"We are not only called to start the race, but we are called to FINISH it."

Before I came on summer project, many people shared fun and exciting stories with me. It got to the point where I just wanted to experience it for myself and stop hearing all these wonderful things. I can truthfully say, now, that everything I was told before coming has been extremely true. Students AND staff will tell anyone that project doesn't really start until staff leaves. It has been over two weeks since staff has left and these past two weeks have been the only time I have said that I wish project would never end. Not to say that while staff is here project sucks, obviously that's not the truth, but now that they are gone, fellowship among students has gotten so strong. I have really enjoyed making this project our own and setting it apart from every other year.

This week has been "Pressing On", putting the focus on pressing on towards our goal: Jesus. I would have to say one of the most moving messages was given during this week by Hiram Foster. His message was about the race that has been put before us. A race that many start, but few finish. The main passage for this message was 2 Timothy 4:6-8. 

"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

This is a letter from Paul to Timothy, he wrote it right before his execution. Paul had finished the "race" and it was time for him to be with the Lord. He was faithful, during his lifetime he proclaimed his faith and finished the task the Lord had given him. We too will be rewarded for our faithfulness. It is so important to have perseverance during our time on earth, because it is so easy to lose sight of the reason we were put here. We have so much potential and we are here for a very specific reason.

"We've been given the most significant position in the universe."

Hiram used the Navy Seals as an analogy for Christians. The Navy Seals have to go through something called "Hell Week". In the span of five days they only get four hours of sleep and are put through extremely intense physical activity. Only those who complete that week successfully have the honor of being called a Navy Seal. "It'll test your soul to the core." They have to ask themselves, "Am I going to quit or pull out of the race?" That is the same question we, as Christians, should be asking ourselves. We started "Hell Week" when we accepted Jesus into our lives, so...are we going to continue running the race for him? Hiram mentioned that over 3,000 people applied for Ocean City Summer Project and only 101 got accepted. As of right now, these 101 people on project are seeking to continue the race we have started, but unfortunately some of us will back down sometime in the future. That scared me, it scared me because I often have a tendency to pull away from my faith. What if I am one of those students who quits part way through? While I was on a run, a Katy Perry song came on my shuffle, and one of the last lines in the chorus was "What am I living for?" I seriously stopped listening to the rest of the words and focused on that question...what am I living for?

On a lighter note, on Friday, I had the opportunity to spend the entire day in New York with eleven others from project. We started out really early and drove to North Arlington, NJ and took a train to Hoboken where we then took the ferry to New York. We started off with Ground Zero and then headed to China Town then Little Italy. We took a subway into the city and walked around Central Park until we started to make our way toward Time Square. While we were walking to FAO Shwartz (a big toy store), a HUGE thunderstorm hit and we were stuck walking/running/dancing in the pouring rain. I had no complaints though, it made the trip so much more exciting. Once we left FAO Shwartz, we went to the best cupcake place I have ever been to: Sprinkles. Apparently, they started in California and have been on the show Cupcake Wars...and I just found out about them now. I literally would recommend anyone to go to Beverly Hills just to get a cupcake from Sprinkles. It will change your life. After that, we grabbed a quick dinner and made our last stop in Time Square. We took a train from Penn Station back to North Arlington and started for home! It was about a 21 hour trip from when we got up to when we got home, I was thoroughly exhausted, but it was definitely well worth it. I enjoyed my time getting to know some of those I haven't really spent much time with.

As you know, we had a fast this past week. It was a very positive experience for everyone. It was a great thing to participate in and really helped me realize how much energy I can turn a focus towards prayer. Fasting is something I really never considered doing, but I now see it being very useful for strengthening my relationship with God and reliance on the Lord. I am very excited to continue to fast throughout my life. I encourage all of you to do a fast too! Maybe you have a big decision to make and need guidance, it's a great way to devote legitimate time to prayer and seeking wisdom from the Lord. Saturday night we ended our fast with the best outreach we have ever done. We split up into two groups and hit the boardwalk, but we didn't all go sharing at once. One group paired up and went sharing while the other group paired up and walked up and down the boardwalk praying for the conversations going on. After an hour, the groups switched roles. It was so encouraging to witness all the conversations and be able to pray for them each individually. Prayer was such an important aspect to that night. One conversation my two partners and I got into last close to forty-five minutes. We went through the survey and the Knowing God Personally booklet. At the end, one of the girls said, "I'm going to have to show this to my mom." I was so thrilled when she said that. I don't know exactly where she is at with her belief in Jesus Christ, but she already has the desire to share the good news with others. I can't even imagine what she would do for the Lord's kingdom is she had a full understand of his love and grace and the importance of sharing that with others. After the outreach we went to the church for a time of worship, eating meat and sweets, and fellowship.

I will finish up this update with what we learned about today in Sunday school. Michelle and Brandon focused today's lesson on how to effectively lead a small group. In the fall I will be leading a Bible study, so it was so helpful to have a lesson about it, especially it being so close to when we go home. The information will be fresh in my mind and I will be able to easily remember what I learned. It got me extremely excited for the fall and gave me a new perspective on how to approach this leadership position.

This current week is "One Body" and we're starting it off with a wonderful bonding experience: $10 Prom. :) I'm excited to have this week focused on community, especially because it's our last week together before we start gearing up to go home. Continued prayers are very much appreciated. 

P.S. If you have something you want me to pray for, please email me at: jprentice30@yahoo.com 

I would love to know what I could be doing for my friends and family back at home. Love you all!!

Ferry ride to the city.

Ground Zero.

China Town.

Little Italy.

Subway Ride.

The ladies in Central Park!

After the thunder storm.

St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Time Square.

Empire State Building.

Wishing this would never end.

Hey friends, I had some spare time and thought I should write a little update on these last few days. I have come to the point where I am really wishing project would go on a few weeks longer...I cannot believe I take off in two and a half weeks.

This week's theme is "Pressing On". The idea behind it is that we would continue to "press on" towards our goal, Jesus. In some ways this relates to my last post about holiness and always striving for it. This week our focus is on Jesus and full reliance on him. With that in mind, on Monday night Tony Abiera gave a message on "The Mirror of the Gospel". We were made in the likeness of God, but because of our sinful condition, our view of ourselves has become distorted. Tony picked apart Colossians 3:1-4

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

He used the concept of a mirror throughout his entire message and it really helped understand the meaning behind this passage. In order to be a true representation of Jesus, we must "throw away the old mirror of Adam and pick up the new mirror of Jesus" (verse one). Remove yourself from sinful behavior and look to the Lord for a heart change. It is so easy to change your behavior, but that is an external action, in order to truly change, there has to be something done in your heart. I struggle with disconnecting myself with the world and living solely for my creator. Tony made a statement that is such a healthy reminder to all those who believe in God: "We have a purpose here on earth. We may be in this world, but it is important to remember we are not of this world." This correlates with verse two, we are to "angle our mirror upward to set our view heavenward". We still have the ability to be involved here on earth, but our view is ultimately on the Lord. Keeping an eternal perspective, knowing that life on earth is not the end, is so helpful in keeping my gaze heavenward. 

While I'm writing this, I'm just thinking about how many people in my life I look to as an example. That mindset can be so dangerous. My view of what a Christian looks like becomes skewed and I begin to compare myself to others. Looking through my notes again from Monday night has allowed me to refocus. Who should be my ultimate example of a Christian? JESUS. Like I stated earlier, I really struggle with getting caught up in what's going on around me instead of centering my life around Jesus. I am so impressed with these student directors. I wish I had podcasts of their messages. It is truly amazing to see how the Lord is leading them and speaking through them at every weekly meeting. I am so blessed to be here and getting to gain so much knowledge from these wonderful individuals. I wish I could relay it as well as they deliver it.

After the meeting, we were told that we were going to fast for this week. It is a "meats & sweets" fast. That is correct, no meat or sweets from Tuesday night until Saturday night. I am going to be honest, I was not thrilled when I heard that. Tuesday night was date night with Jesus, and we were provided with articles about fasting and the reasons behind it. Leadership believed that due to this week's theme in pressing on towards Jesus, that fasting would be a great way of doing that. Unfortunately, the Lord has blessed me with the largest sweet tooth of anyone I know, plus I was planning on going to Carlo's Bakery on Wednesday, so this whole fast was definitely going to put a damper on that. Our God is sovereign though and after reading the articles, I came to realize that if this is what is going to draw me closer to the Lord, then I need to do it. The fact that I was upset about giving up those things for a few short days shows that I will definitely have a huge craving for them and that during those times I will have an opportunity to seek the Lord for strength and not summit to my desires to find satisfaction through meat or sweets. Prayer for our entire project during this week is much appreciated and I'm excited to see how we're all going to be stretched.

Well...today I was able to take a day trip to Hoboken, NJ and New York! How fun, right?! When I found out I got accept to Ocean City Summer Project, I knew I was not going to leave New Jersey unless I visited Carlo's Bakery from the show Cake Boss on TLC. My dream came true today. Although I couldn't indulge in all the sweets I had planned to, I ended up buying a little treat that I will keep hidden in the freezer for Saturday night. I bet it will taste even better then than it would if I had it today. :) Katelyn, Alyssa, and I actually got into two spiritual conversations with a couple from Ohio while waiting in line; it was so sweet. After that we made our way to New York, where we spent the rest of our time in Central Park. If I could spend an entire day anywhere, it would be strolling the paths in that park. I had so much fun stopping every few feet to take pictures with the girls. There is so much different scenery, we really enjoyed our time there. We even stuck to the fast and found a little organic food stand and ate a vegetarian soy hotdog (or something of the sort) and it was actually really good! On our way out of the city, we (meaning Katelyn, she is such an experienced driver now!) drove through Time Square and then we picked up her boss. On the way home we talked about an assortment of things, but many of them centered around our lives, CRU, and other spiritual topics. Us girls had such a great time off the island and it was even better being able to continue what we're here to do in OC on the little trips we take.

Thanks for letting me share about what has been going on in Ocean City and my most recent adventures. I really am having a hard time coming to terms that this is all coming to an end in two and half weeks. Continued prayers for those on project, especially with this new challenge put in front of us this week, that Satan will not get a foothold in our times of weakness. Pray that our minds and hearts maintain in Ocean City until we return back home and that we continue to share the good news of the gospel. I love you all and thank you again for your support throughout this whole journey.

I just wanted to add something I came to realize during Bible study tonight that I didn't want to put off until my next post. It's the concept of the Trinity. I have not noticed the importance of each aspect until tonight. God sent his son who died on the cross for our sins, therefore, we experience grace. Through Jesus' death on the cross we are able to have the Holy Spirit dwell within us and we can have a personal relationship with the Lord. I just thought that was really awesome how each individual piece is part of one and through that we can have a personal relationship with our creator.

"Give Me Faith"

We survived! :D

If you're reading this update, you are well aware that Ocean City Summer Project 2011 has officially survived its first week being student led! Right now I'm sitting on the porch after a huge thunderstorm, listening to some country music, and my heart is so happy. I absolutely love this project and all the people here.
Monday night we had our first student speaker deliver a great message about God and his ability to love so well and keep his promises. He is the ultimate reason we are able to love in the first place.
"When we realize the amazing grace of God, it should be uncontainable - it should over flow to others."
I didn't have work on Tuesday, so I was able to sleep in a bit then get up and have time with the Lord. I told you all that I have been reading The Pursuit of Holiness and that it has been so refreshing to read about how perfect our God is and how we should mirror that. God says, "Be holy, because I am holy." I have noticed that I compare myself to others and base "holiness" off those I believe are really strong Christians or those who seem to have "it" all together. What I forget is that those individuals are sinners, they can't obtain true holiness. Reading through this book has helped me realize that my definition of holiness should be based off the only one who perfects it, God.
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." Revelation 4:8
Although it is expected of us to be perfect, we were made in the image of Jesus, unfortunately...we fail. Every single day consists of sin, after sin, after sin. It is inevitable, we are going to sin, but that does not give us permission to be okay with it. "God hates the sin, but loves the sinner." We should have that same view, we should hate sin and try to run from it. I remember my youth pastor in high school said something that I thought was really cool, "When you become a Christian, it does not mean you become SINLESS, but you do SIN LESS." We should continually be trying to reach what our God has always had, holiness.
Thursday night came along and our other student director gave a message on...the gospel. There were a few individuals who came to that meeting who are in desperate need of the gospel, so I was so over-joyed to hear what we were going to be learning about. I prayed the entire meeting for their salvation. Michael (student director) emphasized that there is no greater sign of God's love than what is written in the gospel, that life is meaningless if we are apart from Christ.
"If there is one way to heaven, there are a million ways to hell."
God is pursuing the people I work with and I know he is sovereign. Michael's message spoke truth into their lives and I pray that the Lord's beauty was revealed to them.
Along the lines of coworkers, the CRU members that work at McDonald's have made leaps and bounds with those we work with. Our relationships with them have grown so much over this past week or so. On Friday night a group from project went to The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, and Tim McGraw concert. We brought along one of our coworkers and had the best time getting to know him better and just hear about his life. Some of us were able to share a little about CRU and even bits and pieces of our testimony. Plus, the concert was PHENOMENAL! Tim McGraw was the best performer I have ever seen (by the way, he as a Jesus fish tattooed on his inner right bicep. I love him even more!). Fireworks went off during his encore, even though they were for a Philly's game, but it was still magical. :) On Saturday night, we had a cheese cake social and a few of our coworkers came to that. We then went and walked around on the boardwalk, went to Wawa, and then parked ourselves on the corner of 13th and Asbury and stayed there until two of them had to go to work. Haha, yes, we pulled an all-nighter laying on the cement a block away from the Inn. The same undercover cop came by twice to make sure we were staying out of trouble, which of course we were. We literally laid there all night and talked, were goofy, and simply growing our relationships as friends. It was great at the time, but I was definitely struggling to keep my eyes open in church the next morning!
I love seeing what the Lord is doing in Ocean City, but especially at McDonald's. I truly feel like I have the best coworkers. One individual told me that if it wasn't for us, he wouldn't go to work. When it was brought up that we were leaving in three weeks, they changed the subject because they didn't want to think about it. We are loved and we love them and I honestly hope through our close bond with them that they will come to know the Lord.
Going back to Saturday though...during the day my adoptive dad took me and four others to Philly. It was so fun seeing the history there, such as the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. We grabbed lunch at Reading Terminal Market (shown in National Treasure, I might add) and then headed off to lose some calories by running up the steps Rocky did! Hahaha. Lastly, we went to South Street, it was a very interesting street, very trendy. It has been fun to get off the island once or twice and see other places nearby. The east coast really isn't that bad! Hah, but I still favor the west...
I love the people here and can't believe our time together is becoming less and less each day. I feel incredibly blessed to have gotten the opportunity to come here this summer, thank you all who helped in that process. I know I am going to take so much of what I've gotten out of this project back to Chico. Please continue to pray for everyone's work places, that we will be effective in sharing the good news and that even after leaving OC we will maintain friendships with our coworkers. The Lord is doing wonderful things here and it has been so fun to witness. By the way, today we are having Christmas in July...so, Merry Christmas!

The Band Perry, Luke Bryan, and Tim McGraw concert!

McDonald's crew at the concert.

After accomplishing running up the steps like Rocky!

South Street in Philly.

Clearly exhausted. Haha.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1072879438001/prominent-christian-ministry-drops-christ/
As many of you have already heard, Campus Crusade for Christ has made a name change: CRU. It has been very publicized since the decision, please watch this video for clarification!

Preparing for what's to come...

It's about time that I let you all know what's going on in Ocean City...!
I mentioned that Bob Fuhs gave a message on Sunday about movements and how to make an impact. He really encouraged us to be realistic about evangelizing and be true and genuine about investing into others. It really got me excited for this coming year with leading a Bible study. I am so excited to pour into those individuals and really utilize what I've learned here and bring it back to Chico.
"More affective leadership, more individuals reached."
Throughout project we have been going through a devotional called "Thirsty". I had been slacking, so I decided to start studying through it this past week. The theme of one of the devotionals was "Atmosphere" and it talked about being spiritually aware, realizing the Lord is constantly a part of your life. He is not only present during weekly meetings, church, or when you're evangelizing, but he is there while you walk to work, at the beach, even when you're going to the bathroom! That night Bob spoke about Spiritual Senses...it seemed to intertwine perfectly with what I had read in the devotional. Like I've mentioned multiple times, I have been learning so much about the Spirit and the beauty of embracing that, that is what dwells within me. As a believer, we should commit to living according to the Spirit. Bob talked about how God does lead us, BUT he still demands us to make decisions. By using the spiritual senses though, you can get a better idea of what God's will is for your life. Taste (know God is good), smell (pray), touch/feeling (following the straight path he has set for us), hearing (seek wisdom), sight (witnessing God is good), and faith (make decisions by trusting the Lord and seeing the results later) are the spiritual senses. I feel like these "senses" are so practical and can truly be utilized throughout the day.
It's funny, as I'm writing this blog, I'm coming to realize how everything that was brought to my attention this week really seemed to be somehow related to each other so perfectly. The next day I had a date night with Jesus and started reading a book my discipler gave me .called The Pursuit of Holiness. Although we will never be able to obtain true holiness while here on earth, that does not mean that we do not strive to be Christ-like.
"For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace." Romans 6:14
I feel like with becoming more spiritually aware, embracing those spiritual senses, and really striving to be holy like our Lord are so interconnected. It was really a week of seeing the importance of mirroring who Jesus is. I wrote in my journal:
"To grasp what holiness is, I must be in the Word constantly. In order to be Christ-like, I have to know what Christ was like. The Bible clearly depicts God's character. It is a useful tool in getting to know the Lord better."
Ahh, I feel so encouraged just reading that again.
On Thursday night we had an Agape feast. This was our last night with staff before they took off, so it was such a sweet time to spend together and prepare for what is to come. Once again, Bob did our message and it was so great! It was all about what three "road signs" we should be aware of these remaining four weeks. Number one: NO U-TURN - Bob reminded us not to check out before we've left Ocean City. He told us to keep in mind we are here for another few weeks and we still have so much ahead of us. God called each of us here, this is where he wants us. Number two: CARPOOL LANE - community. Simple as that. Bob encouraged us to continue making new relationships with people. People will continue to help us grow in our relationship with the Lord. There are 100 other people (not including myself) on this project and I have a select few I have truly gotten to know on a deep personal level. My hope is that I will create amazing, long-lasting relationships with so many other people during my time left on project. This community has supported me so much this summer and I would be over-joyed if they continued their support past our time in Ocean City. Number three: GREEN MEANS GO! - Lastly, Bob told us to continue to pursue those who don't know Christ. It is key to allow the Lord to stretch us in this area. It is hard not to get burnt out of evangelizing, but this is what God has willed us to do for a lifetime. The first two "road signs" mainly pertain to project, whereas the last "road sign" pertains to even our life post project.
I definitely have had struggles with the first "road sign". I miss my family, friends, and Chico. I am so excited to go back and share all about project that sometimes I forget that I still have a few more weeks here. I have been very consistent in telling myself that right now I'm in Ocean City, this is where my head and heart should be. Yes, it is okay to miss home, but do not allow that to be my focus. I have a mission here and I still have four more weeks to complete it. I cannot check out early. So with that, please be praying that I pay attention to the "No U-turn road sign" and keep my eyes set on where I'm at. As a conclusion to the Agape feast, one of the staff families was given a surprise from project. During their last week here their car completely died. With them leaving on Friday, they were unsure of how to they were going to get home before going to Colorado for the staff conference. Once all of us from project found out, we were able to put together around $1,800 (plus more from staff) for them to get a rental car. I cannot tell you the number of willing hearts who gave at the snap of a finger. It was such an amazing thing to witness and participate in.
After having such a great week, I knew I was really for an amazing weekend. On Friday, my "siblings" and I got together with our adoptive family and had dinner and roasted smores. It was so lovely spending time with them and getting to know them. Plus, they let us do laundry! Yeah!! On Saturday they are taking us to Philly to show us around and spend the day together...we might even try out some Philly cheese steaks. :)
Sunday was slightly different than it's been in the past because we had new Sunday school teachers! Brandon Brooks and Michelle Steinman are the new directors for the material we will learn during our Sunday school sessions. They talked about different forms of evangelizing, which was so awesome. I discovered that my style is testimonial and interpersonal (that was no surprise to me). I really enjoyed learning about the other styles: direct, intellectual, invitational, and serving. Each are incredibly effective and I really struggled with noticing that. I often compare myself to those who are more direct and fear that because I'm not as bold that I am not doing a good job of sharing the gospel, but that is so incorrect! I think it's great to have different styles, because we can balance each other out when sharing and relate to a larger group of individuals. After church, I had the opportunity to visit my cousin at the Air Force base he is stationed at in New Jersey. It was so fun catching up with him, especially since I haven't seen him since December. My best friend, Katelyn and I took a trip up north and got a tour of McGuire Air Force Base and had a barbecue with my cousin and some of his friends. It was wonderful getting off the island for a day and getting a taste of the real world again. We feel as if we have been in a little Christian bubble for so long that we almost forgot what it's like to not be in that environment all the time. It was a little taste of what to prepare for when we return back home.
Tonight is our first weekly meeting being led by one of our student directors. This week's theme is "Uncontainable". It is going to be similar to our "Killing the Giants" week, but we are really going to focus on our workplace and working towards those spiritual conversations most of us have been avoiding for the last seven weeks! I think I'm beginning to catch the bug that everyone on project seemed to already have, so I'm really hoping I can get rid of it quickly and be energized to take this week on with full force.
Thank you all for being patient with my sporadic blog posting, I can never tell when I'm going to have time to write an update, so thank you for your commitment to reading it anyway. I'm excited to continue sharing this adventure with you all, especially now that it's student led. Please continue to stay tuned...!

I am so proud of him.

My lovely friend sent me a letter with a verse written on the back of the envelope...apparently a mail carrier agreed with it. So awesome!

Enjoy! :)

Jesus is inclusive but also exclusive...

Wow, it's already Sunday. Where are these days going...? Only five more weeks left here in Ocean City and staff leaves on Friday. As you're all aware, this was World Vision Week! It was so powerful to take the focus off Ocean City, New Jersey, and even America and look into the needs of other countries. After my last post we participated in an international activity. It definitely gave me a new perspective and took me outside my comfortable little world. 

Okay, I know I talk up the messages that we hear every week, but they are so great! They are always extremely captivating and really excite me to strive to follow the Lord in all I do. Adam Penning spoke on Wednesday night before our date night with Jesus. He made a very true statement, one that I am well aware of, but often say to others and forget to take to heart myself. "God is all about his glory and his glory is good for us. Our ultimate goal is to glorify God."I would have to say I am a rather selfish individual. I'm the baby in the family and with that I was unwillingly given the role of being spoiled. (Okay, it may or may not have been unwilling. Haha.) I wouldn't say I'm excessively spoiled...but yes, I do fall into that category. I enjoy attention and having things be about me, because that's how it was growing up. Listening to Adam talk was a great reminder that, that is the completely wrong mindset. My goal in life should be to make it about the Lord. Tying this all into the World Vision Week, Adam mentioned that Jesus is inclusive but also exclusive. What does this mean?? Jesus is inclusive in that he brings everyone in, he created us know him. Jesus is also exclusive in that he is the ONLY way to heaven. 

"Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

I found this depiction of the Lord to be so mighty, his sovereignty is so easily displayed. 

Directly following the weekly meeting, we all set out on a date night with Jesus. I decided to go through a sheet that was provided for us by Adam. It was titled, "DTR with the Lord". There were five different sections that had several questions to process through and journal about. They were: Walk with the Lord, Evangelism, Heart for the World, Back on Campus, and Bringing it Home. Jesus and I definitely DTRed and brought our relationship to the "next level". :) It was a lovely time to be open and honest with the Lord. I shared with him how much I'm willing to sacrifice for his kingdom and was able to surrender my fears to him. At this point in my life, I do not feel called to be sent. In that, I mean I do not see missions in other countries being something I engage in. I am not closed off to the idea, but at the moment, the Lord has not laid it on my heart to pursue that. He has laid it on my heart to support those who are pursuing that though. I have felt so blessed to be able to financially and prayerfully support a few individuals on their summer and year long missions. Although I may not be the one actively going to other countries, I am a part of international missions by helping send others to do what the Lord has called them to do.

As a close to this week, I came home from work on Friday night, dressed up like a cow with ten others and went off to Chick-fil-A for some free food! :) On our way home it started storming like crazy. While standing on the curb, I was up to my ankles in water and crossing the street put me up to my knees in water. It's weird, when I'm at home, I hate the rain, but while being in OC, I've loved it! The thunderstorms are completely different here, they're so beautiful. On Saturday night we did an outreach and staff was actually disguised and roaming around the boardwalk. If we spotted one we would approach them and ask them if they would like to take our survey. If they were indeed staff, they would say, "I'm satisfied." and sign our paper. It was so funny seeing them dressed up like drag queens, biker dudes, and hippies. It was even funnier hearing people's horror stories about approaching people thinking they were staff but weren't or others getting yelled at by strangers for harassing old women who were in face staff. After the outreach, a large group of us participated in a freeze flash mob on the boardwalk. In case you don't know what this is, it is where you go out into a public place with a big group of people and at a certain time you freeze in whatever position you're in for a certain amount of time (we did it for three minutes) and then you proceed onto whatever you were doing. Oh my gosh, this was so much fun. We had hundreds of people stop and stare at us, take pictures, and be completely obnoxious. Even our project director, Bob Fuhs, participated. It was hilarious!!

On a more serious note, this afternoon our project supported three wonderful ladies make a public proclamation of their desire to follow Jesus. Three girls from project were baptized in the ocean today by their discipler. It was such a blessing to see that and to see how many other people were interested in witnessing it!

As a conclusion, we are now entering "Agape Week". Bob Fuhs gave a wonderful message in Sunday school this morning that I will go into more detail about in my next post; it was about movements and making an impact. It was really awesome and I can't wait to share more about it. I would like to inform you all that when staff leaves I will take on the role of Heritage Director. The Heritage Team is compiled of four individuals total and I believe one of those is a director along with me. The Heritage Team is in charge of all the memories of this summer. We create the project shirts and sweatshirts, the project photo and plaque that go in the Heritage Room, the project dvd, a memory book, a project gift for those who are coming next year, writing a letter to supporerts, and lastly, we are in charge of the project reunion! This is a huge job, especially because I desire everyone to have such a positive experience here and trying to capture that may be difficult. I'm excited to team up with others and create awesome memorabilia of Ocean City Summer Project 2011.

Please be praying for strength. Preparing for staff to leave and us to take on our leadership roles is somewhat stressful, but I know we'll do a great job. Thank you for all your support!!

Chick-fil-A dress up. :)

Boys skim boarding in the street during the storm!

Keeping in Step with the Spirit.

Today was my first day getting to sleep in on project, it was so glorious! Except I had dreams about McDonald's and running (the person who bags the food and puts it on the trays) and I definitely remember getting up in the middle of the night searching for the monitor that tells me what food to put in the bags. I'm slightly embarrassed that one: I'm having dreams about work and two: it caused me to sleep walk. Haha, but anyway...onto a recap of this week so far.

Not a whole lot has happened, but since this is my only day off this week I figured I should jump at this opportunity and update you all on these past couple days. In my last post, I mentioned Adam Penning's message in Sunday school and how it was about being sent. Often times, especially during college, our main focus is on what we are going to do with our life after we graduate. In reality we should be asking, "Who is God calling me to be?" The answer: A sent one. "It isn't about what we should do, it's about who we should be." For me personally, I have to ask the question, "Will I say yes to where God is sending me?" I really want to expand my prayer life, I feel like the one I lack to have right now hinders me from seeing the Lord's work in my life and being aware of where he is leading me. I want my view of prayer to be transformed from something I believe I have to do to realizing it is simply conversation with God and it strengthens my awareness of him in my life.

Directly following Sunday school, Pastor O'Brien did a sermon on happiness/joy. It really made me think about where I search to find happiness. I believe this sermon relates really well to Ryan Berg's message on broken cisterns a few weeks ago. Where do I find my joy?? Pastor O'Brien mention how the fall caused vertical fellowship (with God) to be broken and that severed horizontal fellowship (with others), but because we have the ability to have a relationship with Jesus due to his death on the cross, fellowship was restored. I try to find joy in the circumstances I'm in and if things are going poorly, then I am unhappy. In reference to Paul, he had every reason not to be joyful, but he was. He knew true joy comes from the Lord and not from circumstances.

Feeding off of that, on Monday night Bob Fuhs talked about the Spirit-filled life. Christians that aren't growing spiritually often do one of two things. They are either spiritually inauthentic: not seeing a change but acting like the Spirit is at work in their life OR they measure their growth in a superficial way: how many quiet times they have, how many times they pray, how often they go sharing. I know I fall into both categories at times. Being involved in Campus Crusade, I feel like I always have to be "in a good place" and the truth is, I'm not. We looked at Galatians 5:16-26 and in verses 19-21 it talks about what it looks like without Jesus, the desires of a heart that is concerned with works. While in verses 22-23 we see what it looks like with Jesus. It is important not to see verses 22-23 as a checklist (example: I've mastered love...now onto joy, etc) but to allow the Lord to perform a miracle and take our disgusting, black, cold hearts and transform us into an individual that exemplifies all those things in verses 22-23.

"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:25

These messages are benefitting me so greatly; I am realizing the beautiful nature of the Holy Spirit. I feel as if I can't walk away from them without wanting to know the Lord better. He has so much to offer! :) To top of hearing three wonderful messages in two days, I had the opportunity to celebrate the 4th of July on the beach with the lovely clan of OCSP 2011. It was so much fun and nothing can compare to watching fireworks over the ocean...

I hope everyone else had a great Independence Day. I was definitely missing my family and our usual trip to Jon & Bons then watching fireworks on the lawn behind Nettleton Stadium. I think this was my first 4th of July away from home! Speaking of being away...we have hit the halfway mark! Only five and half more weeks here, and they will fly by. Time to embrace my time left here and soak it up while I can. :)

Happy 4th of July from Ocean City, NJ!

"Together is better, because we are better together."

Before I start, let me explain myself...this week we were only allowed to have internet form 4-6 p.m. and during that time I was either working or eating dinner. I feel like I have to constantly apologize for not updating often enough, but truly, I am so sorry! 

Okay, the theme of this week was "All for One". In about two weeks, staff will leave and the students will then be in charge of project. I'm probably thinking the same thing you all are thinking too...how will that work!? I have no idea, but it will. Haha. Staff will decide what leadership position we will step into when they leave and everything will then fall together...hopefully. ;) This week was about unity and growing in community. It was a really beautiful week of growth and excitement about what is to come in a few weeks. On Monday night Adam Penning's message was centered on, "Together is better, because we are better together." Kinda sounds like song lyrics, right?

He discussed something that I could relate to so immensely; I had no option but to soak up every piece of his message that night. He said, "If you're alone during those dark times of your soul, you will continue to go downwards. You need someone in your life to give you shelter." I know I have brought up this past semester and how I struggled a lot, but I really have not gone into great detail. I have decided to go a little deeper with you all and share more about what was going on earlier this year. In December I started really isolating myself from everyone but family. I didn't really associate with my roommates for about two weeks and took multiple steps back in many other relationships I had in my life. It was as if I knew I wasn't okay, but wasn't willing to try to figure out what was going on. After a few weeks I decided the best thing for me was to seek out professional help. I began seeing a therapist in January and it became pretty apparent that I have anxiety depression. Once realizing that and continuing to seek help, things started to turn around. Unfortunately the relationships I tried so hard to push out of my life during that dark time were forever damaged. If only I could have gotten past the self-pity I insisted on feeding myself and sought out my roommates and other close friends could I have avoided growing deeper in depression. Until Monday I was convinced I knew how important community was, but after reflecting on December I discovered I put more effort towards avoiding community. "Together is better, because we are better together." That is a very true statement and I really want to embrace it...we are stronger as a community than as an individual. Adam paralleled that to God, he is a community within himself (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), so if the God that created the universe was made for community, humans (including me!) definitely were.

Continuing on the theme of community, Tuesday night we had a group date night with Jesus. Three other ladies and myself set our sights on the beach and had a great time of diving into a chapter in the New Testament and dissecting it. Following our date, we headed to the church where we had an opportunity to have a Q&A panel. We broke up into men and women and had a panel of three men then a panel of four women. Many of the questions we asked were focused on relationships. I gained so much from these individuals and know that their wisdom has not only come from experience but from meditation on the word and what it says about relationships. I have seen Q&A panels before but based on my growth in these past five weeks, I was so much more excited to hear the questions and in return the answers given.

Moving into Wednesday night, the women got all "gussied up" and attended Women's Conference. We were treated with a limo ride to the church (literally four blocks away, haha!) and a great dinner in the beautifully decorated gym. The theme of the conference was "Risking it all to follow the call." Jill Fuhs started the night with a great message about listening to what Jesus is calling you to do and not only hearing him, but acting on it. We proceeded to go to four different stations on comparison, womanhood, marriage, and friendships. Just like the Q&A panel, it was great to hear from such lovely women of God share their experiences and reliance on the Holy Spirit. Staff bought each of us ladies a copy of Rick James' A Million Ways to Die (which I had already received as a birthday present and brought to project...what are the odds?).

We wrapped up the week with a student (also known as the STUDS) versus staff softball game. Although we got creamed (it was rumored that the final score was somewhere around 29-13...) it was a fun time to come together as a team and cheer each other on. I even walked away with a nice little battle wound! Gosh, that brought back the good days of Little League. It was so much fun and even though they killed us, staff put on an ice cream social afterwards, so it was really a win-win for everyone! :)

We have now arrived at "World Vision" week and in Sunday school this morning Adam Penning discussed the topic of being sent. It was so powerful and I'm excited to go into more detail about it in my next post. I have not really considered doing ministry abroad, so I'm excited to see if the Lord lays something on my heart this week about possibly pursuing international ministries! I feel like I'm in a different country just by being on the east coast, I can't even imagine legitimately sharing the gospel somewhere outside the United States. Expect a blog in the next few days on the contents of this week, but until then...enjoy your Independence Day and please, please, please be safe! I love you all and thank you so much for your continued support.

I get to surround myself with these gorgeous women every day!

Representing CSU Chico.

California girls. :)

Action Group love.

I may not have walked away with a victory, but I did walk away with this.