our first storm of the summer! but, with rainy afternoons come beautiful sunsets and the chance to reflect on God's awesome glory...

Psalm 29
¹ Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings;
honor the Lord for his glory and strength.
² Honor the Lord for the glory of his name.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
³ The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea.
The God of glory thunders.
The Lord thunders over the mighty sea.
⁴ The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
...
¹¹ The Lord gives his people strength.
The Lord blesses them with peace.

<3katie

and we're underway!

for my friend Eunice: the full moon rising over the ocean!

daytona beach summer project 2010 is officially underway! our students arrived on tuesday and have spent this week busily laying down roots for the rest of the summer. as a staff team, we've spent the week coaching students through various orientation activities and training sessions. we've also been helping students hunt for summer jobs and, most importantly, have begun engaging with our students--they are, after all, one of the main reasons we're here this summer! i must say, it has been incredibly sweet getting to know the girls i'll be leading this summer. it's not even been a full week with them, and while i've only gotten to peek at their hearts, i can tell you that they are beautiful; God is at work in their hearts. i'm so blessed to be able to spur them on toward Christ this summer! what's incredible is how the Lord has brought these specific girls to me: in knowing them, i've realized that their stories share so many common threads with my own. the fact that we have been placed together is evidence of His sovereignty and provision--He uses all things for the good of His kingdom, and even now is redeeming my past hurts and applying my insights to bless other people.

here's my d-group! from left to right, it's lauren, me, patricia, rachel, mary, stephanie (my co-leader) and shateria).

speaking of using my past to teach others, i'm finding my job-hunting experience from last summer sweetly relevant in encouraging this year's students. as i learned a year ago, God's timing is sovereign and well-purposed; He used my job-hunting month to recast my heart in humility and urge me to step in faith. after all of that growth and a sufficiently long wait, God's ultimate provision of a job was the most tender demonstration of His faithfulness to me! i'm praying that our students undergo similar growth, are challenged to similarly wait on the Lord's faithfulness, and (eventually) all find jobs...join me in prayer if you want!

i'm anticipating intense growth for our students this summer. many of them are teachable and expectant--ready soil in this greenhouse of spiritual development! it's been super exciting to build them up in their knowledge of the Gospel and the Spirit-filled life. today we asked them to set some of this knowledge in motion by taking them out on their second outreach event of the week! a lot of them took the initiative in starting conversations with people, and some of them even got to start spiritual conversations. while they were going, i got to reconnect with a housekeeper i used to work with. we got to talking about Jesus and the way He alone can usher in dramatic heart change. it was an interesting conversation; he was telling me about religion in his home country, Jamaica, which he understood as outwardly focused and pharisaic. i shared about how Jesus calls us to come to Him as we are, imperfect and scared, and He offers us new life as a free gift. i'm hoping to follow up with him again before the summer ends! once again, how sweet it is to see the Lord's provision in calling me back here--to my great joy, He's continuing to use me amongst my coworkers from a summer ago!

this is the 2010 dbsp staff team!

the first week with students has been amazing, and i'm excited to get on track with our regular weekly schedule starting monday. please pray for the staff team to continue to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit as we lead our students; also, pray that our students would experience radical growth and recognize their significance in the grand scheme of God's kingdom. i look forward to updating this blog a bit more frequently as i stumble upon some spare minutes! thanks for your support!
<3, katie

i made it!

this is my first post while in daytona beach! i arrived on wednesday evening and have been slowly acclimating to the heat and humidity these past few days :) it is incredibly surreal to be back here--kind of like large scale deja-vu with the street names, the hotel employees, and the mission all seeming super familiar to me. when i left at the end of last summer, i didn't know when i would return; by the grace of God, i'm back, and how strange it is to be happily lodged in this pistachio-colored motel for the second summer in a row! these past few days have been spent getting acquainted with the new staff team and readjusting to the time change. we've had plenty of team bonding and training time, and we've started to prepare for the students to arrive on tuesday. there is a lot to be accomplished between now and then! mostly we need to prepare to trust God with the hearts that He's entrusting to us...big responsibility, but praise the Lord that He will equip us to uniquely minister to the students of this project! if there's one thing i've been learning lately, it's that God is faithful to meet all of our needs--financial, spiritual, physical--when He calls us to things. you can pray that i would continue to walk in this confidence as fear and self-doubt may confront my courage in the next few days!

among the busyness of preparation, i've also been having a lot of fun:) how sweet it was to reconnect in the lobby with Rhonda, my housekeeping boss from last summer! i've also been spending time getting to know my roommates, Grayson and Audrey, who happen to be the two other interns here this summer. they are both gentle yet equally fierce about chasing the Lord's heart; living with them will be a total blessing this summer. we've likewise been engaging as a whole staff team. last night we all went bowling and savored some frozen custard (if you haven't, you MUST try it....so good); today some of the women and i got to check out the local farmer's market and do our first beach evangelism outreach of the summer.


each day i've gotten more and more excited about being here, and i can't wait to share more stories as the days unfold. the next time i post, the students will have arrived! look forward to an introduction to my discipleship group--they are the girls that i will be developing and walking alongside this summer. i'm eager to meet them and watch the Lord initiate an incredible summer of growth in their lives! until my next post, blessings. thanks for praying!
<3
katie

t-24 hours!

hey supporters!
at last, it's time....in t-24 hours, i'll be setting foot in the land of humidity, sun and thunderstorms! i am unbelievably excited. praise God that, as of TODAY, my financial support has come in full; His timing and provision never cease to amaze me! i'm finishing packing my bags and soaking up some last minute time with my family tonight. i'll be waking with the sun tomorrow for an early morning flight, and, before i can say "el caribe, atlantic ocean, jesus and life-change", i'll touch down in orlando to get this summer started! as i've been gearing up for Summer Project, i've been praying for a few things in particular: that my heart would be ready for the challenges i'm going to face as an individual as well as a leader; that i would expectantly anticipate the Holy Spirit to move in and through me; that the staff team would develop a clear vision for our students' growth; that the Lord would humbly prepare all of the hearts that He's going to work in this summer. i'd love if you'd join me in prayer about these things!

until my next post, thanks for you support. i am entirely blessed to set forth on this adventure with your encouragement and prayers. what a privilege. i can't believe that God has allowed me to return to such a dear place for another season of deep spiritual growth and development, and i look forward to sharing all of the excitement with you!

blessings<3
katie

p.s. i can't wait to post a picture of the sunrise for you all! there is nothing like watching it rise over the ocean...breathtakingly stunning! it'll be in my next post, i promise!!