Longing for the Ocean

I am a bit drained. It is hot which slows us all down and sucks our energy. Everyone is a bit irritable. A lot of site visits and material preparing has consumed the construction guys, the looming messages and songs have loomed over Jc and Brandon, and Grocery shopping for 60 people (my least favorite part thus far) and other little prep things has warn out Marisa and I. It is time for the students to arrive; We need a specific reason to be working together and for all of us to fall into place with our roles. The students will also bring a new needed energy that we can feed off of!

What is so enticing about the ocean? Is it the fact that there appears to have no end? Is it the sound of the waves crashing on shore? For me it is the fact that I can get lost just gazing, leaving all else behind: all cares, worries, life. It is funny how close I am to the ocean right now, about a half hour, and yet it is so far since tasks and transportation stand in my way. Then I realized that I have other "oceans" and that all I need to do is intentionally take time for myself. So here I am writing in a dark room, my ipod on high volume, and laying on my air mattress. I am reflecting on who my creator is and allowing Him to refill me!

Country Fried Steak

I had my very first southern meal for lunch today. Marissa and I went with Brother Harry to Jacob’s Well and had a true southern meal. I had country fried steak covered in gravy, mashed potatoes, corn, southern fried zucchini, onions, and squash, and of course some sweet tea. It was all for $6. I loved it J

Your Approval Alone

My first tears of the summer were shed least night. It was a long day and feelings of inadequacy and helplessness swept over me. Once the tears started, I had a hard time stopping them. I sat outside (the temp still pretty warm but humidity down at 11pm) and cried out to my God. I asked things, in between sobs, such as why He chose me when I have nothing to offer. The Lord showed me that I was looking at things in terms of men and trying to please men instead of the Lord. He showed me that my only true task this summer is to seek His face and learn His ways more. Through that, He will outpour through me the love and other tasks I have for the summer. Summer task number one: seek approval from my Lord alone!

Fully Dependent

This morning we had a little bit of a scare. We had lost the only key to one of our vans we will use for the summer and that was full of tools etc. We looked and looked. We all traced the steps of where it could be. Then we came together and prayer about it. We realized that we really had started our day with a full to do list and with a break we went off our ways without seeking the Lord first. So we prayed in repentance, and asked the Lord to bless our searching as well as restore our joy. After spending time as a team with the Lord, we decided we would not take anymore steps until tomorrow hoping it would show up and continue on out tasks for the day. About an hour later the keys did show up in the grass where the 8 of us had walked past many times before! This was just a really good reminder that this is His ministry and that we must come to Him first! Sorry, I will be posting pics really soon. Unfortunately for us, the church is running evening VBS this week so we cannot set up any of our needed stuff until right before the students come, but the church has been so great to us and have let us eat dinner with the VBS students! Tomorrow is another full day of prep, and I am getting a bit overwhelmed. I am so grateful ya’ll are praying for us J

Day One in Missip!

I hear southern accents downstairs; I am waking up this morning in Mississippi!! Last week was incredible, tiring, and productive. We had many meetings about safety, code of conduct, and logistics. On top of that we had worship (beginning game, songs, testimony, message, etc) three times a day. Each site crew, since all sites including Mississippi were training together last week, would lead a certain day of worship that we would be leading all summer. I am going to be our female vocals this summer as well. I sang more this last week than I have in a LONG time! My team is wonderful! I am really excited to work with them all summer. My team includes: Chase (our site director), Marisa (co-site assistant and worship assistant), Jacee (Worship Director who will give most messages at night), Brandon (worship assistant, really good on the drums!), Azad (Construction director), Nate (construction assistant), and Luke (construction assistant). These people are so fun and come from around the country. I will be adding a picture really soon of my team. This week is now intensive prep for the summer since we have 56 students coming already next Sunday. This morning, once the rest of my team is up, we will be touring our home for the next two months. We have a suburban that we call Miss Betsy, so we will all be piling into her for our tour. The rest of the time this week will be continuing to get the messages ready, finding and prepping the construction sites (we need 7 for this Sunday), and preparing all the details that make a week long mission trip flow smoothly and change lives! So here it officially begins, Mississippi, Miss Amy and the rest of her crew has arrived, and I AM will be with us, so prepare to be changed!!

It is 10:30 p.m. and I have just finished packing up my stuff, other than my computer of course. I will be waking up at 5:30 a.m. tomorrow morning to leave for Northwestern College where a Next Step Ministries van will pick me up to bring me and other students from Minnesota to Madison, WI where we will be having a week of intensive training with all the interns. At the end of the week we will part ways to our five different sites. My team will be heading south to Mississippi! Please keep me in your prayers as my summer journey officially begins :)

2 Weeks Away

I leave in two weeks...

I can hardly believe it. I have so many emotions inside of me right now.

I feel eager to start this journey.

I feel apprehensive about living in a new environment and dealing with discrimination.

I feel some sorrow for leaving some people here while I go.

I feel humility for what I know the Lord will teach me, and

I feel honored to be His hands and His feet in a very tangible way.

I am trusting in the Lord as I am still $500 short, but

I know HE will provide!