Last week!

Last night was a great night, because Rebekah and I were able to go to the girls home. We did facials and nails and just hung out with them. They are great girls, and I pray that they will keep growing in their faith.
I can't believe this is my last week in Florence! It doesn't seem real to me, but it is definitely bittersweet. I am ready to get home and see everyone, but I will sincerely miss the people I have grown close to this summer. But the week is not over yet, and there is still work to be done!:) I cannot wait to see how the Lord will work during this last six days!

Blessings

So far this week has been a great week! Today at the YMCA we had 4 children come to know Jesus! Two boys and two girls. I was soo pumped after that! The lesson we have this week is about the man with leprosey and how he was so thankful Jesus healed him. I reminded the children that they too should always thank God for their blessings. But I am the first to admit that I don't thank God enough for what He has given me!



He had blessed me with sooo much! My wonderful godly family, amazing friends, a Christian education, a great church family, and all my needs are met! But mostly I am so thankful for Jesus dying for me and making a way to salvation. My Savior just blows me away by His awesomeness!!!! When I see a rude person or just a hateful individual, I am in awe of how Jesus also died for them. I am soooo thankful of His loving compassion to us! We, as humans, are constantly screwing up, but I am also glad God is more patient than I am. And now I am thankful that I have 4 more brothers and sisters in Christ!!! Hallelujah!!

Jamaica = One Love

There is one word that pops in my head when I think of Jamaica. And that word is LOVE. I fell in love with this beautiful country full of beautiful people!!! They are so compassionate and generous. My team went there to serve them, but they would also want to serve us and make sure we are enjoying ourselves. It amazed me that they would constantly have a smile on their face even though they barely had anything. I would see the poverty that they lived in and it completely broke my heart. I could not imagine it!


It was an amazing week though, and I feel sooo blessed to have had the opportunity to serve in Jamaica. We had VBS at Springfield Baptist Church, and it was of course not what we expected. My class was actually full of young adults instead of teenagers, and we did not have 500 as expected. But God still was glorified this week! In our class alone, we had two women that came to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior!! I was so excited!!! It was a blast getting to know everyone, and the children stole my heart! I call the little girl in the picture, Tia, my baby girl. I fell in love with this precious child! She was by far the happiest baby I have ever met. All the children were so loving..


We went to Garland Hall Children's Orphanage, and that was a very special day for me. Immediately I had several kids grab onto me and would not let me go. I could see the hope and the love in their big brown eyes. So I tried to give as much love to them as possible. I wanted to take all of them home with me of course.


I have learned so much from their culture... they have taught me to be more laid back. No Problem Mon... IRIE... which means everything is good or will be okay.


Friday was the hardest day for me, because I had to say bye to everyone. I could feel the Lord working inside of me, and I cannot even describe to you what it felt like. It was an overpowering feeling, and I ended up having a complete melt down when I went back to my room. My heart breaks for these people, and I have a feeling the Lord will take me back there someday to once again work and to serve them. I ask you to pray for the Jamaicans, that they will all come to know God and that they will never stop smiling those beautiful smiles!

long days

So i am already exhausted this week and it's only Tuesday!!! Today was extremely long.. i had to go to the doctor, and it turns out i have a sinus infection and an ear infection all in one. There is some kind of big word that describes that but I'm not the best speller :)
But last night was a good night with the girls. We watched Akeela and the Bee, and our devotion was about letting our talents always glorify God. We also went to the senior apartments, and those ladies are precious! You can tell that they really look forward to visitors. So I'm super excited about our bible study we are going to do with these incredible women. I am also going to pray extra hard that I get well before I leave for Jamaica! I will appreciate all the prayers I can get...hint hint..:)
But this long day is not over, because I still need to work on the lesson for the YMCA! I know days like these will pass, and I also realize that I will probably look back and laugh!

Trying Times Come, but Good Things Can Shine Through

This week has been rough! It has by far been my busiest week while in Florence. We had Lifechangers this week (which is a youth camp that can come and work on houses for residents in their own city of Florence) It is based off Worldchangers,and I believe this is a great way for teenagers to give back to their community. Anyway, Rebekah and I helped on a crew for a few days,chaperoned all week, and pretty much did whatever Louanne told us to do! We still went and taught at the daycare and YMCA. Which something must of been going around, because pretty much each group of children acted like they just drank a liter of mountain dew! Which wasn't good, because I also got sick and was losing my voice. But it all worked out, and good things did happen this week! We had 3 youth come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior! We went to the back chapel building, and I went to see if any girl came that wanted to talk. Well it turned out that there were a few there, and I talked to Emily. She was a sweet girl, but she was a very confused teen. We talked until we had to go to bed. I praise God for allowing me the opportunity to help Emily hopefully understand that her #1 priority should be her relationship with her Maker. I have to give God all the glory for this! It has been an extremely hard week, but great things did happen! The picture you see is of the house my crew worked on, and let me say that it was in VERY poor shape, but by the end of the week it looked soooo much better!
Trials are going to come into every Christian's life, but attitude and faith are the two best attributes to have! I had to force some smiles this week due to my exhaustion and sickness. But I knew I could either have a lousy attitude and have a horrible week, or I could have a faithful attitude and have a great week. I think everyone should choose the faithful attitude easily! But so many times we choose the opposite,and it can kill a person's witness!! If a person is unsaved and sees a Christian viewing life as lousy, then how would they expect that lost person to want to become a Christian? I mean, why would anyone want to be saved if they see Christians acting like or viewing life just as they do? I am always battling to have a faithful and positive attitude, so I too won't ruin my own witness to others. I am the first one to admit that there are days where i just want to look towards the negative, but then I try to remember how truly blessed I am! This week I was in the hot, working hard under the sun, and once i started to feel kinda crappy I walked around that house I was at, and that neighborhood I was in. WOW.... I had NO reason to feel or have a bad attitude!!! Praise God for your tough days, because I guarantee that He will use those days for His glory!!!

Christians on Mission

Today was a pretty great day! Rebekah and I went to Southside Baptist to talk with the children at their VBS. They wanted us to talk about our different mission trips, and I made sure I stressed the point that each of them could also be a missionary too. One doesn't need to go far away to do mission work. I know that If I didn't go to Florence or Jamaica this summer then I would be serving in Greer! Rebekah and I were talking about this earlier, and we both think that many people view missionaries the wrong way. when they think of a missionary, they think of Africa or Asia, but that is not the case! Yes, there are international missionaries, and we desperately need them, but America is also in need! Just because you may not be considered a full-time missionary,doesn't mean that you are off the hook and don't need to witness to others.Every Christian is called to serve in their own jobs and community. Most people want to "go" on a mission trip, and they forget about their own city. I have to admit that I was one of these people, but now I realize that my own town needs to hear about the love of God too. there are children here in Florence, SC that have never heard the gospel before. This breaks my heart, and these children are so precious! One boy said that he wanted to be in Heaven too, and Jessie(Louanne's daughter) asked why, and he said "because that is where my daddy is." Talk about a tear jerker! But these awesome kids need to hear the message, and know that there is someone who loves them UNCONDITIONALLY!So i want to encourage every Christian to step up and be missionaries (whether it is in a grocery store, a homeless shelter or at your job).

Preparation

Yesterday was quite the day! I woke up to go work out, then went to the office to get some work done for the upcoming week. well, preparation took a lot longer than expected! We weren't even able to go to the senior ladies home, because the lady in charge was sick. But at least we are prepared for our devotion next time. We are going to be a doing a devotion about being joyful in any situation. I thought it could benefit the ladies there. I am looking forward to hearing their perspective on joy, because I know that they will have a lot of wisdom that I can learn from.
So we were at the office most of the day, then we went to the girls home to eat dinner with them. We started our chick flick movie night, and we watched the movie Twilight. I have read all the books so I led the devotion last night with the girls. We were not as prepared as we should of been, because of getting the material just a few hours earlier. But our lesson that we got from Twilight was how to beat temptation. It went well, and I adore the girls there! They are so much fun to be around, and I am looking forward to going there in the next few weeks.
We had to wake up early this morning and go to a daycare to share a bible story with them. We had some technical difficulties, but that didn't stop us from sharing with the children. I could tell that many of them have never really been told about God's love. They were sweet kids, and I am so excited that Rebekah and I have the opportunity to share just how much God adores them.
The rest of the day we have just been preparing for the Y,and I have been trying to prepare for my mission trip to Jamaica. It will be here before I know it, so I really need to get everything ready for that! BCM is tonight, which Rebekah and I have been looking forward too. It is a nice escape for us to be around college kids, and to be refreshed by the Word. I have realized that we can't keep giving without some taking. It's nice to hear someone other than yourself leading a devotion :)

So Far...

Well I have now been in Florence for a week and a half, and I am already feeling sleep deprived. This will be a tiring summer, but it will be so fulfilling! My first week at the YMCA went really well. The children are great, and I can already tell that there are several ones that are not churched. So I am excited to share and show the love of Christ to them this summer. My last blog was about flexibility, and of course the other day we had another change in our schedule! But that is just the way it goes in the great journey with Christ. I have been reading about Paul in my quiet times, and I look up to him soooooo much. Just seeing how flexible and faithful he was really put things into perspective! He went through so much when he was out serving, but he never regretted anything. He knew he was doing what God wanted him to do, and that was enough for him. How great it would be if every Christian were more like Paul! He helps me look at my own life, and how I can increase my faith.
Tomorrow night Rebekah and I will be giving our testimonies at a church, and I am excited to share with the congregation how God has worked in my life. He has blessed me so much!
And just a random note, I want to thank Louanne and Dan and Hilda Broach for being so kind to Rebekah and I! Louanne is my coordinator, and she is always willing to help us with anything, and the Broach's are allowing us to stay at their home all summer. They are so sweet and generous! Thank you!

Just Go With the Flow!

Flexibility... needs to be one of the top traits in a Christian's life. Why do I say this? Because I have learned this in my own walk with Christ. I have always heard that one needs to be extremely flexible when on mission for God, but I never would of thought it so true in my own life. You can see how I needed to be adjustable when coming down to Florence in my last blog, but the need for flexibility didn't stop there! I just found out Monday that we were going to be doing something completely different with the teenagers at the girls home. And our coordinator is always coming to us with something new to do. But I just have to praise God!!! I had to come to the realization that God knew what He was doing and that I just needed to go with the flow. It feels so good to just give it all to my Almighty!!! The song I'm letting go, by Francesca Battistelli ran through my mind when I first found out I was to serve all summer long.

I’m letting go of the life I planned for me and my dreams
Losing control of my destiny
Feels like I’m falling and that’s what it’s like to believe so I’m letting go
This is a giant leap of faith trusting and trying to embrace
The fear of the unknown beyond my comfort zone

I had plans for this summer... and it didn't include serving for 2 months in Florence. but I decided to let God control my future and stop trying to plan my own life. To no one's amazement, it worked out well. My Savior is such a faithful Lord, and yes, I did have to put my whole trust in Him, but it was completely worth it! Now I am in Florence making preparations for this upcoming week. Tomorrow is my first day at the YMCA! Rebekah will be doing the lesson, and I will be doing the music and games. We will be switching back and forth, and tomorrow night we are going to a church to work with their children. The rest of the week will be slam full but I am so excited about it! Please keep praying for Rebekah and I as we start this amazing journey! I encourage everyone to let go of your own plans and start relying on God's plans for your life. Believe me.... It is way better!!!!

One of my Favorite songs is by Audio Adrenaline, Hands and Feet, because the words are so beautiful and meaningful to me. Right now I am in Florence, SC doing mission work through the North American Mission Board. When the song said:
I'm willing yet I'm so afraid
You give me strength when I say,
I wanna be Your Hands
I wanna be Your Feet
I'll go where You send me
I'll go where You send me
I love it!!! This is exactly what has been going on in my heart right now, because it has been amazing to see how the Lord worked everything out for me to serve this summer. I found out I was suppose to serve only 3 weeks before I was to leave! At first I said no way, but then as I was praying, this song popped into my mind. I knew I needed to go serve if that was God's will for my life this summer. He worked EVERYTHING out for me, and then I knew for certain that it was in fact His will that I go serve in Florence. I am still able to go on my mission trip to Jamaica even! I was and still am awestruck by how awesome my and your Almighty really is!!! My desire to be His hands and feet overwhelmed me, and I knew it was God working inside of me. I finally decided to go where He sends me, and at this moment it is Florence, SC. Right now my partner, Rebekah and I are preparing for our upcoming weeks. I am going to be working with children,teens,and even senior adult ladies. I am so pumped to see what God has in store for me this summer!!! I feel blessed that I have this opportunity to serve Him!