This week has felt like a month. People I had never met a week ago I would call family now. I look around the room at a bunch of kids on their computers and wonder how to put this last week into words.

This past year, I have harbored anger, bitterness, and hatred against basically anything that moved. That feels like it is finally going away. I think I really needed to be ripped out of my comfort zone and thrown into a completely new circumstance.

New doesn't even begin to describe what my life is now. I am currently in Georgia, living out of a tent, going to sermons, and learning how to use my gifts to help spread the Lord's kingdom. The squad has gone from strangers to neighbors to family in a matter of days. We have cried with each other, laughed with each other, and picked each other up when we have fallen. We have become a support system for each other like I have never experienced.

Spiritually there has been a lot of news as well. Let's be honest: I grew up in a spiritual bubble. This isn't good or bad. It is just a fact. Now that bubble has been popped. Cedar Springs has always felt like home, and Paideia was the best thing to ever happen to me, and I will fight for it until I die. That being said, this week has given me a lot to process when it comes to the bible. I look forward to diving deeper into the word and decerning the truth for myself.

Saturday night, I got rebaptized. The purpose of this for me was to reaffirm my faith for myself and to declare that this is now my fight more than ever.

Last night, a bunch of the guys shaved their heads. I feel like it represents this drastic change in my life. High school is done now. The Drew, who was a leader at Paideia and who shouted "grey and sticky" with Athanasian, is changing. This doesn't make those experiences less important to me by any means. In fact, it only makes me miss them more, but it is time to grow and flourish. So the old hair is gone, and the new hair or the new Drew is just beginning to grow.

I feel that this trip will drastically change me and reinforce the things that make me who I am. It already has to a wild degree. Your prayers and support are always appreciated. Continue praying for the squad dynamics, health, and safety as we get closer to leaving the country.

Thanks for everything.

-Drew McKinney