July 18, 2013

Hi there!

It’s amazing how much can take place in the span of just ten weeks. Some of you have traveled the globe, or participated in

mission trips abroad. For others (like myself), home has been the summer destination this year. Regardless, of where we’ve been

or what we’ve done, you and I have both grown.

With each new day and each new experience, we learn and we discover. We gain knowledge, develop new skills; learning what

works and what doesn’t along the way. It’s not always easy, friends — it really isn’t. In fact, we often find ourselves failing more

than we find ourselves succeeding. But that’s okay. It’s okay to mess up and it’s okay to fail. But there is a difference between

failing and failure. Failure is terminal, a closed case — failing is not. Someone who fails recognizes that the canyon before them is

neither too deep or too wide to traverse. They don’t see the end, only the beginning of something new. A challenge.

We will enter this year with dreams, ambitions, and goals. If you’re like me, you even have the year mapped out exactly the way

you want it. But something will happen. Something along the way will change or go wrong. A dream will fade, an ambition

wither, or a goal crumble. We will be left with two options: will we turn back, franticly reaching for the reset, or will we choose to

see something new? A challenge.

Friends, I hope that when the time comes, you and I will accept the challenge of finding a way across. Yes, we will stumble and

fall. We will make it so far and be so close only to lose footing again. But know that we will not be alone in these dark moments.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth may give way and

the mountains fall into the heart of the sea...” (Psalms 46:1-2).

Perhaps you’ve heard it said that life’s about the journey, not the destination. It’s true. It isn’t about how we failed at first and then

succeeded, it’s about the trying we did along the way; the not giving up, the not surrendering. If we choose to find a way across,

eventually we will, and when we do, I think we will care less about having succeeded than having persevered. Though a

thousand times we might fail, we cannot be called failures because we will have gained great knowledge, developed incredible

skills, and learned so much along the way.

As we continue towards the start of a new journey together, I hope and pray that each of us recognizes the growth that we have

already achieved, the challenges we have accepted, and the canyons we have already crossed. Make these last few weeks

count! See you in August!

Sincerely,

Peter “Pfack” Fackenthall, Principal

1 Angwin Ave. Angwin, CA 94508 USA • p 707 200 2648 • f 707 965 6689 • o!ce@pucprep.org • www.pucprep.org