Column by David Rempfer

In the midst of bitter cold and beneath the icicles lingering after the winter storm blazed through, many students, families and communities have had their true hearts revealed. Some have chosen frustration, some fear, others discouragement and yet others selfish complaint, but a rare few have displayed courageous and patient fortitude.

Friday, I saw some of that. In fact, I saw 50 students worth of it.

Students here at the Wesley Foundation faced their initial frustrations over losing power pretty quickly and rallied to one another. Some went around waking up those who were asleep to inform them of the news, and those who were awakened chose to stay awake to be with the others. Without any intercoms or heralds, people were drawn almost naturally to gather on the first floor within minutes, setting aside the normal “quiet hours” as everyone chose to just stay up and be a community. A few kids displayed audacity by starting to play music together and worshipping God solely because they weren’t homeless tonight.

Eventually, the head resident called the group together and proposed a few ideas on what to do since it was entirely possible the electricity wouldn’t be back any time soon. He extended two different offers we were being given for alternate places to stay, which would have heat tonight and hot showers in the morning, and when he tallied the hands …

Not one person raised their hand.

Every single student in that room resolved in their heart that it was better to choose to wear an extra layer and endure this by remaining together than to face the cold by dividing up and leaving this place we call home. Even when students were encouraged with simpler ideas, which resigned to our desires to remain here for a chilly overnight stay yet offered warm showers for tomorrow morning, most students decided they’d either disregard showers for now or take them cold, with a small cluster saying they’d be willing to walk to the Johnson Center to shower.

About 15 seconds later, the lights unexpectedly kicked back on, and celebration ran wild. As I type this at 2:30 a.m., many students are still awake from the gatherings that continued on after electrical power was restored until now.

We may have our ups and downs, our flaws and the moments where we bump heads together, but there is a deep love that connects students here together in an intangible way, one which I admit I had forgotten the fullest unfathomable extents of. This is a special place, a special crew, and I love them, and I love this.

Our deepest gratitude to whatever freezing, sleepy electricians are slaving through the night so that people like us could have back our heat.