A Long Time In Coming

Time totally got away from me this past week!

I didn't even realize how much time had passed since I last posted.

Craziness!

But now I have a lot to share!

Last Sunday,

Father's Day,

we took a trip out to Beaufort

so that we could eat at Bethany's restaurant again.

But this time we had brunch.

And it was delicious.

I tried my first Eggs Benedict,

and I enjoyed it quite a lot.

And there were several other kinds of delectable foods.

It made me happy.

I also had time to call my dad and talk with him for a while,

so that made my day.

We also worked practiced a lot that day.

I think we pretty much nailed down everything.

Monday morning we went to

Folly Field Beach

and passed out popsicles to the lifeguards.

It was so hot that day!

So very hot!

So we did what we needed to do,

and then we took off.

There wasn't much time to chit-chat with it being so hot.

After the beach we went to

North Island Baptist Church

to practice our vocals.

But after that we came home and chilled out for a while.

Tuesday morning we went to

Coligny Beach

and passed out popsicles to the guards.

And it was very hot that day as well!!

It was amazing how hot it was,

but at least we were passing out something cool.

After the beach we went to the church to eat some lunch

and cool down before we went to Sandlewood Terrace for our

Backyard Bible Club.

It went really well that day,

and all the kids really enjoyed

MG's telling of Daniel and the Lion's Den.

The kids were really loud and kinda crazy,

but it was still good to hang out with them.

After the Bible Club

we went back to the church

and we got ready for the Lifeguard Dinner.

(Our first of the summer!)

We were all so excited,

and I know that I was kinda nervous.

But I knew that God was going to do great things.

So we got everything ready

and we waited for them to come.

And they did!!

We had about 20 guards show up for the first dinner!

It was awesome!

So after they ate,

I was able to share my testimony with them,

which was incredible.

God totally did the speaking,

and He was able to weave a story from the Bible in it.

I don't think I've ever felt anything like it.

Anyway, after I shared my testimony with them,

we got to just sit around and talk with all of them,

which was great.

We got to know some of the guards a little more,

and really start building relationships with them.

So after we cleaned up the church,

we headed home.

It was a 12-hour day.

And it was exhausting,

but it was totally worth it.

God worked in awesome and amazing ways,

and He used me to work in other's lives.

Wednesday was our day off,

so we all slept in a little.

(Especially after the long day on Tuesday.)

But I got up and got ready to go to a ministry that has touched my heart.

Around 2, I went to a ministry at Mossy Oaks.

And there, I get to hang out with some elderly ladies

and talk about the Bible, and sing, and just give them some company.

It was incredible.

And it was just what I needed to be refreshed and renewed for the week.

Mrs. Harriet, Mrs. Shirley, Mrs. Ruby, Mrs. Margaret, and Mrs. Elisabeth

were all there to talk with us.

Ah, I can't wait till Wednesday.

After Mossy Oaks,

I went to First Baptist Hardeeville to help another team

with VBS.

It was a lot of fun to see the kids learning about Jesus.

This night,

I served Jesus in a most unexpected way,

but I know God had a reason.

There was a little boy in the class I was helping in,

and during the story time,

he ran out of the room and would not go back in.

And he kept running around the church,

so I chased him around for a good 10-15 minutes.

But having this little boy out of the room,

Mandy was able to tell the story to the other kids

without any problems.

So it was good.

(I also got to make a VBS t-shirt!)

Thursday it was back to the beach for us!

We went back to

Folly Field,

but this time it wasn't near as hot!

We were able to walk and talk for a while!

And it was awesome!

But after a while,

it did start to get hot.

We were supposed to start our

Backyard Bible Club at

Hilton Head Garden Apartments,

but

the heat index was going to get to

115 degrees.

So we called it off.

Sadly.

We were all really looking forward to

meeting all the new kids

and having fun with them

and sharing stories with them.

But I know that God is doing something.

And He's going to get us where we need to go.

We got home,

and we practiced some.

And then after practice,

I went back to VBS at Hardeeville.

It was a good night there,

and I loved working with the kids.

Friday we went back to
Coligny Beach!

It was a beautiful drizzly day!

Which made walking a whole lot better!

MG and I ended up walking around 4 miles of beach,

which didn't really seem like so much at the time,

but it took us a while.

After the beach,

we came back home and

practiced a while.

And then four of us,

MG, Grace, Courtney, and I,

went to Beaufort to help out with

a homeless ministry.

They serve dinner to homeless people every Friday night

at a park.

So we went and helped them serve the food.

And then we performed our Disney stuff for them.

It turned out well,

and it was nice to have a trial run on it.

We got home,

and we were so tired,

so we all just went to bed.

Saturday we were all so excited!

Because we were supposed to have our first performance!

We practiced and practiced.

And then I got a call from Larry,

our supervisor.

He said that the sound system that we're supposed to use

ended up not working,

and he would have to wait til Monday to get someone to look at it.

Which meant that we wouldn't be performing this weekend.

BUT

he said that if we were willing that we could

still do one performance.

At a block party.

That was happening at that moment.

So we said that we would do it.

And we gathered all our things quickly

and drove to Port Royal Baptist Church.

And then we got set up.

And then we performed!

It was pretty good too!

So God did some great things!

Even though we weren't able to perform

where we thought we were going to,

we still got to do it!

After the performance,

we hung out with all our friends on

the Beaufort side,

which was a real treat,

since we hadn't really seen them since

orientation.

Today has just been a pretty chill day.

We went to church

and taught the youth Sunday School class.

And then we got to go to lunch at Giuseppi's.

It was pretty tasty.

I also got to meet up with one of my friends!

It was great to see her!

And after lunch,

we just came home,

and have been chilling.

So it's been pretty nice.

Hopefully next weekend we will be doing our performace

at Coligny Plaza!

I really hope so!

But it's up to God!

It's been incredible to be a part of the journey I am on.

God is up to some great things!

And it's been great to see how He's changing me day-by-day.

And it's been awesome knowing that He is doing things

not only in my life but in the lives around me.



Sometimes God Sends Blessings in Unexpected Ways

So the past few days have been absolute chaos,

or so it seems.

We've been on the go almost constantly,

but God is working,

and we are able to see the things that He's up to.

It's pretty great.

Thursday we all worked with

Week of Champions.

And it was a lot of fun.

I was with boy's basketball again,

Mary Grace was with girl's basketball again,

Grace was with baseball again,

and Courtney and Erica were with tennis.

We were all able to meet some really cool people,

and help pass out the gatorade.

After we were done with Week of Champions,

we went to North Island Baptist Church to meet with the pastor.

Most of us are helping with the youth at the church over the summer,

so he wanted to talk to us and see what we were thinking

about trying to do this summer.

Originally, we were planning on doing a Bible Club in the afternoon,

but the apartment complex manager never responded.

So we ended just coming home and practicing

more on our performance.

It ended up being a good day of practice.

Friday morning we went to Coligny Beach

for lifeguard ministry.

Erica, Courtney, and I went out together

to pass out popsicles.

And we had a lot of fun.

We saw a lot of wildlife,

including a shark.

(A guy was fishing, and he ended up catching a shark...

it was about three feet long....and he brought it to shore.

It was so crazy.)

We got to meet a lot of lifeguards,

and we met a lot of their supervisors that day as well!

On our walk we met:

Andrea,

Jimmy,

David,

Kristen (who we had met on Tuesday! It was great to see her again though!),

Steven (he sounded just like Crush on Finding Nemo! It was crazy!),

Kaylee,

Sarah Ann,

Samantha,

Ellen,

Hannah,

Steven (their supervisor),

Brad,

Matt (another supervisor. He knew us as "the Baptist Burger people"),

Whitney,

and Austin.

So it was great to meet a lot of these guys!

They were all really nice!

And I can't wait to get to know them a lot more

over the next month and a half.

After the beach,

we went to North Island to practice.

And practice.

And practice.

We were able to work on parts...

but we still have some work that needs to be done.

When we got home,

we all got dressed up,

and then we drove to Beaufort.

We finally found our host family's restaurant,

and it was almost like walking into a fairy tale.

It was so beautiful!

Everything was perfect,

and we had some of the best food ever.

We started out with:

the Southern Sushi

and the Angel Wings.

Then we each ordered something different:

I had: Sweet Tea Salmon with Asparagus and Heavenly Mashed Potatoes.

Erica had: Steak Frites with Sweet Potato Fries.

Mary Grace had: Shrimp and Sweet Potato Grits.

Grace had: Vertical Crab Cakes with Corn.

and

Courtney had: Pecan (?) Crusted Cod with Mango sauce and Asparagus.

It was all FANTASTIC!

For dessert we all shared:

2 Chocolate Skillets

and

1 Sampler (it had White Chocolate Banana Pudding, Pecan Creme Brulee, and Celebration Cake)

Oh. my. lanta.

It was great.

After dinner we went down to the Waterfront for a while.

It was good to just hang out and talk.

It was a great night with us girls.

I know we're around each other all the time,

but there's something good about getting out of the house

and having a night out on the town.

Anyway, today we were working on our performance.

It was intense.

We have done so much!!

We nailed down our dance, our Disney, our theme interpretation, and all of the things in between each thing.

It was 4 hours of working hard, memorizing, and learning.

And I'm so glad that we're done with that now.

Now when we practice,

it'll just be perfecting what we already know!

Yay!

Tomorrow is church!

And I'm so excited!

Why?

Because I get to worship Jesus with everyone else!

Anyway, that's about all for now! :)

I'll include some pics for you of the beach. :)



First Day

So yesterday was our first day.

And it was absolutely

incredible.

God worked in amazing and crazy ways.

Like for real.

Let me tell you all about it.

The day started out with our normal drive.

We have to drive about 30 minutes to get to the beach,

which really isn't that bad.

But we were driving,

and the entire time I was mentally preparing:

preparing for what was about to happen,

preparing for what God was going to to,

and preparing for how God was going to use us in the morning.

We got to the beach,

and we prayed before we headed out to talk to the lifeguards.

We were told that not much would really happen today.

Because they didn't know who we were,

we weren't sure if they would talk to us all that much.

But God was already at work.

Grace and I paired up and went one direction,

and MG, Courtney, and Erica went the other.

Grace and I got to talk to:

Cameron,

Hillary,

Audrey,

Melinda,

Nicole,

Brett/Taylor, (I can't remember his name....I think it's one of those, but I'm not sure)

Elise,

and

Kristen.

Each of them were friendly,

and we were able to talk to each of them for at least five minutes.

A few of them knew that we were working for LCM

and they knew that we offer free dinners for them.

And they were SO excited to see that we were back this summer!

They were all super excited about the popsicles that we gave them,

and they were all glad to have a break from just watching the beach.

Grace and I got to talk to Kristen the longest.

We carried on a conversation with her for like 30 minutes,

and she's a sweetheart.

She's from Canada,

and she loves to bike and have fun.

I am so excited to get to know these guards more as the summer goes on.

The other group met quite a few guards as well,

but I don't really remember their names.

I really only remember one:

Dakota.

Dakota is a Christian,

but he is really struggling in his faith right now.

He's surrounded by a lot of other guards who are not Christians

and who love to party.

He wants to learn more

and grow more in his faith,

but so far he has not found a church that offers night services.

Because of this,

we were thinking that we might want to start a worship service for lifeguards.

We're still praying about this though.

After the beach,

we went to Caligny Plaza,

where we'll be performing in two weeks.

We wanted to see what it looked like,

and we wanted to pray over it and over the people we'll be singing to.

It was a good time of prayer,

and a good time of preparation.

After we finished our lunch,

we went to Sandlewood Terrace Apartments

for our first Day camp (Backyard Bible Club)

of the summer.

And it was incredible.

Just incredible.

We got there and found out where we'd be working.

And then after we got our stuff in the community center,

we started going door to door telling the kids about the camp.

We ended up starting at 3.

And we played with them outside on the playground.

After that, we came inside

and had snack (which consisted of goldfish and fruit punch)

and started working on our craft for the day.

We made bracelets to remind them that we would be back the next Tuesday at 2.

After they finished making their bracelets,

we told them a Bible Story: David and Goliath.

We ended up acting it out.

Erica was David,

and Mary Grace was Goliath,

and I was the narrator.

It was a lot of fun,

and all the kids really enjoyed the story.

We were able to impart the truth to them.

All the kids were so sweet,

and I can't wait till next week to go back to them!

And that was the end of our first day of ministry.

It was amazing.

And I know that God is going to continue to do great things!

Today has been my day off....sorta.

I worked for Week of Champions this morning.

So I got to meet some former

Basketball Coaches and players,

which was cool.

But I mostly just passed out gatorade to the kids who needed it.

The rest of the day has been rather relaxing.

I'm still hoping to take a nap,

but I don't know if that's going to happen.

Maybe I'll just go to bed early...

Tomorrow we're working at Week of Champions in different areas.

And then after Week of Champions,

we're going to a different apartment complex,

where we'll get to do another Backyard Bible Club.

I'm really excited about that.

Friday we'll be back on the beaches

serving the lifeguards.

Excitement is building!

I love them so much!

And I just want to serve them!

Even if it's only by handing out popsicles!

God is moving and changing my heart and my life!

I wish I could fully explain it right now.

But I can't.

I don't even fully understand what He's showing me right now.

So I am just seeking after Him,

and I know one day I will understand.

Prayer Requests:

-the lifeguards- Cameron, Hillary, Audrey, Melinda, Nichole, Brett/Taylor, Elise, Kristen, and Dakota. Be praying that God would be working in their lives and that He would open doors for us to share the Gospel with them and that we would be able to build great relationships with them.

-the Day Camps- that God would use the one day we have with these kids to make a difference in their lives for eternity. that we would build great relationships with them. and that we would pour out as much love on them as possible.

-team unity- our team is becoming more unified day by day. but it is still something that needs to happen.

-guidance about a new worship service- we would be taking on the worship service ourselves, so that would be something extra we would have to do. BUT if it is what God wants us to do, then we will.

-the youth at North Island Baptist Church- there has not been any kind of youth program there for at least 3 months, and the kids are hurting. they need guidance and nourishment. and we're there to help them with that. but we need someone in the church to step up to the plate, so that when we leave, there will be someone to continue what is started this summer.

-our team- strength and endurance and energy. being out in the sun for long periods of time is rather draining. and we have a lot going on.

Thank you for your prayers!

Love to all!

Sorry for the Delay

Oh my goodness!

I totally didn't realize that it had been almost a week since I had last posted!

So much has been happening,

And I feel like I haven't had very much free time!

So the past few days we've been seriously focused on our music.

We've just been working on the Disney medly:

Be Our Guest,

Belle,

Arabian Nights,

Kiss the Girl

Part of Your World,

A Whole New World,

Beauty and the Beast,

Fathoms Below,

Under the Sea,

and

Friend Like Me.

It's been pretty intense learning all of this,

but we're getting there.

We've figured out all the choreography to go with the music,

so now it's just down to perfecting the vocals/parts,

and perfecting the dancing.

We also have to create a dance to "Shackles" by Mary, Mary,

which will be very interesting.

And we have to create an interpretation to

"More Beautiful You" by Johnny Diaz.

We also still have to learn all the parts to "Lead Me to the Cross."

And then we have to practice everything all together.

And make sure that it looks good.

This past week we've also just been hanging out

and growing closer to one another as a family.

So that would include swimming at the community pool,

(I already have a nice tan coming along!)

and watching movies.

So it's been fun!

Tomorrow is a big day for us.

We're finally starting out lifeguard ministry,

which means we begin walking the beaches everyday to pass out popsicles.

And we'll also be starting our first Backyard Bible Club of the summer!

Yay!

After those two things, we'll be heading back home to practice some more

and work some more.

But I am so excited that we're finally starting what we're supposed to be doing!

It's going to be incredible!

Anyway, not much else is going on here.

Tonight we'll have our first meal made by our host home.

I'm excited!

And hopefully within the week we'll be going to their restaurant

to try their food that they have there!

I'm really excited to go and try!

Prayer Requests:

-team unity

-Week of Champions is going on this week- this is where Christian professional athletes come to Hilton Head and do free sports clinics where they are able to share the Gospel with kids they encounter. So be praying that God does some incredible things this week.

-beginning the lifeguard ministry- pray for doors to be opened, that we would be bold and open to who God leads us to talk to and share with, and that good relationships would begin to form.

-beginning the Backyard Bible Clubs- pray that we would have kids show up, that we would be flexible and ready to share who God is with the kids, and that we would bond with these kids.

-our performance- that as we continue to practice, that things would fall in to place, and that we would not be practicing in vain. that all the glory for the performances would go to God and that we would follow Him in our choreography.

-me personally- sometimes I feel like I'm not really wanted here, and it's just been a rough couple of days. I am fighting back and making sure that my Armor is firmly in place, but Satan is trying as hard as he can. But God is stronger. He is bigger. He is greater than Satan could ever wish to be. I have put my hope in God, and that's where it's staying. But just pray for strength and endurance and understanding.

Thank you for all who have been praying so far.

All of them are greatly appreciated and we can feel them here.

My team all says hello!

Love to you all!

Late Night Laughs

So last night,

I was completely exhausted.

We got home from working at VBS at Tillman Baptist,

and all I wanted to do was take a shower

and crash.

Well, I took a shower,

but then I ended up staying up for a whole lot longer than I planned.

So, when I finally did decide to go to bed,

my roommate, Mary Grace,

picked up her guitar.

I asked her what she was doing,

thinking that she was going to practice while I was trying to sleep.

She said she was just putting it away,

but on second thought, she would like to play me a goodnight song.

And this is what happened.

I hope this made you laugh,

because I was laughing so hard.

Oh! The joys of being exhausted.



Introductions and Scheduling

Time for introductions!!

I want you all to specifically meet my teammates.

But I will also introduce a few others who are near and dear to my heart.

I won't be serving exclusively with just my team this summer.

I'll have opportunities to serve with all the other summer missionaries as well,

but for the most part,

I'll be sticking pretty close to my team.

Which will be fun and interesting.

Anywho, here we go!

 This is Grace!

She's just graduated from college,

and she just got engaged.

She's a sweet girl,

and she has a huge passion and desire to minister to girls and to women.

 This is Erica!

She is so much fun!

She has this way of making people laugh all the time.

She loves to talk about God and serve Him,

and she's just fun.

 This is Courtney!

She's a vegetarian,

I know, kinda a weird thing to put down, but it's very much a part of who she is.

She loves God, and she desires to serve Him.

And she loves youth.

 This is Mary Grace!!

Oh my goodness, she is my twin.

No joke.

We've been talking a lot over the past week,

getting to know each other and what not,

and we have SO MUCH in common.

SO MUCH.

I could tell you lots and lots of things.

She loves youth and she has a special passion for working with middle school youth.

She loves God, and she just wants to serve Him with everything she's got.

And she drives a VW bug.

Crazy? I think yes.

 Anyway, so this is the performance team of 2011!

We have come together to serve the Almighty.

And we desire more than anything to reach the lost with the light of Christ.

We know that we have a huge mission before us,

but we also know that God has already gone before us,

and the victory is His.

I am excited to see how God is going to move within each of us,

and around each of us this summer.

It's going to be incredible.

Starting on the left: Mandy, Krystal, and me.

These ladies were my teammates the first summer I served here in the Low Country.

My goodness, I was literally jumping for joy when I found out they were serving again this summer!

God has definitely brought us back together for a reason.

And I am so excited to be serving with them again.

There's no telling how often my heart longed to hear their voices as we did devo together.

Anyway, God has some amazing things in store!

 This is the LCM staff! (Not all of them though. We're still missing a few.)

Back row (from left): Kurt, Mandy, Andrew, Mary Grace, me.

Middle Row (from left): Erica, Courtney, Jenn, Holly

Front row (from left): Will, Stephon, Erin, Kellie, Grace, Krystal, Ashley

We're missing: Larry, Sarah, and Kia

These staff members have all become friends over the last week of my life.

They have left their imprints on my heart.

And I don't think I will ever be the same.

We all have an amazing journey before us.

And it is going to just be absolutely incredible.

Schedule

This summer schedule is going to be crazy,

especially over the next couple of weeks.

I'll give you a run-down of what is going to happen each day,

once we're done practicing in our free time.

Monday:

Ministering to the Lifeguards - AM

Down time - Afternoon

Staff Meeting/Silly Songs with Larry - PM

Tuesday:

Ministering to the Lifeguards - AM

Lunch/Downtime

Bible Club - Afternoon

Lifeguard Dinner/Coffeehouse - PM

Devo

Wednesday:

Day off

Mossy Oaks Ministry - Afternoon (I will be doing this one on my own.)

Down time - PM

Devo

Thursday:

Ministering to the Lifeguards - AM

Lunch/Downtime

Bible Club - Afternoon

Dinner/Down time - PM

Devo

Friday:

Ministering to the Lifeguards - AM

Down time

Dinner/Down time

Devo

Saturday:

Sleep in some

Prep for Performance

Perform at Caligny Plaza on Hilton Head Island

Devo

Sunday:

Church at North Island Baptist Church

Lunch

Prep for Performance

Perform at Caligny Plaza on Hilton Head Island

Devo

And then it repeats each week.

But for the most part,

especially over the next few weeks,

we won't have as much down time,

because we really need to nail down our performance.

And we need to do it quickly.

So, it's going to be an intense couple of weeks.

But I know God is going to provide in amazing ways.

As the Community Ministry team needs us to help with VBS's around the area,

we will also have opportunities to do so.

I know that I'll be helping out with a couple already.

I've been recruited. haha.

And a few of us are going to be serving at North Island Baptist Church on Sunday mornings.

We'll be doing Children's Church as well as working with their youth.

So it's going to be great.

Let me explain the ministries we do:

Lifeguard Ministry - We walk the beaches every morning going up to the lifeguards and talking to them. We have otter pops with us and we provide them with a few so that they can cool down some from the heat. Our main goal is building relationships with them so that we will have opportunities to share Christ with them. Every other Tuesday night we have a free meal for the lifeguards that they are welcome to come to. We do a short devotional with them, and we continue to build relationships with them. We're hopefully going to be starting a new ministry this summer: a Coffeehouse. It'll be mainly for the lifeguards, but also for any other singles on the Island. We want to offer a place to come and hang out and just talk.

Bible Clubs - We will be going to two different apartment complexes each week, one on Tuesday, the other on Thursday. We will have the opportunity to build relationships with the kids living there and show them the love of Christ. We'll have craft time, story time, game time, and snack time. It'll only be a two hour time period that we'll have, so we have to be intentional, but at the same time flexible.

Mossy Oaks Ministry - This was started back in my first summer. We go and visit with the older ladies who live in this apartment complex. It's a time of devotion, singing, and just visiting. These ladies love God, and they just need some people to come and show Christ's love to them. I am really excited about seeing all of my ladies again this summer. I have missed them so much, and I know that it will be a good time of refreshment for me.

Silly Songs with Larry - This isn't really a ministry. This is more of our staff meeting/book study with our supervisor, Larry. We just thought it would be a whole lot more fun to call it Silly Songs with Larry than Staff Meeting.

Performances - Our performances are on Saturday and Sunday nights. We'll be getting there late afternoon/early evening to get set up and all that jazz. Then we'll be playing some music and doing balloon animals as well as face painting to draw people in for the performance. Then we'll perform. After the performance, we'll be doing some more face painting/balloon animals waiting to do another performance. This ministry is to reach out to young families as well as children and show them the love of Christ in a short amount of time.

I know this is a lot to take in.

It's been overload for me this entire past week.

Almost overwhelming.

But God is good, and He's taking care of me.

My host home is completely gorgeous.

I want to take pictures and post them,

but I don't want to do that til my host family isn't here.

Ya know?

Anywho, I think I am really going to love my host family.

Bethany is a sweetheart,

and she's been just what I need over the past two days.

Christopher is a famous chef,

and I can't wait to get to know him better over the next few months.

If anyone wants to send me anything, my parents have the address.

Or you can message/email/text/call me and I'll get it to you.

Prayer Requests:

-team unity- we need to be unified, not letting anything come between us and God, and us and each other. It's going to be rough. I know that over the past couple days I have been experiencing an extreme amount of spiritual warfare, so I know that Satan is fighting hard against what is going to happen this summer here in the Low Country. So if you could be praying for me as well as my team and every one of the summer missionaries, that would be excellent. We're going to get tired and worn out, but I know that through God, we'll be able to stand strong.

-the people we're going to be ministering to- we're going to encounter people from all over the world this summer. And a lot of them are going to be from here in the Low Country. But I want to be able to serve them and show them God's love however He wants me to.

I can't really think of anything else to be praying for. Just us, our ministries, and our focus.

I want to keep it God centered this summer.

It's all about Him.

Nothing else matters.

The End of the Beginning

So sorry it's been so long since my last blog...

Orientation has been insane,

and I have a lot to go over, and not very much time.

So here I go.

Still in GA

 

 The only mall I saw pretty much all the way out there.

It wasn't even that big.

 It was a HOT day for driving.

Like, for reals.

 I must explain the sign.

My first summer working out here, there was an amazing old man name Mr. Dudley.

I loved him so much.

And the town's name is Dudley,

which reminded me of him.

 I told you it was hot.

 And even hotter.

 Close to Savannah!!!

 An airplane!

 I made it to SC!!

I was screaming in the car!

Screaming because I was so excited!!

 Palm trees!

Oh how I had missed them!

 Hardeeville is so cute with their banners lining the streets.

haha, I love little towns.

 The dirt road leading to the ranch.

(Btw, this is nothing like the dirt road leading up to Inlow.

It's a lot shorter.

And a lot less bumpy.)

 I finally made it to the ranch!!!

 My friend Krystal was there to greet me!

Welcome home.

Anywho. That's the end of the beginning.

God is going to be doing some crazy amazing things over the next couple of weeks.

I need to make introductions of my teammates,

But I'll get to that in my next blog,

which will hopefully be coming very soon.

Orientation has been a blast.

I have learned a lot.

And I have discovered that God has some great thing in store.

It's going to be an intense and crazy summer.

I'll be busy all the time,

but I know that it will be totally worth it.

We move into our host home tomorrow.

And I am SO EXCITED!

My host "parents" are chefs and own their own restaurant and b&b,

so hopefully we will have good food for some of the summer.

Nothing much is new,

more pictures are posted on my facebook,

because it takes FOREVER to load on here.

I'll do a few more pics every now and then,

but for the most part,

they will show up on facebook.

Miss you all.