No Time

It seems as if this passed week was just a whirlwind that I somehow got through by the grace of God.

This week was the first with all the staff gone and the students truly taking over. The atmosphere was a lot different but in a good way. For me, I understand my responsibility and it’s so cool to know that God will provide in all things.

The week was much more busier than usual because I came home on Friday for a wedding. Because of that, I worked on the days I usually had off and then I had to find time to fit all the discipleship times in and preparation for bible study. While it was pretty jammed pack, it was still fun.

I loved the times I spent which each guy this past week during discipleship. Each of them are so unique and bring such a different perspective. I am looking forward to the things we will learn from each other.

The week at work was great too. I work with two other guys who are in Ocean City for the same summer project. This week we had the opportunity to share with our boss. It was a moment inspired by God to be able to explain more of what true Christianity meant and to hear more about his faith.

Through that conversation and other things, I have realized that I need to really dig into the Bible more. We have been provided this “book” that is inspired by God for our benefit. It is so unbelievable the things that God can teach me if I just take time to let him.

Also, throughout the week God has provided incredible conversation with other students who are on the same project. It blows me away at how “real” and authentic people are. I almost feel like I am in this surreal environment. I am just so thankful that God provided a way so that I could fit into this community.

Throughout this summer, God has just been teaching me so much about my view of Him and how truly I think way to highly of myself. Some questions that I have considered is how small and little I am compared to the holiness and majesty of God. At the same time, how lucky I am that this huge and great God wants to know me in a personal way.

It was really nice to go home for the weekend. I left early Friday morning and I am now flying back to NJ. Seeing friends and family that I have not seen for a long time was incredible. Although it seemed as if every second was taken up with something to do, it was still nice just to be home.

As I head back to NJ, I understand that there is less than a month left for the project. I am so excited to see what God is going to do. I feel like it is the “end of the beginning” if that makes any sense. While this summer may be closing down, I am so excited to get back to School. I cannot wait to use the skills that have been taught from this summer and apply it at the U.

May all the Glory go to God!

Changes

Well, as always, so much has happened the last few days.

On Tuesday, we pulled an “All-Nighter” as a campus. It was great staying up with the 11 others from the U and just getting to know each other well. We really got to dig deeper into each other and also have banana-chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.

I just realized that I have yet to reveal what my campus job is. Well, I have the privilege of being the action group leader for my action group. So what does that mean? Well, an action group is the same thing as a bible study. So I will be leading the bible study each week. In addition, I will have the opportunity to disciple each of the guys. There are a total of three other guys that I will disciple. When I say disciple, that means each week I will meet with each guy for at least an hour and also go out sharing with him too.

After hearing my job, I was both excited and a bit intimidated. The guys in my group are unbelievable. They have so much experience and knowledge both in life and in the Word. To serve with them is humbling and going to be a challenge. I know the only possibly way for the next few weeks to be effective for the kingdom of God is to fully rely on the one who is all powerful.

The theme for this past week as been “Agape Love.” For those of you who do not know what Agape is love that is wholly selfless and spiritual. It has been sweet because there have been opportunities to express our love for each other throughout the week.

Yesterday was the last full day staff was here. We ended it with a long night of activity. First the feast part. It being Agape week and all, we all had to serve each other food instead of getting our own meal. Afterwards, we had a large group meeting with extended worship and a mid-project video. I cannot believe it, but there are only 35 days of project left.

The night ended with the new leadership team taking over and casting vision for the last few weeks of project. Our theme for the rest of the summer is “Because He is Worthy…”

The Lord has already done so much in and through me and I am excited to see where God takes myself and the rest of us in finishing the summer.

Thank you all for you prayers and support!

So Much!!

It has been such a long time since I have been able to update. I am telling you everyone, the last few days have been, how do I say it, INCREDIBLE. It just seems wrong for me to sit here at a computer to even try and explain it to you in words. The best analogy to give to the last few days is “a picture is worth a thousand words.” In the same sense, the only true way to appreciate all the things we did is to have a video of it all or just to experience it yourself. There is this deep desire within me to just sit down with each and every person that wants to listen and just share what has been happening. While I know that is impossible, I will try to make due and attempt to explain some of it through words.

Last Friday, I was able to have dinner with my adopt-a-parents from my church, Ocean City Baptist. The church set up this program where a few members of the church “adopt” a few of us who are here on summer project. Basically, we hang out with these members so we get to know some people from the congregation well and feel more connected. My parents include a deacon of the church (also the piano player), his wife, and a one of their family friends. Their names are Paul, Helen, and Elsie. I must say they are some of the most personable, older people I know.

On Saturday night, we had the annual Staff vs. Student softball game. This was the culmination of “All for One” week. The entire week was focused on the importance of fellowship and community. As many of you may have guessed, I totally loved it. There were various activities throughout the week to make us all depend on each other more and to work as a team. The softball game itself was a bit varied from a normal game. The final score was a tie, a bit of a bummer but still good.

Monday’s dinner was pretty sweet because three random guys were paired with three random girls. It was also July 4th so we watched the fireworks as a project. Probably one of the sweetest parts was after the fireworks we played a game called “Buck, Buck.” I am unsure if I even spelled that correctly, but basically what it is is a group of guys making a human “base.” Basically about 5 guys locking arms in a semi-circle shape while being bent over. Then, one guy at a time jumps on top of their backs. Ok, now I am thinking to myself that this explanation is not that great, but I must say, it was tons of fun and actually drew a huge crowd of people.

This started our week of “International Vision.” Basically, the entire week is focused on the importance of spreading the gospel throughout the world. Tuesday night was one of the most creative things I have done since being on project. However, I cannot share the details because there may be people reading this blog who may go on a summer project in the future. Some of the things I learned though is how spiritually blessed the US truly is. We have so many churches, worship styles, bands, and even a ton of different versions of the bible. There are many locations that do not even have a bible in their language.

Wednesday night’s talk was on our perspective when thinking about our lives. One of the biggest things that hit me is our perspective of God’s will. Often times we ask, “What is God’s will in my life?” One of our challenges was to ask, “How do I fit into God’s will?” This statement alone just blew me away at how selfish I approached even my prayer life.

From Monday to Wednesday, I was blessed with having my mom and dad here. It was great to just catch up with them and just share what God is doing in my life. One of the verses my bible study leader told me today was Luke 12:48. Jesus is talking and saying: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much MORE will be asked.” Thinking about how much I have been blessed with, especially with my parents, I know I need to do much more then just make money with my life. Over the past two years of college, I have become more and more appreciative of the background I came from. I am blessed with an incredible set of parents and supportive siblings and family. People have been placed in my life at the right time to carry me through my spiritual trials. By being blessed with all this and more, I know I need to “multiply” my life.

Lastly, I found out today what my Project Job will be for the rest of the summer. To give some background, next week Friday all 35 or so staff will leave for the summer. From that point on, us students of the project must take over the emptied positions. Each student is given a job assigned to them by the staff team. While I do know my job, I cannot reveal it until Friday, so I will not write about it until then. I will tell you that I am excited but also a bit overwhelmed and will need tons of prayer.

I apologize for this blog being so long, but I wanted to give you all a glimpse of the last few days. They have truly been the most exciting and challenging times of project so far. One of the biggest things that have been made real to me is that the Spirit works in so many different ways then just the traditional preacher’s message, church, etc. With that, I will leave you and hope you are all well.