Stories of the Naz

      I am working on campus in University Advancement this summer, which is the office that handles scholarships and donations to the school. They meet with a lot of donors and when they do they like to update them on whats going on at Point Loma. I was asked by one of my co-workers to write out a few stories of my time spent here, what I have learned, and how I have changed. I was excited to spend some time reflecting on my amazing memories of this university. I am so glad that these stories will potentially remind someone what it was like to be a college student and compel them to donate to our school and its students. Here are a few of my stories...

Reflections:

My name is Kelsey Bergstrom and I am entering into my senior year here at Point Loma Nazarene University. As I reflect back on my time here I can see the ways in which I have changed, and grown. For me Point Loma has been a place of happiness, change and struggle, but out of these experiences come beautiful things. Since coming to Point Loma in 2009 I have been called to challenge the very ideas that I thought defined who I was. I am not the same person that I was freshmen year and that is am amazing thing. Point Loma has helped shape me; it has allowed me to find out what this life is really about. I am a fashion merchandising major and plan to start a non-profit Christian clothing company after I graduate. This idea is completely God's plan for my life and I can say that with complete confidence because it wasn’t what I planned to be doing with my life. At one point I had big dreams for my life, and if I followed them I would have found myself years from now living my life completely for myself, and spending time with God whenever I could find time for Him. I realized this fault in my planning somewhere during my junior year of college and decided to give up all of the plans I had made for myself and let God show me to the path that He had already set out for me. This was a very uneasy time for me, not knowing what my future would hold, or what I was working toward. Within a month’s time I had received many messages from God all in different ways about what my life should be and soon enough I had a plan again, and it felt heavenly. When I tell people about it I can just feel my soul filling with joy! It is a life that is far better than anything I would have planned for myself. I am going to be able use all of the talents I have been blessed with for God’s glory! I have been learning that you can have your work life, social life, and home life, or you can have a life where you work, fellowship, and live in peace, that completely revolves around God; this is what I am striving for.

Community:

Community is a word that you hear a lot at Point Loma Nazarene University. I don’t think that it was until my junior year of college that I truly understood the meaning of the word. Compared to other schools Point Loma’s student body is small. For me this is a blessing, it allows me to recognize everyone, and know a good majority of the people that I go to school with. It is such a good feeling to be walking to class and get to say hello to friends in passing. Some will stop and have polite chit-chat, some will follow up on how the last few days of your week have been, and still others will see how you are really doing, and remind you that you are in their prayers. This is an aspect of life that I didn’t even know existed before I came to Point Loma. I have a family here, the friends I have met have slowly molded into the brother and sister roles of my life. They are the people I live with; I talk to them, rejoice with them, and cry with them. We study together, eat together, and explore San Diego together. These are the people that I will call after graduation when things are going so great…or maybe when I need some encouragement. They will be in my life forever.

                I have learned this past year about the practice of trust. It is so easy for an independent person like me to put up walls, never allowing myself to show vulnerability. This year I got tired of doing life all by myself and I allowed myself to trust and show weakness to a few close friends. It was scary at first but when I would receive a random act of kindness on a day that I needed it most, it was all worth it. Like I said I have discovered a whole new version of family here at Point Loma. I have been a resident assistant for the past three years and each time I get a new hall of girls it’s like gaining 30 new friends. This is a job that I absolutely love and will miss dearly when I graduate. I get to journey with these amazing girls through their college years, give some guidance on issues that I have already gone though, and plan exciting events that allow us to bond. This is another part of my Point Loma family.

I have been blessed with a few different jobs on campus, and each department I work in is a new adventure. I get to see how the school runs from many different viewpoints. The supervisors that I encounter are just like the professors I have grown to love at school. They are warm, generous people that have your best interest in mind. They will mentor you, walk along side you, support you, and even have you over to their house for dinner, or a movie night. I feel that this is a relationship, a part of the community that only Point Loma offers its students. I am so incredibly blessed to be a student at this school and I can only pray for the amazing events that God already has planned for my senior year.

Lessons Learned:

My entire experience at Point Loma Nazarene University has been a spiritual one. When I applied to this school it was my first choice only because it had a fashion program, and a great location. I had grown up in a Christian home but the fact that this was a Nazarene School never meant much to me. I found myself going through some rebellious times my last years of high school and into my freshmen year of college. In His perfect timing God decided that I was done messing around and He allowed me to hit my rock bottom in order to come running back to Him. This is when I realized why I had ended up at a school like Point Loma. This was the place that was going to give me grace when I fell down, this is the place that cradled me and lifted me back up. God had placed me here for a reason. I experienced grace and forgiveness that I never deserved. I have completely devoted my life to God since then and I can feel my relationship with Him getting stronger every day. I now see trials and challenges as blessings from my Father because on the other side of them there is light, joy, and lessons learned. Without the hurt of my life I would be nothing.

Since my freshmen year I have become a resident assistant in three different dorms on campus. I have been involved in campus ministries and two different LoveWorks missions trip. I have been the vice president, and am now the president of Phi Upsilon Omicron the Family and Consumer Sciences National Honor Society. I have designed collections for the last three ASB annual fashion shows, and had the honor of designing and constructing the homecoming gowns for the 2011 Homecoming Coronation. I consider all of these events as gifts from God. I am even overwhelmed when I look at this list and that is because none of the credit goes to me. There is no possible way that I would have accomplished any of this without the gifts and support given to me by my heavenly father. It all started with a calling to Point Loma Nazarene University and I pray that it will continue after graduation and for all my years to come. I am simply a servant of the Lord and I am here on this earth to further His kingdom.

Jazzy July Jubilee

   It is finished and I am sad to see it go. July Jubilee was one of the best experiences of my life. It combined all of my passions, and I felt so comfortable, like I was right where I was supposed to be! I started the day of at 4:45 A.M. driving over to my co-leaders house to pick up one last car full of clothing. We met at the Flood offices and carpooled over to downtown. When we arrived at the location the streets were already blocked off for us and we immediately started unloading, and setting up. Our space was comprised of 4 pop-up tents, 2 tables, 8 clothing racks, and countless clothing items. It took us the whole four hours to set up, but once it was done we were all so excited to get started! The four pop-ups were transformed into an outdoor boutique. We hung fabrics all along the outsides of the tents to create walls, and made aisles with the clothing racks. We even had shopping bags and cookies to pass out to our customers. 

When it all started at 10am there had already been a line of people waiting for hours to come in. Some of the people in that line came over and asked if they could help us set up. This instantly warmed my heart. Each volunteer got assigned to the next person in line and took them into the store to find the five pieces of clothing that they would like to take with them. I really loved this one on one aspect of the day. I got to ask people what they were in need of, and some shared their stories with me. We got to shop together and I got to compliment them and make them feel beautiful, and valued. After they had found their five pieces I would walk them out and ask to pray for them, this was my favorite part. I was so moved my the belief that these people had, they already knew that God really can do anything. I wanted some of their trust in Him to rub off on me. I got to hear their desires, dreams, and fears during this time. I also got to hear praises to the Lord. They are such grateful and friendly people. One woman asked me to pray for her humbleness and that just blew me away. If she is living on the streets and is still looking to be more humble then I have much farther to go than I thought! Sometimes the inside of the store would get crowded so we would have to take a break until more people finished their shopping. At times like these I didn't want to just stand around so I started to mingle around in the line of people waiting. This may have been the best part of the day. This was the time that I really got to listen to the people attending our event. These are my brothers and sisters in Christ who have seen a lot more life than I probably ever will. All they want is someone to listen to their stories and the explanations of how they got to where they are now. I was surprised to experience so much positivity while standing in this line. Many told me of their faith and the plans that they have to get themselves off the streets. This was so encouraging to hear, these people are trying to follow Gods call on their lives more than most people I meet on a daily basis. 

After working into the afternoon I found myself beat. I had poured so much of my heart and soul into this project, and the people that I had encountered that day. I found myself completely filled with joy, so I didn't feel the pain or exhaustion, or maybe it just didn't matter. As I walked though the event to get to the shuttle line I saw people with bags of their new clothes, some getting their nails painted at the mani/pedi station, many were dancing in front of the stage where the band was praising Jesus, and still others just relaxing on the couches, in a safe place, getting coached on their lives and dreams. This was a truly amazing event that I am so honored to be a part of. I look forward to next years July Jubilee and hopefully getting to see my new friends again soon :)

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you that helped make this possible. I was overwhelmed by the support and encouragement I felt from my friends and family. 

The greatest friends/volunteers :)

These sisters blow me away with their generosity and kindness

I <3 Flood

The cookies that we gave to each of our customers

The inside of our boutique

The outside of our boutique

The shoes and accessories section

Just call me the keeper of the clothes :)

This is where everyone entered 

Thanks so much for helping make this a great day!

   

New Zealand Reflections

     Thank you to everyone who sent out prayers, and funds for this missions trip. Here is a reflection on some important moments of the trip. I would love to talk to you all further about what I learned, and experienced during my time in New Zealand. I also still have a balance for the trip so if anyone is willing to continue supporting myself, and Point Loma LoveWorks mission trips it would be much appreciated!

 Love to you all, Kelsey

What was the best thing about your LoveWorks experience?

The best day was when we were fundraising with the Girls Brigade (Girl Scouts) door to door. The girl that I was paired with accepted Christ with me on someone’s front lawn! I had gotten to know her on our walk and started asking deeper questions and it led to her wanting to be a Christian. It was the best experience ever! That day just happened to be my birthday as well!

What was the hardest thing about your LoveWorks experience?

The hardest thing was not comparing our trip to other trips that may have been in a physically harder location. Although New Zealand looked and felt a little like America the dynamic and lack of religion was far different than what we were used to. I had to keep telling myself and others that we were doing amazing works of the Lord in New Zealand just by being there, and being a light for Jesus in a country that only has 5% churchgoers.

How has God moved in your life or taught you something new through this LoveWorks experience?

All throughout this missions trip I felt God tugging at my heart to be vulnerable and open up. God can do such amazing things in our lives when we just allow Him to, when we simply say "Yes!" to Him. Each week on the trip I was challenged further. At first it was just stepping out of my comfort zone and sharing my testimony. After I did that I was rewarded by the congregation taking the talents, and blessings I had told them God gave me, and asking me to use them for their church. They now knew I was interested in fashion, and interior design, so they asked if I would completely re-do their children’s Sunday school room. I got to pick out paint colors, sew big beanbags, and write bible verses on the walls! They heard about my strengths, and the gifts God has blessed me with and then put me into action to do God’s work!

The next week I started pushing myself to have deeper faith talks with the people I was meeting, and I was so blessed by the stories that I heard and the bonds that had formed from having those vulnerable moments. The last week was when we were volunteering with the Girls Brigade (Girl Scouts), and after having a talk, that turned into a faith talk, with an  8 year old girl named Danika, I found myself praying with her and she was born into the Kingdom of Heaven that afternoon! This trip was overall such a rewarding experience.

What did you learn from your hosts?

The hosts that we encountered each taught me invaluable lessons. They showed me what a true servants heart looks like, and inspired me to live more fully for God. I picked up little things from them that are now a part of me, and always will be. I learned so much from watching the way that they interacted with their families, friends, and congregations. One thing about the churches of New Zealand that I loved was their involvement. They do not just talk about changing the world; they are actually out there doing it! The people of the church all know each other, and see each other more than just on Sundays as they are doing Gods work in the community, and in the world. I hope that our churches can be more like this.

 Everyone is an All Blacks fan in NZ :)

 We went sand boarding!

 Some amazing kids I met at Kids Club and Alison, and Donna the two wonderful pastors of New Hope Nazarene Church in Whangarei.

 I love babies :)

The LoveWorks New Zealand Team

 Danika, the little girl from Girls Brigade :)

 Part of the new children's Sunday school room, and the bean bags!

 Having so much fun on our last day with my team at a volcano crater that overlooks Aukland.

Freshhhhh START

Matthew 25:36, 40

³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

^{40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’}

Luke 12:27

^{"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.}

   I have been keeping a blog for about a year now and I was just informed that I had no more free space on my original blog. At first this bummed me out but then I realized that it was a great time to start a fresh new blog, for a new chapter of life! I am a senior Fashion Merchandising student at Point Loma Nazarene University and after graduation I plan to start a non-profit High Fashion Christian Clothing Company in San Deigo, CA. This company will donate basic clothing items to developing or recovering counties in need for every purchase made at its San Diego location. The donations will increase with the price of the item purchased. We will be selling high fashion and donating quality functional pieces. I also plan on donating clothing to the local San Diego Homeless community. I believe in helping God's people across the oceans as well as right outside our doors. I want to have my friends as well as the women from the countries we donate to do the modeling for the store, that will be called Clothe the Naked. I believe in real women modeling and designing modest, classic clothing that will make women feel great about themselves! Anyone can look great, its just knowing how to dress for your body type.

The verses above are what this idea/store is based on. This whole operation is Gods plan in my life and I am so excited to follow this journey He has me on. I first had to abandon everything I wanted my life to be in order to see this plan that is completely better than anything I had ever planned for myself.

I hope to give people the chance to travel the world, and experience new cultures when we deliver the donations to our brothers and sister around the world. I have a vision of the store being filled with maps, pictures of God's people, letters and prayer requests from our customers and the people we have met through our service. This big idea is still a work in progress and is continually growing and changing. I am in the midst of preparing a business plan right now and am approaching the future prayerfully. Please keep checking in for updates and progress.

I will be using this new blog as a portfolio of my past work in fashion as well as a way to keep in touch, and updated with everyone. I am so excited for Clothe the Naked or CTN to become a reality. I will have the wonderful opportunity to exercise my blessings by designing for the store, doing some photography, working on the concept, store design, and advertising. I am so blessed to be able to do a little bit of everything I love about the fashion world, while at the same time incorporating Christianity and loving on God's people into my work life.

 GLAM! PLNU Fashion Show 2010

 GrassRoots PLNU Fashion Show 2011

I studied abroad in Paris and styled/created/modeled all of the following photoshoots

 Photoshoot in Paris, deconstruction

 Newspaper photoshoot in Paris

 Tribal photoshoot in Paris

 Food photoshoot in Paris

 Editorial photoshoot in Paris

 Voo Doo photoshoot in Paris

 PLNU Homecoming 2011 gowns

 PLNU Fashion Show 2012 "Transparency"

http://kelseybergstrom.blogspot.com/

Here is the link to my first blog just in case you want to check out the archives :)