I heard a story before about a little kid who had a little ball. This ball was an important object for him since every time he was nervous or scared about something he would embrace the ball. For a long time he was so attached to his ball no matter where he and his family went he would always bring his ball. One day he was playing in the front yard of his house when his mom called him for dinner. He ran into the house as fast as he could, but in his hurry he did not see the front door step. He fell on the ground and dropped the ball. The ball slowly bounced towards his dad who was sitting at the table. His dad caught the ball and then threw it back to him. The little kid caught it in awe of the bouncing ability that the ball had. He threw it back at his dad in wonder of what else that ball could do. My story before coming to Concordia was similar.
My name is David Garcia and I am a sophomore. I was born in San Jose, Costa Rica, which is about eight hours from here if you take a plane, probably about two days and thirteen hours if you drive so it was pretty far. When I was living there I learned as much as I could've learned here, but something was different when I started coming to school here at Concordia. Since the first day I came here I tripped on that step and dropped the ball I was holding for a long time. My days became an adventure. I would come to Concordia even without being enrolled to just hang out with friends. My first semester changed my entire life after I took the Around-the-World Semester. I visited ten countries in seventeen weeks learning about different cultures, religions, and history. On that trip everything I knew helped me to make it through, and even the things I did not know. There were many new experiences when I dropped my ball and gave it to God to help me. In that process I became a better person, friend, and servant.
I would visit Concordia before I was enrolled to just hang out with friends...My days became an adventure.
After that semester I became part of Concordia's Mens Soccer Team. My community within the community is now the environment that challenges me constantly to love, to be humble, to be strong and courageous. Everyday I have the chance to use the gifts I have been learning through the last two years here. Today I look back and thank God for this amazing opportunity of being part of this amazing institution. If you have a ball in your hands and you don't know what to do with it, then Concordia is the place you want to come. There are more stories to tell, more stories to write and this could be your time to be part of Concordia's story. I look forward to seeing you around campus, and sharing more stories.