This past weekend was the 1 Yr. Anniversary of Gracepoint Austin and Koinonia.  Some of our brothers and sisters from Berkeley and Davis flew out to celebrate with us and we had a wonderful time of fellowship, including basketball at Gregory Gym on Saturday night.  What makes basketball a beautiful sport is when teamwork, good sportsmanship, and the execution of fundamentals are put on display.  Here are some clips that showcase some of these qualities:

Fundamentals:

Teamwork & Sportsmanship:

When: 7pm Thursday 11/5
Where: Geography 102 (Geography building)

Last weekend we left UT Austin along with all the calculus and chemistry behind, in order to venture out to Enchanted Rock where we were able to soak in the beauty of God’s creation.  Many native Texans never knew that such a beautiful park existed just about an hour away from campus.  We arrived Friday night after TFN and enjoyed some late night snacks followed by some team building games and a viewing of the movie, “Glory Road”.  Afterwards, the guys drove to their house and played a few rounds of hide and seek in what they called, “the haunted house”.

The next morning we reconvened at the girls’ house for a scrumptious breakfast and a time of DT.  We then packed our lunches and headed for Enchanted Rock.  Upon arrival, we loaded our bags and began our trek to the top with many freshmen indicating that it was their first time ever going on a hike.  The panoramic view was simply breathtaking.  Once we reached the summit it was time for lunch and a chance to teach the Freshmen how to play the “Ninja Game”.  Shortly thereafter we had an opportunity to explore the caves which John kept referring to as “the mines of Moria” from Lord of the Rings.  After that exciting escapade we went to another scenic point to watch the sunset.  We also used this opportunity to sing some old-school church songs such as “Making Melody” and “Deep, Deep”.   Some freshmen brothers enjoyed it so much that they voluntarily went to the front to help Bryan and Sarah lead the motions.

Overall, it was an incredible trip full of many memory making moments and all of us were so thankful to spend this extended time to share many laughs and get to know one another more personally.  Looking forward to the next trip!

Every year in the spirit of Thanksgiving, we at Koinonia get together to celebrate all that God has done in the past year.  During this time we enjoy a scrumptious Thanksgiving feast followed by some light-hearted song and dance performances.  Here’s a short teaser from our first practice last Friday:

When: Sunday, November 22nd
Where: Second Floor, UT Rec Center
Who: YOU

Last Friday was our annual Christmas Gift Exchange and unlike last year, we were grouped into different teams. In order to pilfer the rival team’s gifts, we were given opportunities to duel each other through a variety of hilarious challenges. Some of the challenges included sending up representatives to do their best staff impersonation, while others were asked to do their best ballet routine, playdough sculpting, and marketing pitch. Overall, it was a fun-filled night with some coveted (and not so coveted) gifts being passed around til the very end.  Good Luck on Finals!

For those of us who were in Austin during Thanksgiving, we got together at Pastor Manny and Sunny’s house for a Thanksgiving Feast and a time of fellowship.  One of the games we played was Catch Phrase, with about 4 different teams competing.  The teams that lost were given punishments such as the memorable rendition of “One Day More” from Les Miserable performed by the Sophomore bros.  Though the staff bros (and Joseph) were dominating throughout most of the night, they too, fell and were given a punishment.  However, some say that the punishment was upon those who were the witnesses.  You be the judge.Flickr Video

This past Saturday the Koinonia staff drove to Dallas and met up with 11 of our students from Dallas to usher in 2010 with many “twists and turns”.  We arrived at Six Flags as soon as it opened and chose to immediately face our fears by riding the scariest rollercoasters:  Shockwave, Superman, and Titan.  Some of the older people such as Pastor M (name not revealed to protect identity) were already feeling lightheaded and dizzy after just a couple of rides.

After some of the brothers burned $5 trying to win stuffed animals from the basketball challenge, it was time for lunch.  We gathered at the picnic spot right outside the park entrance for a scrumptious homemade lunch and shared with one another which rides were the favorites at that point.  The food and rest re-invigorated us for another round of thrills and screams (at least for most of us), but the highlight of the day had to be the final basketball challenge where ChinChin surprised everybody by making the lone shot of the day for the coveted stuffed animal.  Something neither Bryan, nor Pastor M (both self-proclaimed sharpshooters) could accomplish after numerous attempts.

We capped off our trip by driving to H-Mart where we enjoyed eating cheap, authentic Korean food to our hearts content.  Overall, it was a wonderful trip full of many laughs and memory making moments.  We’re especially thankful to have met up with our Dallas students in the middle of the winter break to bond and fellowship with one another.  Looking forward to the next one!

Koinonia embarked on its first ever Spring Break trip to the state of Louisiana.  Some of the highlights of our trip included eating Cajun food (which came in the form of crawfish, seafood gumbo, and even alligator), touring the LSU campus ( with some proudly flaunting their UT apparel), a museum tour where we learned about the rich history of Louisiana’s sugar cane plantations, and the swamp boat tour (even though we didn’t see any alligators).  All in all, we had a great time of fellowship just being together on the car rides and in the hotels where we stayed up to play various games.  As this trip really allowed us to bond at a deeper level, especially with those whom we didn’t previously know too well, we hope you’ll join us for our next adventure in 2011.

Click here to see more photos.