The Last Week

This past week was great! We just did our normal ministry stuff that we've been doing all summer, so nothing too exciting, but it was still great! We talked to the lifeguards a whole lot longer than what we've ever done before. It was so crazy to talk to each one for a good fifteen to thirty minutes before we moved on to the next one.. We haven't done that before, and it's so cool to see that our friendships have grown to where we can talk for that amount of time.

I can't even believe that my last week begins today! I feel like there's no way that it's already time for the last week, but, alas, it is upon us. And a busy week it will be!

Today marks the beginning of the week. And we will be performing at a Block Party at First Baptist Hardeeville in the afternoon. And then tonight we will be going out to dinner with our host mom, because this is the last time we'll see her before she takes off for a mission trip to DC.

Tomorrow we are performing at The Baptist Church of Beaufort during their contemporary service. And then they are taking us out to eat. And then at night, we'll be going to Port Royal Baptist Church to perform yet again. (I am really excited about that, because I love that church and the people in it, and I think it's going to be great!)

Monday we will be passing out popsicles to the lifeguards at Folly Field beach, and then we're going out to lunch to celebrate Mary Grace's birthday! We have some time off in the afternoon. And then in the evening, we have our LAST LIFEGUARD DINNER! Crazy! It's going to be so hard to say goodbye to a lot of the people that we won't get to see for possibly ever again! But hopefully we've made a difference in their lives.

Tuesday we'll be passing out popsicles to the lifeguards at Coligny Beach. And then chilling for a couple of hours. And then we'll be going to Sandlewood Terrace for our last Backyard Bible Club with those kids. It's going to be hard to say goodbye. And then in the evening, we're going to Port Royal Baptist Church for our Final Dinner with the LCM Staff. Crazy! More goodbyes.

Wednesday is my "day off." I'm going to Parkview Apartment complex in the morning to suprise the CMT and the kids with popsicles. And then I'll be going to Mossy Oaks to say goodbye to my ladies again. And then, hopefully, Mandy, Krystal and I will be going to Hunting Island to spend some time together at the beach.

Thursday we'll be passing out popsicles for the final time at Folly Field. And then we'll be going to Hilton Garden apartments for our last Backyard Bible Club there. And then we're going to Parkview Apartment Complex to do a Block Party, and we'll be performing there as well. It's great! I'm so excited!

Friday we'll be passing out popsicles for the last time this summer at Coligny Beach. And then we'll be going back to Sandlewood Terrace for a Block Party where we'll be performing. And then we're done with ministry stuff for the summer!! Crazy! But that evening we'll probably just be going out to dinner with everyone, maybe, or just my team. And just spending some time together.

God has been so good this summer. He can and will do some amazing things over this last week. And I can't wait to see what He'll be doing!

And the Whirlwind Continues On.

Well, this past week has been crazy! And I feel like this is the first opportunity I have had to just chill for a little while. For real. I have been so busy. But at the same time, I have seen God move in amazing and incredible ways. And not just in my life, but in lives around me.

Last week, the mission team from TN was here. And they were a blessing to me in so many different ways. I got to watch them as they loved on the old ladies that are so dear to my heart all week long. These ladies were so blessed, and their smiles were never-ending. And I could tell that for the first time in a while they felt loved by more than just a couple people and important. Because of this group's committment to these ladies, I was not only encouraged, but I was loved on as well. I could most definitely feel their love pour out into my life, which was much needed. I needed to be reminded that I was loved. And I needed to be around them. So I was with them as much I could be, without interferring with my duties here as a missionary. So every night I was with them for worship and hanging out with them afterward. At the end of the week when it was time to say goodbye, I didn't want to. They became my family, and I didn't want to have to say another goodbye. But it was time. God definitely sent them here at the perfect time. He knew that my week was going to be a rough one and that I would need the love an encouragement from my family.

After they left, I felt a renewed strength to minister to the people around me for the remaining three weeks I had left. I knew that God had me here for a purpose, and I am going to do everything I can to reach the people here in the LowCountry.

We still haven't been able to perform, which is frustrating. But, yet again, God knows what He's doing. He has a plan that is bigger and greater than anything I could have ever even imagined. And it's so exciting thinking that He is going to do something amazing over these last two weekends. We'll be performing for a couple of block parties over the next couple of weeks, as well as at a Fine Arts concert thing at a church, and possibly a couple of Boys and Girls Clubs. And we still have the possibility of 3 days of performing at Coligny Plaza. But we're all trusting that God would have His will be done, and that we wouldn't worry about anything else.
Working with the kids yesterday at Sandlewood Terrace was amazing. And let me just tell you why. We showed up at our normal time, but not near as many kids showed up this week. We had our regulars, but a lot of the new kids we had last week never came. So we ended up telling the story first, because they were all so quiet. And it went well. And then we sang some songs, which is always a lot of fun. They went outside and played for a few, but it was extremely hot yesterday, so they ended up coming back in after about 10 minutes, and we had snack. Well after snack, one of the little boys, Cody, he's 7, hurt his finger really badly, and started bawling. So I scooped him up, and Erica went and got some ice. Well, he sat in my lap for a while keeping the ice on his finger, and after his finger stopped hurting, he ended up just falling asleep on my lap. (Let me give you some background on this boy: He comes from a broken home. He lives with his mom, but has to visit his dad every once in a while. His mom works all the time, so she's not home much. And he has two older brothers, who are not the nicest to him. So he doesn't get too much attention from many people. He had just gotten back from visiting his dad, and he said he didn't get much sleep there.) So he passed out on my lap, and slept for an hour. I was in heaven. And that hour allowed me time to pray for him and lift him up before the Father.

Lifeguard ministry has been going well over the past couple of weeks. We are building relationships with a lot of the guards. And it's been awesome. I have so many stories of guards that I could tell. They all have very different backgrounds, and they are just great people to know and to talk to. Last night was our second to last lifeguard dinner, and it was great. We had around 30 guards show up, which is incredible! But more than that, we got to talk with a lot of them afterwards. Usually, they show up, eat, and then stay long enough to listen to one of us share our testimonies, and then leave. But this week, we had at least 10 stay about an hour after to talk with all of us. It was amazing, truly. One of the guys I had a chance to talk to was Jordan. He grew up as an MK in Venezuela, so he was asking lots and lots of questions about what all we were doing. And I also got to talk to a guy named Shawn. So it was great to have them all stay for a while after and talk to them. We are going to be starting a worship service for them for the last two weeks we'll be here, because a lot of them are looking for a church or somewhere to go worship. So we're going to offer that for them. And I am so excited about it! It'll be great!

Last Wednesday I got to go to Ridgeland Baptist Church and got the chance to share my testimony with the youth group there. It was great, and all the youth were awesome. I'm supposed to go back next Wednesday, so I'm kinda excited to see what God is going to do then.

I can't even believe that I only have two weeks left in the LowCountry. It seems like just yesterday that I got here, but it's already almost time to leave. WHERE DID THE SUMMER GO?!?! I feel like I still have so much left to do, but I know that God has been using the time that I've spent for His glory, and He's going to continue to do so. I trust in Him for all this. And I believe that He's taking care of me in amazing ways.

He's been changing me a lot over the summer. And I am most definitely not the same person I was when I drove out here. He's been working in my life in amazing ways. And I know that it's not going to stop after the summer is over. This is only the beginning.

The other day I was reading through Proverbs, and I came across Chapter 10 verse 25. I am pretty certain it is one of my new favorite verses.
"When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation."

I love, love, love that verse. I feel like my life has been a whirlwind over the past few months. So much has been changed. So much has been uprooted. And so much is still up in the air. I don't know what I'll be doing over the next semester other than attending SEBTS. I don't know much about my roommate. I don't know where I'll be working, going to church, spending breaks, what classes I'm taking, who my close friends are going to be, etc. All of these things used to be causes of worry for me. But now they are a cause of joy and celebration, because my foundation-Jesus Christ-is solid. He is going to take care of me. He is going to provide for me. He has plans that are greater than anything I could ever ask for or imagine (Eph. 3:20-21). And at the end of it all, He is all that matters.

My life may be a whirlwind right now,
But my God is my firm foundation.
And I am secure in Him.

Through It All

God has been here.

And it's been amazing.

Saturday

some really good friends of mine

came in town for the week

with their youth group.

And I finally got to see them!

Ah! It was the best!

We went to help with worship for them that night,

so I got to spend a lot of time with them.

And every day since then I have gotten to see them

and spend time with them.

They have cheered me up

and I've been having a blast with them.

Saturday night,

we were supposed to perform,

yet again.

But another problem arose,

and we were not able to do so.

It's been frustrating,

but God is working everything out.

He is showing us all how to be patient

and wait on Him

for what we need to do.

Sunday we all went to church

and had a pretty chill

afternoon.

Then we went to Coligny Plaza

in the evening

and made more balloon animals for the children

there.

It was a lot of fun again,

and one of the lifeguards came to help us.

Then we were able to have Rita's with her afterwards.

So it was a lot of fun.

Monday was pretty good.

We went to lifeguard ministry

on the beach,

and all the lifeguards were pretty talkative.

So it was great to chat with them for a while.

That afternoon I got to go to Mossy Oaks

and spend time with my ladies there! Ah!

It was fantastic!

The mission team that my friends are on

are doing a camp there in the afternoons with the ladies,

so I've not only do I get to spend time with my friends,

but I get to spend time with some of the people I love out here.

It's so awesome.

At night I went to worship

with the mission team who is in town.

And it was fantastic.

It was exactly what I needed.

Yesterday was crazy.

Absolutely crazy.

And not in a good way.

I woke up in a horrible mood.

And so did the rest of my team.

We were not in the mood to do anything,

but we still had to.

We did lifeguarding

and then we had lunch at the church.

By lunchtime, we were all doing better,

and starting to get over the craziness of the morning.

And then the Backyard Bible Club at

Sandlewood happened.

It was alright at the beginning of the Club.

But then new kids came,

which is what we actually like,

but these kids were off the wall that day.

Off the wall.

We were all a little overwhelmed with them.

So by the time 3:45 rolled around,

we decided to send them home.

And we came home,

and just chilled for a little while.

And I went back to worship last night!

It was another amazing night!

And Ms. Karen did my nails for me.

So it was a great night of just hanging out with

friends.

Today

is my day off.

So I've been busy

catching up on emails and other stuff.

Later on in the afternoon I'll be headed to Mossy Oaks

to see my

senior adult ladies!

I am so stoked!

And then in the evening I'll be going

to a small Baptist Church in

Ridgeland to share my

testimony.

And tonight of course is

worship!

Holla!

Through this whole week,

I have felt God with me.

I know He's here,

and I know He's working.

He's been moving in my life in amazing ways.

Challenging me

and encouraging me to keep going.

I definately wouldn't have made it this far without Him.



The Unexpected

Well,

the past couple of days

have been rough.

And lots of unexpected

things have happened.

But through it all,

God has been here.

He is providing:

peace,

joy,

strength,

and

hope.

He is everything

I could ever

need

or

want.

Even through the

unexpected,

I will trust in Him.

I believe

that He will

guide me,

take care of me,

and help me through

all things.

The Busy-ness of Walking With God

Oh goodness.

I got on here,

and I realized how long it has been

since I last had the time to write.

But,

today is the day.

And I have internet access to do so.

And I have a pumpkin spice latte to help me along the way.

Oh the joys of small town coffeeshops.

Anyway,

it has been a joy working in the LowCountry

the past couple of weeks.

Busy,

but a complete joy.

All last week we continued working with

the lifeguards on the beach,

and we were able to see God working,

not only in their lives, but in ours as well.

We've seen doors open among many of the lifeguards

for us to share a little bit more about our faith

and about who God is.

And they are all starting to ask questions about spiritual things.

So it's been great!

Last Wednesday

I went to a small church called May River Baptist Church

and I was given the privilege to share my testimony with them.

It was awesome.

I got to meet and talk with several people,

who were amazing.

They made me feel like I was at home,

and they were all excited to hear what God is doing

in my life and the lives around me.

Last Thursday we went to Hilton Garden Apartments.

Honestly,

I wasn't that excited to go.

I was tired that day.

I was hot.

And I just wanted to go home where it was cool

and where I could take a shower.

But God wanted us there,

and I'm glad we went.

All of the kids were awesome.

They were so sweet,

a little crazy,

but they just wanted attention.

They wanted us to love them,

even if all we did the entire time was play games with them

or push them on swings.

We got to share a Bible story with them

and give them a snack,

but we mainly just played with them.

I fell in love with one little boy,

he was three.

And all he wanted the entire time I was there

was for me to push him on a swing.

And that's exactly what I did.

And by the time it was for us to go,

while I was pushing him, he kept saying,

"I love you. I love you. I love you."

All because I was spending some time with time

by pushing him on his swing.

Needless to say,

I can't wait to go back tomorrow.

It will be the joy of my heart.

Friday we went to the beach

and passed out popsicles,

and then we stayed at the beach for a while longer.

Just to have a beach day.

We hadn't done that yet.

So we just hung out,

and had some fun.

Then I went home and I made dinner

for my team!

It was a lot of fun!

I had forgotten how great it was to cook

and make things for other people.

I also made individual

chocolate cakes

and some banana bread.

It made me happy.

Saturday we were all eagerly awaiting the arrival of

MG's family!

They finally came around noon,

and we were all so very excited to meet them!

After MG left to hang out with her fam

for the afternoon,

we all got ready for our performance!

We got to Coligny Plaza when we were supposed to,

and then we got the bad news from Larry...

the sound system was still broken.

So, we ended up just prayer walking.

Flexibility is key.

Sunday we went to church,

and then had lunch with MG and her family.

Then we hung out at the house for a while.

We went back to Coligny that night,

and we just made lots of balloon animals for the kids.

We were all a little freaked out at the beginning,

because we really had no experience.

But after we got started,

it all came naturally.

We had a lot of fun.

And one of the lifeguards,

Michelle,

came and helped us,

which was awesome!

Anyway,

after that, we went to dinner with a few of the lifeguards at

Wise Guys.

It was pretty good,

however,

my feet were eaten by mosquitoes.

That part was not so much fun.

The 4th was pretty great!

We had a lot of fun hanging with all the other teams!

And then Parris Island was great!

The fireworks were awesome!

And I was so glad we went!

The driving off the island wasn't so much fun,

but that's what happens when

a lot of people all try to leave at once.

Anyway,

I don't think much else is going on.

We have our normal schedule this week.

And we WILL perform this weekend!

(At least, that's the plan as of now.

Remember, flexibility is key!)

Prayer Requests:

-the lifeguards- we know a few of them are indeed Christians, and we're trying to figure out how to encourage them. And we're still needing doors to open up in conversations for us to share our faith and about God.

-my team- we're experiencing a great deal of spiritual warfare at the moment. a GREAT DEAL. And I know that we're doing what God is wanting us to do, but it's also hard to keep standing up under all this. So be praying that we will all stand firm, knowing that God will take care of us all and that He will do the fighting for us.

I do believe that is all for right now.

It has been a joy being here!

And I am seeing God at work every single day.

And it's incredible.

But I know that I would not be able to do anything apart from Him!

He is Lord Almighty,

and He is worth everything I could possibly give Him.

All the glory for what has happened in my life

and the lives around me belongs solely to Him!