soaking up the son!

that's all she wrote.

2010-07-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

final d-group photo at the mid-project banquet!

on wednesday, i watched the sun glisten atop the morning waves for one final time--my last day in Daytona had dawned. i rose early that morning (after just 3 hours of sleep) to ready my things, write last minute notes, and head to the airport for the flight that awaited me. as our car coasted down Atlantic one last time, i bid farewell to the city i've now called home for 2 summers. it was a bittersweet goodbye, the last one of the many i've been making this week.

i think it was bitter because of all of the sweet things that have taken place these 7 weeks. in my own heart, i've watched the Lord transform my esteem and desire for the Word, teach me to be confident in the Holy Spirit's ability to equip me, and hone my passion for loving and serving others well. in my student's hearts, i've seen them learn to depend on the Holy Spirit, to take new steps of faith in light of God's faithfulness, and to recognize their significance in the scheme of the Kingdom. relationally, i've formed and fostered deep friendships; i'm so grateful for the opportunity to love and be loved by so many different people this summer. in terms of evangelism, the Gospel went forth. in terms of training, laborers were raised up and poured into. in terms of significance, this summer doubtlessly was real, eventful, and worthwhile. to everyone who has faithfully read this blog and prayed for me, thanks. your support encouraged me more than i can say!

i am so grateful to have been able to return to daytona; it was exactly the summer i was trusting God for. and, a sweeter blessing yet, my summer isn't over! i am quite excited for the second half that still remains. during the day, i'll be working, and at night, i'll be spending time with my family, encouraging some friends, and developing a vision for what my ministry will look like in the fall. i'm trusting the Lord to let this new season be as missional, worshipful and fun as the last! you can pray for a smooth transition out of summer project, through these next 5 weeks, and into the fall:)

lastly, in words wiser than my own, i will close with this:

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

<3katie

racin' to the finish line (pun most definitely intended)

2010-07-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

this week daytona welcomed nascar groupies by the van full for it's biggest race since february's 500...the Jalapeno 250! last night was the big event. it was an epic gathering of scraggly-bearded rednecks, rhinestoned nascar tees, and enough free swag to stock a junk drawer, all to help to fist-pump Dale Jr.'s 3 car to victory. i've said it once, so i'll say it again: nascar is cool! seriously. my roommates and i had so much fun adopting nascar-fanship for a night. tv just can't do justice to the speed of the cars, the intensity of the fans, and the roar of the engines at start up. there you go--a former naysayer now converted. (to be honest, i could probably do without the muddled smell of exhaust and cigarettes, but for the sake of "the experience", i took it all in stride:)) with 2 races under my belt, i'd say i'm on my way to becoming a regular!

see the car in the bottom left!!

one of the giveaways we got our hands on was a stock car Bible passed out by a local church group. cleverly, the verse on the cover was 2 Timothy 4:7-- "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." enter my own race metaphor: my summer project "race" is now nearing the finish. you could say that the checkered flag is in sight, the streamers are ready, and the fans are on their feet. with 3 days left, it's a sprint to the finish. i'm working hard to make every second count, pouring into my girls as much as i can, sharing my faith whenever i get the chance, and tying up remaining loose ends. i've even started to say my farewells and begun preparing spiritually and emotionally for the transition back to "the real world". as i process through all of the learning i've experienced these past 6 weeks, i can say that this summer was one well spent. i'm planning on using my 5 hour plane ride to think through all of the things i've learned and shared, so look ahead to a lengthy post after my return to CA. i can tell you now, though, that this summer was worthwhile because God used me in the life of my students. humbly, i am a witness to the fact that their growth is the product of the Holy Spirit and not myself. i got to see the fruit of their immense growth in a a powerful day of ministry today; each confidently shared the Gospel with a few beach-goers and, in huge praise to God, Lauren got baptized! i am intensely proud of both of them and so grateful that the Lord let me be a part of their lives this summer.

as i dash to the finish line, please pray that i would not overlook any opportunities to teach, encourage, and train these students. please also pray that my heart would be ready for the next phase of the summer, that i would leave project on a high note, and that God would equip and develop our newly appointed student leaders.

thanks for being a faithful fan!
<3katie

wrapping it up

2010-06-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

this past week, i got to fly home briefly for my little brother's graduation; it was really sweet to be able to witness his proud moment and celebrate, though only for 24 hours, with my family. i can't wait for that little guy to get to SC in the fall, and i'm looking forward to spending the rest of the summer with my family at home. my trip also provided me with a couple more choice anecdotes to add to my infamous and ever-growing collection of airport/airplane adventures--one, tiptoeing my way through tsa's security sans-driver's license; two, getting baited out of my window seat only to discover the true meaning of a "red-eye" from the not-so-comfy middle. at this rate, i'll have a book choc full of near misses before i graduate!

with our grandparents and our traditional graduation gift...welcome to the watch club, jared!

two of my favorite grads!

it took me a little while to rebound from the double jet-lag after i returned, but, as you know by now, summer project leaves little down time! we've begun our wrap-up activities and the 10 day countdown is officially underway. this weekend, we did our special women's day events. without question, it is one of the best things about project. i love getting to hear all of the staff women commend their students for work well done, and it was such a privilege to applaud my girls for their focus, passion, and gentle-heartedness. each one has become a risk taker for the sake of the Gospel; i am so proud of the growth they have all experienced here! it was a great chance to celebrate.

precious d-group

the roommates!

now, as i look ahead to my final days here, i realize how there is still so much i want to do and accomplish before i leave! i'm trusting the Lord to help me make the most of time, all the while celebrating the great things that He has done in and through each person here this summer. as always, thank you for taking time to read and pray!
<3katie

once upon a time...

2010-06-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

it seems like the farther we get into project, the busier our schedule becomes! this past weekend was action-packed with fun outings and deep interactions that left me dually energized and exhausted. also, i realize i haven't been posting as many photos this year, so...in an effort to correct that, how about a few illustrated short stories from the past few days.

there once were five very-out-of-place Trojans. each of them traveled far from the reaches of their Pac-10 homeland, into the realm of those humidity-lovin', sweet-tea-drinkin' SEC fans. they did it, well, because God wanted them to. and, He blessed them for it! one friday afternoon, they were reunited atop the Daytona Beach pier and feasted together at Crabby Joe's. fun and fellowship were enjoyed by all.

deep in the wooded wilderness of central Florida is a magical place called Blue Springs. there, young and old gather to dip into the cool waters of a bubbling fresh water spring. one day, fending off manatees and alligators alike, a group of college students arrived at this very spring. they spent the afternoon drifting with current down the river and diving down into the heartbeat of the spring. later, they channeled their inner Seminole and canoed up the St. John's. the cool water of this natural hideaway refreshed them for the busy days of ministry ahead. (no alligators were harmed--or seen--in the making of this story.)

then there were a group of senior citizens who thought it would be a good idea to start a church. they called it Colony Community, and they opened their doors to anyone who would join them--including a handful of college students away from home for the summer. well, one week, it was fathers' day, and all of the men at Colony got up to sing. they sported their tacky ties and bellowed out a hymn to the likes of which no one had yet heard. afterward, they decided to celebrate with brunch. two of Colony's finest, eunice and ed, joined the college students every week for lunch. they blessed the students so much with their time, stories, and yummy baked goods.

the busy students finished off their weekend by ministering to the kids in the juvenile detention centers. for 2 hours, they shared their own stories with these teens and listened as the teens recounted stories of their own. then the students told them the most epic story of all time--a story about a Father who desperately loved His children and would never leave or abandon them; a Father who, compelled by love, sacrificed His son; a Father who yet desires to have a relationship with us. they invited them to adopt this story as their own.

storytelling aside, this visit is one of the most emotional, deep experiences of Summer Project. it causes students to think about the exceeding demand for the Gospel that, too often, we match with lukewarm non-effort. here were kids wanting and waiting to hear us! in light of the story that we know to be true, let us each go forth and speak boldly!

<3katie

p.s. 2 weeks and counting...please pray for me to 'number my days aright' (ps. 90) and make the most of time with my students! as always, thanks for reading and for praying!

out and about!

2010-06-17T14:02:00.001-07:00

once a week, i get the chance to go out with my girls and share our faith together. today was my time with Rachel, so she and i hit the sand looking to engage a few beach layers in spiritual conversation. using our favorite tool--soularium, a 5 question survey using photos--we attempted to initiate with several people without avail. then we came across a woman named Deanna; bit by bit, as we went through the survey, she dished out her whole life's story. she wasn't always a single mom of 4. in fact, at the very mention of her destructive ex-husband, tears dewed her lashes. you could tell that those wounds, though 5 years in the past, still ached. i shared the Gospel with her, and i saw in her face how much the words i spoke ministered to her heart. Jesus has the power to redeem us from hurt if we let Him! He can make sense of the pain we don't understand ourselves. i pray that Deanna and all of the other women with stories like hers would embrace the free gift that Jesus has offered them. He will gladly bear burdens and heal hearts if we ask him to!

<3katie

p.s. guess what else i've been up to....knitting!! my friends from colony church, eunice and eunice, invited me to spend the afternoon with the Knitwits. they all get together once a week to knit things for charity, and they graciously welcomed me in and shared their skills. i actually picked it up pretty well!

Heart for the Nations

2010-06-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

www.gosummerproject.com

i met a pair of southern 20-somethings during our weekend outreach. in an hour long conversation, they shared their life stories with me--neither one hesitating to spill about the hurts and struggles they have endured as cancer survivors. these 2 girls have experiences that outweigh their years; they know pain and recognize that life is delicate. by God's grace, i got to minister to them through prayer and the greatest gesture of compassion i know: sharing the same hope that has secured my own life, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

in reflecting on that moment and thinking with the students of DBSP about having a Heart for the Nations, i am struck by God's worldwide ministry. that conversation is a small part of my summer, i am a small part of this summer project, this project has only 37 of the 3,500+ students on summer projects worldwide, summer project is only one ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, and Campus Crusade is only one ministry of the worldwide body of Christ in motion. at this very moment, the Gospel is going forth, proclaimed among even the riskiest of nations by people whose lives have been boldly transformed.

it's because the Gospel is worthwhile; we serve a living God who alone changes lives, and He has called each of us to be sent ones. as He commanded us, we shall "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20). regardless of where we're called--to Africa, to Daytona Beach, to a workplace, to schools, to our neighborhoods--God has called us to GO and share the Word, whereby ushering in His coming Kingdom and the fulfillment of Revelation 5:9.

the movement of God's grace yet extends to the world! may we be caught up in God's call and worshipful of His increasing glory among us.
<3katie

Galatians 5:1

2010-06-12T08:40:00.000-07:00

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." this has been our theme verse for the week, and it's got me thinking! it's amazing how relevant it has been in thinking about my own walk with God, in the lives of my Bible study girls, and in the spiritual conversations i've had with people in this city.

on some level, that's not entirely surprising; freedom, after all, is the crux of Gospel. here's the scoop: although God created people to have a relationship with Him, we used our freedom to go our own way and rebel against Him. our imperfection separated us from God...until God sent His son Jesus; He paid the penalty for our rebellion through His death on the cross, and by putting our trust in Him, we can once more know God personally. He set us free from the eternal and daily bondage that weighs us down!! as humans, we have the freedom to choose to follow Jesus, and, if we do, we can walk in freedom and forgiveness by power of His Holy Spirit. what good news.

allow me to recap some of the ways this freedom has been manifest in my week!
first, i've been learning a ton about my identity in light of the freedom i possess. scripture tells me i'm a daughter of God and a coheir with Christ, empowered by the filling of the Holy Spirit to do the work of the Lord on earth (Romans 8:13-17). my identity is not dependent upon my performance, my success or my reputation...i have been set free from those things! it's been a total lesson to not just understand these truths intellectually but also to live them out. especially with my role as a staff person in mind, this freedom has kept me from striving and instead enabled me to submit to the Holy Spirit's leading through me...cool!

second, in talking with my girls, i've learned that freedom is one of the hardest things for Christians to accept. no wonder Paul felt the need to flush out this idea in his letter to the Roman church! all of us, for some reason, prefer to rely on our own strength--that is, to bear the weighty burden of our own guilt and others' expectations upon our own shoulders. even after becoming a Christian, a person has to daily choose to claim Christ's freedom and surrender his or her load to Him. to walk with God is to trust Him fully...including when He says that we've been set free!

finally, i got to see this principle at work in a few of the conversations i've had while sharing my faith. i'm thinking of two guys in particular that Becky and I chatted with, Gene and Christian. each of them openly shared their stories with us and asked us to share ours with them. Gene, in particular, had been raised in the church but after various affronts on the part of Christians, lost faith. his church had told him that the Bible was a 'Rulebook for Life' that he had failed to live up to--what a great offense to the Gospel. that completely denies the principles of freedom and grace! it was heartbreaking to see how his church's misunderstanding of the Gospel had wounded him so terribly...that's food for our thoughts.

i pray that each of you would choose the freedom that is available to you! read more about in Romans 8 and Galatians 5 :)

a few prayer requests:
-my continued reliance on the Holy Spirit
-making the most of every opportunity...i'm already half-way done here!
-9 of our students still need jobs
-project outreach to high school students tonight

as always, thanks for reading and for praying!
<3katie

p.s. my d-group at battle of the sexes! girls dominated!!

2010-06-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

our first full week with students has come to a close! i've really enjoyed getting going on our regular schedule. albeit busy, i feel the most freedom when i'm on a routine. i'll take this time to run through some of my weekly goings-on!

sundays we get to worship and fellowship with the men and women of colony community church; i've already begun making some friends there and am excited about spending the next few weeks with them! they are so loving and fun...they make me feel like i'm one of their own grandkids. sunday nights, we get down to business with ministry team meetings and our weekly team prayer meeting. my ministry team focuses on prayer and world vision, and it's been great coaching the students through the process of planning weekly prayer meetings and casting vision for our project.

from eunice, our friend at colony!

on mondays, we begin the week with our staff meeting. after that, i meet with becky for discipleship and sharing our faith, and then later that night, our whole project gets together for dinner and our weekly meeting--we call it 'family night'. we come together as a project 'family' to worship and study God's Word.

on tuesdays, the staff team spends the morning in the library studying the Bible. (surpise...i love this time!) the staff ladies then convene for lunch--it's such a sweet time to encourage and love each other. tuesday nights, we meet with our students for Bible study. our first one was really great; my girls are curious and growing in wisdom...i know God will be moving in our times together this summer!

we use wednesdays for running errands and having discipleship meetings with our students. wednesday nights are one of my favorite things about summer project. we call it 'night of reflection', and it's essentially an extended amount of time to pause, process, and be with the Lord. this wednesday i got to go out on the beach and read my Bible by the flicker of flashing lightning! (only while it was safely far away from me, of course :))

thursday mornings the staff meet for prayer and ministry team planning. the afternoon is reserved for discipleship meetings, and the night is filled with project dinner and men's/women's weekly time. women's time is awesome! i love getting to encourage and learn alongside the girls on this project:) we talked about pursuing holiness this thursday; what a challenge and a promise.

fridays are free for staff! this friday, we went to krispy kreme for national donut day...free donuts! (don't ask me how many times i went...;)) we've also gone to minor league baseball games, taken a tour of a local chocolate factory, hit the pool...it is restful and much needed.

friday night at the daytona cubs game!

finally, on saturdays we go out for planned group outreaches. this week, we went to the local laundromats and, while offering to pay for people's laundry, attempted to dialogue with them about faith and spiritual things. i'm so proud of our students for taking on this challenge! saturday nights are times for team bonding. it's battle of the sexes this week (go girls! hopefully this ends well).

as you might be able to tell from this schedule, i am a total planner. i love to have things mapped out and organized before hand. not surprisingly, when the week began, i found myself getting kind of overwhelmed with all of the things set before me. nothing against to-do lists, but the sight of them just started to make me anxious this week! one of the best things about this schedule has been the necessity of my reliance on God to use me and provide for me. the Lord redeemed my stress and taught me how to live by the power of the Holy Spirit moment by moment, even when i lack a ton of time to rest and gather my thoughts. that's probably my main prayer request for this week...that i would continue to trust God to provide and equip!

until next time, thanks for reading and for praying!
<3katie

2010-05-31T14:09:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

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!!

here i go again!

2010-04-22T21:04:00.000-07:00

i'm super excited to say that i'm headed back to daytona this summer!! this time around i'll be working as a part of the staff team. i'm going to be leading a group of students through the same things i did last year...soc cool! i've already begun the support-raising process and can't believe that in less than a month i'll be back in florida:) i'm currently trusting the Lord to faithfully provide financially for this trip...raising support is hard! i'm also asking Him to begin preparing and equipping me for another adventure-filled summer full of growth and challenges. stay posted for prayer updates as i count down the days!!
<3
katie

reflection

2009-08-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

this has been one amazing summer! i have learned so much about God, about myself, about how to love people and lead people. i have been stretched, broken and raised up. i am leaving daytona a wiser, better equipped, more devoted follower of Christ than when i came. here, i have met 54 new friends, i have seen first hand the body of Christ in motion, i have watched as students' passion and vision get put into action. here, i have developed a greater thirst for the Word of God, a deeper sense of the world's need, a better knowledge of how to "do" with what i dream. here, i have seen people trust Christ--many for the first time, more as an act of daily submission. yes, i have grown and changed. it's not that i am an entirely different person now; instead, it's that i'm a more purposeful, diligent, cogniscent version of the girl who set out on this journey 10 weeks ago. as i've learned this summer, that is the transformation that happens when the Lord is allowed to move in your heart. He shows you what you really are, what you are made to be, and how He can lead you there. then, when you let Him, He does it. during this summer project, we saw 28 people believe this and accept Jesus for the first time; through one-on-one Gospel presentations and church testimonies, more than 3,600 people heard the truth about Jesus this summer. in every sense, this project has been a great success. to all of you who have faithfully read this blog and supported me in prayer, thank you. i pray that it has been a blessing for you to watch me learn, step out in faith, and be challenged in new ways. you can continue to pray for me now as i look ahead to the fall semester! i am excited to apply my training, knowledge and vision to my ministry at USC. thank you, again, for your continued support!

the end of the beginning

2009-08-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

there is so much to say in this post! first, a lot has happened since i last posted! project has ended, i have come home, and there are still so many stories to tell. i'll start with a recap of the last week's happenings. tuesday was my last day working as a housekeeper; after i finished on tuesday, i had to keep saying goodbye to my ladies throughout the rest of the week...i will miss them so much! i am amazed at how deep my friendships with them have become in just one short month. the Lord has definitely used my relationships with them to teach me how to love people better. wednesday was a free day for the students on project to be tourists. i got to go with some friends to Disneyworld's Magic Kingdom...it was magical (and really hot :))! don't worry, fellow californians, i still prefer the 'land' to the 'world' :) for the rest of the week, our project focused on getting geared up for our campus ministry. thursday, our last group outreach, was on the local college campuses; all of us paired off to try our hand at person-to-person outreach on campus (practical training for what outreach will be like without the ability to perform an audience-gathering stunt). i had one of the best conversations i've had all summer; the girl i was talking with, Amanda, really opened up to me and i got to share the Gospel with her so naturally. God was definitely in that conversation! friday, in keeping with the "back to campus" theme, the student leaders put on workshops for the rest of the project...another way to train/get people thinking practically about their ministries on campus. students got to choose which one they wanted to attend of the four ones available: how to lead a Bible study, the basic of discipleship, targeting specific groups in the student body, and mapping our a personal vision plan. i got to lead the discipleship workshop, and, again, God definitely moved in and through it. it was amazing...i was even learning from the things i was saying! this was really a great success--and the last major business of our project. saturday was an all day social event for project students to soak up as much time with each other as possible. sunday was our last day of church (and a hectic day for me...my laptop got stolen). monday was a day of packing and then the final banquet. tuesday everyone went home! with everything that happened and emotions all over the board, this week was kind of a blur. i'm home now and trying to process! here are some photos from the week...

last time in my smock :)
disney!
cheers to free water...it was so hot!mickey fireworks

last d-group meeting (and commemorative photo!)
sunrise at the all day social
mastering the chocolate chip pancakes...phase two of all day social :)

project banquet...the seasoned, wiser leadership team!project directors...we did it!

last dinner in daytona. glad to spend it with my mom!one more post to come...a thoughtful recap of dbsp :)

things that...

2009-08-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

i'm excited for about home:
1. my family
2. the pups
3. pancho's
4. disneyland
5. lake mission viejo
6. usc football
7. school
8. el porto
9. applying the new things i've learned
10. having all of my clothes/stuff with me
11. target runs
12. trader joe's
13. frozen yogurt
14. sc people

i'll miss about daytona beach:
1. the friends i've made
2. the ability to devote all of my time to ministry
3. waking up to the sunrise on the water
4. afternoon storms
5. walking and dancing on the beach
6. rate of spiritual growth and training
7. being a tourist
8. walmart runs
9. the body of Christ continually in motion
12. humidity
13. chick-fil-a
14. doing outreach as a whole group
15. letting my hair air dry

i've learned this summer:
1. how-to's of sharing my faith
2. make ministry a lifestyle
3. the necessity of alone time with God
4. how to be a humble servant
5. fold towels into fans, pockets, and elephants
6. the heart is key...in everything!
7. "nines", "palace" or "crack" (the best card game ever)
8. i'm capable of being away from home!
9. how to turn on a southern accent
10. dark clouds=lightning
11. sting rays swim in schools
12. the world is in need
13. resolve conflicts as a humble leader
14. be broken but still used by God

i'll bring back to campus in the fall:
1. a model for discipleship (accountability, training, the word of God, prayer, and evangelism)
2. an understanding of the broader body of Christ
3. training/knowledge i've picked up along the way
4. a sweet tan
5. a thrashed pair of rainbows
6. some great stuff from the goodwill
7. postcards and encouraging letters
8. a desire to see my campus fall for Jesus
9. boldness in conversation
10. the message of how great summer project is!
11. new worship songs...beauty of the lord, sing to the king, o for a thousand tongues to sing

i will remember for a long time:
1. getting trapped in winn dixie during a thunder/lightning storm
2. my sound of music moment: running towards a rainbow through 6" deep water
3. the spiritual conversations i've had with people
4. all of the different ladies in housekeeping
5. late night trips to the jetty
6. crazy housekeeping stories involving free stuff, poop, theft, and dirty old men
7. tacky prom: the best dance party ever
8. encouragement from other students
9. disneyworld
10. the joy of sharing the Lord with people
11. long walks down the beach
12. women's day
13. students stepping up to lead and doing a great job

i've learned about the south:
1. sugary drinks! sweet tea, regular soda...bleh
2. a game called corn hole
3. SEC
4. cotton-eyed joe
5. chick-fil-a, bojangles, sonny's, moe's...
6. it's normal to look both ways before you cross the beach
7. "appalatchun" not appalachian

the last of...

2009-07-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

this week--our last full week of project--has been really interesting. for one, the Lord is not done working here; nearly every day this week a person has come to know the Jesus...10/25 total have happened in this past week or so! anyways, since i've now less than a week to go, i have found myself saying "this is the last time i will______" so much! i wanted to post a record of all of "the lasts" as a way to share with you some of the day-to-day stuff i have taken for granted in writing on this blog. i also wanted to have pictures of all of these things as a way to remember them after i leave...in only 6 days and counting. here it goes...

our last day of work; here are amber, christine and i with our bosses (miss grace in the blue, miss gail in the stripes and miss rhonda with the sassy blonde haircut) our last monday meeting. singing a great song!
our last church host family. this is ginny; she's 83 and still does cannonballs and handstands in her pool :) she is spicy!
the last regular social. sitting around the christmas tree for christmas in july!

probably the last visit to the oceanwalk...home of outreaches, staff hunt, job searching and fun!
getting ready for the last formal beach outreach trip in room 1301
the last women's time. learning and sharing outdoors at the jetty!
the last family group dinner...looking over the waves and the sunset from the restaurant on the pier.

kathy's story

2009-07-30T19:24:00.001-07:00

As I wrap up summer project, I want to highlight a few of our team’s success stories. So far, we have had 22 people trust Christ. One of them, an older woman named Kathy, just trusted Christ a few days ago. One of the girl d-groups set out to a local shopping center to get into conversations with people on Friday night. They tried to talk to people a few times and were turned down before they realized they hadn’t prayed for their time! They prayed that God would lead them to the person/people that He wanted them to minister to that night. As soon as they finished, they came across Kathy. When they started talking to her, she told them she was an agnostic who wasn’t really sure about God. They spent the next hour talking with her, sharing their own personal testimonies, and going through the Knowing God Personally booklet (a CCC tool that puts the Gospel in 4 scriptural, understandable points). Upon hearing the Lord’s great love for her, His ability to redeem her from hurt and brokenness, and the promise of new life, she trusted Christ and spilled her guts about all of the pain in her life. The girls who talked with her will be going back to build her up in her understanding of the truth and assurance of salvation. Hallelujah, what a great story!!

our last beach outreach

2009-07-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

finally i have internet again! our wireless has been down for the last week...needless to say i have a lot to catch up on! i'll start with last saturday--the final group beach outreach of project! That is hard to believe. I know that the Lord is not finished here yet--more people still will hear about Him and believe before we leave. I definitely feel a sense of urgency to keep getting out there and sharing with people, to leave this project with a bang. Today I got to share the Gospel with three more people—Janice, Eric, and Jessica. They were really responsive to our image survey and gave creative, well-thought answers to all of my questions. The answers they were giving (frustration with life, feeling like God is behind a locked door…) really led me to believe that they were searching. I shared the Gospel with them and asked what they thought about it. Eric led the charge—he responded by saying that everything I had spoken to him was a lie, that Jesus was a mythical figure who never existed, that God does exist but may not be perfect and people can’t have a relationship with him, that the church was created to subject people to authority and tell them they’re bad...a lot of bitterness and mistrust. With as much grace as possible, I talked through these things with him. It was a conversation that really challenged me to apply my knowledge of some things that I, too, thought about before I trusted Christ. He really would not hear what I had to say; his mind and heart were definitely closed to the things I was telling him. As I walked away from our discussion, my heart was really broken for the people of this world. Here was a guy, about my age, who was completely deceived, trapped by pride and complacency from realizing the hope and grace extended to him. This is really Satan’s biggest ploy—convincing people that they are smarter, that the world will never get any better. I am grateful for this conversation: first, praise be to God that he has heard the truth at least once; second, what a way to break my heart for the people in this world; third, excellent practice for the attitudes and perspectives I will come across at USC in the fall. I am not discouraged or defeated but rather ever more ambitious in pursuing the kingdom of God!

success!

2009-07-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

i just got back from a time of sharing with one of the girls i'm discipling this summer. we got to share the Gospel with 6 people today! AMAZING. just wanted to share my excitement over this success!!

the good, the bad, and the ugly!

2009-07-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

that's the best way i can describe everything that happened this weekend!
let's start with the good. friday night was amazing!! it started out by going to a local church's cookout. a youth group leader staying at our hotel for a church conference invited us to come enjoy a meal with them. a lot of us felt a little bit awkward about showing up at this cookout; most of us never even met the man who invited us, let along gone to the church or known the members. we went anyways and were blown away by the way we receieved and provided for! it was truly amazing. i've never had an experience like this before; it was such an awesome picture of the body of Christ--instant community with people who knew nothing more about us than that we served the same Lord. it really did amaze me to see that bond actually lived out!
here's a photo of the cru students with dylan, the youth leader that invited us!

the bad...well, not bad, but tough! yesterday i spent a lot of time with local high school students--the kids in (and out) of my sunday school and some kids in a juvenille detention center. it was just plain heartbreaking to hear and see some of their stories. these are kids who come from broken homes, who have been imprisoned, who have kids of their own, who have run away, who have had lives filled with pain and hardship--it is tragic. all of them have such a need to be loved and poured into. i don't think i can even do justice to the weight i felt for them yesterday. i'm praying that the words of encouragement and the truth of the Gospel spoken to them will take root. i know that a lot of students on our project made a huge impact last night at the detention centers. the Gospel is amazing for the way it meets people in their brokenness; a handful of kids heard the truth in a real way for the first time last night. praise God that His promises of love and provision for them were presented and receieved! just as much, praise Him that His people can see the way His heart breaks for the lost.

the ugly...ugly! saturday night we had tacky prom for our social event. picture 'ugly bridesmaid dress gone way wrong' and ' caddyshack meets las vegas'...there you have it, a very tacky evening. it was a ton of fun to leave our cool cards behind. everyone let loose, looked ridiculous, ate, danced and, naturally, laughed :) some photos...

note the earrings :)
wilson and christine (in a dress that once belonged to a 7 year old girl...:) )
tacky prom king and queen! leo and mandi

the students are in charge!

2009-07-16T21:06:00.000-07:00

this week was our first full week as a students-only project. no major headaches...it has gone really well! all of us are learning how to make this project our own, keeping in step with the things we've learned and our ministries among each other and the community. the coolest thing for me has been seeing my peers teach our project on monday and thursday meetings; so far, three of us have spoken--my codirector AJ, another katie, and myself. it is just really encouraging to hear their hearts, their wisdom, their passion for the Lord and for leading people! there is something special about learning from someone your own age. it is such a reminder that we are doing this together, cojourners with the same objective! it has also been really cool how students have continued in everything right where staff left off: discipleship still happens, now student-to-student; evangelism still happens, students take the initiative to go out and share; gatherings and events still happen, now planned and organized by students. it just goes to show how well equipped and focused these people are for the next three weeks ahead of us! that's not to say it hasn't been difficult...i am being challenged so much by my position on this project. of course, the Lord put me in the place that would stretch me the most. i'm really aware of how much i need the Lord's strength to do things that are really hard for me, i.e. making judgement calls on decisions, intervening in conflicts, staying focused on God instead of getting sucked in to a checklist mentality. the successes and joys of seeing what is still happening here make it worth it. i know these next few weeks are going to fly...so little time to cement these relationships, do work in this city and soak up all of the training i can get!

more ministry, more fun!

2009-07-12T20:02:00.000-07:00

this weekend...more ministry, more fun! saturday, the other crusade girls in housekeeping and i put on breakfast for all of our housekeeping ladies. it was super fun to get them all together and serve them! here's a photo of me with my fave, miss Karen!

we also did another beach outreach trip as a project. i got to do a photo survey called soularium (you can check it out at mysoularium.com) with my good friend and fellow adpi, krista. we got to talk to three different girls and ended up sharing the gospel with all three of them. it was pretty cool how God redeemed both of our attitudes about doing outreach that day; neither of us were super excited about going out on the beach, but the Lord totally changed our hearts and allowed us to teach and share with some people! the rest of the weekend's ministry was normal stuff...sunday school, planning meetings, group prayer, women's time...so much good stuff!

four girls in green! daphne, krista, me and laura at our beach outreach by the pier :)

for the sake of fun alone, my team went 80's roller skating on saturday night! here are some good photos! (sidenote: i think my hair was made for the 80's...if only i was born 10 years earlier!!)

also, saturday was July 11th, "7/11", and therefore free slurpee day at 7-eleven!! being college students, we couldn't resist a free giveaway. in fact, we couldn't resist 4 times over... :) that's a lot of slurpees!!
i'm trying to make the most of the short time i have left here! i can't even believe how time has flown by...more to come!!

mid project banquet (otherwise known as photofest 2009)

2009-07-09T12:27:00.001-07:00

tonight--thursday--is our first project meeting without the staff. they drove away yesterday morning, a surreal goodbye when i think i might not see some of them ever again...weird. monday night we had our mid-project banquet, a celebration of the work that has happened here in the first 5 weeks of project and a farewell to the staff that has tought and trained us. it also turned in to a major photo shoot :) here are a few choice ones... and here's to the new season ahead of us! i'm trusting the Lord to do even greater things here than we've yet seen!

my family group! finally, i have a photo of us all together! L to R: Abby, Sasha, Glenn, Leo, Jessica, Brittany, Erin and me!

student leadership team...it's the new staff. :) L to R: my co-director AJ, me, Brandon, Katie, Kayla and Wilson

last d-group photo with Shannon! Erin (to the right of me) is our new leader; she is doing an excellent job!

AJ and me with Earle and Becky, our staff project directors. they have provided this project with excellent leadership, wisdom and teaching.

naturally, the dance party that ensued :)

a cool visual...the fruit of our project: leaves=spiritual conversations/gospel presentations; apples=people who have come to know the Lord. awesome! (i'll post an updated version at the end of project, too :) )

the latest

2009-07-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

today was a loooong day at work... :) towards the end of the day, a few of us teamed up to complete the last remaining checkout rooms. those ones require the most work, so the more people that help, the sooner we all get to go home! amber (another campus crusade student) and i were working with two of the established women here, gloria and karen. gloria is funny; she likes to dance and tell jokes and really helped to keep us motivated in the homestretch. somehow she got to talking about her life, her testimony and her faith...let me tell you, this is one amazing woman! thirteen years ago, she was arrested for multiple counts of drug posession and use. fearing what would happen to her two kids if she was convicted for all of these charges, she prayed to God, promising her life to Him if He could get her through it. when she went to court, the judge offered her so much grace; he dropped all but one of the charges and sentenced her to 6 months rehab and probation instead of the long prison sentence she could have easily received. since then, she has been completely sober, has not relapsed at all, and loves the Lord with all of her heart. she's gone to college to earn a degree in nursing and is currently working on another degree in counseling with an emphasis on drug rehabilitation. her desire is to work for a christian counseling office, empathetically using her own life experience to help people overcome their drug addictions and come to know the Lord. what a story! her opening up to us was really encouraging; it even allowed karen to share a little bit about her own story. she shared with us that she spent time in prison, the worst time of her life. i'm hoping to follow up on a deeper level with her next time we're paired up to clean!

recap of an amazing day!

2009-07-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

today was a huge day! it was amazing though. the Lord gave me so many opportunities to share, encourage and teach...now that i think about it, this i how every day should be lived!! it started off teaching sunday school; today we concluded our three part series of John 14:6, "Jesus is the Life". the core of our message was Ephesians 1:13-14, the promise that through the Holy Spirit, Christians are given a deposit on our eternal inheritance...in other words, our eternal life begins the moment we accept Jesus as our Lord! it was cool to introduce this idea to our students; it really does change a person's perspective on day-to-day living. after sunday school, i got to share my testimony with my church congregation; it was the first time i really had to make sense of my own story so that i could communicate it to other people. (i'd love to share it with you if you want to hear it!)

after church, we got ready for our outreach event. today we went to all of the different youth detention centers (aka juvenille hall facilities) to present to kids the same Gospel that has transformed our lives. it was amazing going in there and so cool to listen to some of our project stduents share their testimonies with these kids; really, they too had come from broken homes and painful pasts, stories that the Lord definitely used to establish a connection with these kids and reveal the redemptive power of a relationship with Jesus Christ. all of us got share a glimpse of our own story through a presentation called "cardboard confessionals"...here are the photos (click on them to make them bigger/legible):

one at a time, we held these confessions in front of us...
before we revealed how our lives have been transformed
all in all, we saw 12 people trust Christ today and probably 60 more hear the Gospel. this was such a real representation of the brokenness and need that exists in the world, a hard, challenging, and encouraging experience all at the same time.

finally, my most exciting news of the day! today one of my sorority sisters put her trust in Christ! the Lord spoke to her in amazing ways, provided answers to questions/uncertainties she was having about faith, and revealed the true meaning of the gospel--that we come to Jesus as broken sinners and He restores us so we can have eternal fellowship with God--for the first time. i got an excited text message from her, such an encouragement for me to see the Lord moving in hearts all around the world! praise God. the angels are rejoicing in heaven for all the people that have come to know Jesus this day!

celebrating freedom in all kinds of ways

2009-07-04T20:03:00.001-07:00

happy fourth of july! today we had an amazing celebration of freedom--the freedom we have in this country and the freedom believers have in Christ! the celebration began with a group of students getting baptized...what a perfect day! then...a festive cookout :) here are the photos!

praying over the students getting baptized
there they are! publicly-proclaimed followers of christ.

the festive bunch :)
thanks for sending the gear, mom!tomorrow will be a huge day for me to proclaim the same freedom that i have experienced in my life...the fun begins when i share my testimony in church and then continues tomorrow afternoon when the project goes out into local prisons and detention centers to preach the Word! pray for us!!

words i thought i'd never say...

2009-07-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

NASCAR IS COOL! i know, i can't believe i just said that. i got to go to my first NASCAR race tonight with the rest of the project team. we channeled our inner redneck (which included a last minute trip to pick up NASCAR merch at the goodwill :) ) and headed out to the daytona international speedway to take in the Subway Jalapeno 250. it was amazingly cool to see those cars go! not to mention spending time with great company, meeting some true NASCAR fans, and seeing an epic flyover of 4 fighter jets, 3 times over! what a hearty welcome into redneck-hood...well, at least for tonight;)

some of the sights...sporting my dale earnhardt jr. shirt in front of his truck! gotta love $1.50 finds at goodwill...i fit right in :)
one of the jets right above me!
aren't these colors pretty? i love how bright this sport is.
the rednecks! chandler, glen and aj with those sweet bandanas; adria, elda, jessica, krista, me and christine rocking our NASCAR tees. (yes, jessica's shirts says 'sweet baby jesus loves racing', another gem from goodwill!)
coming down our straightaway for the first time
smoke from the crash that happened right in front of us!
mom, this is for you. it's good to be a redneck!
more adventures to come in the weekend ahead! i'm looking forward to a fun 4th of July celebration and a prison outreach on sunday! can't wait to share!!

an excellent video made by students on dbsp!

2009-07-01T20:06:00.001-07:00

playing catch-up!

2009-06-30T15:00:00.000-07:00

a LOT of stuff has happened this past week! i'm going to do my best to succinctly recap all of the highs, lows, adventures and excitements in this post :)

first...the job! last week was my first full week of working. it's been really interesting/challenging/humbling learning the ropes. there are so many steps to cleaning a room that i never would have guessed before! it is hard work that takes a lot of energy. on the plus side, i've gotten to know a handful of the housekeepers (they are all really sweet...i'm excited to know them better) and have even picked up some cool towel-folding tricks ;) this is going to be a busy week of working because of the all the out-of-towners coming to daytona for the July 4th NASCAR race (which i will be going to!). i'm going to have to be relying on the Lord's strength for energy to do my work AND do ministry at my job.

next...another busy weekend! friday night, our community team hosted a project barbecue and 'battle of the sexes' social. here are a couple of photos...

the barbecue (which most people here call a "cookout"...interesting :) )
this is bob; he's a guest at the hotel who came down to entertain us/play worship. it was so random and fun!
battle of the sexes...the girls in pink!

on saturday the men and women split up for a day of quality time with just the guys/just the girls. our staff women put on quite a day of pampering, relaxation, and celebration for us! we started the day off making bracelets and painting our nails, eased in to a chick-flick and finished the day having an amazing dinner celebration at this oceanfront penthouse clubroom. it was an amazing time to love on each other, be girly and delight in our identity as daughters of the King :)

dinner...
the view from our dinner...another angle!

mandi, heidi, me, melissa...gathering for a photo!
our amazing staff women!
my d-group :)

sunday was a jam-packed day of church activities. it started off by teaching sunday school to some high school students with my friend david; this was our second lesson in a series of 3 based on John 14:6, the verse in which Jesus professes his identity as "the way, the truth, and the life". it was really cool to talk with them about what it means for Jesus to be the truth; they are smart, they ask good questions and it is really sweet to share knowledge with them! after sunday school, we went to the main church service. this week, the campus crusade students/staff were in charge of running the whole service. i, along with a handful of other students, go to get up in front of the church to lead them through different parts of the service and our project director, Earle, gave the sermon. i love this church...it so cool how they have welcomed us in and allowed us to serve them! after church, we were hosted by two couples for a brief lunch before church outreach. we capped off the afternoon by going door-to-door with church members in the surrounding neighborhood, cleverly offering them a free bag of popcorn with an attached note... "pop in to first presbyterian church!"

finally, i have exciting news! as this summer project is halfway finished, it's almost time for full time campus crusade staff to leave. they will be passing the torch of project leadership/administration on to students for the remainder of the summer. it is really cool and exciting, a total challenge and exercise in leadership training for all of us students! anyways, there are several important jobs to be filled...discipleship group leaders, ministry team leaders, and project overseers. sunday night, i was challenged to be the female project director; i am so humbled and excited to lead the students on this project! i really feel like the Lord has been preparing my heart for this responsibility by breaking me into humility and burdening my heart with the desire to love all of the women here. i'm looking forward to all He is going to do in the next 5 weeks...i know they will be full of growth and challenges! please pray for me as i step into this place of leadership.

also, something funny....people have told me i'm picking up a southern accent! crazy, i know. hopefully it will last a little bit after i get home!!

God is rocking my world

2009-06-24T21:11:00.001-07:00

i've been writing a lot about the happenings of summer project. it's cool; i'm glad to share the stories from outings and ministry events and represent the people of this trip to you. i realized today, though, that i haven't been writing much about the amazing ways God has been growing and transforming my heart. really, this trip has been incredible, most especially in the ways it has deepened my relationship with the Lord and challenged me into boldness and leadership. basically, my walk with God has deepened as He has started to redeem me from a lifelong sin stuggle with pride; it's crazy how He has made me so aware of this sin area and then has challenged me to humility in every way--in my job hunt, in forming relationships with people, in failing at things. He has taught me so much about my need for His provision. His grace is more than sufficient--it is the only thing that sufficiently allows me to do or be anything...a realization that was a long time coming. out of this spiritual position, He has been calling me in to different ministries: first, creating a personal ministry among the women on this project. i can tell the Lord will be using my passion for the body of Christ among these girls this summer. it is exciting to form God-glorifying, truth-speaking friendships with them; second; developing my heart for the people of the world. this is really cool. being on a mission trip and learning about the global need for the gospel has been awesome. i am committed to serving the God wherever He calls me and am excited to see how/for what purpose He develops my heart for reaching the world. project is only one month underway and God has already done so many sweet things in my life. i'll look forward to sharing more growth/vision/cool stuff as the trip progresses!

housekeeping! here to fluff your peeellows!

2009-06-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

i got a job!! i woke up this morning to meet with our project director, Earl Chute, and the manager of our hotel. the manager and the chief housekeeper, Rhonda, hired me on the spot as a maid! i ran back upstairs to put on my sneaks and change my shirt before i reported back for my first day of work. six hours later...my first day of cleaning rooms is over! today i got to shadow and work alongside my favorite housekeeper, Karen. this is going to be a great job; it doesn't get any more convenient as far as location, its a great way to serve people, and i can totally see myself ministering to the other ladies who work in housekeeping. praise God for holding on to this opportunity for me and for teaching me about His faithfulness in the waiting process. i really have grown a lot in this whole job hunt; it has been trying and discouraging at times but also very humbling.thank you so much for your prayers throughout this process. you can keep praying for me as i learn the ropes and build relationships with my coworkers. i am so glad to finally be a working woman...i feel like my summer is really underway now!

the faces of dbsp

2009-06-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

now that i've been here a month, i'm starting to get a good collection of photos together...which means i can now put faces to the names you've been hearing about in my stories! presenting...the faces of dbsp 2009 :)

this is mark; he likes to cook for people. this was the night he made 'eggs in a basket' for my roomies and me!
the two blondies are kayla and keely. they are almost inseparable (and they look like sisters, too!). that's joye sitting on the floor; she is joyful. this is from the night my apartment hosted dinner for A LOT of people.
this is dj: lifeguard of the week and basketball junkie with the best southern accent around :)
heidi, daphne and bekah! these three stick together...especially in the craziness of job hunting!
part of my daily life down here...representing the PAC 10 amdist all the haters (can i get some love?). this is another hater...my friend Stephen. he told me he'd wear an SC shirt if i gave him one...progress!!
this is one cool girl! laura has amazing stories; her parents are truck drivers, and she's been all across the country with them. she's lived in alaska and is now a music ed major at EKU.
my friend Leo; we are a dynamic duo when it comes to outreach activities! both of us are spanish speakers, so it was really cool when we got to share the gospel with a latino couple on the beach!
my d-group again, representing our schools after the project-wide photo. shannon is an alum of unc chapel hill, mel goes to east tennessee state, elda goes to chico, daphne goes to kentucky and erin goes to marshall!
my friend krista! she's an adpi at etsu...we had fun doing a diamond photo shoot together!
more to come as the photos roll in. these are great people!

updates from the weekend

2009-06-16T06:07:00.000-07:00

i was hoping this post would be celebrating a newly found job, but, since my job hunt continues another day, i thought i'd recap some weekend adventures and introduce you to a few more people. let's start with the weekend...

Thursday night, the men and women split off into their separate weekly meeting times. this week, the girls talked about something really close to my heart, the importance of woman-to-woman friendships. God really has grown me a lot in this area, and i've seen how much the friendship of a godly woman can impact another girl. with that said, i got to hear a lot about girls on my project who have been/are being hurt by other women. i definitely feel like i'm being called to pursue intentional friendships with them and that the relationships i will soon form will be an important part of my ministry here this summer. yay for God revealing a new element of my ministry!

every friday night we have free time. this week, a group of us decided to go watch the daytona cubs take on the fort myers miracle...it was so fun! fun fact: the fort myers miracle has both the tallest and shortest players in all organized baseball, a pitcher who stands 7'1" and a shortstop that's only 5'3" :) i love sports and i love my project team...needless to say this was a really great night! and an added plus: being that it was ladies night, every girl there was entered into a drawing for fun prizes. yours truly is the proud winner of $100 pool cleaning service (oooh, ahhhh):)

my car: L to R, joy, robert, abby, me, brandon!
a group shot of some of us, people you've yet to meet: in the blue hat, Thomas; in the green shirt in the back, Shannon (a fellow ADPi!); up front in the gray shirts, Allison and DJ; right behind them in the blue shirt, Stephen. these are some great friends!me with cubby, the mascot!
the sunrise on saturday morning! i got up early to see the space shuttle launch...it was canceled :( at least i got this beautiful photo!
on saturday, we did our third team outreach. this week: a sandcastle building contest. we invited people from all over the beach to join us in building sandcastles and then got to talk with them as we created our masterpieces. i got into a couple of encouraging conversations with some Christians, a great reminder that we're all working towards the same goal!
how cute is he!!our friends from the beach in front of our sandcastle!

saturday night, my apartment hosted 20 of our closest friends for dinner. my friend Wilson made homemade alfredo sauce (it was excellent!) for everyone who wanted it (which was a lot of people...who could resist? :) ) some of the gang...

later that night, our community team put on a project social. it was a really great chance just to let loose after an exhausting week of job hunting and ministry. here's a photo of some goofy boys performing a hula for us :)

at last...sunday! a lot of stuff can fit in to one weekend! i woke up sunday morning feeling really sick, probably a combination of eating so much junk and feeling kind of stressed. i had to miss church, but, on the plus side, got to talk with my favorite housekeeper, Karen! she is awesome; i am looking forward to building our friendship throughout the summer! i spent the rest of my day planning for sunday night's prayer meeting. it was super refreshing. God totally gave me vision for what to say and readied my heart to deliver what He wanted. it went really well. i would post photos if i had them...here's a mental picture: we focused on pursuing servant-heartedness as an overflow of the Gospel's power in our own lives; each of us humbled ourselves to wash eachother's feet and pray over one another. it was pretty sweet.

i could reeeeally use your prayer support in this emotionally taxing process of job hunting! yesterday was the first day i got really discouraged; God totally gave me the right perspective by the end of the day, but it just goes to show that i'm really vulnerable to discouragement right now! you can also pray for my budding ministry among project students; i'm really excited to live this out with them this summer! thanks for the continued encouragement. you all are really a blessing to me!

the job hunt continues...

2009-06-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

for the past two weeks, 12 of my team members and i have been knocking on doors in daytona beach and nearby cities, looking for any work we can find. so far, only 2 people have been successful. the rest of us have been practically begging every local fast food joint to hire us...begging! needless to say, we are really feeling the impact of the slow economy here. our staff has been telling us this is the first year the project has ever been faced with this situation. it's hard for us not to get discouraged; most of us have turned in 20+ applications and still have not been able to find a job. in the past two weeks, i have had three promising leads that ended with the owner saying they couldn't take on any new staff. i've got two more leads right now and am waiting (kind of patiently ;)) to hear back from them. hopefully my next post will be full of good news! please continue to pray against discouragement for us; i know that God can totally use this situation to increase our faith, patience and humility...all things that we definitely need!

a busy weekend of ministry and fun!

2009-06-08T06:03:00.000-07:00

this past weekend was awesome! it was jam-packed with ministry, outings and quality time :)

i'll start with the ministry part...on sunday, my d-group began our day at church. i am really starting like the church we attend...the traditional worship style is definitely growing on me, the older people there have so much wisdom, and i love building friendships with the high school students that i'm going to be teaching. i would have never expected how God would use this particular church to bless me so much! He taught me so many things through sunday school and the teaching and really just set me up with a worshippful heart for the rest of the day's activities. a really nice couple from church hosted our group for lunch afterwards. here's a photo of them! this is tom and marge schlageter and their two granddaughters Emma Jean and Lily. they welcomed us into their home so graciously and offered themselves to us as pseudo-grandparents while we're here. i had a great time talking to them...Tom used to be the athletic director at daytona state college and is a huge florida state fan. we talked some college football and then he showed me his collection of sports cards. his best one...a mickey mantle rookie card! this is a photo of my group at their house:)

after church, we came back to do ministry on the beach. this time, we used an event to attract a crowd of people with the hope of opening individual spiritual conversations with them. some of our guys and girls got dressed up in ridiculous--RIDICULOUS:)--clothes and played a game of slow motion football. through their stunt, i got to have four different conversations with people about the gospel and Campus Crusade. my first conversation was with a woman named Barbara; she was really interested in/supportive of Campus Crusade's ministry and wanted more information on our organization. the next conversations i had were with a latino couple from texas, Willie and Ana. i talked to them with my friend leo; together, we got into a spiritual conversation with them and ultimately got to present the entirety of the gospel to them (using the 'knowing God personally' tool). it was pretty sweet...they kept the booklets we gave them and told us they wanted to think more about it at home. finally, the two of us talked to a man named josh; he was on his bike (a three-wheel, homemade chariot) and stopped to watch the game. our conversation with him was really natural and low-key. he told us his life story and we got to tell him what we're doing down here in Daytona. we invited him to come to our weekly gathering on Monday nights...hopefully we see him tonight! if we don't, we'll be looking out for him on the beach (he said he rides every day) and in the newspaper (he's about to bike cross-country from Key West, Florida to Tacoma, Washington on a homemade, solar-paneled bike!).

i can't tell you how encouraging and exciting it is for me to be doing ministry like this! God is really developing my heart for people and evangelism. it is such a blessing to just get His word out there. i've been clinging to the promise of Isaiah 55:11... "So is my Word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty but will achieve the purpose for which i sent it". i know God is using all of these conversations i've been having to advance His kingdom in some way. it truly is exciting!!

the rest of my weekend was spent in team-building and plain old fun! here are a few photos from the things we did together...

friday night adventure to the lighthouse and jetty! L to R, top to bottom: Brandon, Will; Abby, Melissa, Keely, Kayla, Katie; me, Allison; Chandler, Wilson.
some of the girls being silly.... :) L to R, top: Abby, Keely, me; bottom: Allison, Kayla, another Katie! that's a katie tower right there!
staff hunt! our staff disguised themselves in costumes and hid throughout the boardwalk. we had to find as many of them as we could in an hour!
mac n' cheese party! from left to right: daphne, melissa, abby, me and brandon. none of us wanted to eat out, so we had a rockin' mac n' cheese party and then played some beach frisbee:)

worhsip on the beach...this was really a great way for us to refocus on God and come together as a team.this week we're focusing on conquering our giants. this is a photo of us throwing rocks (David-style) into the ocean as a symbolic way of killing giants.
this was really another great weekend! every time i write on this blog, i love this place and this calling more and more. God is so good! i can't wait to write again!!

check out this storm!!

2009-06-05T11:39:00.000-07:00

today's adventures

2009-06-03T14:36:00.001-07:00

another day in daytona beach! like most of my days lately, i spent today job hunting and doing ministry. i had a hard day yesterday...my two most promising job opportunities didn't work out. twice i was told that places that thought they had a spot for me decided not to take on any new staff. it was so frustrating! last night i was getting kind of discouraged. God, being who He is, reminded me through a friend that He is faithful and has a plan for this summer. i woke up this morning and surrendered my job hunt to Him once again. i found a couple of new job opportunities--an accomplishment in itself--and, with a little luck, am hoping that one of them will work out! i'm really just trying to be patient until He makes His provision known to me...i can't wait to tell you where i end up working!! here's an interesting photo from my job hunt...yes, that is gum. on a tree. at the hilton!

the second half of my day was spent doing active ministry. i met with my discipler shannon to talk about theology and our spiritual walks. we also dedicated half of our meeting time to sharing our faith on the beach. using this really cool image survey called soularium, we got to talk to two girls right in front of our hotel. our survery questions opened up some spiritual conversations and ultimately allowed us to present them with the gospel. we talked with them for probably 40 minutes. it was really interesting...each of them, though being raised in the church, had never heard the full truth of the gospel or had the opportunity to receive Jesus Christ as their lord. i couldn't believe it! would you ever guess that a church can exist without the gospel? it was such a reminder to me that, even among church-goers in a "christian nation", there is still confusion about what the Bible actually says and a need for the real truth to be spoken! anyways, i'm really glad we got to share with them. they wanted to receive Christ at the end of our conversation.

and....random...but i wanted to post it! this is a picture of my d-group on our beach!can't wait to share more as it happens! thanks for your support and prayers!

another update...church and job hunt!

2009-06-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

we went to our home church for the first time yesterday. my d-group will be attending the First Presbyterian Church of Daytona Beach. it's super different from my home church but i think it will be a great place to call 'home' for the summer. every week, i'll be teaching sunday school there to some high school students, attending a worship service and sharing lunch with the gracious church families that open up their homes to us. i'm really excited to serve this church community and to get to know them better! you can be praying for the high school students that some of us will be leading; i feel like i will grow pretty close to this one girl, Susan. she just graduated from high school and will be attending Daytona State University in the fall. i'm hoping to provide her with a good perspective on what it's like to be a christian in college. my teaching partners and i will definitely be challenged by this ministry and would love your prayer support as we undertake this task of teaching and building friendships!

today i spent the day job hunting. it is HARD. all of us are trying to keep the perspective that we were brought here intentionally and the God has a place for us. i have a couple of good options at this point and am hoping to have a job secured tomorrow. we will see...i'm trying to be patient and faithful!

thank you so much for your continued prayers. this first week of project has definitely been a challenge and just a taste of all of the challenges that this summer has in store :)

outreach #2!

2009-05-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

today we went out for our second time of initiative evangelism! using a spiritual background/interest survey as our way to start conversations, our group split up and went to various locations in daytona beach. i went with my discipler, shannon, to the boardwalk. we had four conversations with different people. the first spiritual conversations we had were with two women from turkey; they told us about their new age, humanitarian beliefs but weren't really interested in having a deeper conversation with us. we also talked with a catholic family from new orleans and a christian mother/daughter-in-law pair. we were about ready to call it a day when we decided to head over to a group of kids that were skateboarding. we met a bunch of them: calla, a teenage girl who said she goes back and forth in believing in God; savannah, a tough girl who claimed atheism and wouldn't talk with us; "hazy", a semi-interested kid; mark, a super cool teen that shannon and i got to talk to for about half an hour. it was pretty sweet. he was totally responsive to all of the questions we were asking him and he allowed us to go through a "Knowing God Personally" booklet with him (this booklet contains the four basic spiritual laws of christianity: 1) that God loves us and has a plan for our lives, 2) that man is sinful and therefore cannot be in fellowship with God by his own efforts, 3) Jesus Christ is God's only provision for man to enter into the kingdom of God, 4) when we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior by willfull faith, we become children of God). he was really excited about all of the things we were telling him and he ultimately came to make a decision for Christ to be his lord! Praise God! we gave him some of our contact information and invited him to our weekly "deeper" meeting on monday. PLEASE pray for his heart, for him to take hold of his salvation and be strong in the face of peer pressure from his friends. i don't know his full story, but i'm pretty sure he's gone through a lot with his family and friends. as any new believer, he really needs to be supported, so please...pray! while you're at it, pray for his witness to his friends and family, for his courage and for the softening of their hearts to the message he now has to bring them. i hope to see this kid again!! angels are rejoicing in heaven!

our first day off...gone to blue springs park!

2009-05-29T17:43:00.001-07:00

today our team took a day off from ministry and training in order to relax, take in some florida sights, and build community among us. we spent the day at a nearby state park called Blue Springs; just like it sounds, this place was a natural spring of fresh water, held at a constant 72 degrees. all of us grabbed intertubes and floated down the spring. apart from the area where we swam (which i had to make VERY clear to my mom;)) we got to see some quintessentially florida things...ALLIGATORS and MANATEES!! they were really cool to see...from a distance :)

some photos of us sillly rafters...
from left to right: krista, my roommate melissa, me :)
some of the girls working VERY hard to inflate those tubes!

afterwards, we came back to the el caribe and experienced another element of the real florida...stormy weather! we've had thunder and lightning storms every day we've been here so far. i wanted to capture some lightning for you, but as you can imagine, it was pretty hard to time! check out these ominous clouds though!!
while i'm at it...the closest thing to a sunset over the atlantic that i will ever see!
tomorrow we return to the ministry field. pray for our outreach ministry...i'll be sure to report cool stories!

meet the team!

2009-05-28T14:55:00.000-07:00

as promised, here's an introduction to a few important people this summer! meet my roomies, Daphne, Melissa and Elda :)
meet daphne! she's my bed-mate this summer. she's going to be a senior at the university of kentucky. she's super sweet!this is melissa. like me, she just finished her sophomore year. she attends east tennessee state university where she is on the track team!
and this is elda. she just finished her freshman year at chico state. she is the goofiest one of the bunch :)

the four of us have a lot in common! our room is full of four easygoing (sometimes indecisive) girls who want to spend our free time running down the beach, who hate rollercoasters, and who love the Lord (binding us together better than anything else ever could!). i'm excited to share this adventure with them and know that they will be great friends by the end of this summer.

lastly, here is my Bible study group--aka my Discipleship group, my D-group, my girls. it consists of room 702 (yay!), a super sweet girl named Erin from Marshall University, and our staff discipler, Shannon. this is us on the first night, enjoying breakfast-for-dinner at IHOP!
from left to right: daphne, me, elda, melissa, shannon, erin <3

project begins!

2009-05-27T15:05:00.000-07:00

i woke up this morning to the light of the rising sun. it was gorgeous! (and kind of weird that the sun rises instead of sets over the ocean...) today, our first full day of project, began with an orientation session in which we learned our summer project weekly schedule; i'm excited for what we'll be doing--every day, we'll be spending our time in activities designed to deepen our spiritual roots and further the kingdom of God through community outreach. during the days, all project students will be at their jobs-their ministries sites--seeking to honor the Lord through diligence and service to their coworkers. in the evenings, we'll be spending quality time at dinners with various groups of other project students (Bible study group, "family" group, the whole project). to wrap up each day, we'll have a project event--a teaching session, a prayer/praise session, Bible study, etc. a lot of our community outreach will happen on the weekends; this is what most excites me. on saturdays, we will be going out sharing, doing ministry in youth correctional facilities and serving the community in whatever other avenues we find. on sundays, we'll be going to church with our Bible study group and then serving the church (most likely through leading their childrens' ministry programs). our weeks are full!! project has been described to me as a "greenhouse for spiritual growth", and after seeing the schedule they gave to us, i know it definitely will be!

after orientation, i went to lunch with my family group; again, i love these guys. we are going to be really close by the end of the summer :)

next comes the really exciting part...we went on our first outreach this afternoon! the goal of this was for students to approach people and start up conversations with this. my group--my friends jessica, robert, and myself--decided to walk down A1A, the main street in daytona, and try to talk to people. here's a picture of the three of us...
on the way back, we wanted to walk down the beach to get back to our hotel. as we were walking, a huge storm came and lightning literally struck about 50 feet away from us. first we screamed, and then we ran as fast as we could to get to the nearest bus stop!! it turns out the lightning that changed our course was totally from God. when we got to the bus stop, we met a man named Ron. i got into a 20 minute spiritual conversation with him while we all waited for the bus. it was so cool, a total answer to prayer that God would bless and encourage us through this first step of faith in outreach!

the day is far from finished and i am exhausted! still to come...our first teaching from our project director, our first Bible study, and more quality time with my fellow students!

Greetings from Daytona Beach!

2009-05-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

I’M HERE!! I just arrived in Daytona Beach this afternoon. After a few days visiting family in St. Simons, Georgia and Inverness, Florida, my dad and I drove to Daytona this morning. You may have heard about all of the rain Daytona has gotten lately—more than 20 inches this storm!—but God has blessed this first day of project with nothing but sunny skies :) I’ve met a few other project students so far. They are super nice and super southern—I can’t wait to do ministry alongside them (and kind of hope that smooth southern drawl will rub off on me… ;) ) It’s pretty funny…I’m with so many students from South Carolina that I have to explain that I go to “the other USC”—but wait, we were the original!! Here are a few photos from the past few days with my dad as well as a couple of my new surroundings! Please be praying for the relational foundations that are being laid these first few days of project, for my job hunt (happening this week!), and for all of our hearts to be radically inspired for God’s work this summer. I can’t wait to share stories as they happen…look forward to an introduction to my roommates in my next post!!

Starbucks breakfast in hand and travel-ready sweatshirt from "the real USC"...there's something about LAX at 7am :)

The Cloister Hotel at St. Simons, GA

my dad and i got to spend a couple of days with this cool man... his favorite uncle and tourguide extraordinaire...Uncle Jerry

The Cloister Hotel hosted the G8 Summit of world leaders in 2008...

I got to sit in President Bush's chair from the summit...so cool!

and.....my first photo from summer project! here i am in front of my home for the summer, the el caribe resort in daytona beach!

this is the best. check out the view from my room...it's awesome. i'm living on the top floor in the corner and our room is spectacular :)

this is my balcony, the future place of phone calls, quiet time, sunrise watching, praying, reading, painting, etc... i can't wait to enjoy this spot!

our kitchen

our room! i'll be sleeping in the spot closest to the window...and closest to the air conditioner...i take after my dad, apparently!

i think that's it for now...i'm excited to share about my roomies in my next post. they are great and we have so much in common already! look forward to a later introduction to my "family" group. we met tonight for the first time to share all about what God has been doing in our lives recently. there was instant trust and focus among us. we ended with a really powerful time of prayer together...i can't believe it was only our first night! i am so encouraged by all of these people and can't wait to write all about them. they are awesome! until next time, greetings from Daytona Beach!

2 days until i jet away!

2009-05-21T14:32:00.001-07:00

i've been preparing for my trip all week, running through my mental checklist of last minute errands and making sure everything is ready to go in t-minus 43 hours! my time at home has totally flown by...i knew it would. i am so excited to get to daytona, though! as you can see, i have begun the packing process. that mountain of stuff holds the contents of the next 10 weeks of my life! i'm hoping it all fits in my suitcases... ;) as i'm getting ready for summer project, please pray that i will be spiritually readied too. pray for my heart as i anticipate the growth, challenges, and adventures that this summer has in store... i want to hit the ground running with vision and purpose, ready to do work for the Kingdom!

also, some spiritual food for thought...my project director asked us to read through this article about the Spirit-filled life. i found it to be really insightful and relevant to everything i have been learning lately. interested? here's the link...http://www.transferableconcepts.org/english/spirit/index.html

stay tuned for my next post...arrival in florida and an introduction to my fellow summer project students!

welcome to my daytona beach blog!

2009-05-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

summer has officially begun! i just moved home yesterday and can hardly believe another whole year has gone by. this has been a great year filled with lots of learning and fun (for a recap, check out my regular blog... melodiesunheard.blogspot.com ;) ). As crazy as it is that i'm now a junior in college (woah, that's crazy), it is even more crazy that in 11 short days I will be en route to Daytona Beach, Florida! these past few weeks have been a complete whirlwind...God has totally challenged my type-A, planning personality. i found out i was going to go on this summer project on April 18th, i mailed letters to my family and friends on 20th, and....drum roll, please...i have since met my financial goal of $3500! in less than a month, my summer has been decided and provided for. it's going to be great!

since this is my first blog post, i would love to tell you (my generous and encouraging supporters!) more about what i will be doing this summer. summer projects are a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ that take place at different locations around the world. you may remember that my brother, Austin, went on a summer project last year to Tokyo, Japan; as an international project, his trip was focused on doing initiative evangelism on college campuses. the U.S. projects (like Daytona Beach!) are designed a little bit differently. we, too, will spend a lot of our time doing initiative evangelism on the beach and at local hangouts. we will also learn to make ministry a lifestyle by getting a summer job, one of our primary mission fields; the idea behind this is that students learn how to build relationships with their coworkers with the ultimate goal of sharing the love of God that is the Gospel. relational evangelism...a practical mindset that i will definitely be bringing back to SC. i can't wait...it is going to be excellent training and a huge challenge for me. our other outreach activities will include serving churches in the community. beyond the evangelistic element of U.S. projects (which is a HUGE part), Daytona Beach Summer Project will sharpen my leadership abilities (i will be assigned to a ministry team that serves the other students on our project), deepen my knowledge of the Word of God through Bible studies and discipleship, and provide long-lasting relationships with believers from across the country (most of the students on my project are from the south y'all ;) ). this is truly going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

i am so excited for what's in store this summer! i know that i will return a better-equipped student leader, ready to lead, challenge and love the students of USC! i am so grateful to have your support...really, it means a lot to me. i will be updating this blog as frequently as i can with news, stories and pictures! i love to write and i love to share...so check back frequently for updates ;) soon to come...the job hunt, the packing process, and departure (may 23!). here's to the adventures ahead!!

if you're curious about Campus Crusade's summer project, more information is available at www.gosummerproject.com :)