Welcome to our first blogging experience. Apologies in advance if this is dreadfully boring, but here goes….

Let’s start with introductions. I’m Rob Recobs. My wife, Charlene, and I have one son, Joshua-Daniel (a.k.a. JD) who is a sophomore.  We reside in Montclair, NJ, about twelve miles west of Manhattan and 15 minutes from GIANTS Stadium.  Char and I are seriously over-scheduled empty-nesters except for a very large golden retriever, Riley, who’s way too smart for his own good. 

Char and I are transplanted Midwesterners. We have been here for over 30 years, but refuse to give up our roots.  JD is a Jersey boy and a real NYC kid.

All of us (except Riley) are thrilled that JD attends Hendrix. He worked hard last year, did very well in his studies and learned about the demands of  NCAA sports.  We provided some words of wisdom before he left home:  “You are a student-athlete. That’s a student FIRST, then an athlete.  If you aren’t the former, you won’t be the latter…and we decide.”  We don’t worry, JD is focused and has his priorities very much in order. 

JD and his friends are finding out that college starts to move you out of your comfort zone.  Instead of sports camps and trips to the shore (that’s ‘Jersey’ for beach), he had an internship where he got his first taste of office life with real deadlines and responsibilities.  Also, he had some DJ gigs which are ongoing wherever he happens to be.  And he trained and trained.

His all-time life-changing experience this summer was a mission trip to Peru. Last year JD applied for a Hendrix-Lilly scholarship to travel to Peru with a group from Hendrix.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t selected because this wonderful trip filled up fast.  He wasn’t discouraged.  Our local Presbyterian church has been a long-term supporter of missionaries in Pisco, Peru.  Pisco was near the epicenter of a massive earthquake one year ago.  Pisco was destroyed in under three minutes.

JD was on the very first volunteer team to enter Pisco since that disaster.  Their objective was to work side-by-side with local craftsmen to start rebuilding seven churches and to minister to the children.  A team of over thirty people (ranging from late teens to over 60) from our community signed up.  Hendrix awarded JD an Odyssey Grant to participate.

Unless you’ve been there, the catastrophic aftermath of any natural disaster is hard for most anyone to imagine. This is no different.  Pisco looks like a war zone; the ground zero of Peru.  Little has changed since the earthquake one year ago where entire families were lost and homes destroyed. The ‘refugees’ here are your neighbors.  Life is hard. Yet, the people of Pisco have lost neither their joy nor their hope.  Counting your blessings?

During their two weeks in Pisco the team did some truly foundational work: clearing rubble, leveling the ground and pouring concrete.  JD raised funds at home and brought lacrosse equipment to introduce the game to the Peruvian children via mini-camps.  The team left with the local people almost all their belongings – including their shoes.  While the actual work done by Team Pisco made a small, but visible difference in the local landscape, their efforts encouraged the people giving them hope for better days ahead.  For JD this isn’t over. He and other members of Team Pisco will continue to raise awareness and raise funds to get the people of Pisco the help they deserve.  He intends to return.

The point: Hendrix is a great school.  The Odyssey programs provide wonderful opportunities for Hendrix students which are not limited to those ‘invented here.’  If a student has a dream, can design his or her own Odyssey, Hendrix can offer you a chance to make it come true and to change your life by learning on many different levels.

What a great place!

Very kind regards,

Rob and Charlene Recobs