwork and random bits and pieces. In terms of clothes, I tend to get stuff to last for a year; that's the way it's been every year I've been away in Australia; there hasn't been a need to buy clothes in Sydney, and considering clothes are pricey out there, I'm grateful for that (you have no idea how grateful I am for Old Navy and their $20 jeans I've been living off of for the past several years). Now that I think about it, that's been a small but consistent testimony of God's provision throughout my life; today, I don't have Old Navy jeans, and that's because of God's providing for my family so that we can be blessed a little more than we've been. My dad's told me stories of how back in Nicaragua having Levi's meant you were super awesome and rich or something like that, and how he always wanted to have them. While I've been home, I've acquired like 5 pairs of Levi's (most of them on sale too #balleronabudget), and... a few of them are slim fit. Now I want to express why this is a big deal for me; you might find this funny and little weird, but trust me, it's a progressive life thing. My entire life my mom has had a tendency to get me clothes that are a bit bigger than I would normally be comfortable in, because she figured I would "grow into them". Thing is, I've only ever had baggy jeans that I never fit into, and it wasn't until Australia that I realized this; after all, it is Sydney's fault that I heard of the concept of skinny jeans to begin with. Now, before you think, "Oh man, Steven's conforming to the ways of society!", I want to stress that these are SLIM fit, which means they're the middle ground between straight leg and skinny; it's very snug, but not to the point where it could potentially cut off circulation to my legs. Just writing this is making me laugh a little; all I know is I'll probably get some witty banter from my college friends when I wear them in public. Anyways, back to packing. Basically all I'm taking is my 2012 clothes and a couple other things, including my PS3. I'm excited for this year, I really am; I'm just not looking forward to SFO's security...

2012: An Empty Canvas

Art's always been a big part of my life. No question about that. For as long as I can remember I found such happiness in putting a pencil to paper and seeing what my imagination would come up with. I don't consider myself a "good" artist, but I consider myself a passionate one. There's just a peace of mine that overtakes me when I draw; well, more like when I drew. To be honest, I don't do much of that anymore. Mainly because of the fact that the convenient resource of papers and pencils/pens aren't around and at my disposal as much as they once were, but also because the drive of my imagination has transformed over the years. Growing up, drawing was really my only way of expressing and exercising my imagination and creativity, but nowadays I do other things. Even the word "artist" has transformed in my world; I don't just see pencil and paper, but now I see pictures, cameras, instruments, CDs, lights, etc. I once considered myself an artist. I once considered myself a musician. Those things are present in my life still, but in a less prominent way. The whole being versatile thing has been the course of my life; it's also turned out to be one of my greatest weaknesses. Sure, I can draw, sing, act, play piano/bass/xylophone/triangle/guitar, film, direct, and whatever else I do, but I can't say I'm completely all about one specific thing. That's what's lead me to this very moment. I was supposed to do two years of study at the Hillsong International Leadership College; I've done exactly that, but now I'm returning for another year. Guess two years wasn't enough for me to get the big picture. But... this could very well be the year. That's why I'm looking at this year as an empty canvas. I am looking at this canvas through the eyes of my inner child, a simple artist. I might not have a lot of expertise and skill with a pencil or brush, but I know someone who was skilled enough to paint the stars, draw out oceans, brush in mountains, and throw in over 7 billion people into this masterpiece called our universe (and sure, maybe there is a galaxy far, far away with more lifeforms celebrating the demise of the Dark Side, but who really knows. Maybe Lucas was on to something...) I am confident in the fact that when I'm unsure of touching my pencil to the canvas, I have the one true artist to guide my hand and help me create something beautiful, something to remember. Something worth living for. There's been a lot of challenges in my journey as a college student, and a couple are still a challenge even as I type. Through it all, it's been one thing that's kept me going: the one true artist. Without Him, I would have been lost a long time ago. So this year, I'm living on purpose. This year, I'm not holding back because of insecurities or past failures. This year, I will realize my full potential, and in His name I will go where He sends me.

To be honest, it feels good to be on this blog of mine again; it's been too long. Here's to hopefully making this a part of my life too (just not every day, because that was borderline stressful on me. I'm very big on continuity.)

- Steven (Psalm 37:4)

Day 451: Hiatus

So this morning I woke up to a harsh reality. All this involvement with the college hasn't come without sacrifice. Sure, I'm being part of some amazing things here at college with the creative team and I'm studying and learning so much, but being present with what's happening here has left me slowly losing grasp of the world I left to be here. I'm not proud to confess this, but it's the truth and I don't want to avoid the truth. So this is what I'm going to do: as an executive order as to preserve communication between two worlds, I will be temporarily retiring this blog (maybe permanently, pending on conditions) to focus communication to the people that matter most to me. If this isn't farewell, then I'll see you when I see you. If this is, then I want to extend a big thank you for taking time of your days to read on my adventures in Australia. This blog's ultimate purpose was to look back at how much I've grown in two year through the Hillsong International Leadership College; it's been a long way, but I've had the support of many great family and friends. So again, thank you; I said it every time, and I'll say it again:



God bless

Steven

Day 450: The Final Stretch (Colour)

The way the church sees it is that even though the conferences are over, they consider the Sunday services right after to be directly affiliated with Colour. This is mainly because of the women that come for the conference but visit on Sunday as well; the church wants them to have as good of an experience in the church as they would at the conference. It's a great concept, really; it's what connects the church to everything else they do. Hillsong aims to involve God in literally everything they do, and it definitely inspires people. This morning, I got to direct for the 8 a.m. service once again; now I'm starting to get the hang of this. I'm rostered to direct again next Sunday, so I want to be ready for it. The rest of the day was solely dedicated to getting some rest, because even on these next two days off I'll still be doing some work then. The evening was amazing; Christine Caine, a Hillsong veteran and current leader of the A21 campaign to battle human trafficking across the world, gave an incredible message on God being within the impossible. My dad would always tell me that with God, nothing was impossible; this message brought me back to those times growing up when I felt that it would be impossible for me to accomplish certain things. Even being in this country, studying at this college would have seemed impossible to me a few years ago; but here I am, standing on God's faithfulness and grace. Colour 2011 is officially over; I need to hang out with guys this whole week or I'm going to lose my mind talking to girls anymore.

God bless,
Steven

Day 449: The Lighter Sides of Colour

Last week on the last day, the city campus had the majority of the work to do, especially with the pack down of the place when it was all over. The hills students helped out until a certain time, and then they would head out to their homes early. This time around, we got the easy side of it. Today was very similar to yesterday, with some slight changes to what I did. In the afternoon, I helped Laz with his camera; the guy never really got a break, so I gave him one and worked his camera in the meantime. It was a lot of fun, and I'm happy I got to make a larger contribution to the conference. When Revelation was over and I was released until pack down, I just reflected on what was accomplished the past two weeks. I've been surrounded by well over 15,000 women in total, serving them and helping to give them the best conference they have ever experienced. I've had the privilege of seeing just a glimpse of what the creative departments of the church do for events like this, and actually being part of it myself was the highest honor. On a plus side, I never had to spend a dollar, because of the addition of lunch vouchers as opposed to last year only having dinner vouchers (that's my God continually providing for me, awesome). This conference really was something to remember; I enjoyed every part of it, and I hope that from here I can take what I've learned and seen and make this semester even greater.

God bless,
Steven

Day 448: Small Contributions, Okay

This was my schedule for today:
1. Wake up around 6 to get ready
2. Get to the church before 7, since that's when the buses were leaving
3. Arrive at the Hills campus around 7:40-8
4. Immediately mark down that I'm there and head to camera 6 where I would be assisting
5. After rehearsals, head back to the control room for a quick meeting
6. Small break before the waves of women entered the main auditorium
7. First session; did my duty, had fun doing it! Got to work with Adam, who was the camera operator I assisted at Colour 1
8. After the session, it was lunch time; from here I was basically free until 4:45
9. Go out and about, filming things for college creative
10. Return to the control room to help with Revelation, which was the pre-show the church puts on before the evening session
11. After Revelation, I'm free to film again
12. Evening session's over, and it's time to go
13. Make sure I get on the bus to head back to the city
14. Get to the Meritons, and sleep.

This conference day wasn't as hectic as the first, which was really a relief. Sure, I'm still doing all kinds of stuff all day, but I wasn't as tired by the end of the day. Pretty good, pretty good.

God bless,
Steven

Day 447: Colour, 2.0 and Condensed

Upon arrival at the Hills campus, I felt prepared to take on whatever I needed to do. I was confident, I was well rested, and I was hungry for action. Ever get those days when you come in to your work place and you end up having nothing to do because it's all taken care of? That was today for me. I found out that I'm only rostered for the morning sessions and a small intermission before the evening sessions; other than that, I'm a free man. I pretty much spent the day filming stuff and trying to find something productive to do; I even joined two completely different teams just because. I will say though, that despite not having done any work with TV, I still consider this a good day; it's only going to get better from here.

God bless,
Steven