M RR R 14 February 2018
Loma Linda Academy News Reflecting on LLA since 1940s
Issue VII
How I Found ‘The One’
Dr. Carter
We met here at Loma Linda Academy. She was a freshman and I was a senior and it was actually in the Youth 202 room at Loma Linda University Church where Doug Mace was the youth pastor, and she knew me from before. I didn’t know her. But she came up to me at the end of sabbath school to introduce herself and we ended up talking for three and a half hours. We remained good friends that entire year. We ended up singing in a musical together … We went on choir tour together. It was a fun experience and we were good friends.
The Mirror staff interviewed some of the teachers and how they found their other half... Mrs. Elssmann
Ok so I met my husband at La Sierra University and we were both freshman but I didn’t actually meet him at first, I only saw him. We were both village students [and] we both lived in Loma Linda. We would get on the bus that took us to school, so at school he would be getting on the bus when I was getting off the bus. We were always opposite schedules but we would see each other getting on and off the bus and I thought he was so cute and every time I saw him he smiled at me and I’m like agh I gotta find out who this guy is. So I looked in my book where you looked for everybody’s faces [and it] has their name in it. I couldn’t find him anywhere I looked and I looked, and I’m like where is this guy, I can’t understand who this guy is, I cannot find him anywhere. So then my friend from high school said hey there’s a group of us going camping and Glenn Elssmann wants to know if you wanna come, and I’m like no who’s that, and she’s like oh it’s just some guy I know, and I’m like wait what does he look like, and she described him and I’m like mm that could be the guy, so I’m going to say yes. So this was an entire week long trip I went on a blind date with him. [It] sounds like a movie. So we went down the Colorado River for one whole week as our first date. For sure don’t get serious because you’re going to change so much in the next ten years that you’re gone that you don’t know who you want to get serious with yet.
Initially I thought of her as a friend in part because of the fact that I was a senior and she was a freshman and in high school that is a huge age gap. I was thinking about moving on to college and I didn’t entertain the idea of thinking of her romantically, but I think in retrospect that ended up being one of the key reasons when we decided to date many years later. We could look back on that time, on that friendship and know that we had something there that was very natural and very honest without the whole “oh we’re dating and so we are presenting our best at each other.” So because we thought of each other as friends, we were ourselves around each other and we didn’t go through that “oh I like this person hehe haha now I’m nervous. What do I say? What will they think if I’m this?” It was just a very open friendship in that respect. I would say date your best friend. Don’t get caught up in all of the drama. Find somebody who likes you and likes to be around you and who accepts you for who you are and doesn’t want to try to change you. That almost never works. I just feel incredibly lucky because I found somebody who liked who I am and who I was right from the beginning. Don’t try to force it… Just trust the process, trust that God has a plan for you and the right person will come at the right time. It may be in high school, it may be when you’re 40. Find somebody who you love to be around and who loves to be around you and values you for who you are right now, not who they think you might become someday.
Pastor Skortez
My wife and I first met when we were freshmen on the La Sierra campus. And I was up by the La Sierra Hall. And she was walking with a friend of ours, a mutual friend. And we hadn’t met yet. And I was good enough friends with this friend that I yelled across the campus some silly teasing ya know. I roasted her somehow. And my wife looks at her friend and goes, “who is that guy?” they go, “Oh that’s just Rob, ya know he’s just teasing ya know.” And that was her first introduction she’s like, “who is that guy I’m not sure he’s a nice guy ya know.” So becoming romantically involved was not as scary or problematic because we trusted each other and we had a good friendship. Yeah so you know advice for teens, it really works best when you take time to get to know somebody that way you see them in a non
Mr. Herrmann
I met my significant other at La Sierra University in the 2000’s. Well originally we were friends. We had a very professional relationship and later on when we were both at a single place in our life we started talking more and more and that talking, you know, as it does, leads to a more flirtatious relationship and that was then parlayed into… well we have two kids. Yes. I have to quote my friend Lamar Sandiford. “Teenagers should keep their clothes on.”
stressful and non romantic. setting and when you do get interested romantically or you take that step, you’re a lot more confident. You know the person and you know what to expect.
Raw Raspberry Cream Filled Chocolate Candies
Mrs. Rantung
My husband and I met in 2002, in my home church. I was a freshman in college, and he was a senior in college. He was a student missionary in my home church, so we worked together in my home church.
Source: Chef Amber Shea Ingredients
For chocolate • 1 cup finely grated cacao butter • ¾ cup raw cacao powder • ½ cup maple syrup, agave, or coconut nectar • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract • Pinch of sea salt For the raspberry cream: • 1 (10-oz.) bag frozen organic raspberries, thawed • ½ cup raw cashews, soaked for 2-4 hours • ½ cup pitted dates • 2 tablespoons ground chia seeds • 2 teaspoons lemon juice • Pinch of sea salt
He is humorous, and a very funny guy. He is very caring and very gentle. And also he is quite talented, too. He plays lots of instruments such as piano, guitar, and drums. He learns very quickly. We have traveled a lot in our eight and half years of marriage so far. We have moved for six times ever since we got married in 2009. The advice I have for teens and relationships is “be patient”. ;)
Mr. Davisson
I met my wife after my freshman year of college. We met at this summer camp we both worked at. The next summer, I had gotten really sick, so I arrive about a month late to the summer camp. I lost a lot of weight and didn’t know a lot of the new staff. Her kindness made me feel loved and welcomed. My advice is be patient, and once you do meet the one, communication is hugely important.
Instructions
1. To make the chocolate, gently melt the cacao butter in a dehydrator or in a double boiler over low heat. Add cacao powder, sweetener, vanilla, and salt. Stir thoroughly to combine, and set aside. 2. To make the raspberry cream, combine the raspberries, cashews, dates, chia seeds, lemon juice, and salt in a highspeed blender and blend until completely smooth. 3. To assemble the candies, spoon the chocolate mixture into molds (for best result, use a shape with a good amount of depth) about 1/3 of the way full. Add a small amount of raspberry cream to fill the mold 2/3 full. Add another spoonful of chocolate mixture to fully fill the mold. Freeze for several hours or overnight until completely firm. 4. The next day, when the candies are fully set, pop em out of the models and INDULGE! 5. These are best stored in the refrigerator or freezer
Mrs. Constanzo
We met in 2000 at White Memorial Church. He was singing with Heritage Singers Español, and I was there with some of my friends. We got to know each other better when I moved to Northern California (Santa Rosa) and he was living at the Heritage Singers ranch in Placerville. He was kind and sweet and we became good friends. After awhile, the friendship turned into dating . . . and a year later, we were engaged! Like anything else in life, respect, honesty, and communication is of utmost importance. It’s always better to have a solid friendship first, before ever even thinking about dating.
Mirror Staff Editor-inChief Ivanna Vargas
Design Editor Hannah Sitanggang
Photo Journalist Angela Jin
Photo Journalist Grace Morales
Reporter Salomon Gallo
Reporter Chloe Hegstad
P. 1
Reporter Cheerleen Hu
Reporter Noah Hernandez
Briefs • Friday, February 2 Spanish classes II and III went to the San Diego Safari Park to explore and look at the many animals and translate phrases about the park into Spanish • Wednesday, February 7, the Physics class went to Knott’s Berry Farm to ride the rollercoasters and write out different equations about them • Tuesday, February 6, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake hit the city of Hualien in Taiwan causing several buildings to collapse or start to collapse. Several people were killed and rescuers are still searching for many missing people • The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea began on Wednesday, February 7, and the opening ceremony took place on Friday, February 9. The games will go through most of February until the last competitions on the 25th.
Reporter Kaleo Smith
Sponsor Danelle Taylor Johnston
Publisher Datha Tickner
Valentine’s Dinner Febuary 11, 2018 photos by Noah Hernandez
R R R R
Junior/Senior Bible Camp 2018 photos by Ivanna Vargas
M RR R 14 February 2018
Loma Linda Academy News Reflecting on LLA since 1940s
Issue VII
Poems by Faith Morales
To create this DIY you will need: a pillowcase, scissors, glue gun, glue sticks (2), folder, pencil, red felt, black felt, and pillow stuffing
Print out your chosen slogan or phrase to be on the pillow. Set the fonts to be extremely large and cut out the letters individually to be your letter outlines.
Grab your folder and (using your pencil) draw half a heart on one side of the folder. Then use scissors to cut it out to make your heart shape.
Set your letter shapes on the black felt. Use the shapes to outline your letters onto the felt and cut them out.
Set your heart shape on your red felt. Use the heart shape to outline a heart onto the felt and cut it out.
Gather your felt heart and letters. Lay them out on the pillow case (tip: iron the pillow case beforehand). Use the hot glue gun to attach felt cutouts (another option is stitching).
...stuff the pillow and you are done!
Valentine’s Day DIY By Salomon Gallo
Full Circle
By Julianne Magakat “Come to the office! Your grandparents dropped off a gift for you,” reads the yellow slip. The interesting thing is, my grandparents have never before given me actual gifts for Christmas or my birthday, only money. Hmm, I think, what a rare occasion! I carelessly lift the package, almost dropping it for the unexpected weight. What could they have given me that would weigh this much? A baby? Wait, that’s stupid. Never mind. The brown tape covering the gift makes a “sccrrrrrrrrrriiiitttttt” sound as I rip it open. Inside the box lies a metallic and futuristic looking device. Red digital numbers tick down ominously. 00:30:21… 00:30:20… My heart drops to my feet. I race with the box back to my car. The school registrar’s eyes widen and she speeds after me screaming, “Get back here!” Rationalizing that I’m probably saving her life, I run faster. I jump into the car and hit the gas right when she’s about to catch up. I drive as far as I can in thirty minutes into the most remote place I can think of, heart beating a tattoo into my chest faster and faster and faster. My breath is coming out in pants. My legs are shaking. My hands are clenched tight around the wheel, knuckles white. The timer on the the device ticks down, the sound reverberating in my ears. 00:00:04 … 03 … 02 … 01 … A wildly fluctuating heart rate flatlines. The elderly couple stationed by the bedside of the younger hang their heads as tears stream down their faces. Never did they think that their granddaughter would end up in a coma by buying drugs with the money she got from them for her birthday. They resolve to only gift the rest of their grandchildren actual gifts from that moment on.
Follow for More:
Unwittingly in Love By Michell Goyal
And he looked at her with a smile. He was unknowing, of course, that he was smiling. He just couldn’t help it. Her eyes shone and sparkled like they held the sun. Her smile stretched across a golden face so beautiful, he swore she was a goddess in disguise. Her laughter rang like the bells in heaven. Her voice, oh her voice, was more than just music to his ears. Her voice was pure, melodious, sonorous. And yet, these were simply the most perceptible qualities that this angel possessed. The essence of her soul was hidden to most. For years, he had mused and pondered over what secrets she held close to herself. What was it that made her so beautiful? What did she spend her days thinking about? What could she dream for, when she was what others yearned for? These were the questions that kept him up at night, during the day, all day and everyday. He could never escape her. But then again, who would want to? Her soul was as beautiful as she was. She held a certain type of blazing heat inside her heart that few and far between had seen. The kindness that she radiated, the caring touch that she held, the feeling that she held all the laughter in the world within her; they had shone so brightly that he swore he was blinded by her. Yet, he knew this picture was an erroneous one. She had scars from her mistakes; she had a wall built by those around her. She was careful with her words, choosing her battles and victories. Nonetheless, that didn’t stop him from seeing the beauty that others had refused. That didn’t stop him from seeing the way that she loved wholeheartedly and unapologetically. That didn’t stop him from smiling every time she laughed.
His contemplations ceased temporarily when her eyes, full of spark and light, glanced over at him. For a second, the world stopped. Time was irrelevant. Others had disappeared. Everything had dissolved, except for her. Her smile stretched even further. Her golden skin developed a rosy tint. He didn’t notice that he was staring. No one noticed, except her. She always noticed the small things; small things like silent glances and unspoken agreements. She understood that communication didn’t always have to be out loud. She recognized that sometimes, silence says more than words. So when he smiled back, she stood up. His eyes widened in panic, his breathing became elevated as she got closer, and he broke out in a sweat. He so desperately wished that she wouldn’t give him a chance to embarrass himself. Yet at the same time, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Her stride was confident, her eyes were burning with determination. Her skin was a bright scarlet and her hands were fidgety and restless. She was on fire. She was beautiful. Breaking out of his trance only slightly, he stood up. “Hi,” smiled the girl on fire. “Hi,” smiled the boy unwittingly in love.
YouTube @LLAVisualArt
Instagram @lla.mirror P. 2
FIRE Dancing, twisting with the wind. But still having a life of your own to shape you. You glowed so hot, burning me, burning me, but you still draw me in with your fierce light. Your overbearing heat, it warms me till I’m melting and I become one with you. Yet you still hurt me, burn me. It feels the best with you. Your burning passion, scours me to the core. I’m overcome with you, I’m not enough. Please don’t depend on others, even if I’m not enough, I give you all I have. And just like the flames of life, Your passion smolders and starts to give out. Are you just riding out the rest of the simmering heat till you go out forever?
LIE Am I caught in my lie? I’m caught on the edge, I’m between worlds, Isolated in this haze of gray. I want you to stay, But I’m waiting for you to leave. Not wanting you to go, and not wanting you to stay.
YOUTH/FOREVER YOUNG Those days when we could be carefree. We didn’t have to worry. We were so free, so wild, so young. Running down endless beaches, Dancing in the streets, Singing till the sunsets and beyond. Wishing for better days, for better luck. Wanting to grow up, but wanting to stay young all the same.
STIGMA I depended on you, You were my everything. I want to cry, I know I will, but I don’t know what to do. With this stain on my heart, I’ll continue as I am, I’ll accept your love, no matter how painful to me. I’m stained, I’m ruined, Forever, forever, by you. Never, never with you. Please.
VSCO @llamirror
By Grace Morales
By Ciara Rader
By Grace Morales
R R R R
By Angela Jin
By Emily He
By Emily He
By Grace Morales
By Ciara Rader photos by Shantel Guzman, Angela Jin, Grace Morales