I went around campus asking students their opinions about this year’s Spiritual Emphasis Day. I asked them about the impact SED had on their life, their main takeaway from the event, and the session they enjoyed the most, among other questions. These were their responses:
“My favorite session was God, What Do you Want from my Life? by Mrs. Hakes. I liked it because it helped me see a different perspective. Rather than wanting to know right then what God wants from my life, but instead just waiting for God to move and me just to follow.”
Isaac Brassfield, high school junior
“Mr. Russell’s speech was pretty amazing and direct. It made me think a lot, and it kept me awake. Also the games were very entertaining.”
Josue Bonilla, high school freshman
“Out of all the Spiritual Emphasis Days I’ve been a part of, this last one was by far my favorite. I was able to feel God’s presence very vividly. The sessions were good and clear. The worship was amazing. I could tell the singer was very spiritually led. I loved it!”
Dayana Flores, high school senior
“I really liked the session Valuing Others. It was about how to be nice to people in different social environments like the outdoors, movies, mall and other places. I learned new ways I can respect others.”
Sam Izzo, 8th grade
“It was fun to have this experience. My favorite time was the extra worship because I liked the songs and music. Also, I liked learning new things about friendship.”
Cecilia Kim, 7th grade
“I really liked this year’s Spiritual Emphasis Day. The theme was very creative and one that made me reflect on the idea of shame and how we try to hide our imperfections through things like carelessness and perfectionism. We often have different perceptions of fathers, but the Prodigal Son story reminded me of God’s unconditional grace and mercy despite all our sinful thoughts and actions. He forgives us even when we don’t deserve it. In conclusion, I think our shame or guilt shouldn’t be something that separates us from God but rather enables us to seek Him more to overcome our mistakes.”
Joycelin Kim, high school junior
“My favorite session was probably God, What Do you Want from my Life? I learned a lot from it. My main takeaway is don’t look for directions; look for a relationship with God. If God wants you to know something he will let you know – if you are listening. ”
Joanna Burgi, high school sophomore
“The best session for me was Prayer and Meditation by Denis Miranda. I could talk about things that I don’t normally talk about with many people. H was there to support me.”
Kenneth Larios, high school sophomore
“It has impacted my life by letting me know more about God. Especially the part that Jesus is love, and love breaks our shame so we could face Him without feeling guilty. My favorite part was the worship.I like to worship together with people I know, especially my friends.”
Bella Tsao, high school freshman
“Spiritual Emphasis Day is probably one of my favorite events at NCA. It is one of the times where students learn and grow, and it reminds them who God really is and how they can change or improve their relationship with God. It’s a great idea that the high school students just take a break from regular work in exchange for a day to listen and learn about topics they struggle with or want to understand more of. I think it’s great that students have this chance to learn not only about God, but about issues in life. Overall, Spiritual Emphasis Day has impacted me through so many different ways, and God has taught me amazing lessons that will stick with me for life. Over the course of the years, God just keeps surprising me in different ways during this even,t and I’m grateful that NCA students have the opportunity to experience it. ”
Genid Silva, high school senior
“It was really fun. It was a great experience, especially the length of lunch. It was so much time!”
Diego Oliver, 7th grade
“It impacted my life by encouraging me to reconstruct my spirit because of previous shame that I had. A main takeaway of the day basically was that everybody makes mistakes and feels ashamed. My favorite session was definitely the homosexuality one. It definitely explained how and why people struggle with it.”
Ana Kassandra Rugama, high school freshman
