Last week in Addis!

Sorry it has taken me so long to post again. The internet connection plus my need to always be around people is working against me on this one. I really don't even know where to start.

The film track is SUPER busy this week. They finished filming the short films and are in the editing process right now. High stress, yes. But everyone seems to be handling it well. The reason they made the short films is because Friday we are having a Film Festival and are showing all of the films. They aren't Christian films but they are supposed to make you think deeper and the questions that go along with the films are hopefully going to lead into Gospel centered conversations. We are inviting everyone we meet so hopefully we will have a good turnout! They have been working so hard and I can't wait to see what the films are going to be like!

The campus track is currently in a time of transferring our disciples to other people involved in the GCM since we leave in a few days. This is not an easy task with the language barrier. I have been with Emilee Talley for the past few weeks and we went out for the first week and shared the Gospel with people. 2 people that accepted Christ have been faithful in meeting up with us for discipleship. That may not seem like a lot, but we are SO happy that they want to learn so much! We just met with both of them for the last time yesterday and it was really hard to say goodbye. One of the guys said to Talley, "Thank you so much for everything. I'll see you in Heaven!" She bawled. I'm glad I wasn't around to hear that because I would have lost it completely. Today is our last official day to go out to the Discipleship House and either go share the Gospel around the city or meet with our disciples. This day is probably going to be really rough on all of us. Prayers would be appreciated!

Prayer Requests:
- The film track
1. Patience during the rest of the editing process
2. Confidence that the film festival will be successful
3. Trust that the Lord has His hand in all of this and it doesn't matter how amazing the short films are (even though I am positive that they are awesome) because God is going to use them no matter what.

- The campus track
1. That no disciples slip through the cracks. Everyone needs to be plugged in to a church and GCM
2. Goodbyes today are going to be hard. Pray that we can remember that this is a happy time because we have finished what God intended for us to do here and we have made disciples for His kingdom. :)

- The film festival
1. That the Lord will surprise us with how many people show up.
2. That we can have fruitful conversations with the Ethiopians that see the films!
3. That we all remember that none of this is because of us but also that the Lord will use us in big ways tomorrow!

Thanks for all of your prayers and support! Love you all!

June 30, 2004

SALAAM!!! Sorry I suck at blogging. I will try my best to do better! If you didn't know, we made it safely to Ethiopia! It's 2004 here. No joke. They have 13 months in a year. Also, it's June 30th, not July 6th. I've adopted the phrase, "Don't get me started on things I don't understand." I say it about 7 times a day. This place is so different, but so beautiful.

Briefing in Dallas was great. Everyone on this project is really cool and it wasn't hard for us to click. Team unity: check. So, STORY TIME. In order to go on this project, everyone had to agree that if they didn't raise all of their support that they would pay the difference. Raising support to go on an international project is probably the most stressful thing I have ever done in my life. By the time we got to Dallas, I owed the project a little less than $1,000. My heart sunk when I found that out. There were about 5 of us that didn't raise all of their support and so we had to meet with the project directors to talk about how to pay for the rest of our support. I was NOT looking forward to that conversation. We all are standing in a circle with the project directors and they tell us that through many different supporters...our WHOLE project had all been covered. How much more evident could it be that the Lord wanted us ALL to go on this trip? What a beautiful picture of God's provision. Don't worry, this is just the beginning!

The plane ride was so much better than I expected. Each seat had a TV screen on the back of it so I watched a few movies, journaled, & talked with the people I sat by. Dare I say it was fun? Except, have you ever tried to brush your teeth on an airplane? I SPIT ON MY SHOE. Seriously. Also, random fact: Germany doesn't have trash cans. Anyways, 21 hours later we landed in Addis safe and sound! When we got outside of the airport to take a bus to the hotel, the Ethiopians met us all outside and handed us each a rose! We crammed 27 people into a 20ish passenger van...that was fun. We are getting used to being crammed. There are 23 students, 6 staff, and 3 kids...Claustrophobia, what? We got to the hotel and were greeted with warm hugs from our friends from Arkansas that went on the Ethiopia trip A. It was a nice ease into actually being in Africa. The hotel is SO nice. The beds are as hard as a board, seriously...but I feel so spoiled with everything else. I have taken 2 cold showers which were a fun reminder of Santa Cruz motel life. :) Oh, and my roommate's name is Amy. She's the project nanny for the director's 3 kids! She's great. We got to have pillow talk the other night and I really feel like we got a lot closer. Love her already.

I'm gonna be honest...Ethiopian food is WEIRD. Some stuff has zero flavor and some is so spicy most of us can't eat it. And the main bread here is called Injera. It has the consistency of a sponge and tastes like lime. Not my cup of tea, but my roommate likes it! Breakfast is my favorite meal here. I've had pizza about 12 times, spaghetti 5 times, and fried rice twice....don't judge me. I'm easing into this stuff. I have tried a lot of strange food, though! Melissa, you should be proud. I kind of thought that I would lose weight here but the amount of carbs I am eating is unreal. Diet starts tomorrow. Coffee is unavoidable at this point. I'm averaging about 2 cups a day. Sometimes 3. It's delicious by the way...unlike coffee in America. GROSS. Betsy...be proud. :)

We got to go out last Friday and walk around the city! We saw the cool meeting spots for sharing the Gospel and got to meet people at what is now my favorite coffee shop/pizzeria called Five Zone. We also learned that pickpocketting is basically a profession here. The kids are crafty to say the least. Day 1 of going out, one of our teammate's phones got stolen. The streets are so full of homeless, sick, beggars, etc. It really rips your heart out to see it.

The way our day generally goes is to go eat lunch and then go to the discipleship center before we go out and do ministry. The first day we tried to do that, we took an hour and a half to get a taxi. Patience was almost lost at this point. The thing that made it worth it was when we got to the street that the discipleship center was on, we turned down the alley and little kids were running at us full speed screaming with excitement. This is everyone's favorite part of the day because the kids in the village behind the discipleship center LOVE to play. There are 30ish precious kids and we played with them for hours. Everyone fell in love with them. It made the wait for a taxi totally worth it.

Friday night, we went out for our first social as a whole project. We went to this restaurant where we all sit in a half-circle and watch Ethiopian dancers while we eat. We were encouraged to try everything at least once. I follow the policy of, "Don't ask, don't tell and i'll try it." So, naturally, the server came up to me as I was in line and was pointing to certain dishes and saying things like, "This, lamb stomach. This, chicken stomach." So much for that policy. I still tried things and it wasn't half bad. The dancers were insane...i really can't explain that. It got interactive after dinner though. They brought every one of us out to dance with them. We have never looked more white. It was a blast!

NOW FOR THE GOOD STUFF. If you haven't read any of this, you should read this next part.

Friday day we went and talked to people at Five Zone. We met Isaac right when we sat down. He is a college student and loves rap music and is a D.J. He translated a lot of Amharic stuff for us because he spoke PERFECT English. When he left, two other people sat down. Their names were Mikyas and James. They also spoke English which we were so thankful for. We got to talking about faith and they told us a little bit about what they believe. It was so cool to hear from them. We also met a precious 12-year-old boy named Tarkue. He sells gum on the streets all day, every day. He is one of the only kids we have met who hasn't tried to reach into my pocket or unzip my purse. Needless to say everyone on the campus track team is in love. I'm going to cry BUCKETS when we have to leave him.

Saturday was incredibly blessed to say the least. We had a free day and all of the campus track wanted to go to the lion zoo. We invited everyone that we met on Friday to come and join us. Isaac, Mikyas, James, and Tarkue came. Tarkue brought his friend Job too. He is also precious and has made us all fall in love with him too. Emilee and Lindsey got to share the Gospel with Isaac and Emily and I got to share with James. THEY BOTH ACCEPTED CHRIST!!! It was incredible. So we all went to the lion zoo and it was so much fun! I can't really explain in words how I felt, but it was definitely top 2 days in my life.

On Sunday we went to the English-speaking church service. It was so cool to worship the same God from a different country.

Monday was our first day of ministry with the translators. It was challenging to say the least. The language barrier is harder than I expected. I went out with a guy on our team named Andrew, and our translator's name was Mercy. We had NO idea what we were getting into. Mercy grabbed a random guy that was walking in front of us and told us to share the Gospel with him. We were definitely not expecting that to happen so quickly. It was really hard to figure out what exactly our roles were in sharing the Gospel. We talked to a few more people, but no one accepted Christ...which was really defeating considering the fact that we had so many come to Christ the day before. We also had a girl's night that brought the mood of the group back up. The girls on this project are SO incredible.

Tuesday-Thursday were a lot better ministry wise. We are all still learning the easiest ways to share the Gospel and how we work with different translators. It's a process, but so far we have shared the Gospel around 200 times and 25 people have accepted Christ! The Lord has been SO good to us, y'all. I have so many more stories but I am falling asleep typing this. I'll update soon!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

~The guys we shared with on Saturday (Isaac, Mikyas, and James) are being really flaky and making us feel like they only want our money. Pray for discernment for us and changed/convicted hearts for the guys.
~We found out earlier this week that Tarkue has HIV. It has been hard on everyone to handle that news. Pray for him as he is dealing with it and the campus track as we grow closer to him. Pray that we can just love on him for the time that we are here and keep our spirits up.
~That the team can be renewed every day. Doing ministry every day is so rewarding but it is also SO draining. Pray that we can just lean on the Lord and spend sweet time with Him daily.
~We have one issue that is hurting our team...namely the girls. I can't really explain it on this blog post but pray that the issue is resolved quickly and in a Christ-like way.
~Health. Week 1 was rough on everyone. Pray that we can all stay healthy these next 3 weeks!
~Ethiopia. This place is so beautiful but so broken. Pray that we can keep reaching people here and impacting this city.
~Joe & Jeremy are adults that were a part of the film track for this week. They just left yesterday and today. Pray for safe travels as they go back home to their families!

Thank you all so much for being a part of this and for being patient with me. Love you all!

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." - 1 Corinthians 15:58

LET GO. LET GOD.

I am overwhelmed to say the least. The Lord has given me a serious reality check in the past two weeks. At the beginning of this month I was at 25% of my financial goal and had almost nothing figured out as far as planning for this trip to Ethiopia goes. I was at a point where literally the only thing I could do was say, "Lord, this isn't going to happen unless you make it happen. I trust You." Putting my trust COMPLETELY in the Lord for this trip wasn't the easiest thing to do because I am a definite "do it myself" person, but I definitely needed to realize that I, myself, wasn't going to make this trip happen. And I sit here today at 95% of my financial goal with everything figured out as far as packing and logistics of the trip go. GOD IS SO GOOD!!!

Thank you SO much for all of your support; financially and prayerfully. I feel so blessed to have you guys in my life and as a part of my support team. You have no idea how much it means to me. I really couldn't have done this without you.

I leave for Dallas on Friday and we have a project "briefing" on Saturday. Our team leaves for Ethiopia on Sunday!

Things to pray for:
-The Ethiopians that we will meet - that their hearts will be open to the Gospel and ready to accept Christ.
-Our team - unity and focus on our mission - Christ.
-Opportunities to share Christ

I'll update you from Addis! :)

First CALIFORNIA update!

First of all, I would just like to restate how thankful I am to be here. For those that supported me financially, and/or through prayer, thank you so much. I feel so blessed to be doing this.

I’m sorry it has taken me so long to blog. I know…this is ridiculous. It’s been 15 days and SO much has happened. Right now we are still trying to get the hang of everything here at the Pan. My roommates are amazing we’re getting to know each other really quick (which tends to happen when 5 girls share 1 room and 1 bathroom). There are 60 students here and we have a legit staff team too. I never thought that we would all be so close already, but 2 weeks and it's like we've been friends for years.

Our typical day consists of work til 5:30, dinner, and a function (outreach, training on how to share the Gospel, Monday Night Live - kinda like our CRU, action group time - bible study, or reflection - quiet time to spend digging into the Word). The first few nights we just got to know each other. We shared our Soul to Souls with our action group (basically your life story and how you came to know Christ). We also went to the beach one day and had a scavenger hunt and then had a sandcastle building competition (blue team won! J). We also have Friday night training every Friday and that is where we are learning cool ways to share the Gospel. One way we do that is with the Knowing God Personally booklet; KGP for short. It tells that God loves us, we have sinned, but God sent Jesus to die for our sins so we are free from that, and that we can know Him personally. It’s actually a really cool way to talk to people about Jesus.

I work for Miller's Sun Shops which is basically a souvenir/clothing store. So most of my day is spent hanging, folding, straightening, and organizing. Work so far has been pretty chill. I go to work around 10 and get off around 5:30 usually. It's a long shift but when I'm working with other people it's not bad. Plus, I have an amazing view of the ocean...what more could I ask for? I've also met some really cool people already. One girl I met named Jessica is super awesome and is already my California best friend. She is super rad and really easy to talk to. Hopefully we'll get to hang out a lot this summer.

We’ve had two days of outreach so far. Outreach is basically where we go somewhere and talk to people in hopes of striking up a spiritual conversation. For the first outreach we went to different laundromats and tried to start conversations with people. My action group (my roommates) struck up conversation right away. Brooke and Brittany started a great conversation with a woman named Brenda. That went very well. Lindsey, Bev, and I started talking to a homeless woman (who used to be a man) named Veronica. That conversation went in circles for a while, but we are hoping that it stirred something in her. We also left her a KGP so hopefully she will read that.

For the second outreach, we went downtown and split up by block. My friend Jonathan and were a team and we went to a small pizza place and set up Soularium (which is a spiritual picture survey) on the table. The only person who came up to us was the waitress, Evelyn. So, Jonathan asked her if she wanted to participate. She said sure and so we asked her all the questions. Her last answer was a picture of a path and she said that she wanted to figure out the path to take. I told her that I had wondered that same thing my whole life, but that this KGP booklet answered the questions I had about my life. I asked her if she wanted me to go through it with her, or if she was too busy I could just leave it and she could look at it later. She said she would rather talk with me about it so she asked for my number. I gave it to her and I’m hoping she is going to call soon! PRAY that she does, please! So after we left the pizza place, we walked outside and set up Soularium on the sidewalk and that attracted a lot of attention. First, we talked with an older couple, Doug and Katherine. Katherine had all the churchy answers but I’m not totally convinced of what she was saying. Doug was really apathetic to anything “spiritual” but he had such a lively spirit. PRAY that something stirs in their hearts to both really seek the Lord. Next, we met Kathy. Kathy was a pastor’s kid and she strayed away from Christianity because she hated being the pastor’s kid and being judged for it. So, she tried a bunch of other religions and now she believes in a mixture of a lot of religions. PRAY against confusion. PRAY that the seeds that we all planted on Saturday night will not be the last time that those people hear the Gospel and that they will someday know the Lord.

Last night we had girls time. It was much needed and was the most amazing part of this project so far. We did this survey called Stand Up for Your Sister. I can't really explain any more of it but you should just know that it was awesome. It was really great to be able to be open and completely transparent with fellow believers who are going through some of the same junk as I am. The conclusion I came to last night: no matter how alone I feel, I'm not. No matter how big my sin is, God is bigger. No matter how ugly I feel inside, God says I'm beautiful and perfect. That's all I need.

The first two weeks of this project have been INCREDIBLE and I can't even imagine what God has in store for me and the rest of the group over the next 8 weeks. 

 Prayer requests:

~ We have a theme party coming up on Saturday night where we get to invite our coworkers - it's a Barn Party and it should be a lot of fun. Pray for a good turn-out!

~ Outreach Saturday night - Pray that Evelyn calls me!

~ Continuous prayers for our project in general are awesome. We really want to leave our legacy here in Santa Cruz and we need lots of prayer!

First day of work for Jeremiah, Emilee, Caitlyn, Marci, Beverly, and I

ROOMMATES: Brittany, Abby, Beverly, Lindsey (Staff), Brooke, and I

I know i'm filled to be emptied again. The seed I've recieved I will sow.

I'm waiting for my laundry to get done so I can go to bed. Perfect time to pre-Santa Cruz blog.

I've spent the last 3 days at Camp War Eagle (and still have 2 more days there) and then I leave two days later for Santa Cruz. Here's the deal. When I was a camper in '07 I came back home with a completely new perspective. I started a relationship with the Lord. It was incredible and life-changing. So I feel like a part of me was still at camp. So I went back as a L.I.T. and that was a blast. I got to be on the inside of things and really appreciate the "magic" of camp. It made me super excited to be a counselor. So last year, I finally got the opportunity. It was by far the best and most challenging summer of my life. I met some amazing people and built some great and lasting friendships. I was stretched in every way possible. I learned how to be independent, a role model and leader, and how to teach younger girls about how to have a relationship with Christ. I loved every minute of it (well, most every minute haha) and I couldn't wait to do it all again this summer.

After Winter Conference, the Lord put Summer Projects on my heart. I thought it was just a little thing and I still expected to be going back to camp. Then after a lot of prayer, I finally told my best friend, "I think I'm supposed to go on a Project this summer." She told me that her and our small group leader had been praying for me about that exact thing. They both thought I should go on one too. I felt such a peace about it. I knew I'd miss camp a little but I was going where the Lord wanted me to go, and I knew that. So I got accepted to Santa Cruz (a 10 week project), raised my support, and then a few weeks ago, I got an email from camp saying that even though I wasn't working this summer, that I could work before the campers get there on the S.W.A.T. team (basically doing maintenance work). It was a week before Santa Cruz. I knew it'd be cutting it close but I wanted to go back to camp, even if it was just for a week. So I said yes.

I got to the camp gates and immediately felt this unexplainable joy. I saw a few returning counselors and felt right at home. This is why I came back. So, I'm on S.W.A.T. with a few counselors from last year. The work is tough stuff. We always make it fun though. It's really true that if you have a good attitude it's a lot easier to get stuff done. Over the past 3 days, a lot of people have asked me why I'm only here for the week. So I explain. I've gotten a lot of sad faces and thinking about it more and more is making me sad. I'm already home, yet I'm leaving in 2 days. I started feeling homesick yesterday and now that I'm home for the night I realized that I'm not even my house homesick, I'm already camp homesick. I really am excited to go to Santa Cruz, but I KNOW what camp is like and i KNOW i love it already. So it's kinda tough.  But, I talked to my best friend tonight and it changed my thought process. I'm stepping out of my comfort zone, which is what we're called to do, and what I've been praying about since I got accepted. I'm doing what He is asking me to do and I'm doing it for His glory. I'm stepping out in faith and there's no way I could possibly come home the same.

I know I'm probably making it sound like I'm going somewhere awful and hard, and I don't mean for it to. I'm really blessed to be totally funded to go on this amazing trip, and...it's California! Beach, sun, fun, Jesus. It's going to be amazing! I'm so thankful for all of the support I've received and I really can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me and the rest of the team. To the 2011 CWE counselors - You are the lucky chosen ones who get paid to play this summer :). You're gonna have the time of your life and if you want, it can even change you and bring you closer to the Lord and grow you in your walk with Him. You're also going to be looked up to every minute of every day, so don't take that lightly. I hope that you make the most of this summer and remember why you are there. So, build amazing relationships with your co's and your kiddo's and most importantly, be F.I.T. (If you don't know what that means, you'll soon learn). I love you guys and I'm praying for you all this summer and I hope you'll be praying for me too.

To my Santa Cruz (future) best friends: I can't wait to meet all of you and "get this party started!" I'm praying for our trip and that we can also keep in mind why we are there. I don't want this to turn into a vacation. I'm not saying I don't want to have fun. I do want to have fun. But I don't want to forget my purpose, and being in California (a place I've never been) will make it easy to lose sight. I'm praying against that and I hope you will too. I love you guys already and I'll see you in 4 days!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

P.S. OSAGE SUMMER 2011!  "Blue is cool and that's the rule! I'd rather be dead than red!"

YES GOD!

I am quite the gamer. In my head, there is always a game going on, whether it be with whoever is in the car with me, the car next to me, the stranger walking in the same direction, or anything like that. No one knows they are playing, but I do, therefore I win most of the time. It's no secret that I'm a horrible planner and I rarely follow through with what I say or plan. Pathetic, right? I know, but this is why I have created a new game. The movie YES MAN sparked the idea. So here's how it is going to be played:

RULES for YES GOD (not in order of importance):

1. Wake up by 10 at the latest. Sleep is a hinderance when I want to be productive.

2. Meet for an intentional purpose with someone at least once a week (Cell group girls, bible study girls, Cameron, Corrie, Hanna, 5th floor girls)

3. Turn the 2+ hour USA marathons into productive times

4. Spend time with the Lord daily (eventually every MORNING, but daily for now)

5. When someone calls (foreign or friend) answer if you see it and call back if you miss it. NO SHADY BUTTON!

6. When someone texts you, text back right away. No leaving people hanging

7. When someone makes plans with me & I wanna cancel cuz I don't feel like going...GO!

8. Facebook once a day NO CREEPING!

9. Practice guitar DAILY

10. Report to blog weekly about game results.

Lord, I want to become an intentional person. I want people to consider me dependable. This semester I have a really easy schedule, so I have no more excuses. Help me to always remember that i CAN do this. Give me the strength to push through even when I don't want to. Father, this is all for Your glory. I want to fall so in love with you that it can't help but shine through my everyday life. I also need a way to be filled so I don't get burnt out. Give me wisdom on what I should do, if I should ask Anita do disciple me, or if I should quit working Thursdays and join Jenni's bible study. I need guidance cuz I can't figure this one out on my own. You know me best and You know what I need. Show me what it is. I love you God and I am so thankful for all that You've done for me. Thank you for hearing me.

Coming out of the closet.

If you know me well at all, you would easily say that I'm a carefree person. Sometimes TOO carefree. But I have a confession. I am a closet worry-wart. It's all in my head so it's not like I'm putting on a front, but to be completely honest, I worry a lot. Friends, school, work, money, family, Heaven, getting my wisdom teeth out...no but really, I'm truly worried about my future. College is kicking my butt, and right now is the easiest it will be. Scary thought.
But I just thought I should share what my amigo Paul just shared with me in Philippians 4. He was talking to the Philippians about true joy, not the kind that of happiness that is circumstantial, but the kind that comes from just being content in the Lord. But to get that kind of contentment, we have to truly rely on him and not WORRY. And if you keep reading he goes on to give the "How not to worry for dummies" instructions.
Step 1 - Pray. This one is pretty straight forward.
Step 2 - Ask God for whatever you need (but don't be surprised if after 3 years of asking for a mansion made of bubble gum that it doesn't happen...) You gotta ask for the right things, even if that means just asking God for clarity because truthfully, God knows what you need more than you do. So it also means realizing that maybe what you THINK you need isn't really what you need. But even if that doesn't happen, God's got bigger and better plans in store.
Step 3 - Give him thanks...not because it's a requirement before your prayers will be answered, but because God has given us so much already and we take it all for granted. He deserves ALL of our praise. He IS the reason we're here after all.

So...ask me again if I'm worried about tomorrow. :)