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Student Life: A Trip in Time

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

This week, Living Ed students took a trip 800 years into the past. At 9:00 a.m., on Monday morning, twelve students stood in the dorm driveway waiting for Ms. Rebekah Ross and Mr. Jonathan McNair, their taxi-drivers for the trip.

A couple hours later, they pulled into the Cottian Alps in the border-region of France and Italy—actually, they arrived at Waldensian Trail of Faith located in Valdese, NC. But, for just half a day, they journeyed into the Era of Thyatira.

At this outdoor museum, they stepped into an exact imitation of the old ‘Barbi’ college where young Waldensians memorized large tracts of Scripture in secret. Several intrepid Living Ed students crawled on hands and knees into the cave where dozens of Waldensians congregated in secret, studying and singing hymns. Only a sliver of light illuminated the back of the cave. The guide explained that, one terrible day, French-Catholic soldiers used that tiny crack in the rock to smoke the gatherers out. As they crawled out, they were killed one by one.

Mr. McNair explained to the group that much of the history exhibited here was not the history of true Christians. Early on, the majority of the Waldenses were absorbed into Protestantism and the true Church faded into Eastern Europe. Driving this point home, the students passed a replica of the Monument of Chanforan, dedicated to the Waldensians official entry into the Reformation in 1532.

Mr. McNair encouraged the students to appreciate the sacrifices of these people, even while recognizing their false beliefs. He challenged them, “Would you be willing to die for what you believe in as they did?”

After driving back to Charlotte, the students jumped out of the cars and back into their modern lives at Living Education 2020. For just a day, they visited the Era of Thyatira and stepped into the shoes of the Waldensians—but just as the Church has carried on in time, so do they.

Juliette McNair headshot

Juliette McNair is a student at Living Education Charlotte. She works in the Editorial Department transcribing sermons and proofreading transcripts. She also assists Living Education by writing Second Thoughts essays and Forum/Assembly Summaries for the website. Juliette recently graduated from SUNY Cobleskill in Upstate New York with an A.A.S in Horticulture, a B.T in Plant Science, and a minor in English with a writing focus. She loves playing soccer on the beach, getting up early to watch the sunrise, and playing piano with the lights out.

Student Life: A Common Enemy

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Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2020

Living Education students woke up to a brisk 39-degree, sunny Monday morning. Daylight saving time brings the sun an hour earlier, filtering through the women’s dorm windows at 7:15 a.m. By 7:55 a.m., all the girls are rushing around their kitchen, packing lunches, making coffee, and grabbing book-bags. Often, at about 8:15 a.m., you’ll see three cars filled with Living Ed students trailing each other on East Independence on the way to the Headquarters office.

Harmony Talbott | Student Video Editor for Living Education

Occupying the thoughts of the students this week is an assignment due soon: six teams of two were assigned a 60-second video submission on one of the “Seven Laws of Success.” Mr. McNair notified the students that these segments will be compiled and edited into a seven-minute video by Harmony Talbott, his student-employee this year. The goal of the video is to present practical applications of these seven laws in daily student life. If the students create quality work, it will be posted to lcgeducation.org.

When asked about her part in the project, Harmony replied, “I’m looking forward to creating a video with more of a story-flow that connects everything with good transitions.” She says that the challenge will be “having everybody communicate and work together so viewers can make sense of the finished product.”

The students already have had to work together to brainstorm and decide on the over-all flow of video. But clear communication and teamwork will be required in the next few days as they nail down their individual ideas and record their segments. This video, like the program as a whole, is a mechanism. The assignment to cement the seven laws of success in the students minds and to practice working together against a common enemy: a deadline.

Juliette McNair headshot

Juliette McNair is a student at Living Education Charlotte. She works in the Editorial Department transcribing sermons and proofreading transcripts. She also assists Living Education by writing Second Thoughts essays and Forum/Assembly Summaries for the website. Juliette recently graduated from SUNY Cobleskill in Upstate New York with an A.A.S in Horticulture, a B.T in Plant Science, and a minor in English with a writing focus. She loves playing soccer on the beach, getting up early to watch the sunrise, and playing piano with the lights out.

Orientation Week Video

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Orientation week may have come and passed us by, but luckily we’ve still got proof! We put together a short video so that you’re caught up on the exciting student life here in Charlotte, NC.

Orientation Week | 2019

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The second year of Living Education is now underway!

This week was filled with activity as our new Living Education students arrived and began to learn more about where the next nine months will take them. Their three-day orientation program began on Monday with a trip to the Smoky Mountains, where they braved the icy waters of the Watauga River in a whitewater rafting adventure. On Tuesday, they spent the morning learning about the importance of education in the history of the Church of God, how to navigate the academic challenges for the coming year, and the principles that will guide them for the months ahead, before returning to Charlotte. On Wednesday they were welcomed by Dr. Douglas Winnail, Mr. Richard Ames, and Mr. Weston in a special forum, where they challenged to make the most of the opportunity.

For lunch, the headquarters staff gathered to meet and greet them, welcoming them to their new home. The balance of the day was spent learning more about their work-study program, becoming more familiar with the library, and taking a complete tour of the Headquarters facility. We’re so pleased to have these young people here to learn and also contribute their efforts to the Work. With our first day of classes drawing to a close, we can safely say that Living Education Charlotte 2019 has begun!

Click to check out the pictures from our Orientation Week!

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