July 28, 2009 by lbethay.

Master Joel,

Our team of students helping with the seminar really were distinctly different this weekend!  I can honestly say as a school we truly did shine.

It was such a relief to arrive Friday evening to find that Debbie, Katie and Cordera had already set up all of the lunch tables with chairs.  Didn’t Cordera look terrific in his suit as he greeted the Master’s and took care of receiving the dinner payments?

Prior, TJ had coordinated getting the dinner tables set up and Leah brought over all of the paper goods for the dinner as well as, the warming trays that we needed for the dinner.

Scott, Van and Jeff decorated the room for us with the banners Scott designed and painted along with help from Snow (the day prior to her surgery no less) that all of the Masters raved about.  Each of them plans on hanging their banner in their school.

Jeff and Carol did a beautiful job as our key food servers with Krista, Luke, Cody, Zachary, Drew and Alora’s help. 

Didn’t I tell you that Nadja was an incredible cook!  I was so pleased with everything she had brought.  Leah and others spent a great deal of time in the kitchen helping her get everything ready to serve.

As all of this was happening, the Jenkins took care of those outrageously heavy mats!  Special thanks to them for their hard work along with help from many others.  That was really a huge undertaking that made all the difference in the grappling session.

Saturday morning went as equally well.  I can never thank Jeff enough for running to the store (twice!) once for ice and a second time for change.

Did you know that your sweet young students Alora and Kari took charge of the concessions for most of the day?   Boy did they ever make the sales! Sometimes cuteness is hard to pass up. They did have back up help from Zach, Luke and Cody.  All of the concession items were brought as donations from our students to help in our fund raising.

Special thanks to Teresa and Krista who took care of our DVD sales for us.  We have 19 dvd’s to make.  It’s exciting to be the first school to do this!

You would have been especially proud of Scott, Zach, Luke, Cody and Jeff for holding the boards for the black belt testers and thank goodness Tasha was there when one of the testers became ill.  She knew exactly what to do.   All were on hand for the entire test assisting in whatever was needed.  The Master’s never lacked for a single thing.  I’m proud to say we were able to take care of every request.

We never would have had enough change had Collin not had a roll of quarters and I would not have made it through the day except of the coffee run he made later in the afternoon for us.  In addition, Drew and little Collin made sure that all of the attendees received the sandwich they wanted at lunch.

I can’t wait to see the video that Van and Scott patiently videoed all day long and I’m sure that the pictures that Collin took are going to be terrific as well.

Of course we were reminded of how incredible your teaching is by the looks on the faces of the black belts as you were showing our grappling moves.  It was really cool to watch their reactions!

Everyone helped in clean up and you could not tell we had been there by the time we left.  Wow!  What a terrific few days.

I’m sure there were other things that magically happened by the students to make Friday and Saturday run smoothly that are not noted above and I really hope I haven’t left anyone out.  Plus, I bet Mr. Greg was praying for us as he was taking care of Snow.  There is no way this could have gone so well without prayer!

It’s amazing to see the level of service in our school for this ministry.  I’m very proud to have been a part of this weekend.  I heard from so many on how well everything went.  The entire Master group complimented us on making them feel honored but it could not have been done without the entire team that worked.  We truly do have “distinctly different” students.  Oos

In Christ,

Lisa Bethay

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September 27, 2008 by Soke.

Warriors,
I wanted to thank each one of you for the gifts and comments you gave me for my birthday. The box of notes that I received was an amazing gift, both heart-warming and surreal. Each one you wrote meant a lot to me, from the touching words of my closest friends, to cards that had no more then a hand drawn picture of me and my master’s sword. I know that this is bias, and I apologize to our sister organizations whom I respect immensely, but Warriors for Christ students are the best I have seen. I have been around martial arts for 29 years, and have seen a lot. Never have I seen a school act more like a family, be more willing to serve, and desire to be distinctively different. The love and compassion that I have seen you guys display for each other is amazing. Most of you know that our instructors do not receive payment for teaching, at Warriors for Christ. You are the reason that I do what I do. To watch people bloom into something better then they were before. Your growth, attitude, and effort are the payment I receive for instruction. With what you give in return, I am the highest paid instructor I know. You are the answer to the question, “why does God allow us to go through dark times?” So we can make it through, and be apart of something like this. You guys have taught me more then you will ever know, and just when I think God has blessed us completely, he adds yet another (and another, and another) great family. Thank you for who you are, and for your love for Him and the arts.
Shihon Joel Geniesse, Soke

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August 16, 2008 by Soke.

What does belt testing mean to you as a Tao Hsieh Wu Shu student? Why do you think that we have fewer belts then other martial art systems, and why do you think that it takes longer to obtain a black sash. Also, let other’s know about your journey thus far. IF you are from another martial art system, let us konw your story, as well.
For him and the arts,
Soke

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July 9, 2008 by Soke.

Add comments about Mr Kendall’s Black Belt test. Greg is the third student to ever test for 1st Dan in THWU. It was a great test.
Osu.

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February 16, 2008 by Soke.

Great Job to all who tested last. Please add a comment, and let us know what you thought.

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February 16, 2008 by Soke.

All, we have added several pictures to the website and photo album, lately. Let us know your thoughts. Which picture do you like the best, and why?

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December 17, 2007 by Soke.

Congradulations to Mr. Greg Kendall for testing and passing his Red Sash Test. As Andrews Kyoshi stated, you were squeezed like toothpaste so we could see what was inside. Osu! You should be proud of your accomplishment, and on to Blask. Keep it up. Soke

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December 1, 2007 by lbethay.

1. lbethay says:
   November 10, 2007 at 10:16 pm

   From Luke Bethay:
   I think an orange belt should be able to put one attacker into submission, palm strike board break.

   From Alora Bethay:
   They should be able to perform at least one hip throw.

   From Cody Bethay:
   knife hand, double front snap kick, step hook kick

   From Scott Bethay:
   a step kick, 1 hand and 1 kick combo, sticky fingers set, arm bars, palm strike break

   From Lisa Bethay:
   questions regarding the understanding of the responsibilty of knowledge

2. Scott adds:
   Horse stance and eagle stance

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November 12, 2007 by lbethay.

What an excellent day!  It is so exciting to watch new students progress in belt level.  Everyone did an exceptional job today.  We are especially proud of our new green belts.  The green belt test is a difficult one and our prayers are with Shawn with his injury.

Didn’t you think it was terrific to surprise Soke Geniesse?  We really love to do that. lol

 What did everyone think of the new awards.   I thought they were fantastic!  Our students are terrific and the awards today represented some of the qualities that are being forged through the dedication, diligence and persistence of learning Tao Hsieh Wu Shu.

Great job!

Lisa Bethay

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November 10, 2007 by Soke.

Great test today, and good job to all who tested. I am proud of each of you for the effort that you put forth, and the quality with which you perform. You allow your instructors to push you furthur then you may have ever gone previously. I congratulate you, and look forward to the future.

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