Elizabeth Tan ~ Grad Reflection
Hi, my name is Elizabeth, and, to start, some of you may know that I have a terrible memory. And if you didn’t know, now you do. I always like to say that I got it from my dad. I…
Ben Tan ~ Grad Reflection
Throughout my time at Pres House, I’ve experienced and learned a lot, not just because my years in college so conveniently overlapped, but because of the people and opportunities here within our community. I would like to share a few…
Poetic Tools for Religious Imagination: Winter Retreat 2023
These poems and psalms were written by Pres House students at our 2023 Winter Retreat. The theme was “Poetic Tools for Religious Imagination.” In two of our four sessions, students collaborated in small groups to write poems and psalms on…
BWAP 2023: What the Great Commission Didn’t Tell Me ~ Kevin Lee
During each night of the trip, a pair of us led a devotional on a chosen topic. Out of the topics Nii Addo provided us beforehand, Mei and I chose the topic named: "The Great Commission and the Ethics of…
BWAP 2023: Unexpected Connections ~ Laura Hyde
On the last day of the Puerto Rico trip, I wasn’t ready to leave feeling like I had more questions than when I came in. Before the trip, I thought I had a pretty clear idea of what Puerto Rico…
BWAP 2023: The Cost of Paradise ~ Lydia Larsen
I want you all to close your eyes for a minute. I want you to picture yourself walking through a rainforest. It’s dense and green and hot and sunny. You walk along this trail until you reach the end and…
BWAP 2023: Deep Love ~ Mei Hippe
When I first got to Puerto Rico, I noticed a deep sense of pride from everyone there. At first, I thought it was nationalism; a pride for one’s country, for an ideal, for a flag. And as an American, I…
BWAP 2023: From Learning to Living ~ Lauren Pettis
I have taken Spanish classes in school for seven years, but the first time I had to translate for our group in Puerto Rico, I looked like a deer in headlights. In that moment, I learned very quickly that there…
BWAP 2023: Deep Roots ~ Aurora Kuelbs
The first day we arrived at the work site, Margarette gave us a short tour of the facility that we would be involved with for the next few days. Techos Pa’ Mi Gente had their main facility set up in…
BWAP 2023: Three Kings Day, a Four-Day Celebration ~ Madelyn Peppard
I remember being overwhelmed by smells and looking up to see locals looking down at the crowd from their lit-up balconies. The 500-year-old architecture and historic cobblestone streets were comically and tastefully juxtaposed with the Coca-Cola-themed parade and a local…