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!"